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International Journal of Electrical Engineering & Emerging Technology

Hybrid Power System

Noor Saba Phulpotoa , Muhammad Dargahia , Amjad Alia , Abdul Ghaffar Bhagata , Abdul Qayoom Shaha
a
Mehran University of Engineering and Technology SZAB Campus Khairpur Mir’s
*Corresponding Author e-mails: noorsaba.el18@muetkhp.edu.pk, muhammaddargahi.el18@muetkhp.edu.pk,
amjadali.el18@muetkhp.edu.pk, abdulghaffar.el18@muetkhp.edu.pk, abdulqayoom.el18@muetkhp.edu.pk

Abstract— The word hybrid itself gives the meaning of something

which is a combination of different elements coming together. Solar Panel Charge Controller DC/AC Inverter Load

Hybrid power systems hence are known as the autonomous

electricity generating systems because they include more than one
type of power source, conventional and renewable energy source.
A hybrid system might contain AC or DC diesel generators, AC
or DC distribution systems, loads, renewable power sources,
energy storage or power converters etc. Hybrid Power systems
are becoming more and more popular due to their ability to store
energy even when the grid supply is cut off, this leads to less
expenses of electricity and many more advantages. Hybrid
systems can be constructed using the combination of different
type of sources depending upon the available resource. One of the
most common type of hybrid system used is the Hybrid Solar
Power System. The main objective of this paper is to discuss how
a hybrid system works, hence hybrid solar system has been taken
into study to give an idea of how electricity is generated and used
through the combination of different sources.
Index Terms— Electricity Generation, Hybrid, Renewable
Sources, Solar Power.
I. AINTRODUCTION
Hybrid solar system is the combination of an on-grid and off-
grid power system [6]. For the better understanding and
working of a hybrid system or a solar hybrid power system, it
is considered helpful to have a clear understanding about the
basics of a solar power system and its different types.
SOLAR POWER SYSTEM
Solar Power system is one of the most common way of
generating electricity [5]. For this process the energy gets
converted from sunlight to electricity [7, 9, 10]. The solar
panels used for this type of electricity generation convert the
solar energy into the DC power which then needs to be
converted again into AC power when using the energy for
industries, commercials or residential purposes etc. This
conversion takes place by using different type of inverters
depending upon the need of user. Depending upon the type of
system excess solar energy can be fed into the electricity grid
as well or it may be stored in a battery system.
Fig. 1: Solar power basic block diagram
II. TYPES OF SOLAR POWER SYSTEM
The three different types of Solar Power system includes:
 On-grid solar power system
 Off-grid solar power system
 Hybrid solar power system
ON-GRID SOLAR POWER SYSTEM
This system is also known as the grid-tie solar system. An on-
grid solar system does not need batteries, it uses common solar
inverters and is connected to the public electricity grid.
Because, there are no batteries connected, no energy can be
stored to use at the night time when there is no sunlight
available to charge the solar panels. This system is commonly
used for residential purpose and a very not so known use of it
is the business purpose. For the sake of business, people with
no financial issues can invest money into this system which
can be earned back again. In areas where there are no solid
sources of electricity, this system can be adopted by using
solar panels in vacant lots. In this way, let’s assume if a person
using electricity from this source consumes a total number of
10 kilowatts such that the person still manages to get some
excessive amount of electricity, in this case the remaining
power can be sent back to the grid which can be consumed by
other users [1, 4]. In order to do so the user has to sign an
agreement with the electricity company to send the excessive
electricity back in order to earn money.
Solar Panel Grid

AC Distribution
Inverter AC Load
Panel
 Phulpoto et al., Hybrid Power System 2

Fig. 2: On-grid solar power block diagram Solar Panel

OFF-GRID SOLAR POWER SYSTEM

An off-grid solar power system is also known as the
Grid
standalone power system. This system is not connected to the
electricity grid which is the reason why it require batteries for Solar Inverter

this system to store energy for later use. As this system is not
connected with the main electricity grid hence it needs to be

DC
designed in a way such that it generates enough power
throughout the year and have enough battery capacity to fulfill Switch Board
Multi-Mode
Inverter (Bi- DC Battery
the requirement of home appliances even when there is less Directional)

sunlight during the season of winter. This system is mostly

AC
used in the remote areas which are far away from the
electricity grid due to high costs of inverter and batteries.
Residential
Load

Solar Panel

AC Load Fig. 4: Hybrid solar power block diagram

In the block diagram of hybrid solar power, it is clearly

observed that the solar panels will work during the day time to
run the home appliances while charging the battery. During
the time of night when the panels are not able to supply power,
Charge Controller Battery DC/AC Inverter the stored energy in the battery will be used to run the
appliances. With this, if there still remains some excessive
power then the multimode inverter will supply it back to the
Fig. 3: Off-grid solar power block diagram grid. Further in situations when both the solar panels and
batteries are not charged, the same multimode inverter will be
Off-grid solar power system can be used in two ways: used to take power from the main electricity grid.

