Environmental data set for the design and analysis of the Photovoltaic system in the Jordan Valley.

The Assessment of Off-Grid Photovoltaic (PV) Systems for Rural Electrification in Indonesia

Solar photovoltaic (PV), especially off-grid systems, is a low-hanging fruit option among various renewable energy technology choices to address universal energy access, energy security, and climate challenges for vulnerable regions like West Africa. West Africa dominates in the uptake of solar PV solutions, while little attention has been paid to the potential PV waste generation. In this study, we developed a technology-specific, prospective material flow analysis model to investigate material stocks and flows of both on-grid and off-grid solar PV systems for 15 West African countries up to 2050. We show that the cumulative solar PV waste generation ranges from 2.3 to 7.8 million tons by 2050 in West Africa under different scenarios, around 70% of which comes from off-grid PV systems. The potential secondary materials supply ranges from 213 to 704 kilotons, which have potential economic value amounting to 143-475 million dollars or material equivalent to produce 6-19 GW of solar PV capacity. These results call for urgent policy attention, technology development, and infrastructure investment for future PV waste management and highlight the significance of addressing off-grid PV waste in Africa.

Design and economic analysis of off-grid solar PV system in Jos-Nigeria

In this paper, a method for finding the optimal size of an off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system regarding the Loss of Load Probability (LOLP) value is proposed. The proposed method is applied to an off-grid PV system in a scenario where an electricity supply needs to be provided during three summer months. According to the simulation results, 11 PV modules and 11 batteries are required with 0% LOLP. An increase in LOLP to 1% results in 10 PV modules and 7 batteries, and a 24.9% cost reduction. With 5% LOLP, the cost reduction is 39.3%, and with 10% LOLP, it is 49.5%. The use of less expensive batteries also contributes to cost reduction. With the modification of electricity consumption, one combination can be suitable for 4% lower LOLP, and the cost can be reduced to up to 7%. It can be concluded that the required increase in LOLP value leads to a decrease in the number of required PV modules and batteries and to the use of less expensive battery technologies, which then leads to cost reduction. Additionally, with the modification of electricity consumption, the amount of power deficit can be reduced, which makes one combination suitable for lower LOLP and also leads to a further system cost decrease. Lower system costs can encourage more people to invest in an off-grid PV system in locations with occasional consumption or consumption over only a few months. The cost reduction strongly depends on how willing users are to not have all their electricity demands met.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has the versatility and flexibility for developing off-grid electricity system for different regions, especially in remote rural areas. While conventionally straight forward designs were used to set up off-grid PV-based system in many areas for wide range of applications, it is now possible to adapt a smart design approach for the off-grid solar PV hybrid system. A range of off-grid system configurations are possible, depending upon load requirements and their electrical properties as well as on site-specific available energy resources. The overall goal of the off-gird system design should be such that it should provide maximum efficiency, reliability and flexibility at an affordable price. In this chapter, three basic PV systems, i.e. stand-alone, grid-connected and hybrid systems, are briefly described. These systems consider different load profiles and available solar radiations. A systematic approach has then been presented regarding sizing and designing of these systems. Guidelines for selection of PV components and system sizing are provided. Battery energy storage is the important component in the off-grid solar PV system. Due to load and PV output variations, battery energy storage is going to have frequent charging and discharging. So the type of battery used in a PV system is not the same as in an automobile application. Detailed guidelines for selection of battery are therefore also provided. At present, most of the world-wide PV systems are operating at maximum power points and not contributing effectively towards the energy management in the network. Unless properly managed and controlled, large-scale deployment of PV generators in off-grid system may create problems such as voltage fluctuations, frequency deviations, power quality problems in the network, changes in fault currents and protections settings, and congestion in the network. A possible solution to these problems is the concept of active generator. The active generator will be very flexible and able to manage the power delivery as in a conventional generator system. This active generator includes the PV array with combination of energy storage technologies with proper power conditioning devices. The PV array output is weather dependent, and therefore the PV power output predictability is important for operational planning of the off-grid system. Many manufacturers of PV system power condition devices are designing and developing new type of inverters, which can work for delivering the power from PV system in coordination with energy storage batteries as conventional power plant.

