Renewable Energy 28 (2003) 929938 www.elsevier.

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Sizing of a stand-alone photovoltaic power system at Dhaka

M.M.H. Bhuiyan 1, M. Ali Asgar
Department of Physics, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Ramna, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Received 23 March 2002; accepted 24 July 2002

Abstract A stand-alone photovoltaic power system is designed to operate residential appliances such as uorescent lamp, incandescent light and ceiling fan using standard methods. The total load is estimated for four hours of operation per day. The battery is sized considering different factors that affect battery efciency to reliably operate the estimated loads during a sequence of below average insolation. The minimum battery size is obtained to be 128Ah @ 100 hr, 24V. The PV array is sized to operate the load on a daily basis based on average weather conditions using monthly average daily values of solar radiation data for 11 years. The array is sized to proper values in order to operate the estimated load reliably in the month of minimum insolation taking into account different types of power losses. The minimum array size is obtained as 6 47Wp. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction For utilizing solar energy efciently and cost effectively proper design of reliable solar devices and system have to be attempted to suit our radiation climate and socioeconomic conditions. Solar energy reaches the earth in the form of radiation energy, which consists of photons. Radiation energy in the range of wave length 0.31.3 micrometer [1] can be used to generate electricity through semiconductor devices, which are called photovoltaic solar cells, usually made of silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, cadmium telluride, copper indium diselenide etc [2]. Direct conversion and storage of solar energy to electricity through the use of solar cell and electro1

ROMU, AERE, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Bangladesh.

0960-1481/03/$ - see front matter 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 9 6 0 - 1 4 8 1 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 1 5 4 - 4

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chemical storage batteries offers an alternative and attractive method for providing electrical energy to remote villages in Bangladesh, where conventional electric power supply is not available. Apart from solar cells, the designing of a stand-alone photovoltaic power system (SPV) requires a number of other components such as array structure, mounting frames, inverters, control circuits, wiring and interconnections, storage battery etc. The cost of accessories also system sizing, design, installation, checkout, testing and maintenance, etc. are important factors. All these can be lumped as balance of system cost (BOS). The design of a SPV system needs careful considerations of both solar cell and BOS components. We can also nd out what combinations of array and battery sizes can be chosen to meet a desired reliability i.e. the substitution nature between array and battery. The rst problem of sizing is thus to nd the optimum combination which minimize energy cost for a chosen reliability. Because a PV system with perfect reliability is over sized to meet relatively a short interval of time when it is faced with peak load or when there is cloudy weather. As the insolation, temperature and electricity requirements are different in different areas, designing of PV systems for different places have to be different. Thus in spite of the many designs already made there is scope for many improvements to be made. Two of the most important of these improvements are: (i) increase of solar cell output by choosing appropriate tilt and azimuth angle and (ii) minimization of required storage for remote applications. Optimizing these two factors results in a reduction of array and battery sizes, thus making stand-alone photovoltaic systems (SPV) more economical and energy efcient [3]. In view of the great interest of PV power system designing, both for their technological applications and theoretical understanding of the mechanism involved, the present work is aimed at obtaining an optimum design of a stand-alone PV power system for residential uses. The main objectives have been the search for the best suited tilt angles, battery size, array size and parameters for optimum performance, to solve the problem of delivering electrical power at minimum cost. By optimizing the balancing parameters, sizes for both the solar array and battery capacity are determined which provide minimum life cycle cost. Reliability is vital to minimize the maintenance and repairing cost, particularly in remote areas, where there is a lack of spare parts and the necessary technical skills.

2. System sizing PV system sizing involves nding the cheapest combination of array size and storage capacity that will meet the anticipated load requirements with the minimum acceptable level of security. It can vary widely depending on the application and the choices of the user or procurement agency. The following information is required for system sizing: (i) The daily or hourly load requirement during a typical year. (ii) Typical current and voltage characteristics of the selected type of module at various irradiances and temperatures. (iii) The mean daily irradiation on the plane of the array for every month of a typical year. (iv) The tilt factors for different tilt and

