Performance evaluation of a 200 kWp grid tied solar power plant

Abstract

Grid tied solar power plants are found to be very adaptable for academic institutions as the load profile almost matches with the generation profile. For the academic institution under consideration, optimum capacity of the solar power plant is arrived at as 250 kWp, based on studies carried out. Since the institution was already having a plant of 50 kWp, it is decided to augment it with another solar plant of 200 kW capacity. The normal power supply available from the utility was not very reliable, which leads to frequent power failures. Hence a 200 kVA capacity Diesel Generator (DG) was provided for standby power requirement. An automatic power factor control (APFC) unit is also provided to improve the power factor of the system. During commissioning, the performance of the 200 kWp solar power plant was assessed based on the measurement of various parameters at site and were compared with the standard specifications. Integrated operation of the system was carried out and few operating difficulties were faced. In this paper, performance evaluation test results of 200 kWp solar plant, experience in integrated operation, the difficulties faced and the measures adopted to rectify them are discussed.