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Design of an Off-Grid Solar PV System for a Rural Shelter

Thesis · January 2018

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 German Jordanian University

School of Natural Resources Engineering and Management

Department of Energy Engineering

Design of an Off-Grid Solar PV System for a Rural

Shelter

Presented by

Noor Hussain Al Dulaimi – 2008203032

Supervised by Dr. Ammar Alkhalidi

First Semester 2016/2017

Amman, Jordan

1
i. Table of Contents

i. Table of Contents
ii. Acknowledgements
iii. Abstract
Page
1. Introduction 6
1.1 Background and Motivation 6
1.2 Objectives and Scope 7
2. Literature Review and Theoretical Background 7
2.1 Literature Review 7
2.1.1 Renewable Energy 7
Potential in Jordan
2.1.2 PV Systems Types and 8
Components
2.2 Theoretical Background 17
2.2.1 Off-Grid PV System 17
Principle of Operation
2.2.2 System Design 18
Methodology
3. System Design and Configuration 21
3.1 Selection Of System Voltage 23
3.2 PV array Sizing and Selection of PV 24
module
3.3 Inverter Design and Selection 25
3.4 Battery Bank Sizing and Selection 26
3.5 Charge Controller Design and Selection 27
4. Solar PV System Simulations Results 29
5. Cost and Performance Analysis 33
5.1 Introduction 33
5.2 Performance Ratio 34
6. Conclusion 37
7. List of Symbols 39
8. References 40

2
9. List of Figures 41
10. List of Tables 42
11. Approval and Commitment to Ethical Standards 43
and Integrity

3
ii. Acknowledgements

Foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to my

supervisor Dr. Ammar Alkhalidi for his guidance, patience, and
continuous support throughout. I also would like to thank him for the
time he dedicated to answer all my questions. I owe my sincerest
appreciation to my family and foremost, to my mother, friends, and
colleagues for their understanding and unfailing encouragement, and to
each other for our mutual motivation, commitment, and devotion to the
completion of this thesis. Most of all I would like to thank Dr. Louy
Qoaider for advising me in this project and patiently answering my
questions throughout the last couple of months. Moreover, I kindly
acknowledge the generosity of Dr. Firas Alawoneh and Dr. Mohammad
Khawajah for their expertise and cooperation. I recognize that this
project would not have been possible without the tireless efforts,
promptness, and constant assistance of the engineers of the Energy
Engineering Department at the German Jordanian University especially
Eng. Zaid Atari.

4
iii. Abstract

Solar energy can be harvested to generate electric power by photovoltaic

(PV) panels. In applications where electricity is required, it can be a
legitimate consideration to use a solar PV system that provides Energy
supply to an energy demand installation/building. Furthermore, solar PV
energy systems have provided the versatility solution for many sectors in
all over the world especially in rural areas where outage of utility
connection is the case. Also depending on the availability of the solar
resources at the location where the system is to be installed.

Hence, the potential of the off-grid solar PV systems stands out so

clearly to compensate the outage of the utility connection. It is now
possible to set up several system configurations of designing solar off-
grid PV systems in relevant to the energy requirements needed to be
supplied and the availability of the solar resources in the location where
the solar off-grid PV system is being installed, so as an end goal of the
off-grid PV system design, is to optimize the most suitable design in
order to collect all the available solar energy to satisfy the need in the
energy demand in an economically feasible price.

The purpose of this thesis paper is to provide a rural remote commercial-

purposed shelter with energy demand throughout the whole year by
designing a solar PV off-grid system on a tilted rooftop. Also
comprehensive overview was conducted throughout the paper for Solar
PV systems, parts and components, principle of operation. The design
criteria of the off-grid solar PV system were divided into several detailed
stages where each stage was conducted upon numerated values
thoroughly.

5
1. Introduction

1.1. Background and Motivation

The sun gives the energy to manage continuity of life in our solar system. In
60 minutes, the earth gets enough energy from the sun to meet its energy
requirement for about a year .Harnessing solar energy to control electrical
machines begins by altering the energy from the sun to power. Solar PV is
the direct transformation of solar energy into power. PV systems can be
utilized to utilize the solar energy in all applications and with fossil fuel
assets and the truth that they are going to be depleted this century. Today,
more than 1.4 billion individuals everywhere throughout the world need
access to power. To enhance access to power to the next level in the rural
areas on the planet, a decentralized off-grid installations are considered in
type of solar PV. An Off-grid PV Systems are systems which utilize photo-
voltaic innovation. The systems utilize the DC yield of the PV modules to
power DC loads, while a battery bank is utilized to store energy when there
is demand.

