The Effect of Solar Irradiance on the Power Quality Behaviour of Grid Connected Photovoltaic Systems

Photovoltaic systems have been increasingly used in the generation of electrical energy, either as a means of providing electricity in areas where there is no grid connection (stand alone systems), or by providing electricity to the grid (grid connected systems). In a deregulated energy market, the cost of energy produced from fossil fuels is rising and the photovoltaic energy becomes a promising alternative source. Yet it still suffers from problems that need to be resolved in order to be widely accepted as an equivalent alternative to fossil fuels. Firstly the more direct problem of efficiency and cost needs to be overcome and secondly the indirect problem of the quality of power provided by photovoltaic technology has to be addressed. In this work 14 different grid connected PV systems have been considered and power quality measurements have been taken. Results for low and average irradiance cases are presented and analyzed in order to determine how power quality quantities are affected by changes in solar irradiance.