1.

Overview

With the rising energy demand and increasing concerns over environmental sustainability, solar
photovoltaic (PV) systems have emerged as a viable alternative to conventional energy sources. In
regions like Karachi, where sunlight is abundant throughout the year, harnessing solar energy presents a
practical and cost-effective solution for residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. This assignment
focuses on analyzing the electrical load of my residence and proposing suitable solar PV systems for
three different inverter configurations: on-grid, off-grid, and hybrid-grid. The aim is to provide a
comprehensive technical and economic evaluation of each system, covering aspects such as energy
consumption, inverter and battery sizing, solar module specifications, and financial indicators like Return
on Investment (ROI), Rate of Return (ROR), and payback period. Through this study, the feasibility of
adopting solar energy is explored, promoting sustainable energy practices and contributing to a cleaner
energy future.

2. Methodology:

To achieve the objective of designing an optimized solar PV system for our load, the following
methodology will be adopted:

 The initial step involves collecting all necessary data for the analysis and design of the
solar PV system. This includes load profile, energy consumption pattern, and specific
requirements for our load.

 Calculate Maximum Demand, Load Factor, Demand Factor, and Energy Consumption

 Identify and classify loads into critical and non-critical categories to ensure essential
services are maintained during power outages.

 Based on the calculated maximum demand and energy consumption, the appropriate
capacity for the inverter and battery storage will be determined for each type of
inverter system.

 Determine the number and dimensions of solar panels needed to generate the required
energy.

 Evaluate additional parameters such as the optimal location for mounting the solar
modules, the structure and direction of the solar modules, and the appropriate cable
size.

 Conduct a financial analysis to evaluate the payback period, rate of return (ROR), and
benefit-cost (B/C) ratio for the proposed solar PV systems.

 Include the energy bill of the chosen load, data sheets, specifications, and cost details
for all selected equipment (battery, inverter, charge controller, cable, structure, etc.)
from the market or website.

 Compare the results from the three different studies (on-grid, off-grid, hybrid- grid) and
present them in table and graph formats to highlight the differences and benefits of
each system.
 3.Demand Analysis:

3.1 Units Consumption for 12 Months:

The unit consumption for 12 months is taken from the KE bill of the household (See Appendix A).

Table 1: Unit Consumption for 12 Months

Months Units Consumed Months Units Consumed

January 279 July 1110

February 282 August 910

March 432 September 698

April 589 October 774

May 922 November 748

June 1207 December 425

 Units consumed in the highest demand month = 1207 units

 Units consumed in the lowest demand month = 279 units
 Average units consumed during the year = 703 units
 Average units consumed per day = 23.44 units
 Total average energy consumed during a day = 23.44 kWh
 3.2 Total connected load:

Table 2: Total connected load with kWh Consumption

Rated Power Running Hours Total AC Energy

S.No Particulars Quantity Total AC Power (W)
(W) (hrs/day) (Wh/day)
1 LED Bulbs 12 15 5 180 900
2 LED Strip Lights 10 25 4 250 1000
3 Ceiling fans 17 45 8 765 6120
4 Air Conditioners 3 1750 6 5250 31,500
5 Refrigerators 2 150 24 300 7200
6 Electric Irons 2 1000 1 2000 2000
7 Water Motor 1 1000 1 1000 1000
8 DC Pump 1 750 1 750 750
9 Washing Machines 2 500 1.5 / 7 1000 250
10 Miscellaneous Load — 2000 Not estimated 2000 Not estimated
∑ ≈ 14 kW ∑ ≈ 46 kWhr

Critical Load includes LED bulbs, lights, ceiling fans, Refrigerators, DC pump, Washing Machine
Non critical load includes Air conditioner, Electric motor, electric iron.

 Total kWh consumption for all connected load during a day ≈ 46 units.
 Total Critical AC Power: 4.245 kW
 Total Critical AC Energy: 16 kWh/day
 Total Non-Critical AC Power: 9.250 kW
 Total Non-Critical AC Energy: 30 kWh/day
 3.3 Maximum Demand:

Figure 1 Load curve; estimation of maximum demand

The curve is obtained from ‘Solis’ invertor cloud app which is installed at my home.
Maximum demand = 5.42 kW ≈ 6kW.

3.4 Load Factor:

Daily Units(kWhr ) 23.4
Load factor= = ≈ 16.25 %
Max demand∗24 6∗24
3.5 Demand Factor:
Max demand 6
Demand Factor= = =42.8 %
Total Connected Load 14
4. Proposal
4.1 Off grid System:
4.1.1 Analysis of Units consumption
Month Units Battery Backup (KWhr) PV yield Grid Imported
(kWh) (KWhr) (KWhr)
January 279 130 110 39
February 282 130 103 49
March 432 130 290 12
April 589 130 353 106
May 922 130 431 361
June 1207 130 520 557
July 1110 130 450 530
August 970 130 250 590
September 698 130 301 267
October 774 130 340 304
November 748 130 215 403
December 425 130 120 175
Total Units / annum KWhr 8436 3393
Total Unit Price / annum (Rs.) 350094 140809.5
Savings/annum (Rs.) 209284.5

