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How to Design Solar PV System

What is solar PV system?

Solar photovoltaic system or Solar power system is one of renewable energy system which

uses PV modules to convert sunlight into electricity. The electricity generated can be either
stored or used directly, fed back into grid line or combined with one or more other electricity
generators or more renewable energy source. Solar PV system is very reliable and clean source
of electricity that can suit a wide range of applications such as residence, industry, agriculture,
livestock, etc.

Major system components

Solar PV system includes different components that should be selected according to your
system type, site location and applications. The major components for solar PV system are
solar charge controller, inverter, battery bank, auxiliary energy sources and loads (appliances).
  ��� PV module � converts sunlight into DC electricity.
  ��� Solar charge controller � regulates the voltage and current coming from the PV
panels going to
      battery and prevents battery overcharging and prolongs the battery life.
  ��� Inverter � converts DC output of PV panels or wind turbine into a clean AC current
for AC
      appliances or fed back into grid line.
  ��� Battery � stores energy for supplying to electrical appliances when there is a
demand.
  ��� Load � is electrical appliances that connected to solar PV system such as lights,
radio, TV, computer,
      refrigerator, etc.
  ��� Auxiliary energy sources - is diesel generator or other renewable energy sources.

Solar PV system sizing

1. Determine power consumption demands

The first step in designing a solar PV system is to find out the total power and energy
consumption of all loads that need to be supplied by the solar PV system as follows:

     1.1 Calculate total Watt-hours per day for each appliance used.
           Add the Watt-hours needed for all appliances together to get the total Watt-hours per
day which
           must be delivered to the appliances.

1.2 Calculate total Watt-hours per day needed from the PV modules.
            Multiply the total appliances Watt-hours per day times 1.3 (the energy lost in the system)
to get
            the total Watt-hours per day which must be provided by the panels.

2. Size the PV modules

Different size of PV modules will produce different amount of power. To find out the sizing of
PV module, the total peak watt produced needs. The peak watt (Wp) produced depends on size
of the PV module and climate of site location. We have to consider �panel generation factor�
which is different in each site location. For Thailand, the panel generation factor is 3.43. To
determine the sizing of PV modules, calculate as follows:

     2.1 Calculate the total Watt-peak rating needed for PV modules
           Divide the total Watt-hours per day needed from the PV modules (from item 1.2) by 3.43
to get   
           the total Watt-peak rating needed for the PV panels needed to operate the appliances.

     2.2 Calculate the number of PV panels for the system

           Divide the answer obtained in item 2.1 by the rated output Watt-peak of the PV modules
available
           to you. Increase any fractional part of result to the next highest full number and that will
be the
           number of PV modules required.

Result of the calculation is the minimum number of PV panels. If more PV modules are installed,
the system will perform better and battery life will be improved. If fewer PV modules are used,
the system may not work at all during cloudy periods and battery life will be shortened.
3. Inverter sizing
An inverter is used in the system where AC power output is needed. The input rating of the
inverter should never be lower than the total watt of appliances. The inverter must have the same
nominal voltage as your battery.
For stand-alone systems, the inverter must be large enough to handle the total amount of Watts
you will be using at one time. The inverter size should be 25-30% bigger than total Watts of
appliances. In case of appliance type is motor or compressor then inverter size should be
minimum 3 times the capacity of those appliances and must be added to the inverter capacity to
handle surge current during starting.
For grid tie systems or grid connected systems, the input rating of the inverter should be same
as PV array rating to allow for safe and efficient operation.

4. Battery sizing
The battery type recommended for using in solar PV system is deep cycle battery. Deep cycle
battery is specifically designed for to be discharged to low energy level and rapid recharged or
cycle charged and discharged day after day for years. The battery should be large enough to store
sufficient energy to operate the appliances at night and cloudy days. To find out the size of
battery, calculate as follows:

     4.1 Calculate total Watt-hours per day used by appliances.

     4.2 Divide the total Watt-hours per day used by 0.85 for battery loss.
      4.3 Divide the answer obtained in item 4.2 by 0.6 for depth of discharge.
     4.4 Divide the answer obtained in item 4.3 by the nominal battery voltage.
     4.5 Multiply the answer obtained in item 4.4 with days of autonomy (the number of days that
you
           need the system to operate when there is no power produced by PV panels) to get the
required
           Ampere-hour capacity of deep-cycle battery.

