Comparative Performance Evaluation of Multi-crystalline and Thin-film PV Technologies on the Water Surface

Performance evaluation of PV technologies above the surface of water body is crucial for identifying appropriate PV technology for the large-scale installation and performance improvement of floating PV systems. Performance evaluation of PV technologies mounted on water bodies and their comparison with corresponding ground-mounted technologies has not been widely reported. A setup was developed to experimentally determine and compare the behavior of two PV technologies (m-Si and CdTe) on the water and land. The electrical output of these PV technologies has been monitored for six months. A comparative study has been performed to know the difference in performance output between traditional ground-mounted and water-mounted PV systems. The decrease in evaporation due to PV system deployment on water bodies has also been determined experimentally. The water-mounted m-Si module's performance is lower than the corresponding ground-mounted module, which contradicts the general perception of the higher power generation capacity of crystalline technology-based water-mounted PV systems. However, the water-mounted CdTe module's performance is found to be greater than the ground-mounted CdTe module. In addition, there is a decrease of about 29% in evaporation by putting PV modules on the water surface