4.1.2 System Specifications:

Component Details

Panels 14 × Bifacial Jinko Solar Panel Tiger Neo N-type (585 W each)

Total Panel Power 14 × 585 W = 8.19 kW

Inverter Growatt, single phase, 6 kW, SPF 6000 ESPlus

Battery Storage 5 Units of BYD Battery Packs

Cables Pak Cables

DC/AC Breakers Siemens

Mounting Structure Roof-mounted, Smith L2

4.2 On-grid System:
4.2.1 Analysis of Units Consumption
Month Units Total Day Grid Grid
(kWh) Production Load Exported Imported at
Capacity in Day night
January 279 840 110 730 169
February 282 900 103 797 179
March 432 1020 290 730 142
April 589 1140 353 787 236
May 922 1200 431 769 491
June 1207 1140 520 620 687
July 1110 900 450 450 660
August 970 840 250 590 720
September 698 900 301 599 397
October 774 1020 340 680 434
November 748 960 215 745 533
December 425 820 120 700 305
Total Units / annum 8436 8197 4953
Total Unit Price / annum 350094 81970 205549.5
Savings/annum Rs. 226514.5

4.2.2 System Specifications:

Component Details

Panels 14 × Bifacial Jinko Solar Panel Tiger Neo N-type (585 W each)

Total Panel Power 14 × 585 W = 8.19 kW

Inverter Inverex Nitrox 3-phase, 6 kW On-Grid Inverter

Cables Pak Cables

DC/AC Breakers Siemens

Mounting Structure Roof-mounted, Smith L2

4.3 Hybrid System:
4.3.1 Analysis of unit Consumption:

Month Units Total Day battery Grid Grid

(kWh) Production Load Backup exported Imported
in the day at night

January 279 840 110 130 600 39

February 282 900 103 130 667 49

March 432 1020 290 130 600 12

April 589 1140 353 130 657 106

May 922 1200 431 130 639 361

June 1207 1140 520 130 490 557

July 1110 900 450 130 320 530

August 970 840 250 130 460 590

September 698 900 301 130 469 267

October 774 1020 340 130 550 304

November 748 960 215 130 615 403

December 425 820 120 130 570 175

Total Units / annum 8436 6637 3393

Total Unit Price / annum 350094 66370 140809.5

Savings/annum 275654.5

4.3.3 System Specifications

Component Details

Panels 14 × Bifacial Jinko Solar Panel Tiger Neo N-type (585 W each)

Total Panel Power 14 × 585 W = 8.19 kW

Inverter Deye, Three phase, hybrid inverter, SUN-6K-SG05LP3-EU-SM2

Component Details

Battery Storage 5 Units of BYD Battery Packs

Cables Pak Cables

DC/AC Breakers Siemens

Mounting Structure Roof-mounted, Smith L2

5. Comparative Analysis:
5.1 Upfront Costing

Unit Price On-Grid Off-Grid

Component Quantity Hybrid (Rs)
(Rs) (Rs) (Rs)
Panels 13 plates 16,500 214,500 214,500 214,500
Inverter 1 unit — 225,000 175,000 460,000
Battery — — — 325,000 325,000
Electrical Protection, Suspension,
— — 80,000 80,000 80,000
Wiring
Earthing — — 50,000 50,000 50,000
Net Metering — — 60,000 — 60,000
Structure — — 40,000 40,000 40,000
Installation Fee — — 100,000 100,000 100,000
Total Investment — — 769,500 984,500 1,329,500

5.2 cost Recovery and Profitability:

Year On Grid Off Grid Hybrid
(Million (Million (Million Rs.)
Rs.) Rs.)
0 -0.77 -0.98 -1.33
1 -0.54 -0.78 -1.05
2 -0.32 -0.57 -0.78
3 -0.09 -0.36 -0.5
4 0.14 -0.15 -0.23
5 0.36 0.06 0.05
6 0.59 0.27 0.32
7 0.82 0.48 0.6
8 1.04 0.69 0.88
9 1.27 0.9 1.15
 10 1.5 1.11 1.43
11 1.72 1.32 1.7
12 1.95 1.53 1.98
13 2.18 1.74 2.25
14 2.4 1.95 2.53
15 2.63 2.15 2.81

Cost Recovery and Profitability

On Grid (Million Rs.) Off Grid (Million Rs.) Hybrid (Million Rs.)
3

2.5

1.5
Rs. (Million)

0.5

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
-0.5

-1

-1.5

Years

Payback Period, ROI and ROR can be estimated by the abovementioned graph.

On grid Off grid Hybrid

Payback period (years) 3.7 5 5
ROI (million Rs) 1.86 1.17 1.48
ROR (slope of graph) 0.2266 0.2096 0.2757
Figure 2 Estimation over a period of 15 years
 Chart Title
6

5
5 5
4
3.7
3

2
1.86
1 1.48
1.17

0 0.2266 0.2096 0.2757

Payback period (years) ROI (million Rs) ROR (slope of graph)

On grid Off grid Hybrid