Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian Cities

The sizing of photovoltaic (PV) systems has been a concern since the 1990s, particularly with the trend of inverter undersizing as PV module prices decrease. While many studies have assessed the behavior of AC energy and economic parameters with varying Inverter Load Ratios (ILRs), they often neglec...

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Main Authors: Alex Vilarindo Menezes, José de Arimatéia Alves Vieira Filho, Wilson Negrão Macedo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/9/2203
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author Alex Vilarindo Menezes
José de Arimatéia Alves Vieira Filho
Wilson Negrão Macedo
author_facet Alex Vilarindo Menezes
José de Arimatéia Alves Vieira Filho
Wilson Negrão Macedo
author_sort Alex Vilarindo Menezes
collection DOAJ
description The sizing of photovoltaic (PV) systems has been a concern since the 1990s, particularly with the trend of inverter undersizing as PV module prices decrease. While many studies have assessed the behavior of AC energy and economic parameters with varying Inverter Load Ratios (ILRs), they often neglect the impact of degradation on system lifetime or fail to analyze how it influences ILR selection in depth. This study examines the relationship between DC loss curves and ILRs, their evolution over time, and their effects on efficiency and Final Yield. Simulating solar resources in 27 Brazilian cities, it evaluates clipping losses and optimal ILR values ranging from 0.8 to 2.0 for 28 recent inverters. The research aims to identify the ILR that minimizes the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) while maximizing Final Yield, revealing variations in optimal ILR ranges across different inverter–city combinations. The optimal ILR was between 1.1 and 1.3 for modern medium- and high-power inverters, while low-power inverters had a range of up to 1.8. The findings highlight that practical ILR considerations can overlook real-world challenges, leaving the system’s full potential untapped.
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institution Kabale University
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series Energies
spelling doaj-art-37037dc116d34fdc96607d2ebbd23fda2025-08-20T03:52:57ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-04-01189220310.3390/en18092203Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian CitiesAlex Vilarindo Menezes0José de Arimatéia Alves Vieira Filho1Wilson Negrão Macedo2Instituto de Tecnologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, BrazilInstituto de Tecnologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, BrazilInstituto de Tecnologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, PA, BrazilThe sizing of photovoltaic (PV) systems has been a concern since the 1990s, particularly with the trend of inverter undersizing as PV module prices decrease. While many studies have assessed the behavior of AC energy and economic parameters with varying Inverter Load Ratios (ILRs), they often neglect the impact of degradation on system lifetime or fail to analyze how it influences ILR selection in depth. This study examines the relationship between DC loss curves and ILRs, their evolution over time, and their effects on efficiency and Final Yield. Simulating solar resources in 27 Brazilian cities, it evaluates clipping losses and optimal ILR values ranging from 0.8 to 2.0 for 28 recent inverters. The research aims to identify the ILR that minimizes the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) while maximizing Final Yield, revealing variations in optimal ILR ranges across different inverter–city combinations. The optimal ILR was between 1.1 and 1.3 for modern medium- and high-power inverters, while low-power inverters had a range of up to 1.8. The findings highlight that practical ILR considerations can overlook real-world challenges, leaving the system’s full potential untapped.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/9/2203optimal ILRLCOEsolar photovoltaic systemPV modeling
spellingShingle Alex Vilarindo Menezes
José de Arimatéia Alves Vieira Filho
Wilson Negrão Macedo
Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian Cities
Energies
optimal ILR
LCOE
solar photovoltaic system
PV modeling
title Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian Cities
title_full Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian Cities
title_fullStr Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian Cities
title_full_unstemmed Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian Cities
title_short Challenges and Opportunities in ILR Selection for Photovoltaic System: Evaluation in Brazilian Cities
title_sort challenges and opportunities in ilr selection for photovoltaic system evaluation in brazilian cities
topic optimal ILR
LCOE
solar photovoltaic system
PV modeling
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/9/2203
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