INSTALLATION PROCESS OF SOLAR PV SYSTEM & ITS

COMPONENTS.

 OBJECTIVES:-

 To Study about Solar PV Systems and its different components.

 To Study about Specifications of the Solar panels & their connections.
 To Study about the Load Calculations & Cost Analysis.

 EQUIPMENT NEEDED:-

 Solar Panel & all Specifications.

 Charge Controllers & all other Connections.

SOLAR PV (PHOTOVOLTIC) SYSTEM:

A solar photovoltaic (PV) system is a system that converts sunlight into electricity. It is made up
of solar panels, an inverter, a battery (optional), and other components. The solar panels
absorb sunlight and convert it into direct current (DC) electricity. The inverter then converts the
DC electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity, which is the type of electricity used in
homes and businesses.

Photo Voltaic (PV) Principle

Silicon is the most commonly used material in solar cells. Silicon is a semiconductor material. Several
materials show photoelectric properties like; cadmium, gallium arsenide, etc.

The panels are connected together via cables into what are called “strings” before being
connected to an inverter. The inverter converts the DC electricity to alternating current (AC)
electricity which is the type used in homes and the electricity grid. The inverter is then
connected to the AC board of your house, supplying the house with electricity.

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 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF SOLAR PV SYSTEM

 BATTERY ( IT IS OPTIONAL, BUT IT HAS SEVERAL ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES )

 IN AGRICULTURE (MOVEABLE SOLAR PANELS USED)

 IN HOMES (FIXED TYPE SOLAR PANELS USED WITH SPECIFIC DEGREE IT DEPENDS ON THE LOCATION )

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 3KW (3000W) On Grid energy electric Solar System Grid Tie

Power output for a typical 3kW solar system

It Means that how much solar energy will a 3kW solar system produce, That depends on a
number of situational factors such as location, orientation & tilt of the panels, the presence of
shading and the overall efficiency of the components in the system.

How many panels & how much roof space for 3kW of solar panels?
As Residential solar panels are generally rated between 2000 watts and 400 watts these days, a
3 kilowatt (3,000 watt) solar system will require about 6-10 solar panels.

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A typical solar panel is around 1m x 1.7m, therefore a 3kW system will require about 12-17
m2 of roof space, depending on the wattage of the panels.

INSTALLATION PROCESS OF SOLAR PV SYSTEM

1- Planning of a Standalone PV system

Site assessment, surveying & solar energy resource assessment:
Since the output generated by the PV system varies significantly depending on the time and
geographical location it becomes of utmost importance to have an appropriate selection of the
site for the standalone PV installation. Thus, the following points must be considered for the
assessment and selection of locations for installation.
1. Minimum Shade: It must be made sure that the selected site either at rooftop or ground
should not have shades or should not have any structure that intercepts the solar radiation
falling on the panels to be installed. Also, make sure that there won’t be any structural
construction soon surrounding the installation that might cause the problem of shading.
2. Surface Area: The surface area of the site at which the PV installation is intended should be
known, to have an estimation of the size and number of panels required to generate the
required power output for the load. This also helps to plan the installation of inverter,
converts, and battery banks.
3. Rooftop: In the case of the rooftop installation the type of roof and its structure must be
known. In the case of tilt roofs, the angle of tilt must be known and necessary mounting must
be used to make the panels have more incidents of solar radiation i.e. ideally the radiation
angle must be perpendicular to the PV panel and practically as close as to 90 degrees.
4. Routes: Possible routes for the cables from an inverter, battery bank, charge controller, and
PV array must be planned in a way that would have minimum utilization of cables and lower
voltage drop in cables. The designer should choose between the efficiency and the cost of the
system.
To estimate the output power the solar energy assessment of the selected site is of foremost
significance.
Insolation is defined as the measure of the sun’s energy received in a specified area over a period
of time. You can find this data using a pyrometer, however, it is not necessary as you can find the
insolation data at your nearest meteorological station.
While assessing the solar energy the data can be measured in two ways as follows:

 Kilowatt-hours per square meter per day (KWh/m2/day): It is a quantity of energy measured
in kilowatt-hours, falling on square meter per day.

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 Daily Peak Sun Hours (PSH): Number of hours in a day during which irradiance averages to
1000 W/m2.
Peak sun hours are most commonly used as they simplify the calculations. Do not get confused
with the “Mean Sunshine Hours” and “Peak Sun Hours” which you would collect from the
meteorological station. The “Mean sunshine hours” indicates the number of hours the sunshine’s
were as the “Peak sun hours” is the actual amount of energy received in KWh/m2/day. Amongst
all months over a period of year use the lowest mean daily insolation value as it will make sure
that the system will operate in a more reliable way when the sun is least due to unsuitable
weather conditions.

