Proposing an Ontology Model for Planning Photovoltaic Systems

The performance of a photovoltaic (PV) system is negatively affected when operating under shading conditions. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) systems are used to overcome this hurdle. Designing an efficient MPPT-based controller requires knowledge about power conversion in PV systems. However, it is difficult for nontechnical solar energy consumers to define different parameters of the controller and deal with distinct sources of data related to the planning. Semantic Web technologies enable us to improve knowledge representation, sharing, and reusing of relevant information generated by various sources. In this work, we propose a knowledge-based model representing key concepts associated with an MPPT-based controller. The model is featured with Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL), allowing the system planner to extract information about power reductions caused by snow and several airborne particles. The proposed ontology, named MPPT-On, is validated through a case study designed by the System Advisor Model (SAM). It acts as a decision support system and facilitate the process of planning PV projects for non-technical practitioners. Moreover, the presented rule-based system can be reused and shared among the solar energy community to adjust the power estimations reported by PV planning tools especially for snowy months and polluted environments.