Stand Alone PV Systems

• Photovoltaic modules are very reliable, have no moving parts and

require no maintenance or external inputs such as fuel but only a flux
of solar energy.
• Their first significant uses were therefore in applications where a
small quantity of electric power was essential but where it was
difficult or expensive to bring in fuel for conventional generators.
• Such applications include space satellites and autonomous, stand-
alone systems in remote areas such as meteorological measurement,
marine warning lights and telecommunication repeater stations.
• Most stand-alone PV systems use a battery to store and help regulate
the power.
• Storage is needed, since the solar input does not coincide with use,
e.g. for lighting at night or for peak power when signals are
transmitted.
• Regulation is needed, usually with the addition of electronic
controllers, since otherwise there would be no voltage reference.
• Standalone applications are commonly automatic, being periodically
maintained by trained staff and not requiring unskilled people.
• As the cost of PV systems has fallen, so has the distance from the
electric grid at which the installations are cost competitive.
• For example, it is now often cheaper, and always safer, to install car-
parking meters or lighting for footpaths as stand-alone, solar-powered
systems than install a connection and metering from the grid for the
small amounts of power required.
• Moreover, the latest electronic devices, including lighting, always tend
to use less power than their predecessors, so PV power is even more
likely to be used.
• A free standing or Stand Alone PV System is made up of a number of
individual photovoltaic modules (or panels) usually of 12 volts with
power outputs of between 50 and 100+ watts each.
• These PV modules are then combined into a single array to give the
desired power output.
• A simple stand alone PV system is an automatic solar system that
produces electrical power to charge banks of batteries during the day
for use at night when the suns energy is unavailable.
• A stand alone small scale PV system employs rechargeable batteries
to store the electrical energy supplied by a PV panels or array.
• Stand alone PV systems are ideal for remote rural areas and
applications where other power sources are either impractical or are
unavailable to provide power for lighting, appliances and other uses.
• In these cases, it is more cost effective to install a single stand alone
PV system than pay the costs of having the local electricity company
extend their power lines and cables directly to the home.
• A stand alone photovoltaic (PV) system is an electrical system
consisting of and array of one or more PV modules, conductors,
electrical components, and one or more loads.
.
• But a small-scale PV system does not have to be attached to a roof
top or building structures for domestic applications, they can be used
for camper vans, RV’s, boats, tents, camping and any other remote
location.
• Many companies now offer portable solar kits that allow you to
provide your own reliable and free solar electricity anywhere you go
even in hard to reach locations.
• Figure shows schematically how the array of PV can be connected to a DC
load in a stand-alone system.
• For simplicity, the system is shown as operating at a nominal 12 V, but
operation of 24V DC appliances is readily achieved by reconfiguring the
modules.
• Examples of a typical appliance load corresponding to the applications
described above are fluorescent light(s), a radio transceiver, a charger for
portable (NiCd) rechargeable batteries, a small refrigerator or a water pump.
• All are available commercially in 12 and 24V DC versions; many are mass-
produced for the ‘recreational vehicle’ market.
While a major component and cost of a stand alone PV system is the solar array,
several other components are typically needed. These include:
•  Batteries: Batteries are an important element in any stand alone PV system but
can be optional depending upon the design. Batteries are used to store the solar-
produced electricity for night time or emergency use during the day. Depending
upon the solar array configuration, battery banks can be of 12V, 24V or 48V and
many hundreds of amperes in total.
• Charge Controller: A charge controller regulates and controls the output from
the solar array to prevent the batteries from being over charged (or over
discharged) by dissipating the excess power into a load resistance. Charge
controllers within a stand alone PV system are optional but it is a good idea to
have one for safety reasons.
• Fuses and Isolation Switches: These allow PV installations to be protected from
accidental shorting of wires allowing power from the PV modules and system to
be turned “OFF” when not required saving energy and improving battery life.
• Inverter: The inverter can be another optional unit in a stand alone system.
Inverters are used to convert the 12V, 24V or 48 Volts direct current (DC) power
from the solar array and batteries into an alternating current (AC) electricity and
power of either 120 VAC or 240 VAC for use in the home to power AC mains
appliances such as TV’s, washing machines, freezers, etc.
• Wiring: The final component required in and PV solar system is the electrical
wiring. The cables need to be correctly rated for the voltage and power
requirements. Thin telephone wire will not work!.
• Virtually all applications of 12V PV systems require battery storage of
electricity, most obviously for lighting at night but also to cope with load
surges such as radio transmission.
• The performance and reliability of a PV system is much better using a
battery designed for that purpose than using a vehicle battery, whose
characteristics are markedly different.
• A charge controller is essential to keep the battery within the limits of
charge rate and depth of discharge suggested by the manufacturer.
• The controller is a relatively simple electronic circuit which switches either
the battery or the load in and out of the circuit according to the voltage and
current at the battery.
• Without this, the batteries can fail within days, especially if non-
technical users are involved. Even with a controller, the battery
lifetime is commonly 3–6 years, which is much shorter than the life of
the modules and often shorter than the system designers imply.
• The charge controller is often incorporated with an MPPT in a single
unit.
• To operate an AC appliance (240 V/50 Hz or 110 V/60 Hz) in a PV
system requires an inverter.
• A stand-alone inverter uses an internal frequency generator and
switching circuitry to transform the low voltage DC power to higher
voltage AC power.
• The shape of the AC waveform may be a square wave (cheap inverter)
or an almost pure sine wave (sophisticated solid state electronic
inverter).
• The inverter should be sized for the particular installation so that it
can cope with the surge currents associated with motor-starting (if
applicable), but not so large that it normally operates at a small
fraction of its rated power (say <15%) and therefore at poor efficiency
<85%.
• Solid state electronic inverters are commercially available with
excellent reliability and efficiency (∼95%), and at reasonable cost.
Advantages
• Only option if you live in a remote area with no grid access
• Feeling of being self-sufficient for your energy demands is great.
• Grid failures and downtime won’t affect your power supply
Disadvantages:
• The additional costs of installing a battery bank, and in some cases an
alternative source of power like a diesel generator, makes these
systems more expensive than a grid tied system.
• Standalone systems have more components and therefore need
more maintenance. Especially the batteries need regular care.
• Replacement of battery banks is another problem. Battery banks are
designed to last for 7-10 years after which they need to be replaced.
This is a cost that you need to take into account.
Solar hybrid systems
• Hybrid solar systems can be called the best of both worlds.
• They are also referred to as off grid solar systems with an option
of utility backup.
• One configuration of this system requires you to have a disconnect
switch which you could toggle on or off depending upon your
electricity requirements.
• Usually this is an automatic switch.
Advantages
• You can switch between power from the grid or power from your
battery bank at you own will.
• Less expensive than a complete stand alone system, as there is no
need for a backup generator. The possibility to connect to the grid
serves as the backup power.
• Availability of the grid means that you can likely downsize your
battery bank capacity.
• Less maintenance and higher reliability IF the grid is reliable.
Disadvantages:
• Cannot be used in remote areas where there is no grid power.
Equipment for Off-Grid Solar Systems
Typical off-grid solar systems require the following extra components:
• Solar Charge Controller
• Battery Bank
• DC Disconnect (additional)- AC and DC safety disconnects are required for
all solar systems. For off-grid solar systems, one additional DC disconnect is
installed between the battery bank and the off-grid inverter. It is used to
switch off the current flowing between these components. This is important
for maintenance, troubleshooting and protection against electrical fires.
• Off-Grid Inverter
• Backup Generator (optional)