Systems

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.

Why Are Batteries Used in Some PV Systems?

 Batteries are often used in PV systems for the purpose of storing energy produced by
the PV array during the day, and to supply it to electrical loads as needed (during the
night and periods of cloudy weather).

 Other reasons batteries are used in PV systems are to operate the PV array near its
maximum power point, to power electrical loads at stable voltages, and to supply surge
currents to electrical loads and inverters.

 In most cases, a battery charge controller is used in these systems to protect the
battery from overcharge and over discharge.
 Types / Configurations of
Solar PV systems

d
e c b

c
a c
 PV system for DC loads with and without battery
 PV system for AC loads with and without battery
 PV system with grid connection

Gen can be utility grid /

e wind / any other source
Stand-alone solar PV systems with dc loads

Variable DC
Solution
Solar
dc Loads
PV

Output voltage & power

depends on the values
of solar irradiance and
load
 Stand-alone solar PV systems with dc loads

sensors
Variable DC
Solar dc-dc dc Loads
PV converter Output
Fixed DC

Refer
Controller
ence

Choice of
dc-dc converters
Constant voltage operation vs.
Buck converter MPPT without battery.
Boost Converter
Buck-boost converter Power balance
 Stand-alone solar PV systems with dc loads & Battery

sensors
Variable DC
Solar dc-dc dc Loads
PV converter
Output
Fixed DC

Refer
Controller
ence

MPPT

Choice of Bi-directional power flow

dc-dc converters
Support/consumes deficit / excess solar
Buck converter power as compared to load by
Boost Converter discharging / charging the battery
Buck-boost converter
Battery management / charge controller
 Stand-alone solar PV systems with ac and dc loads

dc Loads

sensors AC output
Variable
Solar DC dc-dc ac Loads
Inverter
PV converter

Output IGBT based inverter

Fixed DC
bridge configuration.
Refer
Controller
ence Inverter can be operated
in fixed SPWM.

Simple to design filter

components
 Stand-alone solar PV systems with ac and dc loads
& Battery
dc Loads

sensors AC output
Variable
Solar DC dc-dc ac Loads
Inverter
PV converter

Output IGBT based inverter

Fixed DC
bridge configuration.
Refer
Controller
ence Inverter can be operated
in fixed SPWM.

Simple to design filter

components
 Stand-alone solar PV systems with ac loads only

Variable
sensors
AC output
Solar DC
Inverter ac Loads
PV

Refer
Controller
ence

Inverter control – PWM technique

MPPT?
 Grid-connected PV systems without battery storage

Variable
sensors
Solar DC AC
Inverter grid
PV

Refer
Controller
ence

Choice of inverter :

IGBT based bridge configuration Vs. Thyristor based line commutated inverters
• Grid synchronization
• Grid current shape – sinusoidal / THD.
• Reactive power control – UPF operation

Inverter control – PWM technique / Phase angle control

MPPT operation
Draw back ??
 Grid-connected PV systems with battery
dc Loads

sensors sensors
Variable
dc-dc AC
Solar DC
Inverter grid
PV converter

Output
Fixed DC

Refer Refer
Controller1 Controller2
ence ence

Supplying set
power to the grid
& dc loads at the
dc terminals
•Example: A buck converter is used for charging 12 V battery (internal resistance of the battery is
0.1 Ω) from solar PV panel. At certain operating condition, solar PV panel produced 130W with a
generated voltage of 26 V. Determine the (i) duty ratio of the buck converter and (ii) charging
current of the battery. Assume ideal components are used in the buck converter. Also draw the
power circuit arrangement.
Example: A three-phase fully-controlled thyristor bridge converter is used as a Line Commutated
Inverter (LCI) for feeding power to the ac grid (3-phase, 400 V, 50 Hz) from solar PV panels. At
certain operating condition, solar PV panels produced 2,400W with a generated voltage of 240 V.
Determine the (i) delay angle α such that this power (2,400 W) is supplied to the ac grid from solar
panels, (ii) power transferred to the ac grid and (iii) losses in the inductor resistance. Also draw the
power circuit arrangement.

Assume : ideal thyristors are used in the power circuit and the dc current is maintained virtually
constant by connecting a large inductance between the bridge terminals and solar panels and it has a
resistance of 0.25 Ω.

Power Circuit 0.25  L large value

S1 S3 S5 Id
-
A
B Solar
C
PV
S4 S6 S2
+
 Power Circuit 0.25  L large value

S1 S3 S5 Id
-
A
B Solar
C
PV
S4 S6 S2
+
 PV-Powered Fan – Design considerations

Operation: as the sun shines brighter, the

fan turns faster.

If the designer has no concern for the

exact quantity of air moved, the design
becomes nearly trivial.

However, if the amount of air moved must

meet a code requirement or other
constraint, then it will be necessary to
consider the design in more detail.

• The system operation point is determined by the intersection of the performance

characteristics.

• Note that as the sun shines brighter, making more PV current and voltage available,
the fan consumes more power.

