Review of PV performance ratio development

Efficiencies of photovoltaics (PV) modules and other components of PV systems have increased continuously over the past decades. As a result, system performance has improved considerably. PV system performance is usually evaluated by the determination and analysis of the Performance Ratio (PR). Typical ranges of the PR rose from 50%-75% in the late 1980s via 70%-80% in the 1990s to >80% nowadays. This review will discuss the development of PR values and provides an outlook on efficiency limits on the system level.