IEC TS 61724-3-2016 PDF

Full title and description

IEC TS 61724-3:2016 — Photovoltaic system performance — Part 3: Energy evaluation method. This Technical Specification defines a standardized procedure to measure and analyse the electrical energy production of a specific grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system and to compare measured electrical energy with the expected electrical energy for the same system based on actual measured weather conditions and stakeholder‑defined assumptions. The edition includes the corrigendum published in February 2018.

Abstract

This technical specification provides an energy evaluation framework for PV systems: establishing test boundaries and duration, specifying meteorological and system inputs, defining data acquisition and quality‑control procedures, and calculating energy performance indicators (performance index, availability metrics, capacity factor, performance ratio and uncertainty). It is intended to produce a documented comparison between measured energy and expected energy (the expected‑energy calculation method itself is left to the user).

General information

• Status: Published / active (Technical Specification).
• Publication date: 19 July 2016 (first edition). Corrigendum 1 published February 2018 (included in many official copies).
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), TC 82 (Solar photovoltaic energy systems).
• ICS / categories: 27.160 (Solar energy engineering).
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (IEC TS 61724-3:2016).
• Number of pages: Typically published as ~30 pages in the IEC edition (national/adopted versions may show slightly different page counts).

Scope

Specifies a procedure to evaluate the energy performance of grid‑connected PV systems containing at least one inverter by comparing measured electrical energy output against expected electrical energy for the measured weather over a defined test period. The document covers test planning (boundaries, duration), required meteorological and system inputs, data acquisition frequency and quality control, handling of unavailable/unmonitored periods, and calculation of energy performance indices and availability metrics. The method for predicting the expected electrical energy (the modelling approach) is outside the specification’s scope and is left to the test stakeholders to define and document.

Key topics and requirements

• Test planning: defining system boundary, test duration and objectives (commonly a full year to capture seasonal variability).
• Predicted, expected and measured energy: requirements to document initial predictions and to compute expected energy from measured meteorological inputs.
• Model inputs and assumptions: specification of meteorological inputs (global/plane‑of‑array irradiance, ambient temperature, wind where relevant), PV system parameters (modules, inverters, mounting geometry) and declared uncertainty bounds.
• Data acquisition and quality control: sensor choice, measurement intervals and synchronization, calibration, filtering of erroneous or missing data, treatment of shading, curtailment and grid outages.
• Performance metrics and reporting: calculation of energy performance index (measured/expected), availability, capacity factor, performance ratio and uncertainty analysis; recommended reporting items and documentation.

Typical use and users

Intended for use by PV system performance engineers, test laboratories, plant owners/operators, system integrators, investors and researchers assessing or verifying the annual energy performance of grid‑connected PV plants. Typical applications include performance acceptance testing, verification of vendor claims, performance benchmarking and forensic analysis of underperformance.

Related standards

IEC TS 61724-3 is part of the IEC 61724 family on PV system performance; closely related documents include IEC 61724-1 (performance metrics and monitoring), IEC TS 61724-2 (irradiance sensors and site assessment), IEC TS 61836 (terms and definitions), IEC 62446-1 (documentation and commissioning tests), IEC 62548 (array design) and other regional/adopted national variants and guides referenced within. Several cross‑references and test guidance documents (ISO and ASTM items) are cited in national adoptions.

Keywords

IEC TS 61724-3, photovoltaic system performance, energy evaluation, performance index, availability, PV monitoring, data quality, expected energy, irradiance, TC 82.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: A Technical Specification from the International Electrotechnical Commission that defines a standardized procedure to evaluate a PV system’s electrical energy production by comparing measured output to expected output calculated from measured weather conditions.

Q: What does it cover?

A: Test planning, required meteorological and system inputs, data acquisition and quality control measures, handling of unavailable periods, calculation of energy performance indices (measured vs expected), availability metrics and uncertainty reporting. The document does not prescribe the specific modelling method used to generate expected energy — that is defined by the test stakeholders.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: PV performance engineers, independent test labs, plant owners/operators, system integrators, investors and researchers performing energy acceptance tests, verification and performance benchmarking.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The document was published as IEC TS 61724-3:2016 (first edition) and a corrigendum (Corrigendum 1) was issued in February 2018; many published copies incorporate that corrigendum. Users should check IEC publication metadata for any later revisions or conversion to an International Standard.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is Part 3 of the IEC 61724 series on Photovoltaic system performance; related parts include IEC 61724-1 and IEC TS 61724-2, which cover performance metrics/monitoring and irradiance/site assessment respectively.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Energy evaluation method, expected energy, measured energy, performance index, availability, data quality, PV system performance, irradiance, IEC 61724.