A design methodology of stand-alone photovoltaic power systems for rural electrification

Abstract

A promising way to electrify regions lacked to reliable access to electricity is the employment of stand-alone photovoltaic power systems (SPPSs). Recently, the cost of electricity from such systems has fallen, and it is expected that this tendency will continue in the future. Within this paper, a new design methodology of highly reliable and sustainable SPPSs is presented. The approach consists of the following processes: prediction of the load demand, characterization of the PV performance on site, sizing the SPPS considering different storage technologies, and forming the most effective design. On the other hand, a new dimensionless number will be introduced to characterize the PV performance at a particular location. In order to demonstrate the methodology, an intention to electrify 93 households in a rural community is given as an example. The results show that a SPPS configuration including compressed air energy storage and supercapacitor may be the most effective SPPS design.