Off-grid Solar Photovoltaic System Research Articles

Maximizing off-grid solar photovoltaic system efficiency through cutting-edge performance optimization technique for incremental conductance algorithm

The maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms are required to deliver the optimal energy from solar photovoltaic cells/array (PV) under numerous weather conditions. Therefore, MPPT circuits driven by defined rules called algorithms are designed. These algorithms range from simple to complex in design and implementation and are selected based on the scenarios of the surroundings. However, the incremental conductance (InC) MPPT algorithm is one of the market's most simple, easy to implement, and demanding algorithms. The drawback associated with the InC algorithm is its tracking speed. To overcome this weakness various researchers have made multiple improvements. Although the performance became better but was not satisfied. Further, the improvements introduce steady-state oscillations of the operating point around the MPP. So, the user needs to pick and choose based on demand. Keeping the target in focus, we have introduced a couple of modifications in the structure of INC. that remain fruitful. The proposed structure named the augmented InC algorithm has shown marvelous improvement in tracking speed and steady-state oscillations. The results have been compared with the conventional InC algorithm, where the proposed augmented InC algorithm has outperformed the conventional InC algorithm in tracking speed and steady-state oscillations. We have used the MATLAB script to code the conventional InC algorithm and proposed augmented InC algorithms based on their designed flowchart. Both algorithms have been applied to the standalone solar photovoltaic system composed of a solar photovoltaic array, DC/DC boost converter, illumination and temperature inputs, MPPT algorithm, and a DC load. The model is designed in Simulink/MATLAB.

Integrating solar PV systems for energy efficiency in portable cabins: A case study in Kuwait

The rapid growth of energy consumption in densely populated urban areas with limited land space, especially in hot climates, poses significant challenges. The Australian University of Kuwait conducted a study using two portable cabins to explore energy-saving techniques. One cabin integrated an off-grid solar photovoltaic (PV) system to evaluate its impact on grid electricity demands for an airconditioning (AC) cooling system over 9 months, compared to the second cabin without a PV system. The PV system utilized rooftop space with four Monofacial Go Green 350 W/24 V solar panels, an off-grid maximum power point tracker (MPPT) inverter charger 3.5kVA/100A/24 V, and two Gel deep cycle batteries 12 V/200Ah. The PV panels were oriented south at a 30-degree latitude angle, providing power through the MPPT to a 1.5-ton AC split unit for cooling. Findings showed that the cabin with solar PV panels achieved a 24.1 % energy saving and a total CO2 reduction of 129.4 kg, consuming 1,743 kWh over 237 days, compared to 2,296 kWh for the cabin without the PV system. The novelty of this study lies in the integration of off-grid solar PV systems with existing cooling technologies to evaluate potential energy savings and environmental benefits for comprehensive utilization and addressing urban and climate challenges. Enhancements can include flexible room temperature control using advanced systems, optimizing the PV system settings with more efficient AC systems, and connecting the PV system to additional loads like heating/cooling and lighting. These improvements would ensure the comprehensive utilization of captured solar energy in Kuwait and countries with similar climatic conditions throughout the year. Advancements in solar PV panel efficiency and high-intensity flexible PV panels offer opportunities for maximizing solar energy capture in dense residential buildings.

Economic Feasibility Investigation of On-Grid and Off-Grid Solar Photovoltaic System Installation in Central Java

Economic Feasibility Investigation of On-Grid and Off-Grid Solar Photovoltaic System Installation in Central Java

Exploring Optimal Charging Strategies for Off-Grid Solar Photovoltaic Systems: A Comparative Study on Battery Storage Techniques