2- Considerations for Standalone PV system

(Calculation of Energy Demand)

The size of the standalone PV system depends on the load demand. The load and its operating
time vary for different appliances, therefore special care must be taken during energy demand
calculations. The energy consumption of the load can be determined by multiplying the power
rating (W) of the load by its number of hours of operation. Thus, the unit can be written as watt
× hour or simply Wh.
Energy demand Watt-hour = Power rating in Watt × Duration of operation in hours.
Thus, the daily total energy demand in Wh is calculated by adding the individual load demand of
each appliance per day.
Total energy demand Watt-hour = ∑ (Power rating in Watt × Duration of operation
in hours).

3- Inverter & Converter (Charge Controller) Ratings

For choosing the proper inverter both the input and output voltage and current rating should
be specified. The inverter’s output voltage is specified by the system load, it should be able to
handle the load current and the current taken from the battery bank. Based on the total
connected load to the system the inverter power rating can be specified.
Let’s consider 2.5 kVA in our case, hence an inverter with power handling capacity
having a size of 20-30% higher than the power running the load should be chosen from
the market. In the case of motor load, it should be 3-5 times higher than the power
demand of such an appliance. In the case of the converter, the charge controller is rated
in current and voltage. Its current rating is calculated by using the short-circuit current

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rating of the PV module. The value of voltage is the same as the nominal voltage of
batteries.

4- Converter and Charge Controller Sizing

The charge controller rating should be 125% of the photovoltaic panel short circuit current.
In other words, It should be 25% greater than the short circuit current of solar panel.
Size of solar charge controller in amperes = Short-circuit current of PV × 1.25 (Safety factor).
For example, we need a 6 numbers each of 160W solar panels for our system. Following
are the related date of PV panel.
Suppose the PV module specification are as follow
 PM = 160 W Peak
 VM = 17.9 VDC
 IM = 8.9 A
 VOC = 21.4 A
 ISC = 10 A
The required rating of solar charge controller is = (4 panels x 10 A) x 1.25 = 50 A
Now, a 50A charge controller is needed for the 12V DC system configuration.
Note: This formula is not applicable on MPPT Solar chargers. Please refer to the user
manual or check the nameplate data rating for proper sizing.

5- Inverter Sizing
The size of Inverter should be 25% bigger than the total load due to losses and
efficiency problem in the inverter. In other words, It should be rated 125% than the
total load required in watts. For example, if the required wattage is 2400W, than the size
of inverter should be:
2400W x 125%
2400W x 1.25
3000 Watts.
So we need a 3kW of inverter in case of 2400W load.

6- Daily Energy Supplied to Inverter

Let us consider in our case the daily energy consumption by the load is 2700 Wh.
Note that the inverter has its efficiency, thus the energy supplied to the inverter should be
more than the energy used by the load, so the losses in the inverter can be compensated.

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Assuming 90% efficiency in our case, the total energy supplied by the battery to the
inverter would be given as;
Energy supplied by the battery to the inverter input = 2700 / 0.90 = 3000 Wh/per day.

7- System Voltage
The inverter input voltage is referred to as the system voltage. It is also the overall battery
pack voltage. This system voltage is decided by the selected individual battery voltage,
line current, maximum allowable voltage drop, and power loss in the cable. Usually, the
voltage of the batteries is 12 V so will be the system voltage. But if we need higher
voltage it should be multiples of 12 V. i.e. 12 V, 24 V, 36 V, and so on.
By decreasing the current, power loss and voltage drop in the cable can be reduced, this
can be done by increasing the system voltage. This will increase the number of batteries
in the series. Therefore, one must choose between power loss and system voltage.
Now for our case let us consider the system voltage of 24 V.

8- Sizing of the Batteries

While sizing the battery some parameters are needed to be considered as follows:
1. Depth of Discharge (DOD) of the battery.
2. Voltage and ampere-hour (Ah) capacity of the battery.
3. The number of days of autonomy (It is the number of days required to power up the whole
system (backup power) without solar panels in case of full shading or rainy days. We will cover
this part in our upcoming article) to get the needed Ah capacity of batteries.
Let us consider we have batteries of 12 V, 100 Ah with DOD of 70%. Thus, the usable
capacity is 100 Ah × 0.70 = 70 Ah. Therefore, the charged capacity that is required is
determined as follows;
Required charge capacity = energy supplied by the battery to the inverter input/system voltage
Required charge capacity = 3000 Wh/ 24 V = 125 Ah
From this, the number of batteries required can be calculated as;
No. of batteries required = Required charge capacity / (100 × 0.7)
No. of batteries required = 125 Ah / (100 × 0.7) = 1.78 (round off 2 batteries)
Thus, 2 batteries of 12 V, 100 Ah are required. But due to round off 140 Ah instead of 125
Ah is required.
Required charge capacity = 2 × 100Ah × 0.7 = 140 Ah
Therefore, two 12 V, 100 Ah batteries in parallel to meet the above charge capacity. But
as the individual battery is of 12 V, 100 Ah only and the system voltage requirement is of