III. PROVED RESULTS WITH A MINI PROJECT

 Direct Coupled System
 Standalone System
To understand the working of hybrid solar power a little more,
the following mini project has been constructed to give a brief
A. DIRECT COUPLED SYSTEM idea of how this system works. This mini system has been
For this type, solar panels are directly connected to the DC designed to work for only those appliances which run on DC
load. There are no battery banks connected in this type and power and having the main motive of verifying the results.
hence energy cannot be stored. Due to this, it is capable of
powering common appliances such as fans, pumps etc.
IV. PROJECT DESIGN
B. STANDALONE SYSTEM
The Designed project is based on the following parameters:
For standalone system, batteries are connected with the solar
panels. This is done because during the time of night when
TABLE I: SPECIFICATIONS OF PROJECT
there is no sunlight available, the energy stored in the battery
due to solar panels can be used to run the appliances of home.
User Need House Hold
HYBRID SOLAR POWER SYSTEM
Transformer Input: 230V AC
The combination of on-grid and off-grid solar power system is
called the hybrid solar power system. These systems generate Output: 12V AC×2
electricity in the same way as the on-grid solar power system,
the only difference here is that this system uses special hybrid Resistor 99Ω
inverters and batteries to store energy which can be saved to
use later. This ability of storing energy enables most hybrid Capacitor 1000 UF
systems to also operate as a backup power supply during a
blackout as power supply obtained from the national grid can DC Source 12V
be unreliable at times [3].
Wire -

Switch -
 Phulpoto et al., Hybrid Power System 3

Solar Panel Rated Max: Power: 20W

Voltage: 17.8V
Max: Current: 1.12A

PWM Controller Rated Voltage: 12V/24V

Rated Current: 10A

LEDS -

Diodes -

Plug - Fig. 6: Practical Model of the project

VI. VERIFIED RESULTS

D1

R
99Ω
V2 S
U2 12V
Key = Space PWM
V1 V3
U1
220Vpk C2 17.8V
50Hz
U3
0°
1000uF
2

U4

D2

Fig. 5: Schematic diagram of the project

V. CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING

 For the construction of desired system, the circuit

includes a step down transformer which is center
tapped, the input voltage of the transformer is 230V
which is connected with the main AC supply, it is
then converted into 12V AC by the process of
stepping down.
 After the process of stepping down the 230 voltage
AC into 12V AC, two diodes are connected with the
transformer for the rectification purpose as the
transformer is center tapped.
 Once the 12V AC is converted into 12V DC through
the process of rectification, a capacitor is used for the
process of filtration, as the DC obtained through Fig. 7: Demonstration of the Project
rectification is pulsating and it must be converted into
pure DC in order to operate the appliances properly. Fig. 7 shows the demonstration of the project, where
 After filtration, a 12V DC supply is connected in results are being obtained by using solar supply
parallel with two LEDS along with a switch, which which is one the source present in the system. Here, it
works as an indication to show whether the circuit is can be observed that as the solar panel gets exposed
working properly or not. to the sunlight it automatically provides power supply
 Next, the solar plate is connected and is controlled by to the system while charging the battery for later use.
a PULSE WIDTH MODULATION (PWM) Similarly, same happens when the system gets power
controller which is in parallel with both the battery from the main grid assuming that the solar plate is
source and solar plate. not charged, in this case the battery will get charged
 The purpose of using the PWM controller is to through the main supply which can be used later in
control the excessive amount of voltage from the absence of other sources.
solar plate into desired voltage.
 Phulpoto et al., Hybrid Power System
Fig. 8: Verification of final Results
VII. ADVANTAGES
CONTINOUS POWER SUPPLY
The hybrid solar systems provide continuous power having no
interruption, this is due to the connection of batteries that store
energy. Therefore, in case of an electricity outage, the
batteries work as an inverter to provide backup. The same
happens during the evening or night time when there is no sun
and energy is not being generated. It is because of these
batteries that provide back-up and life goes on without any
interruption.
UTILIZATION OF RENEWABLE SOURCES IN THE
BEST WAY
To store energy, as batteries are connected in the system,
therefore, no excess amount of energy generated goes wasted.
Hence, these systems make use of the renewable energy in the
best way, storing energy on a good day and utilizing the stored
power on a bad day while maintaining the balance.
LOW MAINTENANCE COST
The maintenance cost of the hybrid solar energy systems is
low if compared to the traditional generators which use diesel
as fuel. Here no fuel is used and therefore no frequent service
is required.
HIGH EFFICIENCY
The hybrid solar energy systems work more efficiently than
the traditional generators which waste the fuel under certain
conditions. Hybrid solar systems work efficiently in all types
of conditions without wasting the fuel which also benefits the
environment by reducing air pollution to some extent [2, 4, 8,
10].
LOAD MANAGEMENT
4
Unlike traditional generators, which provide high power as
soon as they are turned on, most of the hybrid solar power
systems manage the load accordingly. A hybrid solar system
may have technology that adjusts the energy supply according
to the devices they are connected to, whether it is an air
conditioner requiring high power or a fan which requires less
power.
VIII. DIS-ADVANTAGES
COMPLICATED CONTROLLING PROCESS
With different types of energy sources in use, this system
requires some knowledge. The operation of different energy
sources, their interaction and co-ordination must be controlled
for proper operation which can become complicated at times.
HIGH INSTALLATION COST
Although the maintenance cost of these systems is low, the
initial investment for the installation of a hybrid solar energy
system is high as compared to the basic solar systems.
LESS BATTERY LIFE
The batteries connected to the system may have a lower life as
they are often exposed to natural elements like heat, rain, etc.
THE NUMBER OF INSTRUMENTS CONNECTED IS
LIMITED
The number of devices connected to a hybrid solar energy
system are limited and vary from system to system.
IX. CONCLUSION
Following the project, the AC to DC Hybrid Solar Power
System can simply be used for the purpose of saving electrical
energy as the circuit contains different alternatives to supply
power to the load with three different sources, the main
supply, Solar plate and through the DC battery source. This
project only gives the idea of how a hybrid power system
works, as the output power obtained from it is DC hence it can
only work for appliances which work on the DC power such
as: Portable mp3 players or cell phones etc.
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