This paper presents a comparative analysis of different battery charging strategies for off-grid solar PV systems. The strategies evaluated include constant voltage charging, constant current charging, PWM charging, and hybrid charging. The performance of each strategy is evaluated based on factors such as battery capacity, cycle life, DOD, and charging efficiency, as well as the impact of environmental conditions such as temperature and sunlight. The results show that each charging strategy has its advantages and limitations, and the optimal approach will depend on the specific requirements and limitations of the off-grid solar PV system. This study provides valuable insights into the performance and effectiveness of different battery charging strategies, which can be used to inform the design and operation of off-grid solar PV systems. This paper concludes that the choice of charging strategy depends on the specific requirements and limitations of the off-grid solar PV system and that a careful analysis of the factors that affect performance is necessary to identify the most appropriate approach. The main needs for off-grid solar photovoltaic systems include efficient energy storage, reliable battery charging strategies, environmental adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendly operation, while the primary limitations affecting these systems encompass intermittent energy supply, battery degradation, environmental variability, initial investment costs, fluctuations in energy demand, and maintenance challenges, emphasizing the importance of careful strategy selection and system design to address these factors. It also provides valuable insights for designing and optimizing off-grid solar PV systems, which can help to improve the efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of these systems.

A feasibility analysis of PV-based off-grid rural electrification for a pastoral settlement in Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s electric grid relies mostly on hydropower for electricity generation. Compared to metropolitan regions, rural areas have only 5% access to power, and 83% of remote areas rely on traditional biomass energy for lighting and cooking. Close to 60% of the land area in Ethiopia is pastoral, and electrifying from the main grid is a major challenge due to economic, technical, and nomadic reasons. This paper explores the feasibility analysis, design, and simulation of an off-grid solar Photovoltaic system in addition to discussing the complete engagement of national energy policy and a strategic plan for electrifying a pastoral Communities’ in Borena. Using solar radiation base data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a case study is performed at Moyale, Yabelo, and Dire, which have 454 households, 367 households, and 379 households, respectively. Through the HOMER software simulation, the optimization determines the inverter, battery size and number, and solar array’s capacity. The daily energy usage and peak power demand in the pastoral communities of Moyale, Yabelo, and Dire were 498.102 kWh/day, 447.114 kWh/day, and 454.02 kWh/day, or 36.89 kW, 35.41 kW, and 35.68 kW, respectively. Due to the country’s subsidizing of all clean energy costs, off-grid solar Photovoltaic systems are more economically feasible than diesel generators, which have a level cost of electricity of 0.4 US$/kWh. National energy strategic plans and policies ultimately support the full involvement of off-grid solar Photovoltaic electrification at remote sites.

Off-Grid Photovoltaic System for a Villa at AVRO City in Duhok

The off-grid solar photovoltaic system is one of the promising technologies for generating friendly electricity. Duhok city suffers from energy shortages in that electricity comes from local generators to support national grid. The aim of the research is to eliminate local generators due to their high costs and noise levels. A photovoltaic (PV) solar system type (off-grid) was proposed for one villa in AVRO city Duhok. A calculation has been done to select size of the system and A PV Syst software was adopted to investigate the design of the proposed system and additionally examined the economic analysis as well as the net profit. The proposed system is used with an average electricity demand of 12.9 kW/day. A typical 3.3 kW PV system was determined to be able to meet the daily power requirements of an entire villa with 8 panels: two in series and four in parallel where each panel has a rating of 415W. The system includes 8 batteries of 12 V,200Ah, and a 5-kW inverter with MPPT tracker. The result shows that yearly average of the energy requirement of villa is 4728.9 kWh and energy available through Solar’s panel is 5999 kWh/year

Solar power applications and integration of lithium iron phosphate batteries in off-grid photovoltaic system

