Comparison Between Predicted and Measured Generation Output of a Photovoltaic Farm

The generation of electricity through solar Photovoltaic (PV) is still new in Malaysia. Major obstacle for investors to invest in solar PV project is the high capital cost in addition to the uncertainty of the electrical power that can be generated by the PV. There are available software that can be used to predict the PV energy output. Since the output depends on solar radiation, the predicted results will have some errors. It is important for investor to know the value of the error to justify their investment in PV project. A 5 MWp solar PV power generations located in Northern Malaysia is used in the study to compare the predicted and measured PV generation output. The predicted output is simulated by using HOMER software while the measured output is obtained from recorded measured data. The error between predicted and measured generation output will be measured analyzed.