Accuracy analysis of photovoltaic simulation softwares with real data

Although Turkey is advantageous in terms of solar energy potential, it has not been able to maintain its advantage satisfactorily in terms of evaluating this potential. In 2011, it was announced that 600 MW Solar Energy Undergraduate Competition will be held. This competition ended in 2015. The regulation on the generation of unlicensed electricity in installed capacity below 1 MW was published in 2013. After this date, the use of solar energy in electricity generation has gained momentum. In the strategy documents published by the Ministry of Energy, it is aimed to increase the use of renewable energy to 30% for 2023 and to increase renewable energy investments through various mechanisms. With the increase of energy investments, the feasibility of investments has become more important. Before making their investments, investors want to see estimated annual energy production, loss in system and cash flows through simulation programs. This study aims to control the accuracy of the simulations that investors made before their investments for Konya and Karaman provinces, with a total of twenty seven simulations for three different facilities. In this study, the actual design models and production data of the Solar Energy Production Facilities supported by Mevlana Development Agency in Konya and Karaman provinces were compared with the simulation programs and the performance of the programs in our region and in our country was evaluated. Simulation values of PVSyst, PVSOL and PVGIS simulation programs which are being used in the feasibility and project financing stages of solar energy power plants investments, were compared with measured values of the land type 3 Solar Power Plants with installed capacities ranging from 250 kW to 1 MW in Konya and Karaman provinces.