Solar energy is the solar radiation that reaches the earth which is then being
converted to electrical Power through several strategies. Solar buildings
generally utilize solar PV panels to produce electricity. Solar PV panels
produce DC electric power when exposed to sun light, and a DC-AC inverter
normally converts this to AC power, which is the conventional form of the
electric power in a typical building. Using DC electric power directly from
solar PV panels is a bit challenging as most of the electric appliances are
functioning using an AC power.

It is common that Jordan is characterized by being one of those regions

which experience a high solar radiation in the globe because it is located in
the earth-sun area that has high potential of solar energy.

Jordan is a country located in the Middle East which suffers from lack of oil
reserves. It is completely reliant on oil imports from neighboring countries to
satisfy its energy needs. The continuing increase in oil prices due to the
increasing worldwide demand and tight supply of petroleum and regional
instability have placed extreme pressure on the Jordanian economy resulting
in challenges and economic disturbance. The government has promptly and
actively reacted to overcome the negative effect and deterioration of its

6
 economy by gradually reducing its support subsidy to consumer prices of
electricity and oil products. [1]

1.2. Objectives and Scope

The objective of this project is to design an off-grid PV solar system that is

capable of providing a 100% of Electricity demand needed by a shelter
requires 5.926kWh/day, used for Security purposes which installed at the
German Jordanian University campus, Al Mushaqqar, Madaba. The
calculations were done based on the institute's geographical location,
corresponding weather data, and daily demand information.

2. Literature Review and Theoretical Background

2.1. Literature Review

2.1.1. Renewable Energy Potential in Jordan

As mentioned previously, Jordan is characterized by its high solar radiation

among regions in the world because it is located in the earth-sun belt that has
high potential solar energy. Jordan has almost no indigenous local energy
resources. Its total consumption of imported primary energy in 1986 totalled
2871 thousand tons oil (TOE) equivalent. This encourages research activities
to utilize renewable energy resources. Oddly enough Jordan's energy
supplies lie greatly within its own constricted energy perimeters. Since the
establishment of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in
November 1984 a three pronged approach has been taken to lessen Jordan's
dependence on imported fuel. Firstly, to improve efficiency of energy usages
through energy conservation and management. Secondly, to use renewable
energy resources, RER, when applicable to displace imported fuel. Thirdly,
to intensify the oil-exploration programme in cooperation with renowned
international companies. In this respect six wells were drilled in 1986, two of
which are producing. Recently, the exploration effort has uncovered the
existence of natural gas in considerable, but not yet determined quantities.
[1]

Due to the encouraging Jordan's climate and weather data, interest in taking
advantage of the available abundance and availability of solar resources
being used to cut down on the rising costs and expenses of imported oil and

7
oil products. Such interest is introduced to assess the technical and economic
viability of advocating and using natural solar energy for the generation of
electricity and heat in Jordan as an alternate solution to the present electricity
supply from the national grid and the fuel oil from the market. Jordan enjoys
an average solar irradiance of 5.5 kWh/m2/per year. This is considered to be
one of the highest solar irradiance intensities in the world. Owning to this
fact, it is quite feasible to exploit and harvest Jordan’s Energy demand from
the sun. Figure [1] shows the solar radiation map of Jordan. [1]

Figure 1: Solar Radiation Map of Jordan

2.1.2. PV System Types and Components

Photovoltaic has the ability to generate electricity in a clean, ecofriendly,

and reliable way. PV systems are comprised of photovoltaic cells which are
devices that convert sun light directly into electric power and due to the fact
that the source of light being utilized to produce the electric power is the
sun, it is commonly being called as “solar cell”. The word photovoltaic
comes from “photo,” which means light, and “voltaic,” which refers to
producing electricity. Therefore, the photovoltaic process is “to produce
electric power directly from sunlight.” Photovoltaic are often referred to as
PV.

8
PV systems Types

Grid-connected PV System

It is also called on-grid or utility interactive system. On-grid Systems are

solar PV systems that only generate electric power when the utility grid is
available. Also, it must be connected to the grid to function. It can send
excess electric power that being generated back to the utility grid when the
system is overproducing power, so one might credit it for later use.
Furthermore, it is considers to be the simplest to design and install but with a
concern of being not function when utility outage. Figure [2] shows a simple
schematic for the grid-connected PV system.

