Design and Performance Evaluation of a Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic System Using PVsyst Software: A Case Study from the Midwestern United States

Grid connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems play a critical role in meeting growing electricity demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Accurate performance assessment during the design phase is essential to ensure reliable energy yield and long-term system viability. This paper presents a detailed design review and simulation-based performance evaluation of a 550 kWp grid-connected solar PV system located in the Midwestern United States. The system is modeled using PVsyst V7.4.2 software, incorporating site-specific meteorological data, detailed array configuration, inverter sizing, shading analysis, and loss modeling. Key performance indicators such as annual energy yield, specific production, performance ratio, and system losses are analyzed. Simulation results indicate an annual energy generation of 670,553 kWh with a specific yield of 1219 kWh/kWp/year and an average performance ratio of 80.5%. The results demonstrate that the studied PV system is optimally designed for its climatic conditions and layout constraints and highlight the effectiveness of PVsyst as a decision-support tool for utility-scale PV system design and performance assessment.