Abstract
This paper presents a detailed design of a photovoltaic (PV) system for use in the rural electrification of remote settlements that are far off from the electricity grid. Since investment in building transmission lines from the grid to these localities is not viable, a good solution is an installation in these areas of standalone photovoltaic systems. The design process comprises the choice and dimensioning of the solar panels, the battery storage, DC-AC inverter, and mini transmission grid to the different homes. The design is for a 15 kW PV system including an economic evaluation and analysis using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software. Data on the average monthly solar radiation and temperature were obtained from various sources, including, Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) for Africa. From this data the study area receives a monthly average solar insolation of 6.16 kWh/m2/day with the worst month being August with 5.22 kWh/m2/day. The total daily electrical energy consumption is estimated to be about 72.525 kWh. Simulation results using HOMER software shows that the overall capital cost of the PV system components is $122,337, a replacement cost of $12,889 and an operation and maintenance cost of $29,946 over 10years. A financial analysis of the system showed that the design was both viable and sustainable with low maintenance cost.
Highlights
This paper presents a detailed design of a photovoltaic (PV) system for use in the rural electrification of remote settlements that are far off from the electricity grid
This work has shown that a PV system can be used in a sustainable way to produce electrical power to supply electricity to the two communities of Chewel and Fuga in Rural Gambia
The system was modelled in Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software, and simulations were conducted to determine the best system configuration that would be more economical and reliable for supplying power to these rural areas by predicting the increase in load demand and consumption over time [19] [20]
Summary
Access to electricity supply remains a distant dream for the majority of the population living in the rural areas [1]. Renewable energy offers a great opportunity to accelerate access to electricity through small-scale, mini-grid and stand-alone projects, as well as income-generating opportunities for rural populations. The electrification of areas that are not accessible to the main electricity grid can be achieved through decentralized generation using photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine stand-alone systems, supplying their loads through mini-grids. These mini-grids can eventually be connected to the national grid
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