• It is reasonable to assume that as the fan consumes more power it will move more air
 PV-Powered Fan – Design considerations
From the performance characteristics
intersections, it can be observed that the
module is not operating anywhere near
maximum power at low light levels.

Hence, the designer must decide how much air

movement is needed at various irradiance
levels, and choose the module accordingly.

So, even in this relatively simple design

example, the designer must use discretion.
Larger modules will cost more, but will deliver
more air at lower irradiance levels

Figure above also shows the hysteresis effect encountered in starting the fan.
Under stalled rotor conditions, the fan motor does not produce a back EMF and thus
the fan will draw stalled rotor current until sufficient armature current is present to
overcome the starting torque. The irradiance level at point A on the curve is just
adequate to provide this current, and the operating point then jumps to point B. As the
irradiance level continues to increase, the operating point moves toward point E. When
irradiance levels decrease, fan performance follows the fan characteristic to point C,
after which the fan stalls and the operating point jumps to point D and eventually
approaches the origin as darkness falls.
 PV-Powered Fan – Design considerations
Another question for the designer to ask is
whether it would be better to use a different fan
to meet the design requirements.

The obvious answer is “maybe.” and that is

what makes the design of PV systems so much
fun.

It should be clear from Figure b that regardless

of the choice of fan or module, there will be a
significant power mismatch over a relatively
wide range of irradiance.

Thus, no matter what the choice, there will be

some portion of the fan or PV characteristic
where maximum power will not be transferred
to the fan.

If it is desired to optimize fan power for all

Sizing of the illumination levels, a maximum power tracker
will need to be incorporated into the design.
PV system
 Sizing of the PV system

 Why the sizing so important ?

• Over sizing the system will increase the price of the generated power

• Under sizing on other hand will greatly influence on the reliability of the
supplied power

So in order to avoid the above conditions,

 The following need to be know:

• Load profile

• Solar irradiation data for the site

• Power converter topologies – DC-DC converters, Inverters etc. and their

specifications

• Battery specifications

• Charge controller specifications

 Steps for sizing PV systems
1. Load evaluation:
To Determine power consumption demand, calculate as follows:
• Calculate total Watt-hours per day for each appliance used.
• Calculate total Watt-hours per day needed from the PV modules.
2. Size the PV modules:
 Different size of PV modules will produce different amount of power.
 The peak watt (Wp) produced depends on size of the PV module and climate of site
location
 Panel generation factor is different in each site location.

To Determine the sizing of PV modules, calculate as follows:

• Calculate the total Watt-peak rating needed for PV modules
• Calculate the number of PV panels for the system

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 the battery.

• For stand-alone systems, the inverter must be large enough to handle the
total amount of power that will be used 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:

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

B. Divide the total Watt-hours per day used by 0.85 for battery loss.

C. Divide the answer obtained in item (B) by 0.6 for depth of discharge.

D. Divide the answer obtained in item (C) by the nominal battery voltage.

E. Multiply the answer obtained in item (D) with days of autonomy (the number
of days that the system to operate when there is no power produced by PV
panels) to get the required Ampere-hour capacity of deep cycle battery.
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 its 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
Solar charge controller rating = Total short circuit current of PV array * 1.3
Example:
A house has the following electrical appliance usage
 One 18W fluorescent lamp with electronic ballast used 4h per day
 One 60W fan used 2h per day
 One 75W refrigerator that runs 24h per day with compressor running
12h and off 12h
The system is powered by 12V DC,110 Wp PV module .
1. Determine power consumption demands
Total appliance use
= (18W × 4h)+(60W × 2h)+(75W × 24 × 0.5h)
= 1092 Wh/day
Total PV panels energy needed = 1092 × 1.3
the energy lost in the
system
= 1419.6 Wh/day

2. Size of PV panel
Total Wp of PV panel capacity needed = 1419.6 / 3.4 Panel generation factor is
= 417.5 Wp different in each site location
peak sun hours
Number of PV panels needed = 417.5/110
= 3.795 modules

So the system is powered by at least 4 modules of 110Wp PV module

3. Inverter sizing
Total watt of all appliances = 18+60+75 = 153W
For safety, the inverter size should be considered 25-30% bigger size
The inverter size should be about 190W or greater
4. Battery sizing
Total appliance use = 1092 Wh/day
Nominal battery voltage = 12V
Days of autonomy = 3days
Battery capacity = (1092 × 3) / (0.85 × 0.6 × 12)
= 535.29 Ah
Total Ampere-hours required 535.29 Ah

So the battery should be rated 12V 600Ah for 3 day autonomy

5. Solar charge controller sizing
PV module specification
Pm = 110Wp
Vm = 16.7Vdc
Im = 6.6 A
Voc = 20.7 A
Isc = 7.5 A

Solar charge controller string = (4 strings × 7.5A) × 1.3 Safety factor

= 39A
So the solar charge controller should be rated 40A at 12V or greater