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24 V we need to connect two batteries in series to get the system voltage of 24 V as
shown in figure 2 below:

So, in total there will be four batteries of 12 V, 100 Ah. Two connected in series and two
connected in parallel.
Also, the required capacity of batteries can be found by the following formula.

9- Sizing of the PV Array

Different sizes of PV modules available in the market produce a different level of output
power. One of the most common way to determine the sizing of the PV array is to use the
lowest mean daily insolation (Solar irradiance) in peak sun hours as follows;
The total size of PV array (W) = (Energy demand per day of a load (Wh) / TPH) ×
1.25
Where TPH is the lowest daily average peak sun hours of a month per year & 1.25 is the
scaling factor. With this the number of PV modules Nmodules required can be determined as;

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Nmodules = Total size of the PV array (W) / Rating of selected panels in peak-watts.
Suppose, in our case the load is 3000 Wh/per day.
Total W Peak of PV panel capacity = 3000 / 3.2 (PFG) = 931 W Peak
Now, the required number of PV panels are = 931 / 160W = 5.8.
This way, we need 6 numbers of solar panels each rated for 160W. You can find the exact
number of solar panels by dividing the W Peak by other rating i.e. 100W, 120W 150W etc
based on the availability.

 EXAMPLE ( ASSUMING DATA FOR LOAD CALCULATIONS )

 (Suppose we have the following electrical load in watts where we need a

12V, 120W solar panel system design and installation).

An LED lamp of 40W for 12 Hours per day.

A refrigerator of 80W for 8 Hours per day.
A DC Fan of 60W for 6 Hours per day.
Now let’s find the number of solar panels, rating and sizing of charge controller,
inverter and batteries etc.

1- Finding the Total Load

Total Load in Wh / day
= (40W x 12 hours) + (80W x 8 hours) + (60W x 6 hours)
= 1480 Wh / per day
The required wattage by Solar Panels System
= 1480 Wh x 1.3 … (1.3 is the factor used for energy lost in the system)
= 1924 Wh/day
Finding the Size and No. of Solar Panels
WPeak Capacity of Solar Panel
= 1924 Wh /3.2
= 601.25 W Peak
Required No of Solar Panels
= 601.25 / 120W

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 No of Solar Panels = 5 Solar Panel Modules
This way, the 5 solar panels each of 120W will capable to power up our load
requirements.

2- Find the Rating and Size of Inverter

As there is only AC loads in our system for specific time (i.e. no additional & direct DC
load connected to the batteries) and our
Total required wattage is:= 40W + 80W + 60W = 180W
Now, the rating of inverter should be 25% greater than the
Total load due to losses in the inverter= 180W x 2.5
Inverter Rating & Size = 225 W

3- Find the Size, Rating & No of Batteries

Our load wattage and operational time in hours
= (40W x 12 hours) + (80W x 8 hours) + (60W x 6 hours)
Nominal Voltage of Deep Cycle Battery = 12V
Required Days of Autonomy (Power by batteries without solar panel power) = 2 days.

[(40W x 12 hours) + (80W x 8 hours) + (60W x 6 hours) / (0.85 x 0.6 x 12V)] x 2 days

The required capacity of batteries in Ampere-hour = 483.6 Ah

This way, we need a 12V 500Ah battery capacity for 2 days of autonomy.
In this case, we may use 4 number of batteries each of 12 V, 125Ah connected in parallel.
If the available battery capacity is 175Ah, 12 V, we may use 3 number of batteries. You
can get the exact number of batteries by dividing the required capacity of batteries
in Ampere-hour by the available battery Ah rating.
Required Number of batteries = Required capacity of batteries in Ampere-hour /
Available battery Ah rating

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 4- Find The Rating and Size of Solar Charge Controller
The charge controller should be 125% (or 25% greater) than the solar panel short circuit
current.
Size of solar charge controller in Amp = Short circuit current of PV × 1.25
PV module specification
PM = 120 WPeak
VM = 15.9 VDC
IM = 7.5 A
VOC = 19.4 A
ISC = 8.8 A
The required rating of solar charge controller is = (5 panels x 8.8 A) x 1.25 = 44 A
So you can use the next nearest rated charge controller which is 45A.

