An Integrated Approach to the Simulation/Optimization of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems: the Rational Choice of Components.

The high design complexity of photovoltaic plants is due to several variables which sometimes affect relevantly its efficiency. The evaluation of all technical and economic aspects of design is therefore essential to establish the actual sustainability of the system. Furthermore, the expansion of the PV market, due to the growing interest in the environmental problems and to the introduction of an articulated policy of incentives, has led to a strong supply growth in the sector, with a great variability of available products; so, the evaluation of the optimal plant configuration according to specific needs is often difficult. This paper describes a methodology, based on a complex plant simulator, which processes available data for every component of the system and allows making a reasoned choice of the best suited system configuration. This simulator evaluates, under various loading conditions, the behaviour of each photovoltaic architecture, obtained from the combination of the components to be assessed. Finally, an optimization model which analyzes the mutual interactions between technical and economic parameters, helping to choose the best compromise between energetic and economic performances is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]