Papers by Keyword: Photovoltaic (PV)

Abstract: This research presents a technical and economic assessment of a hybrid energy system for electricity generation, accessibility, sustainability and consumption in rural and semi urban locations in Nigeria. The aim is to determine the sizes, technical and economic considerations of the hybrid microgrid renewable energy infrastructure that could be suitable for 40 rural and semi-urban locations selected to cut across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and all the 36 states in the country. The cost of the components of the hybrid system and the energy generated per renewable energy (RE) source from the microgrid are determined for all the locations. The projected yearly electricity generated for each location for the hybrid system were determined using the hybrid optimization of multiple electric renewables (HOMER) energy modelling software for a period of 10 years from 2024 to 2033. TheWorld Bank population growth rate of 2.5% was used to estimate the population each year and the associated load demand. Each location was assumed to have a minimum electric load of 0.76 kWh per day per person. To simulate longterm continuous implementation of the hybrid system, average solar irradiation, wind speed and available biomass resources for the selected locations were used. The mean annual wind speed ranged from 3.45 to 7.15 m/s. The solar radiation ranged from 4.43 to 6.24 kWh/m2/day. The per capita net present cost (NPC) ranged from 776.37 to 4130.21 USD per kWh, while the cost of energy (COE) ranged from 0.00196 to 0.0231 USD /kWh, respectively for the period. The results show that Nigeria as a country has ample renewable energy resource availability to meet minimum electric power demand for the locations consdered.With a strong political determination, optimal utilization of these renewable resources (solar, wind and biomass) can be actualized. Researchers, Industrialists, Policy Makers and the Nigerian government should therefore take advantage of these abundant renewable energy resources in the country to develop a sustainable energy generation and consumption plan through its maximum utilization.

Abstract: This study aims to optimize the protection of photovoltaic (PV) systems against electrical disturbances, particularly voltage dips. The objective is to develop new methods for analyzing and managing these disturbances, which affects the power quality in electrical networks and causes the automatic disconnection of PV systems, leading to production losses and plant malfunctions. In addition, voltage dips represent a major challenge for industrial sectors, where they can cause production interruptions and process malfunctions, leading to economic losses and product quality degradation. This research proposes a method for real-time detection of voltage dips, by integrating the recloser settings within the monitoring system. This approach makes it possible to distinguish temporary outages, related to reclosing, from prolonged outages, thus avoiding unnecessary disconnections of PV systems. The method's performance has been validated by simulations carried out in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment.

Abstract: The application of photovoltaic (PV) system in different sectors increases dramatically since it is clean, sustainable, and easy to maintain. However, PV systems have a nonlinear voltage-current characteristic, with a distinct maximum power point (MPP), which depends on environmental factors like temperature and irradiation. Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is crucial for PV power systems to consistently extract the maximum power from solar panels as it optimizes power output under varying conditions. In this paper, a standalone PV-powered water pumping system is designed for Bahir Dar University Health Science College. Then fuzzy sliding mode control (FSMC) is designed for MPPT. The proposed controller is simulated in MATLAB/ SIMULINK and the controller's performance for optimizing the system's power output under different environmental and load conditions is evaluated. The effectiveness of the proposed MPPT algorithm is validated by comparing its performance with fuzzy logic control (FLC) and sliding mode control (SMC). Based on the simulation result FSMC has an MPPT efficiency of 99.13% compared with 80.21% in FLC and 97.81% in SMC.

Abstract: The integration of photovoltaic systems into energy grids has been very common in recent times since more renewable forms of energy are sought after. Reliability and safety are among the most essential concerns that have to be considered for the deployment and operation of such systems. There have been some very conspicuous failures of protective devices in recent installations, leading to huge damage to solar equipment and an estimation of millions of Naira in repair and maintenance costs. The said incidents further underscore the need for technical competency in PV system installations as well as good-quality protective component acquisition. This study examines the critical role of protective devices in photovoltaic (PV) systems, focusing on their impact on system reliability, operational safety, and financial implications. A survey of industry professionals revealed that the major causes of device failures are overvoltage and poor-quality devices. Similarly, Circuit Breakers and Surge Protectors top the list of devices affected by failures. Critical system shutdowns take up 50% of the resultant consequences of failures, deteriorated performance, and safety hazards. Surprisingly, 65% of those who responded reported financial losses due to the failures, estimated at 45% between N100,000 and N500,000, while 15% had losses above N500,000. The study recommends high-quality protective devices be installed, installation and maintenance be standardized, and predictive maintenance/remote monitoring technologies be adopted to improve reliability and early fault detection. The long-term performance of devices in varying environmental conditions and the economic benefit of using durable, high-quality components are to be focused on further for research. These findings also put forward actionable suggestions to better ensure the PV system resilience for all stakeholders, thereby reducing their financial risks and ensuring the continued growth of the solar energy infrastructure in a reliable manner.