The installation process of a solar PV system typically involves the following steps:

Site evaluation. The installer will assess your roof or other installation site to determine its
suitability for solar panels. This includes factors such as the amount of sunlight the site receives,
the roof's condition, and the presence of any shading.
System design. The installer will design a solar system that meets your energy needs and
budget. This includes determining the number and size of solar panels, the type of mounting
system, and the location of the inverter.
Permitting. You will need to obtain the necessary permits from your local government before
the installation can begin.
Installation. The installer will install the solar panels, mounting system, and inverter. This may
involve working on your roof, so it is important to choose a reputable installer with experience
in solar installation.
Final inspection. A final inspection will be conducted by your local government to ensure that
the installation meets all safety and code requirements.
Activation. Once the installation is complete, the solar system will be activated and you will
start generating solar power.

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 COMPONENTS OF A SOLAR PV SYSTEM

1- Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Panel

PV panels or Photovoltaic panel is a most important component of a solar power plant. It is
made up of small solar cells. This is a device that is used to convert solar photon energy into
electrical energy.
Generally, Silicon is used as a semiconductor material in solar cells. The typical rating of silicon
solar cells is 0.5 V and 6 Amp. And it is equivalent to 3 W power. The number of cells is
connected in series or parallel and makes a module. The number of modules forms a solar
panel.

According to the capacity of power plants, a number of plates are mounted and a group of
panels is also known as Photovoltaic (PV) array.

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These are typically protected between a glass front sheet, and a polymer back sheet, with
everything being held together by an aluminum frame. They usually come pre-assembled with
cables so that they can easily be connected together and to an inverter.

Solar panels come in a variety of different technology types, colors, and sizes. Different solar
panel types have varying efficiencies, which changes the amount of power that can be
generated by a given area of rooftop.

 (Preferably Mono-Crystalline panels as it has 3 Classes A,B & C )

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  (Prefer Poly-Crystalline panel Class A instead of Class C of Mono-Crystalline panel )

 HOW TO CALCULATE THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF PANELS?

Let’s Take an Example, if we have a system of 3KW THEN;
REQUIRED NO. OF PANELS = 30 PANELS.

 HOW TO ADD FACTOR OF SAFETY?

Factor of Safety It is because of Load (system is 1.5 times bigger).
Let’s Take an Example, if we have a system of 3KW THEN;

3KW * 1.5 = 4.5KW

2- Inverter
The output of the solar panel is in the form of DC. The most of load connected to the power
system network is in the form of AC. Therefore, we need to convert DC output power into AC
power. For that, an inverter is used in solar power plants.
There are three main inverter technologies to choose from, string inverters, string inverters
plus DC-to-DC optimizers, and micro-inverters.

While string inverters are currently the most common option, the use of micro-inverters and
DC optimizers continues to increase as costs go down.

 (Charge Controller & Inverter Specifications are Equal)

 HOW TO CALCULATE THE SIZE OF INVERTER?

 Let’s Take an Example, if we have a system of 3KW THEN;

 SIZE OF INVERTER= 4KW (WITHOUT SAFETY FACTOR).

 SIZE OF INVERTER= 7KW (WITH SAFETY FACTOR.

String Inverters
When string inverters are used solar panels are connected in series into strings,
and multiple strings are connected in parallel to each inverter, which is called an
array.

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String inverters tend to be the cheapest option as there is only one device to install for many
solar panels, they are also typically more efficient at converting from DC to AC electricity. One
problem with string inverters however is that when one solar panel in a string is shaded or has
its output lowered by soiling from dust, bird poo, etc, all the other modules in the string are
also affected

DC-to-DC Optimizers
DC-to-DC optimizers are used to solve the issue of shading on one solar panel affecting all
modules in a string. They are smaller devices that connect to just one or two panels and
optimize the output of each panel or panels individually. As they still output DC electricity they
still need to be connected to a string inverter to convert to AC electricity.

Since they optimize output at a module level, DC-to-DC optimizers can increase the total output
of a solar system, especially one that is subject to a lot of shading or soiling. The downside is
that they increase the system cost compared to using string inverters alone.

Micro-inverters
Micro-inverters are similar to DC-to-DC converters in that they optimize the output of solar
panels at the panel level. The difference is that they also perform the DC to AC conversion so
that no string inverter is required at all. Micro-inverters may be mounted externally to the solar
panel, or even come integrated into the module in what is called an AC module. Using micro-
inverters can greatly reduce the complexity of the system and therefore the installation costs,
however, due to their higher price, still typically result in a higher price for the system overall.