G
r
i
d
-
I
n
t
e
r
a
c
t
i
Figure 2: Grid-tied PV System Schematic

Interactive Solar PV Systems

This system allows storing solar electric power in batteries for use when the
power of the utility grid goes down or if we are not connected to the
grid. Grid-interactive systems provide electric power to offset the grid
electric power whenever the sun is shining and will even send excess amount
in the power to the utility grid for credit for later use. Figure [3] shows a
simple schematic for the interactive solar PV system.

9
 Figure 3: Interactive PV System Schematic

Off-Grid Solar PV System

One might encounter such solar system when there is no grid in such a rural
area or even when the utility power pricing is quite high. Here, the solar
panels become the utility company and generate the needed energy by one’s
home or any energy dependent system. There may be no option other than to
go with an off-grid solar system. Off-grid systems require more care and
maintenance but can give a strong sense of independence, so one is no
longer being subjected to the risk of a loss of power from the utility grid.
Off-grid solar systems where the solar energy is generated and consumed in
the same place meaning it does not interact with the main grid at all. Figure
[4] shows a simple schematic for the off-grid solar PV system.

10
 Figure 4: Off-grid PV System Schematic

Components of Off-grid PV System

PV Array

A solar PV Array is comprised of PV modules, which are fixed

accumulations of PV Cells. A PV array is the entire electric power creating
unit. It comprises of any number of PV modules. The most crucial segment
of any solar PV system is the PV module, which are made out of various
interconnected solar cells. Solar PV modules are associated together into
strings to meet different vitality needs, as appeared in Figure [5]. The solar
system is associated with an inverter that changes over the Direct Current
(DC) created by the sun powered PV cluster into Alternating Current (AC)
perfect with the power provided from the lattice. Air conditioning yield from
the inverter is associated with the home's electrical board or utility meter,
contingent upon the design

11
 Figure 5: The Relationship among cell, module and array

Types of Solar PV Modules

One may wonder, what is the sole aspect that creates all forms of PV types,
but apparently it is the purity of the silicon used in manufacturing the panel
itself. The more perfectly aligned the silicon molecules are, the better the
solar cell will be at converting solar energy (sunlight) into electricity. The
efficiency of solar panels goes hand in hand with purity, but the processes
used to enhance the purity of silicon are expensive. Efficiency should not be
one’s primary concern. As a general rule of thumb one might find out that
cost and space-efficiency are the determining factors for most people. Figure
[6] shows types of PV modules.

It is realized that there are few sorts of PV modules produced these days yet
the most three surely understood sorts are:

1. Monocrystalline Silicon Modules

They offer high efficiency (15-20) % and good heat tolerance characteristics
in a small footprint but it is quite expensive.

2. Polycrystalline Silicon Modules

They offer less efficiency than the monocrystalline modules (13-16) %.
Moreover, the process of manufacturing them is simpler and cheaper and
also less heat tolerance characteristics in a small footprint.

3. Thin film.
They offer an efficiency of (4-12) % and heat tolerance characteristics that
are less than the crystalline modules. Also, they are available in a price that
are slightly higher than the polycrystalline and lower than the
monocrystalline modules.

12
 Figure 6: Types of PV modules

Dc-Ac inverter

Is an exceptional kind of power inverter that transforms direct current (DC)

into alternating current (AC) and sustains it into an existing electric grid in
grid-connected solar PV systems and to the AC electric appliances in the
case of an off-grid solar PV system. It Changes the DC output yield of the
solar PV panels or into an AC current for AC-functioning electric
appliances.

Charge Controller

Directs the voltage and current originating from the PV panels going to the
battery and prevents battery overcharging and prolongs the battery life span.

A charge controller decides how much current ought to be injected into the
batteries for its most ideal electric performance. As it decides the efficiency
of the whole solar PV system, it affects the operating life of the batteries and
it is considered to be a vital segment in the solar PV system. There are
several types of charge controllers being manufactured but the most two
common types are the PWM (Pulse with Modulation) and MPPT (Maximum
Power Point Tracker) simultaneously. These two kinds are commonly used
in nowadays solar PV systems. Both adjust charging rates depending on the
battery's charge level to allow charging closer to the battery’s maximum
capacity as well as monitor battery temperature to prevent overheating
which is preferable in order to sustain the battery bank life span.

13
Battery Bank

It stores electric energy for providing to electrical devices when there is a

need. There might be periods when there is no daylight. Night times,
evenings and shady days are cases of such circumstances outside our ability
to control. Keeping in mind the end goal to give power amid these periods,
abundance vitality, within the day, is put away energy in these battery banks
and is utilized to power loads at whatever point required. Normally a battery
bank consists of number of batteries which are wired in series or parallel
according to needed battery bank by the solar PV system.

