Evaluation of the Operational Performance of a Solar Microinverter in the Puno Highlands Region

Abstract

In photovoltaic systems, irradiation is considered to be one of the parameters that directly influences the energy generated. The objective of the study was to use a microinverter with a power of 250 W, which is connected to the conventional electrical energy network. The purpose was to analyze the characteristics and work performance, as well as determine the efficiency that this equipment presents when it operates above 3800 meters above sea level in the Puno highland region, conditions under which this research has been carried out. For this purpose, a system was installed to monitor electrical parameters in direct current and alternating current. With this equipment, voltage, current, electrical power and generated energy have been measured. Active and reactive power, energy, voltage, current, frequency and power factor have been measured at the output of the microinverter. The monitoring systems have recorded information on a daily basis, with one-minute intervals. From the information collected and analyzed, it has been determined that the efficiency of the microinverter is above 90%. The power factor approaches unity when the microinverter operates with a capacity greater than 25%. During the test, the maximum efficiency has been in the order of 93.37%. The photovoltaic panel used has a power of 270 W, however considering that the power of the microinverter is 250W, the latter limits the power produced to this value, so it can be stated that under the operating conditions in the Puno region, the microinverter and the photovoltaic panel should have the same power capacity.