Technological watch

The Government of India had initially aimed at an installed capacity of 20 GW solar PV power generation by 2022. However, India has 29.41 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants as of now, which shows that the target is achieved three years ahead of schedule. Kurnool solar power park is one of the largest solar parks in India, receiving an excellent average solar radiation of 5.5–6.0 kWh/m2. As part of this project, a 50?MW solar photovoltaic system has been installed at Kurnool. This paper determines the performance parameters for analysis. The system was monitored from April 2018 to March 2019. The performance ratio varied between 75% and 83%, giving an annual average performance ratio of 79.94%. The capacity utilization factor varied between 18.90% and 29.34%, giving an annual average capacity utilization factor of 24.65%. The gain of modules with single-axis tracking system is compared with the fixed-tilt angle system. It is found that the single-axis tracking system improves the performance of the plant.