Energy Storage Capacity, Days of Autonomy and the DOD

To store solar energy when there is an overabundance is accessible by the

solar PV system in order to supply it when energy is required. Generally, the
term of days of autonomy refers to the number of days that the whole solar
system can function properly without the feed by the solar PV panels and it
is normally lays somewhere in the region between (2-5) days depending on
the system configuration energy demand and the solar system location, and
climate. It is also worth mention that the capacity of the energy storage bank
is connected to the DOD (Depth of discharge) which means the degree
which the battery is going to be discharged in relative to its total capacity.
For example, a 100 Ah battery with 70% DOD exhibits a 30 Ah capacity
remaining of the stored energy in it.

Load

It is the electrical appliances that connected to the solar PV system such as lights,
TV, PC’s, etc. It could be AC or DC appliances.

Auxiliary Energy Resources

An assistant/ auxiliary energy resource is a diesel generator or other

renewable sources that provision with the required power when the off-grid
PV framework is incapable for providing the required power.

14
 Other System Components

Mounting Parts

Appropriate rooftop mounting can be labor concentrated and intensive,

depending to a great extent on the kind of rooftop and how the mounting
sections are installed and sealed. It is best to take after the roof mounting
contractor guidelines. Module producers will give subtle elements of support
necessities to their modules. A decent racking provider will give code-
compliant engineering specifications with their item. When in doubt for
bidding-related purposes, be that as it may, it is common to have one
supporting bracket for each 100 watts of PV modules. Specific consideration
must be given to securing the array straightforwardly to the basic individuals
from the rooftop and to climate protection of rooftop penetrations. All
insights with respect to appending the mounting brackets to the rooftop and
fixing around them are best affirmed and completed by the roof mounting
contractor so that the rooftop warranty won't be voided but as a rule of
thumb to mount any solar PV system, one might take into account the type
of the system the needs to be mounted and whether it is going to be mounted
on the ground or building integrated solar system or even a rooftop
integrated system. For the rooftop mounting, it is majorly important to
specify the material of the roof where the solar PV system is going to
mounted as each rooftop- material has a particular was of mounting and
special mounting parts that meet up with it in a way to give the safest and
securest mounting system. They are majorly two types of mounting system:

1. Ground-Mounted Systems
2. Rooftop Mounting Systems

And, they are both self-explanatory.

 Most Common Mounting Parts

1. Clamps, they are either mid-clamps or end-clamps

2. Rails
3. Brackets

 System Accessories

• Grounding equipment
Grounding process gives an all-around characterized, low-resistance way
from one's solar system to the ground to shield the solar system from current
surges from lightning strikes or device-related breakdowns. Grounding
likewise balances out voltages and gives a typical reference point.

15
• Combiner box
Wires from individual PV modules or strings are installed such that they run
to the combiner box, normally placed on the rooftop. These wires might be
single conductor pigtails with such connectors that apparently needed to be
wired onto the solar PV modules. The output of the PV solar system
combiner box is one bigger two wire conductor in conduit. A combiner box
regularly incorporates a security circuit or breaker for each string and may
incorporate a surge protection.

• Surge protection (often part of the combiner box)

Surge protectors help to protect the system from power surges that may
occur if the solar PV system or nearby electric power lines are struck by
lightning. An electric power surge is a dramatic increase in the voltage
significantly above the design voltage.

• Electric Meters and Instruments

It stands out amongst the most utilized meters in off-grid sun-oriented PV
systems. It measures and shows system general performance and status. It is
conceivable to work a system without a system meter, however meters are
emphatically suggested. Present day charge controllers consolidate system
checking capabilities thus an individual system meter may not be essential in
some systems with such charge controllers.

• Disconnects:
Electric safety disconnects are dedicated to protect the wiring and
components of the solar PV system from electric power surges and other
device-related breakdowns. They also guarantee the solar PV system can be
mad as safely shut down and solar PV system components can be effectively
removed for repairing and maintenance issues. For the situation when the
nearby planetary group is network tied, electric dissconnects make sure that
the electric-producing appliance is totally being separated from the grid of
the generating electric power, which is greatly crucial for the security –
related motivations behind the electric utility staff. By and large, an electric
dissconnect is unequivocally suggested for every individual source of
electric power of electric power or vitality electric energy-storing device in
any solar PV system. It is not always vital to provide an individual electric
disconnect. For instance, if a DC-AC electric inverter is placed outdoors, a
single DC electric disconnect can fitfully serve the working function of the
solar array DC disconnect and the DC-AC electric inverter DC disconnect as
well. An inappropriately located electric disconnect may cause to leave the
power on within repairing and maintenance processes which might cause
hazard –safety issues. Normally Disconnects are:

16
- Array DC disconnect
The solar-based DC electric disconnect, additionally named as the "PV
disengage", is ordinarily used to securely interrupt the electric flow from the
solar PV panels for repair and maintenance-related purposes. The solar
panels electric DC disconnect may likewise have built-in electric circuit
breakers or may simply have electric fuses to secure the system against
power surges.