Lithium iron phosphate battery is a type of rechargeable lithium battery that has lithium iron phosphate as the cathode material and graphitic carbon electrode with a metallic backing as the anode. It is a relatively new emerging energy storage battery that is Cobalt-free and Nickel-free. However, its integration with solar PV systems and the specific precautions for its use is not well known to most technicians and installers, especially in developing countries. In this paper, the issues on the applications and integration/compatibility of lithium iron phosphate batteries in off-grid solar photovoltaic systems are discussed. Also, the characteristics, properties, advantages, and disadvantages of the battery are presented. From the study, it is shown that if the battery operates with a charge control algorithm specially set for long charge durations, the energy storage system is an ideal choice for an off-grid photovoltaic system. This is due to their high energy density, long cycle life, relatively low cost compared to Li-ion, high safety, low toxicity, low risk of thermal runaway or combustion, low self-discharge rate, high capacity, lightweight, lower environmental impact, low maintenance, high cell voltage, fast charging, high-temperature stability, high discharge power, a good lifetime when deep cycled, etc. Additionally, the advantages have made the battery to be highly valued in energy storage, backup power, vehicle use utility-scale stationary applications, electric vehicles, commercial batteries , solar power, and other renewable energy applications, etc.

Economic analysis of an off-grid solar PV for small scale desalination unit

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.

Modified flower pollination algorithm for an off-grid solar photovoltaic system

This Operating the solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its maximum power point (MPP) under numerous environmental conditions to extract the maximum power is a challenging task. The challenge is to track the MPP, especially under partial shading conditions (PSC), where the formation of multiple MPP occurs in the characteristic curve of a PV array. Nevertheless, achieving this would benefit us with optimal power production, reducing the payback time and initial cost of the PV system. To perform this duty, an electronic circuit ruled by an algorithm is employed. The MPP tracking (MPPT) algorithms can be categorized into conventional and nature inspired. The conventional algorithms can successfully track the MPP under uniform weather conditions (UWC), and unable to identify the global MPP (GMPP) under PSC. However, the nature inspired algorithms possess the ability to perform efficiently under all weather conditions. Considering this strength of nature inspired algorithms, one of the top performing algorithms named as Flower pollination algorithm (FPA) is selected based on its brilliant searching strategy in adjacent and distant locations. In this paper, some structural modifications have been proposed in the FPA to further improve its searching capability and get more quick, accurate and efficient results for the MPPT of solar PV system. Results have proven the superiority of the proposed Modified FPA (MFPA) over the FPA in terms of efficiency, accuracy, tracking speed, energy conservation, economic saving, and payback time. Simulation is performed in MATLAB/Simulink.

Return on Investment (ROI) Analysis of OFF-Grid Solar Photovoltaic System in Residential Sector of Pakistan

Pakistan being a developing country is observing a rapid rise in electricity demand and currently the big cities such as Karachi, Quetta, Rawalpindi and Lahore are most severely affected by the recent power crises. Therefore, at this time it is important to explore and investigates the alternate and renewable power sources in the country. This study investigates the significance in terms of economic feasibility of off-grid solar photovoltaic systems in the residential sector of Pakistan. Study area comprises the rural and urban residential sector of all four provinces of Pakistan. The return on investment and project payback periods are calculated using the NEPRA defined electricity tariff inclusive of tax so that a concrete conclusion of investing in off-grid solar could be drawn. Results of this study show that most selected areas in Pakistan have sufficient solar radiation potential for electricity generation. Study finds that solar electricity in Pakistan is one of the cost effective and environmental and social friendly forms of electricity. Payback periods of photovoltaic system in Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab and KPK have been calculated 3.98, 2.33, 3.99 & 6.78 years, respectively. Results of this study may be useful for collective as well as individual consumers while calculating the economic viability of an off grid solar system.
 Keywords: Photovoltaic System, Solar potential, Electricity, Off-Grid Solar System, Return on investment, economic feasibility, Pakistan.

Estimation of loads for off-grid solar photovoltaic systems

Solar power is a renewable energy technology that turns sunlight into electricity using solar panels. The generated electricity can be stored or utilized immediately, returned to the grid, or combined with a renewable electricity source or several renewable technologies solar energy systems are a supply that is both dependable and environmentally friendly of energy that may be used for a range of applications, including commercial, industry, farming, and livestock needs. The system requires practically no maintenance, making it perfect for isolated locations. The near-zero operating costs outweigh the initial hefty installation costs. When evaluated at an ambient temperature of 25°C, a typical photovoltaic (PV) module outputs power with a maximum output voltage of roughly 17V. However, on a very warm day, it can drop to around 15V, and on a very freezing day, it can drop to around 15V, it can soar to 18V.