The aging of lithium ion batteries in off-grid photovoltaic (PV) energy systems is evaluated. Off-grid PV systems can improve their reliability and efficiency by storing the excess of energy produced during sunny days and using it when no other source of energy is available. Due to its high energy density, high efficiency, and constantly drop in prices, lithium ion batteries are the most suitable option to be integrated in the system as energy storage [1]. Although the impressive features, lithium ion batteries properties need to be studied further in order to achieve more efficient renewable energy systems [2]. One of the determinant property to be evaluated is the lifetime of the lithium ion battery, which is determined by aging factors [3]. In this work we have studied the capacity fade and impedance increase as aging factors. State of charge (SOC) profiles corresponding to most common applications found in off-grid PV-systems were used to cycle NCA/graphite cylindrical for 8 months in the laboratory. Four SOC ranges were used to cycle the cells; Low ΔSOC (20% to 50%), middle ΔSOC (35% to 65%), high ΔSOC (65% to 95%), and and full ΔSOC (20% to 95%). Electrochemical techniques were used to characterize both capacity fade and impedance increase in full cells. Discharge at C/25 rate was performed to measure the capacity every 100 cycles. Impedance increase due to the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) formation and other unwanted process was determined by performing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements along with hybrid power pulse characterization techniques. Half cells and symmetrical cells were built to identify aging process on the NCA and graphite electrodes independently with the same electrochemical techniques described above. From Figure 1-a) we can observe a relatively large capacity fade of the C/25 discharge capacity on cells cycled at high ΔSOC, and almost similar behavior was observed in cells cycled at full ΔSOC. Whereas, for cells cycled at low ΔSOC and middle ΔSOC the capacity fade is small in comparison. Comparison between dV/dQ curves show a shifting and growing of peaks as the number of cycles increase. These changes are more evident in cells cycled at high ΔSOC and full ΔSOC, Figure 1-b). The EIS measurements show a relatively large increase of impedance in the Nyquist plot for the cells cycled at high ΔSOC and full ΔSOC, along with a formation of a second semicircle at the mid frequency range, which is also observed for cells cycled at low ΔSOC and middle ΔSOC, Figure 1-c). Bibliography [1] D. Parra and M. K. Patel, “Effect of tariffs on the performance and economic benefits of PV-coupled battery systems,” Appl. Energy, vol. 164, pp. 175–187, 2016. [2] Y. Zhang, A. Lundblad, P. E. Campana, F. Benavente, and J. Yan, “Battery sizing and rule-based operation of grid-connected photovoltaic-battery system: A case study in Sweden,” Energy Convers. Manag., vol. 133, pp. 249–263, 2017. [3] M. Klett, R. Eriksson, J. Groot, P. Svens, K. Ciosek Högström, R. W. Lindström, H. Berg, T. Gustafson, G. Lindbergh, and K. Edström, “Non-uniform aging of cycled commercial LiFePO4//graphite cylindrical cells revealed by post-mortem analysis,” J. Power Sources, vol. 257, pp. 126–137, 2014. Figure 1

Water scarcity, water quality difficulties, floods, and droughts are among the present challenges that climate change may exacerbate. Availability and easy access to safe and clean drinking water are fundamental human rights that have become a global challenge. Desalination of seawater is becoming a fast-growing alternative for water scarcity, due to the significant quantity of energy required to perform this procedure and also a large amount of CO2 emission into the atmosphere while producing this energy, renewable energy is a significant alternative energy source as well as a readily available source of clean energy. Wind and solar power, in particular, can provide significant economic benefits by bringing electricity to rural areas without transmission lines. The off-grid Photovoltaic (PV) system is one that is not linked to the power grid. This means that the entire amount of energy produced is stored and used on-site. The specific goal of this study is to identify and assess the use of renewable energy for an off-grid photovoltaic system in small-scale desalination units, aiming to reduce water demand in an environmentally friendly manner. The data used are secondary in nature, primarily summarizing different articles and papers from previous research. The method used in this study is a meta-analysis (a literature review). This paper concluded that an off-grid solar PV system for small-scale desalination units is a cost-effective environmental solution because generating energy from renewable sources has no or less environmental consequences and reduces air pollution.

A novel approach for enhancing the sustainability of off-grid photovoltaic solar systems using a low-cost hybrid battery-thermal storage

Due to intensive promotion to use renewable energy, by the various benefits obtained by utilizing, and then supported by advances in generation technology: causing various parties to divert the type of fuel for their energy use activities. The same thing happens to residential electricity consumers, driven by the advantageous of electricity power generation that can be done on the consumer side, independent operation, reliability and quality of power, many consumers try to install renewable energy based generation such as photovoltaic system for their electricity supply. However, looking at the tariff of utility electricity and considering the investment needed: building a photovoltaic-based supply system is not necessarily the right choice. This paper presents a technical design for electricity supply of a residential load through an off-grid photovoltaic system. The technical basis for designing and the capacity of its constituent components is explained, as well as the analytical techniques carried out to assess the financial aspects of the development and operation of the system. The results of this analysis can be used for deciding whether it is appropriate to divert the source of electrical energy to the photovoltaic system. To show the steps of the analysis, a case study was carried out by designing an off-grid photovoltaic system for a residential load characterized by its daily load curve. The capacity and costs were calculated and financial analysis is carried out by looking at the extent to which the designed system can provide comparable benefits if the power is supplied from the utility at the prevailing price, as well as how long the system must be operated to obtain a breakeven return on investment. Based on the daily load curve in this case study, it is known the total daily energy consumption of the load is 6.885 kWh. This amount of energy must be provided from photovoltaic module with 5 hour effective per day, so the minimum capacity of PV-module is 1463.65 W. For an autonomy time of 1 day, a minimum energy storage capacity of 8.965 kWh is required. Investment costs which include the cost of procurement, system development, and the tax are Rp. 150,008,037. The financial benefits are calculated based on prices of the PLN 2016 non-subsidized tariff. It was assummed that the energy used that should be supplied from PLN, is substituted by photovoltaic generation system. NPV analysis and Payback period shows that the off-grid photovoltaic generation system will be feasible if the electricity price is 2.3 times the current price, and the discount factor (DF) for construction is 2.5%, in such electricity prices and DF factor, the payback period is reached if generation system is operated at least until the end of the 25th year. Financial analysis showed the inability of the off-grid electricity supply scheme based on the designed photovoltaic generation for current conditions.