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azimuth angles. (v) The maximum number of consecutive sunless days likely to be experienced. (vi) The mean daily ambient temperature for every month of a typical year. (vii) The estimated cell temperature rise above ambient of the modules in the array. (viii) The required security of supply (ix) the selected DC bus voltage. (x) The estimated percentage of energy losses in the battery, power conditioning equipment and control system. (xi) The estimated losses in the array due to module mismatch, cable, dust and shading and voltage drop across blocking diodes. The technique, we used for the designs is similar to those followed by Sandia National Laboratory, USA [4] and Siemens Solar, Germany. We have developed three designs for different tilt, azimuth and storage days in order to get minimum battery and array size for the same required load. The design of our SPV power system for residential use is as follows: load estimation, determination of the PV array current and tilt angle, battery sizing and array sizing. 2.1. Load estimation The entire system design is based on the size of the load. The loads inuence every aspect of design and must be as efcient and reliable as possible. For AC loads a power-conditioning unit is used, called an inverter, which causes a loss of power because of the conversion of DC power to AC power. We used the inverter of 80% efciency. The operating voltage selected for a stand-alone PV system is usually the voltage required by the largest loads. When AC load dominates, the DC system voltage should be selected for compability with the inverter input. DC loads are usually 12 volts or a multiple of 12V. Generally, the efciency and power handling capability are better for units operating at higher DC voltage. However, the advantages of the higher operating voltage is the lower current required to produce the same power. High current means large wire size, expensive and hard to get fuses, switches and connectors. Considering these factors, the operating voltage of the system is selected to be 24V DC. The energy demand (Ed) for residential load is given in watt-hour per day by Ed(Wh) NiIiViHi
i1 n

(1)

where, Ni is the number of ith residential load; Ii, Vi are the current and voltage respectively drawn by the ith loads; Hi is the daily duty cycle of the ith load (hrs/day). The load demand in Ampere-hour is given by Ed(Ah) Ed(Wh) hpceVnsv
i1

NiIiViHi hpceVnsv (2)

where, h pce power conversion efciency; V nsv nominal system voltage. The peak current drawn by the total AC load is Ip
i1

IiVi Vnsv (3)

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Corrected Ampere-hour load is given by Ec(Ah) Ed(Ah) hwhb (4)

where, hw is the wire efciency and hb is the battery efciency. 2.2. Design current and array tilt For constant load through out the year, the design month will be the month with the lowest insolation and the array should be installed with a tilt angle that yields the highest value of insolation during that month. An array set at the same angle as the latitude of location will minimize annual energy produced. If the load demand is high in the winter, generally the array tilt set up is at latitude plus 15. For a predominant summer load, the array tilt [4] angle set up is at latitude minus 15. The design current is to be calculated for all three-tilt angles if the load demand varies widely throughout the year. In this design by changing array tilt and azimuth angle to a suitable value [6], more output power is obtained with the same array. The recommended tilt angles for the array is selected by rst determining the largest required design current for each of the three tilt angles, and then selecting the smallest design current of those three. This procedure indicates the preferred array tilt angle. The design current required for the corrected Amp-hour load for any month of a year is given by ID(112) Ec(Ah) Hps(112) (5)

where, H ps(112) Monthly average daily peak-sun hours (hrs/day) at a particular tilt angle for the months JanuaryDecember. The selected design current is given by ISD (ID)max (6) where, (ID)max, the largest current at design month, and selected tilt angle tilt angle at selected design current s. 2.3. Battery sizing There are many factors that inuence the choice and performance of a battery in a PV system. Automotive batteries should not be used if there is any alternative. PV batteries operate in a different way and are designed differently to supply power over a long period and to be recharged slowly. An understanding of storage battery design, terminology and performance characteristics in the design of stand-alone PV systems is therefore necessary. The battery bank is sized to operate the loads during a sequence of below average insolation days, called the days of autonomy. In this design, days of autonomy is taken to be two days and three days. In battery sizing some other factors like maximum depth of discharge, temperature correction, rated

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battery capacity and battery life is considered. For deep cycle battery maximum depth of discharge is 80%. In this design depth of discharge is taken to be 65%. Temperature correction is needed because at low temperature battery efciency decreases. Temperature correction factor is taken to be 0.9. Battery life is considered 10 years, as per manufacturers specication. Required battery capacity in Amperehour (Ah) is given by Brc Ec(Ah) Ds (DOD)max hT (7)

where, D s battery autonomy or storage days; (DOD)max maximum battery depth of discharge; h T temperature correction factor. Batteries in parallel is given by Bp Brc Bsc (8)

where, B sc capacity of selected battery (Ah). Batteries in series is given by Bs Vnsv Vnbv (9)

where, V nbv nominal battery voltage. Total battery BT BP Bs 2.4. Array sizing The solar PV array is sized to replace the load on a daily basis based on average weather conditions. The average is made up of below average days and above average days, so the array and battery must work together. The array is properly sized so that it can reliably operate the load in the design month i.e. month of minimum insolation. Before sizing, one needs the module specications from different distributors and then compare their performances in respect of physical sizes and costs. The designing method uses current to describe the load requirement. Here, the module derate factor i.e. loss due to dust accumulation, mismatch loss between modules and the degradation over time is considered. The derated design current is given by IDE ISD hM (11) (10)

where, hM is the module derate factor. Module in parallel is given by Mp IDE Ir (12)

