Abstract
With the energy crisis and the constant blackout in the Mozambique Power Company grid, the option of applying solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has been one of the most used alternatives in the neighborhoods of the Maputo region. However, inefficient power delivery caused by unproper sizing and installation of stand-alone solar PV systems has been contributing to the low utilization of solar energy potential in the Maputo region. The optimal sizing and installation of the solar PV system is addressed to evaluate the influence of installation and operation parameters on the power output of PV modules. In this topic, PV modules parameters such as cell temperature, the module’s slope and azimuth angles, the losses caused by excessive heating of the module cells, shadows and dust on the PV module and the cooling process at the back of the module are assessed in order to find out the consequence of inadequate installation and operation parameters of solar PV systems in the Maputo region. The proper sizing and installation of the stand-alone solar PV system is fundamental to guarantee the continuous and efficient supply of power and, thus, different tools and techniques have been applied. This study will deal with the hybrid optimization of multiple energy resources (HOMER) and system advisor model (SAM), to size and improve power generation of solar PV systems. This study concluded that for the Maputo region, the optimal tilt angle is 23 ± 2° and the azimuth angle is 11 ± 2°. In addition, for optimization of the tilt and azimuth angles, it also examined the effect of module backside ventilation and proved that the system’s power generation increases with the rise of spacing between the module and the wall, since the strategy prevents the decline of the module cells efficiency. However, the maximum recommended spacing between the PV module and the mounting wall is about 0.4 m, since an effort to increase the spacing up to this level results in an insignificant growth of power output.
Highlights
Awareness about the use of renewable energies has been increasing in Mozambique and, solar energy has found great application as an alternative energy source in the Maputo region
The improvement of the system’s performance followed two principles applied by system advisor model (SAM) to design the solar PV system, the slope and azimuth angle tracking method, and the heat transfer method
Concerning the azimuth angle, the results of Case-1A displayed in Figure 12 show that the recommended azimuth angles for the Maputo region can range from 5 to 10◦
Summary
Awareness about the use of renewable energies has been increasing in Mozambique and, solar energy has found great application as an alternative energy source in the Maputo region. Social and economic factors have created barriers in the application of solar systems in the Maputo region. The performance of the PV module depends on distinct factors: solar radiation, ambient temperature, wind speed and direction, panel material composition, and mounting procedure [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The integration of that range of parameters into an optimization analysis for energy loss reduction and performance improvement is a task that has only been partially addressed by a few studies [9]. One of the key weaknesses of solar PV modules is the sensitivity of the module cell’s efficiency to high temperatures, especially in regions with long hot seasons such as Maputo, which validates the relevance of this study to investigate the thermal losses of the solar systems
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