- Inverter DC disconnect
Alongside the inverter AC electric disconnect, the inverter DC electric
disconnect is used to effectively and securely disconnect the inverter from
whatever is left of the electric solar system that one is dealing with. By and
large, the inverter DC disconnect will likewise act as the array DC
disconnect.

- Inverter AC disconnect
The inverter AC electric disconnect major function is to disconnect the solar
electric PV system from the wiring of the building and the utility electric
grid. Usually, the AC electric disconnect is located inside the electrical panel
of the building. However, if the inverter is not placed nearby the panel of the
building, an extra AC electric disconnect should be used and placed in a
place that is nearly to the inverter.

- Battery disconnect
In off-grid solar PV system, the battery bank DC electric disconnect is
dedicated to securely and safely disconnect the battery bank from whatever
left of the solar PV system.

2.2 Theoretical Background

2.2.1. Off-Grid PV System Principle of Operation

Photovoltaic solar panels absorb approximately 80% of the solar irradiation;

however only 5-20% of the energy of the incident beam is going to be
altered into the form of electricity, the remaining energy is converted into
heat. Photovoltaic cells suffer from a drop in their efficiency with the rise in
temperature due to increased resistance. PV panels collect solar radiation
and generate electricity. The higher the efficiency of the PV solar module,
the more harvested solar power. The electricity flows into an inverter for use

17
in the shelter or export (in the form of DC current) to the batteries as per a
standard of off-grid solar PV configuration.

The principle behind any solar PV cell is to capture and absorb energy of the
sun and use in seek of generating usable and beneficial energy. Any other
solar PV system is a collection of solar PV cells which convert solar
radiation into a useful form of energy (electricity). In the case when the solar
system is out of the electric utility , it is vital and quite crucial to the PV
system to store the harvested energy from the sun into a storing capacity or
what is commonly known as “battery bank” since the electric energy
generated by the PV solar panels can't generally be straightforwardly
utilized. As the need from the load does not generally meet up or satisfy the
solar array capacity, battery banks are by and large utilized. [4], [5].

2.2.2 System Design Methodology

1. Planning and Site Survey

The PV solar array output is majorly dependent on the geographical

locations and timing. It is quite crucial to select proper site based on solar
natural resources. Thus, in planning a solar PV system installation,
appropriate selection of site with consideration of nearby high rise objects is
necessary. The following points need to be covered during the site survey to
check the suitability of the site: [6]

 Orientation of Site/location and the total roof area that is available;

 Type of the roof and its structure as they are hugely play a role model
in selection of the solar PV mounting system and other related
issues; and

 Possible routes for cables, area of the battery and inverter where
they are going to be located;

Keeping in mind the end goal to recognize the area of installation of the
solar PV module, plausible choices should be evaluated and put into thought,
for example, "where precisely ought to the module be introduced?" and
"Would it be able to be introduced on the rooftop or on the ground? In the
event that it will be introduced on the rooftop, then whether the rooftop
would be a Thatched or a Concrete or an Asbestos one. Also, on the off

18
 chance that it will be introduced on the ground, on the other hand the correct
area should be recognized.

The most critical parameter is the identification of a shadow-free location. It

is to ensure that the solar PV array is installed in an area where no object
casts a shadow on the array. For example, if there is a tall tree or a huge
building in the vicinity of the selected location, then probably this is not a
good location for the installation of the solar PV array. The required space
needs to be identified appropriately, keeping in mind the capacity of the
solar PV array, which is going to be installed in a particular location. [7], [8]