Abstract: This paper presents a study of proposed approach founded on series active power filter based on photovoltaic array (PV-SAPF) which is controlled by classical PI using pulse width modulation inverter (PWM). The proposed system is connected to grid system to feed linear and nonlinear loads to handle deep sags, swells voltage, voltage distortion and power factor crushing caused by any electrical perturbation. In the other hand, the excess of the energy is injected into the mains when the network is not affected and after compensation. To prove the effectiveness of the planned system, the PV-SAPF is carried out using MATLAB / Simulink environment. The results Simulations results proved the ability and the efficiency of the proposed system in mitigation the harmonic voltage distortion, correction the voltage sag and swell, power factor improvment and power quality enhancement.

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is compare between DC brushless fan and DC hybrid solar panel cooling system. The efficiency of PV module is depending on solar irradiance and ambient temperature. As temperature of PV module increase, the output current will increase but output voltage and output power will decrease and also vice versa. As solar irradiance increase, output current and output power will increase with linear and output voltage will increase with marginal and vice versa. The DC cooling system is a way to fix the issue of low efficiency of PV module with the intention to generate more electrical energy. To make an attempt to cool down the PV module, DC brushless fan and water pump with inlet/outlet manifold are built for constant fresh air movement and water flow circulation at the backside and front surface of PV module. The PV module with DC brushless fan cooling system increase 3.47 %, 29.55 %, 32.23 % in term of output voltage, output current, and output power respectively. It decrease 6.1 °C compare than to PV module without DC brushless fan cooling system. While PV module with DC hybrid cooling system increase 4.99 %, 39.90 %, 42.65 % in term of output voltage, output current, and output power respectively. It decrease 6.79 °C compare to PV module without DC hybrid cooling system. The efficiency of PV module with cooling system was increasing compared to PV module without cooling system, for the reason that the ambient temperature dropped significantly. An increase in efficiency of PV module, investment payback period of the system can reduce and the lifespan of PV module will be prolonged.

Abstract: This paper demonstrates the implementation of P&O MPPT controller. The proposed controller was written and compiled in mikroC and later incorporated to a low cost PIC18F4550 microcontroller. Open loop simulation using Proteus Isis was conducted to test the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Results obtained from simulation proved the effectiveness of the proposed controller making it suitable for hardware implementation.

Abstract: As a renewable energy and clean energy source, solar power has great development potential. This paper presents the potential of solar radiation and ambient temperature characteristics can be used as alternative energy. All data collected using Davis Vantage Pro2 Weather Station at Centre of Engineering for Renewable Energy (CERE) in Kangar, Perlis. All data consist of daily and monthly average was analyzed. The result shows the average solar radiation and ambient temperature is high in the middle of the year 2013 which is from April to September. These results provide useful information for the design of solar energy system in order to plan the productive system.

Abstract: This paper presents a methodology for sizing Stand-Alone Photovoltaic (SAPV) system. An iterative-based sizing algorithm, known as ISA, was developed for determining the optimal PV module, battery, charge controller and inverter such that the expected Performance Ratio (PR) of the system could be maximized. The ISA basically evaluates all possible combinations of SAPV system components derived from the respective database of each component. Two sizing scenarios were evaluated based on the types of charge controller that has been used, i.e. the standard charge controller and maximum power point tracker (MPPT)-based charge controller. Results showed that the optimal sizing solution was discovered within 14 to 19 hours based on an evaluation of 46,080 possible combinations of components.

Abstract: The maximum output power of a photovoltaic (PV) system with a DC-DC converter depends mainly on the solar irradiance (G) and the temperature (T). Therefore, a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) mechanism is required to improve the overall system. The conventional MPPT approaches such as the perturbation and observation (P&O) technique have difficulty in finding true maximum power point. Thus various intelligent MPPT systems such as fuzzy logic controllers (FLC) are recently introduced. In FLC based MPPT, selecting the type of the membership function (MF) and the number of the fuzzy sets (FS) is critical for better performance. Thus, in this paper various adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is utilized to automatically tune the FLC membership functions instead of adopting the trial and error method. To find suitable MF for FLC, ANFIS is developed in MATLAB/Simulink and the effect of different types MF investigated. Simulation result shows that the FLC with triangular MF and seven FS give the best result. The evaluation indices used in this study includes the maximum extracted energy, minimum standard deviation of the error, and minimum mean square error.