Sharif Digital Repository

The mean monthly values of sky clearness index, K̄T, were estimated for 36 Iranian cities, utilizing the solar radiation data measured by the Iranian Meteorological Organization. The study shows that the city of Tabas, in the desert regions of Iran, with an annual average K̄T of 0.69 is the sunniest city, followed by the cities of Yazd, Khor, Birjand, Khorramabad, Kerman, and Shiraz. On the other hand, the cities of Babolsar, Gorgan, Ramsar and Rasht, located by the Caspian Sea with average values of K̄T of 0.41, 0.41, 0.39 and 0.39, respectively, are the cloudiest cities in Iran  

Recent advancements in photovoltaic (PV) system technologies have decreased their investment cost and enabled the construction of large PV farms for bulk power generations. The output power of PV farms is affected by both failure of composed components and solar radiation variability. These two factors cause the output power of PV farms be random and different from that of conventional units. Therefore, suitable models and methods should be developed to assess different aspects of PV farms integration into power systems, particularly from the system reliability viewpoint. In this context a reliability model has been developed for PV farms with considering both the uncertainties associated... 

The coefficient of performance (COP) of a photovoltaic panel or module is defined as the ratio of the total electrical energy produced by the panel during its life to the total energy spent for its manufacture. All processes involved for the manufacture of photovoltaic panels were considered and the energy spent per unit mass of the final product during each process was determined. The total electrical energy spent for the manufacture of a photovoltaic module of 1×0.5 m dimensions, employing 340 micron wafers, with the net wafer area of 0.36 m2, was then determined. Monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon cells were employed. It was found that for the manufacture of the PV module...