The overall objective of Task 2 is to improve the operation, sizing, electrical and economical output of photovoltaic power systems and subsystems by collecting, analyzing and disseminating information on their performance and reliability, providing a basis for their assessment, and developing practical recommendations. The target groups of this Task are PV system specialists, research laboratories, utilities and manufacturers, system designers, installers, standardization organizations and vocational schools. To achieve this objective, three main activities have been identified:

• International Database
  To develop an international database containing information on the technical performance, reliability and costs of PV systems and subsystems located worldwide. The database user can select PV system data, present monitoring data and calculated results, and in addition export these data into spread sheet programmes. Operational data in the database will reflect at least one year of continuous monitoring with inputs at monthly intervals.
  At present, the Task 2 Performance Database contains high quality data of 461 monitored PV plants with an installed capacity of some 12 MWp adapted to various applications (power supply, domestic uses, rural electrification, professional applications) and located worldwide. Click here for further database specifications or go to http://www.task2.org/database/ to download the Performance Database updated September 2006 (45 MB). The next update of the Performance Database will be released in May 2007. The Performance Database is available via Internet and on CD-ROM and has been distributed to more than 4000 international users from 90 countries and different fields.

• Technical Assessments and Trends of PV Systems
  To analyze and validate expertise and performance results of PV systems, both in order to ensure the quality and comparability of information gathered in the Performance Database and to identify high performance products, technologies and design methodology. Activities to date include the work on performance, acceptance and standardisation of PV in the built environment, technological choices and strategies with respect to PV system reliability and the improvement of performance prediction with respect to both the solar resource and system performance.

• PV System Cost over Time
  To identify and evaluate the important elements which are responsible for the life cycle economic performance of PV systems by investigating economic data for all key components of PV systems and by gathering information about real life costs of maintenance of PV systems. Balancing the investments, the capital costs against the electrical and economical output of the PV system during its life cycle will enhance the knowledge of true life cycle economic performance of PV systems.

An IEA PVPS Task 2 flyer (pdf document, 1128 kB) is available, containing general information about this task, including results until date. Task 2 status reports can be found in the annual reports of the IEA PVPS Programme:

• Annual report 2005 includes the Task 2 status report by the end of 2005
• Annual report 2004 includes the Task 2 status report by the end of 2004
• Annual report 2003 includes the Task 2 status report by the end of 2003
• Annual report 2002 includes the Task 2 status report by the end of 2002

Publications and other project results

The Task 2 publications deal with technical and economic performance analysis results of PV systems:

• Country Reports on PV System Performance, December 2004 
• The Availability of Irradiation Data, December 2004 
• Operational Performance, Reliability and Promotion of Photovoltaic Systems, May 2002 
• Analysis of Photovoltaic Systems, April 2000 

Besides, the following IEA PVPS Task 2 papers were presented at international conferences:

• Performance analysis of grid-connected PV systems, September 2006 
• Performance of grid-connected PV systems: Overview of PVPS Task 2 results, June 2005 
• Feed-in Tariffs and BIPV – Can we make a winning Team?, June 2005 
• Achievements of Task 2 of IEA PV Power Systems Programme: Final results on PV system performance, June 2004 
• Performance of PV systems under real conditions, March 2004 
• Performance analysis and reliability of grid-connected PV-systems in IEA countries, May 2003 
• Understanding temperature effect on PV system performance, May 2003 
• Subsidies versus rate-based incentives for technology, economical and market development of PV. The European experience, May 2003 
• Performance analysis of stand alone PV-systems from rational use of energy point of view, May 2003 
• International Energy Agency PVPS Task II: Analysis of the operational performance of the IEA database PV systems, May 2000 
• International Energy Agency Task II database on photovoltaic power systems: statistical and analytical evaluation of PV operational data, July 1998 

General information about IEA PVPS Task 2 can be found in the Task 2 flyer (pdf document, 203 kB).
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Information

• Mrs. Ulrike Jahn
  Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE Bayern)
  Am Weichselgarten 7
  D-91058 Erlangen, GERMANY
  Tel.: +49 9131 691295
  Fax: +49 9131 691181
  E-mail: jahn@zae.uni-erlangen.de
  Internet: iea-pvps-task2.org

You can also contact your national participant of Task 2. Presently, the following countries are participating in this Task: Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the USA. Besides the European Union and EPIA participate in Task 2.
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