Performance Optimization of a Ten Check MPPT Algorithm for an Off-Grid Solar Photovoltaic System

In order to operate a solar photovoltaic (PV) system at its maximum power point (MPP) under numerous weather conditions, it is necessary to achieve uninterrupted optimal power production and to minimize energy losses, energy generation cost, and payback time. Under partial shading conditions (PSC), the formation of multiple peaks in the power voltage characteristic curve of a PV cell puzzles conventional MPP tracking (MPPT) algorithms trying to identify the global MPP (GMPP). Meanwhile, soft-computing MPPT algorithms can identify the GMPP even under PSC. Drawbacks such as structural complexity, computational complexity, huge memory requirements, and difficult implementation all affect the viability of soft-computing algorithms. However, those drawbacks have been successfully overcome with a novel ten check algorithm (TCA). To improve the performance of the TCA in terms of MPPT speed and efficiency, a novel concept of data arrangement is introduced in this paper. The proposed structure is referred to as Optimized TCA (OTCA). A comparison of the proposed OTCA and classic TCA algorithms was conducted for standard benchmarks. The results proved the superiority of the OTCA algorithm compared to both TCA and flower pollination (FPA) algorithms. The major advantage of OTCA in MPPT stems from its speed as compared to TCA and FPA, with almost 86% and 90% improvement, respectively.

Arduino Uno Wi-Fi DeMilitarized Zone-based monitoring of solar photovoltaic systems

Due to global warming, governments around the world are focusing on renewable energy as the main source of energy. Gulf countries in particular, are focusing on solar energy due to its abundance and the gulf geolocation that allows the installation of ambitious solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems and replace conventional power plants. In order to maximize energy extraction from the sun, solar power operators need to constantly monitor key solar PV parameters such as panel temperature, solar irradiation, voltage and current in order to detect abnormalities in the PV system operation and take the necessary actions to keep the PV system performance at its maximum. However, monitoring such parameters on-site is exhausting and expensive. Moreover, remote monitoring for solar PV systems is a more attractive solution once the data collection, processing and transmission become faster and less expensive. This paper describes the design of a low-cost remote monitoring system intended for off-grid solar PV systems. The designed remote monitoring system uses a combination of an Arduino Uno Wi-Fi demilitarized zone (DMZ) communication system with router-configured network sensors calibrated to fulfill the IEC-61,724 standards and it provides meteorological and electrical measurements with an error of 2% or less. There are four primary features of the proposed monitoring system. First, it combines the Arduino Uno Wi-Fi with a DMZ configuration in the router. Second, it complies with the minimum current, voltage, power, and PV-module temperature values set by the IEC-61,724 in such a way that the average error does not exceed the 4% threshold. Third, it provides an accuracy level of 98% for the meteorological and electrical parameters. This level of accuracy exceeds that of commercial data logging equipment. Finally, its total cost is less than $100, which is less than that of available commercial solar PV monitoring systems. Additional features include the ability to select the number of processed measurements per hour and innovative processing, display, and access schemes. These features enable the accessibility of the data from mobile phones and computers within the campus for teaching and experimentation purposes.