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  (Selection of Inverter is the most important factor in Solar System)

Inverter functions
As well as converting the DC electricity from the sun into AC electricity, the inverter also
performs other important functions, these include:

 Optimizing the power output of the solar panels.

 Controlling battery charging if a battery is installed and the inverter offers this function.
Otherwise done by an external charge controller.
 Monitoring the system.
 Safety functions such as disconnecting from the grid in case of an outage.

3- BATTERIES (OPTIONAL)
Including batteries in a solar PV system allows the energy produced by the solar panels to be
stored for use after the sun goes down. They are almost always required in an off-grid system
(unless another backup such as a diesel generator is available), however, there are also several
reasons you may want to include them in grid-tied systems too:

 To allow the system to run during grid outages (systems without a battery will not run
during an outage, even if the sun is shining).
 If the local utility or state laws do not allow electricity to be fed back into the grid.
 To sell the electricity back to the utility when power prices are higher, again depending
on local utility or state laws.
 If installed, Cost increased (30-40%).

The capacity of a battery is that how much amount of electrical power it can store. The capacity of
batteries is measured in Ampere-hours (AH) rating.

The capacity of a battery is affected by the temperature. There is a reduction of 0.6% of

capacity for every degree Celsius rise in temperature more than 25˚ C.
There are two types of batteries used in the solar power System;
Lead-Acid battery
Nickel-Cadmium battery

4- Charge Controller
A charge controller is used to control the charging and discharging of the battery. The charge controller
is used to avoid the overcharging of the battery. The overcharging of a battery may lead to corrosion
and reduce plate growth. And in the worst condition, it may damage the electrolyte of the battery.

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Sometimes, the charge controller is termed a solar battery charger. There are many technologies used
to make a charge controller. For example, the most popular technique is the MPPT charge controller
that is known as “Maximum Power Point Tracking”. This algorithm is used to optimize the production of
PV cells.

Charge controllers are used when you want to include batteries in your system (and when you
are not using a hybrid inverter).

They control the power going to the batteries, and may also provide the following functions:

 Prevent the batteries from being overcharged or overly discharged.

 Prevent the batteries from discharging at night via the solar panels.
 Provide monitoring of the batteries and solar panels.

5- Mounting system:
The mounting system holds the solar panels in place. It can be attached to the roof, ground, or other
structures

6- System balancing component

It is a set of components used to control, protect and distribute power in the system. These devices
ensure that the system working in proper condition and utilize energy in the proper direction. And it
ensures maximum output and security of other components of a solar power plant.

7- Blocking Diode
The solar PV panels are connected with a battery. And these panels are used to charge the battery
during sunlight is available. During charging of the battery, the current flows from panel to battery. But
when the sunlight is not available, the current can be flow in a reverse direction and it may harm the
solar panel. So, the blocking diode is a diode that is connected between the battery and panel to avoid
reversal current from battery to panel.

8- Voltage Regulator
The output of solar panels depends on sunlight. And the sunlight is not constantly available. It is
continuously varying. Similarly, the output of the solar panel is also varying with respect to sunlight. This
results in fluctuation in load current. The voltage regulators are used to maintain fluctuation within an
acceptable range.

9- Racking:
"Racking" refers to the structural framework or mounting system used to
Support and secure solar panels (photovoltaic modules) in their desired position.

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  OTHER COMPONENTS

 ALUMINIUM FRAME (LAST IN PACKAGING)

 TEMPARED GLASS (3-4% THICK GLASS)

 ENCAPSULATED-EVA

 ENCAPSULATED BACKSHEET (POLYMERS-IN WHITE COLOR, GLASS TYPE SHEET)

 JUNCTION BOX (COMBINATIONS OF DIODE TO FLOW IN SINGLE DIRECTION)

 SOLAR COMPILER (EITHER IN SERIES OR PARALLEL AFTER CALCULATION)

 DISCONNECT SWITCHES (AC FOR GRID MAINTAINANCE & DC FOR PUPOSE MAINTAINANCE)

LAB TASK

COST CALCULATIONS
(TAKING SOLAR SYSTEM QUTOATION FROM ANY SOLAR COMPANY):

PROPOSAL FOR THE SUPPLY, INSTALLATION, TESTING &

COMMISSIONING OF SOLAR PV SYSTEM 3.3 KW
ON-GRID FOR M.DANIAL BASHIR – RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD

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  Lesson Learnt :-
In this lab we have learned about the PV SOLAR SYSTEMS IN DETAIL,
their installation process, and its components and about the Load &
Cost Analysis of 3.3kW From Quotation.
(Per Watt Cost =45,510/555 = 82 per Watt cost).

THE END

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