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where, I r module rated current (A). Module in series is given by Ms Vnbv Bs 1.2 VM,Tmax (13)

where, VM,Tmax is the highest temperature module voltage. Total number of module is given by MT Mp Ms (14)

3. Design - I The design currents were calculated for 12 months of the year for the selected load. Estimated monthly average solar radiation data [6] for 11 years is used for Bangladesh. The peak sun hours at a particular tilt angle is obtained by multiplying the monthly average solar radiation with the tilt factor at those angles. In this design peak sun hours are obtained for the tilt angles at (latitude)15, and 15. It is found that tilt angle at 15 is better for the months AprilSeptember (i.e. for summer period) and 15 for the months OctoberMarch (winter period). 3.1. Load estimation Required load powers for residential uses in the ceiling fan, uorescent lamp and incandescent light is estimated using Eqs. (1) and (2), which is given in Table 1.

Table 1 Load estimation for AC appliancesa Load description Quantity Load current (A) Load voltage (V) AC load power (W) 40 60 60 Daily Power duty conversion cycle efciency hrs/day 4 4 4 0.80 0.80 0.80 Nominal system voltage (V) 24 24 24 Amp hour Loadb (Ah/day) 8.53 12.5 12.5

Fluorescent lamp (AC) Ceiling fan Incandescent light Total AC load

1 1 1 power160W

0.182 0.272 0.273

220 220 220

Total Amp-Hour Load 33.3

a b

Peak-current drawn 6.66 Amp. Corrected Amp. Hour Load 37.7 (Ah/day).

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3.2. Design current and array tilt System location: Energy Park, Renewable Energy Research Centre, Dhaka University. Latitude 23.7, Azimuth angle 0. In Table 2 the selected smallest design current is 8.5 amperes out of the above three set of tilt angles and corresponding peak sun 4.45 hrs/day are found at tilt, 15 for summer. And for winter, selected smallest design current 8.39 amperes and corresponding peak sun 4.49 hrs/day are obtained at tilt 15. Therefore, to operate the loads reliably in the month of the minimum radiation, the selected design current is 8.5 amperes for summer and 8.39 amperes for winter. 3.3. Battery sizing Battery is sized using Eqs. (7)Eq. (10) and Battery autonomy is considered to be three days. We used deep cycle tubular positive plate battery from Rahimafrooz of capacity 128 Ah @ 100 hr, and 12 volt. Required battery capacity is found to be 193 Ah. The number of batteries in parallel, series and total is found to 1.51, 2.0 and 3.0 respectively. 3.4. Array sizing The module of model M75 of power 47 WP is used in this design, typical current of the module is 2.94 amperes and voltage at load is 16.0 volts. The required array as sized by using Eqs. (11)Eq. (14). The derated design current is found to be 9.43

Table 2 Design current for corrected load at different tilt angles Month Tilt at latitude 15 Corrected Peakload Ec(Ah) sun (Ah/day) hrs/day Tilt at latitude Tilt at latitude Design Corrected Peak-sun Design Corrected Peakcurrent load Ec(Ah) hrs/day current load sun hrs/day (A) (Ah/day) (A) Ec(Ah) (Ah/day) 8.00 7.04 6.61 6.41 6.54 7.75 8.48 7.66 8.07 7.43 7.61 8.14 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 5.36 5.83 5.86 5.77 5.48 4.56 4.23 4.77 4.67 5.39 5.59 5.37 7.03 6.46 6.43 6.53 6.87 8.26 8.91 7.90 8.07 6.94 6.74 7.02 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 5.68 5.92 5.76 5.42 5.03 4.13 3.88 4.43 4.45 5.49 5.89 5.80 15 Design current (A)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7 37.7

4.71 5.35 5.70 5.88 5.76 4.86 4.45 4.92 4.67 5.07 4.95 4.63

6.63 6.36 6.54 6.95 7.49 9.12 9.71 8.51 8.47 6.14 6.40 6.50

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amperes. The number of modules in parallel, series and total is found to be 3.2, 2.0 and 6.4 respectively.

