Performance analysis and efficiency increasing methods of rooftop type solar power plant in Gaziantep region

The increasing energy demand of today's world has revealed that fossil fuels are not sustainable, necessitating a transition to renewable energy sources. In this context, solar energy stands out as a significant option, and this study examines a photovoltaic (PV) power plant located in an organized industrial zone. PV power plants installed on the unused roof spaces of large enterprises provide substantial advantages in reducing energy costs. In this study, a seasonal performance analysis of the plant was conducted, and a solar radiation forecast regression model was developed using 12 years of data from the Turkish State Meteorological Service, including solar radiation, sunshine duration, humidity, wind speed and temperature. As a practical application, the energy production of a PV power plant on the roof of an industrial enterprise was compared based on its cleaning condition. The efficiency of systems that were cleaned regularly and those that were not cleaned for one month was analysed, revealing that regular cleaning resulted in 28.6% more energy production. Additionally, a comparison was made with another PV power plant in the same area that was not routinely cleaned, and it was found that regular cleaning resulted in approximately 18.5% higher energy production efficiency. Furthermore, the cost and payback period calculations of a 1 MW PV power plant to be established in the region were performed, and the optimization of the cleaning frequency of the panels was evaluated, identifying an optimal periodic cleaning cycle of 7.6 days. Assuming the PV panel efficiency is 16%, the overall plant efficiency was determined to be 93.7%. The results demonstrated that regularly cleaned panels produce significantly more energy. The regression forecast model for the Gaziantep region was determined as H/H0 = 0.11 + 0.662(s/S0), with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.904 and R² = 0.817 for this region. It has been determined that the system installed for industrial electricity pays for itself in a short period of approximately 3.26 years with regular maintenance and cleaning.