Solar-Powered Cellular Base Stations in Kuwait: A Case Study

With the rapidly evolving mobile technologies, the number of cellular base stations (BSs) has significantly increased to meet the explosive demand for mobile services and applications. In turn, this has significantly increased the capital and operational expenses, due to the increased electricity prices and energy consumption. To generate electricity, power plants mainly rely on fossil fuels, which are non-renewable energy resources. As a result, CO2 emissions also increase, which adversely affect health and environment. For wireless access technologies and cellular networks, BSs are the largest power consumer, and the network energy consumption is mainly dominated by the network infrastructure, which makes the telecommunications sector liable for energy consumption as well as CO2 emissions around the globe. Alternatively, solar energy is considered as an eco-friendly and economically attractive solution, due to its cost-effectiveness and sustainability. In this paper, the potentials of photovoltaic (PV) solar power to energize cellular BSs in Kuwait are studied, with the focus on the design, implementation, and analysis of off-grid solar PV systems. Specifically, system components, such as the number of PV panels, batteries, and converters needed for the design are determined and evaluated via HOMER software, with the focus on minimizing the net present cost (NPC). A comparison between various PV, diesel generator (DG), and battery bank (BB) system configurations is also performed. Moreover, a comparison of system deployment area will be presented for different PV panels that have different output power and panel sizes, in addition to utilizing a solar tracking system. It is revealed that utilizing a hybrid system configuration (i.e., PV-DG-BB) decreases fuel consumption per year by almost 95% in comparison to the conventional DG-only based electric systems. Not only that, but utilizing a pure off-grid solar PV system (i.e., PV-BB) can significantly reduce the total NPC while completely eliminating CO2 emissions; however, at the expense of more land.

Design and Cost Analysis of an Off-grid Solar Grain Mill

Solar Energy in Rwanda is one of renewable energy sources that is being utilized nowadays in different remote regions of the country due to its considerable social-economic impact. The off-grid solar photovoltaic system turns solar irradiance into electricity to be used in remote areas without being connected to the national grid. Normally people living in those areas use diesel engines to perform their daily activities which require electricity and this has a crucial negative effect on the environment as they are contributing much to the environmental pollution. To address this problem and to reduce these effects caused by thermal engines, this project designs a solar system that will replace those thermal engines by not only reducing their environmental effects but also by allowing the households living in vicinity of system location to have easy access to the electricity. An off-grid solar grain mill provides the grain mill services to those people in remote areas far from the national grid. The system designed will use the solar home system components such as photovoltaic modules, charge controller, batteries and an inverter as generation components and grain mill machine. It has the capacity of 13.56kW whereby 7.5kW of them are used to run grain mill machines and the remaining are used by the local community for lighting purposes. Electrical design and simulation were done by using MATLAB SIMULINK for solar systems. The research method includes weather condition, site survey, data collected from different organizations related to agriculture and energy sector. The system designed and simulated via software has shown good characteristics in terms of both performance and running grain mill machines. The overall system provided ways of getting services to people who don’t have access to electricity especially whose daily life is agriculture based. The total cost of the project was estimated to be $29,690 with its annual income of $9,720 and then a payback period of 3.05years.

Cost-benefit analysis of the implementation of off-grid photovoltaic systems in the Northwest residential sector of San Pedro Sula, Honduras

This research analyzed the implementation, from a technical and financial point of view, of off-grid solar photovoltaic systems in the Northwest sector of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The energy demand of the residential sector was studied, the monthly energy consumption data of 17 neighborhoods in the sector were processed and three main monthly energy consumption levels were determined. The sizing of the systems was carried out considering PV arrays connected to hybrid inverters. In addition, the nominal capacity of the battery banks of the three systems was defined based on 1 day of autonomy and a nominal voltage of the installation of 48V. PVsyst was used to approximate the energy that the photovoltaic array will potentially generate, and the specific yield value was used to project the energy to be generated throughout the life of the project. Homer Pro was used to determine the optimal configuration to find the lowest net present costs for each project. The financial analysis determined that the cost-benefit ratio is greater than 1 for systems with nominal DC capacity greater than 15.8kWp.

Off-grid solar charging of electric vehicles at long-term parking locations

This work analyses the effectiveness of an off-grid solar photovoltaic system for the charging of electric vehicles (EVs) in a long-term parking lot. The effectiveness of charging is investigated through analysis of the states of charge (SoC) at departure of EVs plugged in at the parking lot over the simulated year. Although the share of vehicles leaving with inadequate charge over the entire year is small, this share is relatively high during low irradiance winter months. We show that an increase in efficiency of the solar modules used in the system and an increase in the minimum duration of time spent at the parking lot are effective within limits at improving charging adequacy. We then formulate three strategies to allocate the available energy in the system with the objective of reducing the number of vehicles leaving at lower SoCs: 1) curtailment of charging beyond 80% state of charge, 2) prioritised charging of vehicles at low SoCs and 3) prioritised charging based on both SoC and time before departure. We identify the strategy prioritising vehicles with low state of charge to be most effective, but performance in the worst month remains a challenge for the location considered.

