Diurnal Analysis of the Performance of Photovoltaic Systems under the Guinea Savannah Atmosphere in Ogoja, Cross Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

A thorough experimental investigation was carried out to diurnally analyze the performance of photovoltaic systems deployed for domestic purposes under the guinea savannah atmosphere in Ogoja, Cross River State, Nigeria. In this study, the time of day to expect maximum efficiency from the photovoltaic (PV) module is shown, and the time of day that the panel temperature will exceed it maximum operating cell temperature is also shown. Instruments employed in the process include a digital solar power meter, digital hygrometer, digital infrared gun thermometer and a digital high precision photovoltaic panel maximum power point tracker (MPPT) to track and determine the maximum power, voltage and current produced by the photovoltaic module. The result shows that the highest level of efficiency was attained at 14:30 which reveals that the climatic condition which occurs at 14:30 is the most favorable for PV systems deployed for domestic purposes at the location. The study shows that 42% and 400C is the best relative humidity and PV temperature level for optimum PV efficiency at this location. In addition, the temperature of the study location appears encouraging as on average, the panel temperature will rarely exceed the maximum operating cell temperature for months besides January and march in which a cooling mechanism to regulate the panel temperature may be needed to avoid a massive loss in efficiency. An altitude of 85m above sea level makes the location relatively favorable for receiving intense solar radiation. With 90% efficiency assured, the location can be seen as suitable for generating electricity via PV technology and installing solar farms for commercial purposes.