4. Design - II In this design array and battery size are obtained for the same required load as in design-I. The design current is obtained for the tilt angles 10 for summer periods and 40 for winter periods and azimuth angle 0 for both the seasons [6], as shown in the comprehensive Table 3. The selected design current is found to be 8.47 ampere. The battery autonomy is considered to be 3 days. The number of representing parallel, series and sum of total batteries are found to be 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 respectively. The total number of modules turns out to be 6.4 of which 3.2 are in parallel and 2.0 in series. This is found to be better than the design-I. The peak sun hours for tilt angles 40 and 10 is higher than that for tilt angles of latitude 15 and latitude 15 for the months January, February, October, November and December by the order of 0.7%. Design-I and design-II are close to each other. For winter season design-II is found to be better than design-I.

5. Design - III In this design array and battery are sized for the same required load, considering battery autonomy to be two days. The design current is obtained for tilt angles of 10 for the months, AprilSeptember, and 40 for the months OctoberMarch with azimuth angles as 45. i.e. the array is rotated by 45 towards east during morning

Table 3 The eleven years monthly averaged daily radiation in kWh/day availability at different tilt () and azimuth () angles [5,6]. Latitude 23.7 ( 40 (Oct.March) and 10 (AprilSept.) Month 0 0 4.03 4.78 5.33 5.71 5.71 4.80 4.41 4.82 4.41 4.61 4.27 3.92 !5 0 4.71 5.35 5.70 5.88 5.76 4.86 4.45 4.92 4.67 5.07 4.95 4.63 0 5.36 5.83 5.86 5.77 5.48 4.56 4.23 4.77 4.67 5.39 5.59 5.37 15 0 5.68 5.92 5.76 5.42 5.03 4.13 3.88 4.43 4.45 5.49 5.89 5.80 40 / 10 0 5.72 6.04 5.72 5.91 5.77 4.83 4.45 4.93 4.67 5.49 5.93 5.83 40 / 10 45 6.29 6.79 6.66 6.17 6.05 5.04 4.60 5.16 4.85 6.22 6.58 6.39

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

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hours and 45 towards west during afternoon with north south line [6], as shown in Table 3. The selected design current is found to be 8.19 amperes. The required battery capacity is found to be 128 Ah and total number of batteries is found as two in series. The derated design current is found to be 9.1 amperes. The total number of modules is found to be 6.0 of which 2.0 are in series and 3.0 are in parallel. This design is found to be better compared to design-I or design-II. The peak-sun hours i.e. the output current, for the tilt angles 10/40 and azimuth angles 45, increases by 10, 12, 16, 4, 5, 4, 3, 4, 4, 13, 10 and 9% in the months January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December respectively compared to that for the tilt angles of 10/40 and azimuth angle of 0. From a comparative study of the above designs the array size is obtained as total number of 6.4 modules in design-I and design-II, and 6.0 modules for design-III. The total number of batteries obtained in design-I and design-II is found to be 3.0. Design-III corresponds to minimum array and battery size. Therefore design-III is selected out of the three designs for its maximum efciency. Using design-III, the minimum array and battery size can be obtained for any amount of stand-alone PV system in Bangladesh.

6. Conclusion The theoretical calculations used in this design are found to be in agreement with the practical performance of the system. It is observed that the PV array can supply power to operate the AC appliances for four hours per day. In this design the battery autonomy is taken to be two days. In the experimental performance, the battery autonomy is also found to be of the order of two days. The array azimuth and tilt is chosen through design-III, in order to get more output power. It is observed that when the azimuth angle is changed by 45, the charging time is reduced compared to the azimuth angle of 0. The tilt and azimuth angle for optimum performance of SPV system are dependent on the geographical location i.e. latitude, longitude and season to be determined experimentally. For Dhaka, Bangladesh tilt angle is 10 for summer and 40 for winter and azimuth angle 45 for morning, 45 for the afternoon hours for both the seasons for best performance.

References
[1] Dufe ZA, Beckman WA. Solar engineering of thermal processes. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1990. [2] Boer KW et al. Materials for solar photovoltaic energy conversion, Annual Review of Material Science, M6, 303. [3] Groumpos PP et al. An optimal sizing method for stand-alone photovoltaic power systems. Solar Energy 1987;38(5):34151. [4] Stand Alone Photovoltaic Power systems. A Hand Book of Recommended Design Practics. Sandia National Laboratories, USA, 1991.

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[5] Hussain M, Huda, Ainul, Optimization of the tilt angle for inclined collectors at Dhaka In: Proc. World Renewable Energy Congress, 1996. [6] Hussain M, et al. A study of solar radiation in Dhaka. In: Proceedings of the National Solar Energy Convention, India, pp. 1035, 1995.