Performance assessment of rooftop PV systems in Abu Dhabi

We report on the results obtained from field performance monitoring of four different roof mounted PV systems in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for a period of one year. The PV systems consisted of multi-crystalline silicon (m-Si) and single-crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cell technologies. The monthly average and annual performance parameters of the PV systems assessed include the total energy generated, final yield (YF), energy payback time (EPBT), capacity factor (CF) and CO2 emission reduction. The comparison showed that systems with m-Si modules have higher monthly total average final yield than systems with c-Si modules. Moreover, a comparison with PV systems operated in different locations around the world also indicated that our PV systems had much higher final yield and capacity factor of 6.2 kWh/kWp/day, and 21%, respectively. The results and comparisons are discussed.