Battery Capacity (Ah) = Total Watt-hours per day used by appliances x Days of autonomy
(0.85 x 0.6 x nominal battery voltage)

5. Solar charge controller sizing

The solar charge controller is typically rated against Amperage and Voltage capacities. Select
the solar charge controller to match the voltage of PV array and batteries and then identify which
type of solar charge controller is right for your application. Make sure that solar charge controller
has enough capacity to handle the current from PV array.
For the series charge controller type, the sizing of controller depends on the total PV input
current which is delivered to the controller and also depends on PV panel configuration (series or
parallel configuration).
According to standard practice, the sizing of solar charge controller is to take the short circuit
current (Isc) of the PV array, and multiply it by 1.3
Solar charge controller rating = Total short circuit current of PV array x 1.3

Remark: For MPPT charge controller sizing will be different. (See Basics of MPPT Charge

Controller)

Example: A house has the following electrical appliance usage:

 One 18 Watt fluorescent lamp with electronic ballast used 4 hours per day.
 One 60 Watt fan used for 2 hours per day.
 One 75 Watt refrigerator that runs 24 hours per day with compressor run 12 hours and off
12 hours.

The system will be powered by 12 Vdc, 110 Wp PV module.

Determine power consumption demands

Total appliance use = (18 W x 4 hours) + (60 W x 2 hours) + (75 W x 24 x 0.5 hours)
  = 1,092 Wh/day
Total PV panels energy
= 1,092 x 1.3
needed 
  = 1,419.6 Wh/day.

Size the PV panel

2.1 Total Wp of PV panel = 1,419.6 / 3.4
capacity
      needed
  = 413.9 Wp
2.2  Number of PV panels
= 413.9 / 110
needed
  = 3.76 modules
                                                           
      Actual requirement = 4 modules
      So this system should be powered by at least 4 modules of 110 Wp PV module.

Inverter sizing
Total Watt of all appliances = 18 + 60 + 75 = 153 W
For safety, the inverter should be considered 25-30% bigger size.
The inverter size should be about 190 W or greater.

Battery sizing
Total appliances use = (18 W x 4 hours) + (60 W x 2 hours) + (75 W x 12 hours)
Nominal battery voltage = 12 V
Days of autonomy = 3 days

Battery capacity = [(18 W x 4 hours) + (60 W x 2 hours) + (75 W x 12 hours)] x 3

                                            (0.85 x 0.6 x 12)
Total Ampere-hours required 535.29 Ah
So the battery should be rated 12 V 600 Ah for 3 day autonomy.

Solar charge controller sizing

PV module specification
Pm = 110 Wp
Vm = 16.7 Vdc
Im = 6.6 A
Voc = 20.7 A
Isc = 7.5 A
Solar charge controller rating = (4 strings x 7.5 A) x 1.3 = 39 A
So the solar charge controller should be rated 40 A at 12 V or greater.

ntroduction
e sun provides the energy to sustain
e in our solar system. In one hour, the earth
ceives enough energy from the sun to meet its
ergy needs for nearly a year [1]. Photovoltaic
the direct conversion of sunlight to
ectricity. It is an attractive alternative to
nventional sources of electricity for many
asons: it is safe, silent, and non-polluting,
newable, highly modular in that their capacity
n be increased incrementally to match with
adual load growth, and reliable with minimal
lure rates and projected service lifetimes of
to 30 years [2, 3]. It requires no special
ining to operate; it contains no moving parts,
s extremely reliable and virtually
aintenance free; and it can be installed almost
ywhere. The intensity of the sunlight that
aches the earth varies with time of the day,
ason, location, and the weather conditions.
e total energy on a daily or annual basis is
lled irradiation and indicates the strength of
e sunshine. Irradiation is expressed in Wh.m-
per day or for instance kWh.m-2 per day.
fferent geographical regions
perience different weather patterns, so the site
here we live is a major factor that affects the
otovoltaic system design from many sides;
e orientation of the panels, finding the number
days of autonomy where the sun does not
ine in the skies, and choosing the best tilt-
gle of the solar panels. Photovoltaic panels
llect more energy if they are installed on a
cker that follows the movement of the sun;
wever, it is an expensive process. For this
ason they usually have a fixed position with
angle called tilt angle β. This angle varies
cording to seasonal variations [4]. For
stance, in summer, the solar panel must be
ore horizontal, while in winter, it is placed at
teeper angle.
any researchers presented procedure
design stand-alone photovoltaic systems [5-
The idea of this paper is to introduce the
ocedures employed in building and selecting
e equipment’s of a stand-alone photovoltaic
stem based on the Watt-Hour demand. As a
se study, a residence in Hilla, Iraq with
edium energy consumption is selected.
ecent Advances in Renewable Energy Sources

ASE STUDY: A RESIDENCE IN HILLA,

 AQ The geographical location of the Hilla
ty, Babylon, Iraq at 32.47° latitude and
.41° longitude makes it a relatively sun-rich
gion with an annual solar irradiance of about
-2
00 kWh.m . This implies that solar energy
stems would be very efficient in this part of
e world. Some areas in the Hilla City,
abylon are still beyond utility grid reach
pecially those along the east border line.

