Solar PV Lecture 5 Grid-Connected
Solar PV Lecture 5 Grid-Connected
the amount of money the client is willing to pay for the system
Site Assessment
First and important step in the design and installation of a solar PV
system
A site assessment aims to determine:
(i) Available space or area
Site Assessment
(i) Available space
Influences the number of PV modules that can fit into a shade-free location
(ii) Location of the PV array
On the roof of a building
Clear area of ground that will not be shaded (by trees or nearby buildings)
Roof specifications
A. Orientation
The ideal orientation is where a module receives maximum sunlight (this is
true north for systems installed in the southern hemisphere)
Use a compass and magnetic declination data to determine the orientation
that the roof is facing and its bearing from the ideal orientation
Site Assessment
Roof specifications
B. Tilt angle
The tilt angle should be measured using an inclinometer or an
angle finder
The optimum tilt for a system is equal to the latitude of the location
±5o
In cases where the pitch of the roof is not equal to the optimum tilt
angle the PV array’s energy yield will be affected
Mzuzu University Tuesday, 12th June
Grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic
Site Assessment Systems
Roof specifications
Fig. 5.1: Orientation and tilt angle Fig. 5.2: Key balance of
of a Solar PV array system components of a roof
mounted grid-connected system
Determine the edge zone (free space along the perimeter of the roof,
≈20% of the roof area)
Determine the number of PV modules that can fit the available area
The number of modules that can fit on a roof is limited by the length
and width of the module compared with the length and width of the
available roof space
Fig. 5.3: PV
Modules laid in
(a)
landscape and
(a) Landscape (b)
(b) portrait
Portrait
Mzuzu University Tuesday, 12th June
Grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic Systems
Portrait installation
Deduct the edge zone from the width and the length of the roof
The final number of modules to be installed depends on the choice of inverter and the
number of modules that can be connected in series and parallel to that inverter
Design parameters
Local environment
• Identify any features of the local environment that can affect
equipment selection
• These may include:
(a) Local temperature range
Know the local temperature range when designing the solar PV
array
Solar PV equipment operate within a specified temperate range,
which is given on equipment data sheets