Ensuring sustainability of PV systems for a given climate region in South Africa

A number of software simulation packages for alternative energy systems exist which may be used to determine PV system installation parameters (e.g. tilt and orientation angles) and operating limits (e.g. maximum drain current per day). However, climate change has contributed to a series of variations in weather patterns, resulting in either prolonged rain periods or lengthy heat waves. Both these variable climatic conditions exert a negative influence on the sustainability of PV systems, resulting either in system downtime or system lifetime reduction. This paper aims to contrast the results of a specific software package (RETScreen) for PV systems to experimental results obtained for a given climatic region in South Africa. The results indicate that the RETScreen software package´s results should be seen as a guide in the design and installation of sustainable PV systems.