Eventos de superirradiância no Nordeste brasileiro e sua influência na produção fotovoltaica

Abstract

The solar irradiance that reaches the surface in the Brazilian Northeast has sufficient constancy and intensity for the operation of photovoltaic (PV) plants in the region. However, superirradiance phenomena, common in many places in the world, but little studied in the literature, can cause impacts and compromise the performance of PV systems. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence of superirradiance and extreme superirradiance events in Northeast Brazil and their impacts on PV production. A bibliographic review of the impacts generated by the events is presented in this study. The methodologies developed consisted of applying the criteria for identifying events present in the literature using three databases: the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the Center for Alternative and Renewable Energies (CEAR) of the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) and actual production data from Usina Escola also from UFPB. The results showed that superirradiance occurs throughout the year in the Northeast region; however extreme events are common in the summer. The correlation of the monthly distribution of superirradiance at INPE stations with some climatological variables showed that precipitation and cloudiness are positively associated with months with more registered events. The superirradiance and external superirradiance events identified at the INPE stations had an average duration of 1 to 2 minutes. In João Pessoa-PB, 229 extreme events were identified during the analyzed months. The impacts of the events were verified in the increase of the temperature of the inverter, increase in the instantaneous power and in the current of the modules connected to the inverter. With the studies carried out, it was possible to deepen our understanding of the seasonality, duration and intensity of superirradiance events in Northeast Brazil, as well as the influence of superirradiance on PV inverters in real operation.