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Estimation of photovoltaic power generation potential in Serbia based on irradiance, air temperature, and wind speed data

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This study is devoted to the research of spatial-temporal variation of electricity generation from the kilowatt-peak photovoltaic system made of crystalline silicon solar cells. The research was conducted in the territory of Serbia using the model for estimation photovoltaic performances as a function of incident irradiance and module temperature. Preparation of input data and calculation of the final results was done within the geographical information system. Some of the required raster data, like solar irradiance and wind speed, were already available, while air temperature raster was created from discrete set of observed data using the regression-kriging model. Obtained results were presented in the form of raster maps that enabled further analysis and discussion about new findings. The analysis of seasonal variations reveals that during spring and summer months photovoltaic systems are producing up to 70% of total annual electricity yield. In terms of the spatial distribution, the most promising areas for electricity generation are located in the south part of Serbia and along main river valleys. In addition, discussion part addresses the issue of data imperfection caused by the accuracy of the selected model, as well as quality and availability of data series.
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... With more than 2000 sunny hours per year, Serbia receives above average amounts of sunlight compared to most European countries. The annual total solar radiation in Serbia ranges from 1200 kWh/m 2 in the northwestern parts to 1550 kWh/m 2 in the southeastern parts of the country [38][39][40]. Figure 3a,b show Serbia's global horizontal irradiation and PV power potential from 1994-2018 [41]. ...
... Unfortunately, solar potential in Serbia is being exploited to a very small extent [38,42]. Solar power plants can be utilized to generate electricity from RES. ...
... PVGIS also provides users with information on the performance of their systems, including annual energy yield and the financial viability of their systems. PVGIS is often used in research and has been widely used in papers such as [38,44,45,47,48]. ...
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Citation: Djordjevicć, L.; Pekez, J.; Novaković, B.; Bakator, M.; Djurdjev, M.;Ćoćkalo, D.; Jovanović, S.
... Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, which directly convert sunlight into electricity, are particularly suited to electrifying both urban and rural areas [3]. The power produced by the photovoltaic (PV) system depends on a wide range of factors, among which are those that can be altered in the planning, installation and operation phase to minimize losses [4]. According to Djurdjević [5] Serbia has some areas with favorable, but mostly good conditions for solar PV electricity production. ...
... In her doctoral dissertation [11] studied the energy efficiency of solar power plants in the Republic of Serbia and the Republika Srpska. Doljak et al. in 2018 estimated the photovoltaic power generation potential in Serbia based on irradiance, air temperature, and wind speed data [4]. ...
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