Measured and simulated energy, economics and environmental (3E) performance of a building applied solar PV (BAPV) system using advanced open-source simulation software

The study assesses the simulated performance of a building applied photovoltaic system using PVLIB Python simulation and compared with an existing photovoltaic system installed in north India. The performance parameters of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61724 are used to compare measured and simulated results. The simulation results show photovoltaic module efficiency of 16.87 %, inverter efficiency of 96.52 %, system efficiency of 16.28 %, performance ratio of 88.45 %, capacity utilization factor of 21.15 %, and annual energy generation of 9253.2 kWh/year for the simulated system, which are all slightly higher compared to those measured. The economic and environmental evaluations of the building applied photovoltaic system were also compared, which confirmed its carbon reduction efficiency and sustainable development. The simulated results closely approximate the building applied photovoltaic system's on-field performance, with some short-term performance discrepancies due to weather dataset variability. The study demonstrates the potential of open-source Python library for photovoltaic system modelling as a reliable tool for optimizing advanced solar photovoltaic systems like floating, canal-top, building – integrated, and hybrid systems. • This study analyzed the BAPV system's 3E performance using Open-Source simulation PVLIB-Python. • Simulated performance of the system was compared with real BAPV system performance. • Simulated results closely approximate the on-field performance of BAPV system. • Short-term performance discrepancies recorded due to variability of weather datasets. • PVLIB-Python can provide design and analysis solutions for advanced PV systems like floating, canal-top, and hybrid.