Valve Regulated Lead Acid battery behavior in a renewable energy system under an ideal Mediterranean climate

Abstract

The most disturbing effect of solar energy technology is the dependence on climatic conditions to produce power. To solve this problem a wide range of energy storage devices are being explored for standalone renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic (PV) pumping systems. Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) battery is one of a set of technologies that can be considered. Photovoltaic water pumping systems is considered as one of the most promising areas in photovoltaic applications, the economy and reliability of solar electric power made it an excellent choice for remote water pumping. Two conventional techniques are currently in use; the first is the directly coupled technique and the second is the battery buffered photovoltaic pumping system. This work deals with the effect of different parameters influencing the three operation modes of photovoltaic pumping system performances, such as pumping head, System configuration and climatic conditions. This study aims to investigate the VRLA battery behavior through a standalone renewable energy system (PV water pumping system). The obtained results are presented and discussed.