Design of off-grid solar photovoltaic system using DC-DC topologies for BIUST classrooms

The project is to Design and Develop an OFF-GRID solar photovoltaic System using DC-DC Topologies for BIUST classrooms light loads (lighting, projector, and computer). Narrowing this topic, focus is on harvesting solar energy using photovoltaic cells then boost the power using a DC-DC boost converter. This project consists of different subsystems, which are combined to have the solar system for classrooms light loads. These are Photovoltaic Solar Array, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT), DC-DC boost converter and battery bank stores energy to be used when the sunrays are not efficient to supply the load. Lastly a DC-to-AC inverter is designed. The system is design is based on performed calculation to size each component to keep the system efficiency high. According to simulation of different DC-DC converters using Simulink, boost was the best converter to use looking at the output characteristics desired. Results from Proteus software simulation of the final circuit correspond with expectation from literature review. Furthermore, PVsyst software has been used to do the mathematical analysis of the designed model showing an estimated payback period of 2.6years whereas the output power for PVsyst model is 11.9 kW which the system produces given the design parameters calculated.

The Electrical Energy Modeling of the Modular Off-Grid PV System for Aquaculture Application in the EEC Region

Renewable energy as a solar photovoltaic system represents an essential role in improving and promoting energy sustainability in agricultural/aquaculture-related activities. The “Crab Bank” is the program on practicing the caught gravid females of Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) in supporting conditions, allowing them to spawn and then release the zoea and young crabs back to the sea where are in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). Onward with the project, many scientific studies assess the BSC stocks condition, evaluate the fishing habitat, and other relevant issues as the energy used in a micro-indoor system as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). The off-grid solar photovoltaic system is used in the system cause the installed location was near the seaside area. The system’s large size was operating, including solar panels, inverter, charger, and batteries to maintain the AC motor pump, affecting much energy loss in the system. The off-grid solar system design for modular systems is represented in this paper to describe the new structure of the micro modular RAS that reduces cost and increases the solar system’s efficiency in modular concepts comparing the traditional system. The new structure model represents the calculation result in the term of electrical energy and experiment to scale for replacement in the aquaculture area in Rayong or Jantaburi in the EEC region. This research is a cooperation between KMUTNB Rayong and the Provincial Energy Office Of Rayong.

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

Around the globe, renewable energy sources and their associated technologies are critical to power generation. The solar photovoltaic (PV) system is one of the renewable energy systems supporting electricity consumption in the residential domain. Despite the potential of solar PV as well as an appreciable amount of global solar radiation in the region, no previous study has examined the viability of the PV system for off-grid electricity production in Jos, Nigeria. This paper focuses on examining the feasibility of deploying an off-grid PV system to drive the electricity consumption of a residential building in Jos, Nigeria (9.9ON, 8.9OE, 1204.87 m). The paper adopts a mathematical modelling method for designing and analyzing the entire PV systems to drive the power consumption of the households. By applying mathematical modelling approach, the results demonstrate that 10 MLE275HD2 PV modules each of 275 Wp and five batteries of 100 Ah can satisfy the annual electricity consumption of approximately 3132 kWh. Further, an economic analysis carried out by using the life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis depicts that the LCC, the annualized life-cycle cost (ALCC) and cost of electricity (COE) to be US$ 10,110.85, US$ 593.75 and US$ 0.18/kWh respectively. The results of this modelling demonstrate both the technical and economic viability of the off-grid PV system for power generation, and can serve as a model to the successful development of the system for real application. Further, the model can encourage the stakeholders in the renewable sector to provide the support mechanisms towards the adoption of the PV system in the residential buildings.