Master's lecture in Civil Engineering - Harnesing solar energy in Iceland with PV panels

Master's student: Sindri Þrastarson

Title: Harnesing solar energy in Iceland with PV panels

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Faculty:  Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Advisors:  Björn Marteinsson, Associate Professor and Hrund Ólöf Andradóttir,Professor, both at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Examiner: Kolbrún Reinhardsdóttir, Electrical Engineer at Efla

Abstract

In the past decades incredible progress has been made in efficiency of solar cells and production cost has also decreased. For those reasons it is interesting to check if the possibility of using solar cells in Iceland is a viable option. In this project the performance assessment of PV system installed on the roof at IKEA Iceland was performed. The results presented were based on data recorded from September 2018 to August 2019. The system was installed with 13.5 kW on the roof sloping 20° and 4.05 kW on the south wall of the building sloping 90°, in total 17.55 kW installed. The total annual energy output delivered was found to be 12,092 kWh, with an annual specific yield of 689 kWh and monthly average energy output of 1008 kWh. Furthermore, the annual average daily reference yield, array yield and final yield of the PV were estimated as 2.73 kWh/kW, 1.91 kWh/kW and 1.83 kWh/kW, respectively. The overall annual capacity factor and performance ratio were found to be 7.8% and 60%. In addition, the best slope for the latitude of Reykjavík was calculated from measurements from the Icelandic met office for the time period mention above. The results were that a solar panel facing south sloping 40° would capture the most irradiation for the given time period. The findings from this installation indicate that PV system is feasible for electricity generation in Iceland and could play a role in the future energy mix of the country.