Grid tied solar electric system A solar cell is a semiconductor device designed to turn solar irradiance into electricity.

(Solar irradiance is electromagnetic energy from the sun. Electromagnetic energy from other sources such as lamps can also be used by solar cells to generate electricity if the energy of the photons is high enough to break up the electron pairs.) The voltage of the electric current from a single or multi-crystalline silicon solar cell is 0.5 volts. This results from the voltage across the N/P barrier layer of the solar cell. The current or amperage of the solar cell is dependent on the number of electrons that are knocked into the conduction band. This current is proportional to the amount of solar radiation incident on the solar cell. The current from the solar cell can be increased by increasing the area of the solar cell or by increasing the amount of solar radiation incident on the solar cell. Solar cells can be thought of as solar batteries. If solar cells are connected in series, then the current stays the same and the voltage increases.

If solar cells are connected in parallel, the voltage stays the same, but the current increases.

Solar cells are combined to form a module to obtain the voltage and current (and therefore power) desired. For example, to form a 12-volt module, 24 solar cells have to be connected in series. A group of solar cells put together is often called a photovoltaic module. Power is equal to current times voltage. The power rating of a photovoltaic module is typically quoted as the power output of the module when the incident solar radiation is 1000 watts/meter squared and the temperature is 25 C. This is a typical value of solar radiation around the middle of a clear summer day. A one-meter square module that is 15% efficient would therefore have an output of 150 Watts on a clear day near noon. A photovoltaic (PV) array is a group of photovoltaic modules put together to generate electricity. A PV array may consist of one module to thousands of modules and the output of the array may vary from a few watts to tens of Megawatts depending on the number and output of the modules. How to Size Your PV System To size your PV system, you must first know your energy needs, which you figure by listing all your daily loads. A load includes anything that uses electricity from your power source, such as lights, televisions, radios, or batteries. Some loads need electricity all the time, such as refrigerators, whereas others use electricity less often,

such as power saws. To determine your total energy consumption, multiply the wattage of the appliance by the number of hours it is used in a day. Some appliances do not give the wattage, so you may have to calculate the wattage by multiplying the amperes times the volts. After adding the totals for each appliance, you can decide what power output you need for your PV system. Example: 1. Calculation of Load demand DC Load Demand: Load Daily Use Wattage Total Energy (hrs) Consumption (watt-hrs) Radio 2 15 30 Lamps(fluorescent) 4 8 32 Total Daily Energy Consumption 62 AC Load Demand: Load Daily Use Wattage (hrs) Television 2 60 Total Daily Energy Consumption Total Energy Consumption (watt-hrs) 120 Inverter efficiency 80%
AC load expressed as DC

150

Total electricity demand: 212 Wh/day.

2. Array sizing: Lowest insolation in a month is 4kWh/m2/day Required peak watt: 53Wp Battery efficiency: 80% Peak watt: =53/0.8=66.3Wp Consider 20% design margin =66.3*1.2=80Wp For 50Wp modules No of modules=80/50=2modules are required 3. Battery sizing Load in Wh* Days of Autonomy Battery capacity = -----------------------------------------------------Maximum percentage usable 212*3 days = --------------------------80% 636 = -----0.8 = 795 Wh Nominal Battery voltage=12V AH of Battery=795/12AH =66.25AH ~70AH No of batteries in series=Load nominal voltage/Battery nominal voltage

Solar Hot Water System design: 500 litres of water to be heated daily from 25 to 700C, design the system. Requirements: 1. Monthly average daily radiation data= 4.24 kWh/m2/day 2. Annual average collector efficiency=40% 3. Estimate collector area: mS T =500*4180*(40-25) kg/day*J/kg-K *K = 4.91*107 J/day Heat from collctor/m2 =4.24*1000*3600 J/m2 =1.53*107 J/m2 Each 1m2 produces= 1.53*107 J/m2/day 4.91 10 7 Collector area = m2 1.53 10 7 0.4 =8.023 m2 Standard 2m2 collectors are available No. of collectors= 4 A system needs storage and others. Typically a system cost is 1.5 times of collector cost.

Design of a SHS as RAHIMAFROOZ, Dhaka Model: SHLS-1 4. Calculation of Load demand DC Load Demand: Load Daily Use Wattage (hrs) Lamps (3W each) 4 (fluorescent) Total Daily Energy Consumption
Total electricity demand: 90 Wh/day.

7.5

Total Energy Consumption (watthrs) 90 90

5. Array sizing: Lowest insolation in a month is 3.12 kWh/m2/day (December) Required peak watt: 90/3.12 = 29Wp Battery efficiency: 80% Peak watt: =29/0.8=36.25Wp Consider 20% design margin = 36.25*1.2= 43.5Wp~45Wp For 50Wp modules No of modules=50/45 ~1 modules are required 6. Battery sizing Load in Wh* Days of Autonomy Battery capacity = -----------------------------------------------------Maximum percentage usable 90*3 days = --------------------------80% 636 = -----0.8 = 795 Wh Nominal Battery voltage=12V AH of Battery=795/12AH =66.25AH ~70AH No of batteries in series=Load nominal voltage/Battery nominal voltage