In Indonesia, about 89.75% of all power stations use fossil fuels, and only 10.25% generation uses renewable energy, i.e., hydropower generation, geothermal power, solar power and wind power. The use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas will cause environmental degradation. To help reduce environmental degradation requires the use of renewable energy such as solar energy through power plants in large quantities. In this paper will discuss solar power technically and economically, in this case, the cost of generation per $\mathrm {k}\mathrm {W}\mathrm {h}$ for each solar generating scheme is rooftop Off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system and on- grid PV system. Two schemes were created to calculate the generation cost per $\mathrm {k}\mathrm {W}\mathrm {h}$ for off-grid and grid-connected PV systems based on component prices for several cities in Indonesia. Electricity generation cost per $\mathrm {k}\mathrm {W}\mathrm {h}$ for off-grid PV systems and grid-connected PV system are respectively 4,644 IDR/kWh and 1,244 IDR/kWh compared to PLN electricity tariff is 1,467.28 IDR/kWh.

Off-grid Photovoltaic (PV) system along with battery storage is very effective solution for electrification in remote areas. However, battery capacity selection is the most challenging task in system designing. In this study, an off-grid PV system along with battery storage is designed for the remote area of Karachi, Pakistan. The system is designed by considering the maximum energy requirement in summer season. The battery storage is selected to fulfill the energy demand during the night and cloudy seasons. On the basis of load, a total of 6 kW system is required to fulfill the energy demand. For such system, 925 Ah of battery is required to meet the energy requirement for a day in absence of solar irradiation. A regression-based correlation between battery capacity and energy demand is prepared for suitable battery sizing using Minitab. An economic analysis of the project is also carried out from which a net present value and simple payback are determined as USD 10,348 and 3 years, respectively. The environmental benefits are also been determined. It is found that the system will reduce around 7.32 tons of CO2 per annum which corresponds to the 183.69 tons of CO2 not produced in the entire project life.

This research presents the design of a zero energy consumption system (ZECS) based on off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system for small DC system whose load demand is less than 1 kWh/day. This system consists of 3 parts: 300 W PV panel, energy conversion or solar charger, and 12 V 200 Ah energy storage. The used electrical utilizing system consists of 3 types: 20 W LED lighting system, 35 W fan for air cooling system, and 100 W electrical boiler or heating system, whose average load requirement is 0.795 kWh/day. This research defines 6 key sustainability parameters and key performance indicators in order to evaluate the benefits of ZECS, which are design, energy security, system availability, efficiency, environment and investment. The result has been analyzed and it was found that ZECS can achieve more than 80% of the energy conversion efficiency and it can operate for 2 days without charging the battery. The battery charging and discharging from PV are demonstrated to confirm ZECS energy security. The utilization ratio or the energy that required per one square meter is less than 50 Wh/m2. DC ZECS and DC electric appliances are available, affordable and easy to be maintained. ZECS is designed in order to provide the electricity for low-income people in remote areas, and its social benefits are more important than the return on investment. It can be concluded that DC utilizing system is reliable for ZECS which can benefit to apply this system in remote area where it cannot connect to the grid.

The objective of this study is to analyse the feasibility study of off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system to replace diesel generator in remote areas. Sungai Cemara village in Jambi, Indonesia was chosen as a case study to represent a remote area where there is no access to electricity from the main grid. A model is developed using HOMER software to calculate the optimum theoretical power output of PV system as well as PV sizing and arrays. An economic analysis was also performed in this study including the payback period calculation. Results showed that 132 kWp off-grid PV system is able to electrify 105 households in Sungai Cemara village with annual load 92.7 MWh. With a payback time period of 13 years, it is proved that installing PV system to replace diesel generator is financially feasible for the village.

The phenomenon of harmonic current arising from an inverter connected to the load in an off-grid photovoltaic (PV) system has been identified. The pure sine wave (PSW) and modified sine wave (MSW) inverters were used in this study and were connected to the load of incandescent and LED lamps. The Power Analyzer was used to obtain the output voltage of each inverter and the current harmonic values in the inverter and load lines. The highest percentage value of harmonic current is 72.51 % for the PSW inverter connected to the LED lamp and 49.92% for the MSW inverter connected to the LED Lamp. Further research is needed regarding the filtering method to reduce the harmonic current so that the PSW and MSW inverter could be used properly in the off-grid PV system.

Design and economics analysis of an off-grid PV system for household electrification