System Description
1. Components
lar PV system includes different components
at should be selected according to your system
pe, site location and applications. A Balance-of-
stem that wired together to form the entire fully
nctional system capable of supplying electric
wer and these components are:
PV module: It is made from
miconductor and convert sunlight to
ectricity. The PV converts sunlight into
C electricity. The most common PV
odules include single and polycrystalline
icon and amorphous silicon with other
chnologies entering the market.
Battery – stores energy for supplying to
ectrical appliances when there is a
mand. Battery bank, which is involved in
e system to make the energy available at
ght or at days of autonomy (sometimes
lled no-sun-days or dark days), when the
n is not providing enough radiation.
ese batteries, usually lead-acid, are
signed to gradually discharge and
charge 80% of their capacity hundreds of
mes. Automotive batteries are shallow-
cle batteries and should not be used in PV
stems because they are designed to
scharge only about 20% of their capacity
].
Solar charge controller – regulates the
ltage and current coming from the PV
nels going to battery and prevents battery
ercharging and prolongs the battery life.
Inverter – converts DC output of PV panels
 wind turbine into a clean AC current for
C appliances or fed back into grid line. It
one of the solar energy system's main
ements, as the solar panels generate dc-
ltage. Inverters are different by the output
ave format, output power and installation
pe. It is also called power conditioner
cause it changes the form of the electric
wer. The efficiency of all inverters
aches their nominal efficiency (around 90
rcent) when the load demand is greater
an about 50 percent of rated load [9].
Load – is electrical appliances that
nnected to solar PV system such as lights,
dio, TV, computer, refrigerator, etc.
2.2. Configuration
e photovoltaic systems are classified
cording to how the system components are
nnected to other power sources such as stand-
one (SA) and utility-interactive (UI) systems.
a stand-alone system depicted in Figure 1, the
stem is designed to operate independent of the
ectric utility grid, and is generally designed and
zed to supply certain DC- and/or AC electrical
ads.

)
g. 1: Stand-alone photovoltaic System (a) Block

V
ray
harge
ontroller
attery
C Load
verter
C Load
ecent Advances in Renewable Energy Sources
BN: 978-1-61804-303-0
6
 agram (b) Schematic Diagram
System sizing
stem sizing is the process of evaluating
e adequate voltage and current ratings for each
mponent of the photovoltaic system to meet the
ectric demand at the facility and at the same time
lculating the total price of the entire system from
e design phase to the fully functional system
cluding, shipment, and labor.

1. Residence Device
s a first step, the electrical devices
ailable at the residence are itemized with their
wer ratings and time of operation during the day
obtain the average energy demand in Watt-hour
r day as shown below in Table 1.
e total average energy consumption is used to
termine the equipment sizes and ratings starting
th the solar array and ending with system wiring
d cost estimate as explained below.
3.2. Sizing of the Solar Array
efore sizing the array, the total daily
ergy in Watt-hours (E), the average sun hour per
y Tmin, and the DC-voltage of the system (VDC)
ust be determined. Once these factors are made
ailable we move to the sizing process. To avoid
der sizing, losses must be considered by dividing
e total power demand in Wh.day-1 by the product
efficiencies of all components in the system to
t the required energy Er.
avoid under sizing we begin by dividing the total
erage energy demand per day by the efficiencies
the system components to obtain the daily energy
quirement from the solar array:
= daily average energy consuption
oduct of component′s efficiencies
E
verall

)
obtain the peak power, the previous result is
vided by the average sun hours per day for the
ographical location Tmin.

= daily energy requirement

nimum peak sun − hours per day
r
E
min

)
e total current needed can be calculated by
viding the peak power by the DC- voltage of the
stem.
 =  

   =



odules must be connected in series and parallel

cording to the need to meet the desired voltage
d current in accordance with:
ble 1: Residence Devices and Daily Energy Consumption
Watts
dividual Load Qty. V Amps
C * Use
d * Use
w ÷7
W.h AC
ys
eiling Fan 3 220 0.454545 120 8 7 7
0
offee Maker 1 220 2.727273 600
3 7 7 180
on 1 220 4.545455 1000
8 4 7 457.143
omputer& Accessories 1 220 0.568182 120 2 7 7 240
ght, 4 Comp. 4*15 220 0.272727 60 5 7 7
0
dio 1 220 0.363636 80 4 7
320
efrigerator 1 220 0.909091 200
7 7 2400
levision 1 220 0.568182 125 6 7 7
0
ashing Machine 1 220 1.136364 250 0.5
7 89.28571
C Total Connected Watts: 2555
C Average Daily Load: 5696.43
otal Average Energy Consumption 5696.426 approximated to 5700
ecent Advances in Renewable Energy Sources
BN: 978-1-61804-303-0
7