Consequently, keeping in mind the end goal to address the prior mentioned
focuses, the proposed site for establishment of the solar PV system can be
studied and checked with a solar path finder to check whether there is any
plausibility of regular shading issue that might one encounter when it comes
to install a solar PV system in a site that might happen throughout the annual
seasons. What's more, the most vital and crucial info parameters like
occurrence and abundance of the solar radiation, temperature of the
surrounding ambient and wind speed, which are probably going to differ
generally from site to another, should be gathered and allocated all together
for a specific site. One might encounter the temperature of the flowing air in
the region of the site and the wind speed as they both play a role in affecting
the solar PV cell’s efficiency and herein the outage harvested solar energy.
Owning to what previously discussed, it is now convenient to bear in mind
the influences of such parameters and information in order to optimize the
output of the solar PV system. [9]

2. Assessments of Energy Requirements

In an off-grid solar PV system, evaluating the energy demand and surveying the
exact abundant solar natural resource availability are the most essential
undertakings/tasks which must be done appropriately. Normally the below is
conducted when it comes to assessment of energy requirements.

Load Assessment

In arranging, regular and day by day load alterations are required. It is critical to
evaluate the sorts and use of loads with their electric profiles. An energy
evaluation ought to be embraced for various sorts of machines. A system engineer

19
 needs to consider the energy necessities with load profiles in conference with the
consumers). In procedure of load estimations, system engineer ought to likewise
talk about all the potential energy assets that can meet the energy needs of the
customer and furthermore spread the word to the clients on energy effectiveness.

Load assessment criterion steps:

 List the all of the electrical machines, devices and appliances to be
supplied power with by the solar PV system being introduced.
 Isolate separately sorts of load and enter them in a suitable table.
 Record the operating wattage of each item.
 Calculate the total daily energy demand by multiplying the hours that each
individual electric appliance will demand by appliance rated wattage.

Load Profiling and Load Categorization

Once the load detailed elements are gathered, the profiling of the load is
done keeping in mind the end goal to discover the most extreme load,
energy demand requirements. Loads can be sorted in view of their need and
load profiles, for example, their maximum loads, so one can design a
legitimate configuration of the store bank and also the rest of the off-grid
solar PV system.

3. Assessment of Solar Energy Resources Availability

This stage is very important from the sizing point of view because it tells
about the amount of solar energy harvested by the solar PV system. In order
to find the resources availability, one need to define the location longitude
and latitude and then referring to solar radiation maps that are available
online for each country or locally by the country ‘government. Such
information tell a lot about the resources of the specified country like the
annual solar irradiance or the diffused radiation or even the ground
reflected radiation Furthermore, the daily average global radiation. the PV
array depends upon the incident solar radiation, the solar radiation falling
on a horizontal surface needs to be adjusted with a tilt factor for calculating
incident solar radiation on a tilted PV array and since the output of a solar
array depends on the incident radiation on it, it quite important to adjacent some
factor associated with the angle that the solar PV modules tilted at.

20
  Sizing the Main Components of the Off-Grid PV System

At this stage, components of the solar off-grid PV system are going to be

designed such that to meet and satisfy the daily energy that must be supplied
to the electric appliances in order to function.

3. System Design and Configuration

Tilt Angle

The tilt angle of a photovoltaic array is the key to an optimum energy yield.
Solar panels are most efficient when they are perpendicular to the sun’s ray.
In Jordan the optimum tilt angle is 30° for a fixed system, in summer,
however, the optimum tilt angle is 10° bus since the roof of the shelter is
tilted by 20°, so the designed off-grid PV system is going to be installed
upon this angle. It is quite important to mention that the structure of the roof
is trapezoidal. This would be as important for the mounting system as each
structure has a unique way to deal with in order to get the solar PV system
retrofitted on the roof of the shelter. [14]

Location

The shelter is installed at the German Jordanian University campus, Al

Mushaqqar, Jordan 31.7769° N, 35.8022° E. The complete system was set
up on a raised, flat, and empty un-shaded piece of land. The panel was
positioned due south with no shading or shadows cast on it throughout the
entire duration of the year. Figure [7] represents a simple sketch for the
shelter.

Figure 7: Shelter Schematic

S

21
 Shelter Configuration and Specifications

The shelter is supposed to be installed at the German Jordanian University

campus, Al Mushaqqar. It is about 18 m2. It is assumed to be occupied by
one person for commercial purposes, a remote IT engineer for example.

Load Assessment

The daily load profiles were determined by calculating the power demand
(kWh/day) for all load types in the college. The estimated daily energy
demand is given in Table 1.0 below. All the appliances used in the college
are ac-appliances. Furthermore, all appliances mentioned in table [1] are AC
ones, so one might encounter this crucial piece of information later at the
system main components design and selection but specifically at the inverter
design step as it requires both type and portion of the energy demand by the
appliances.

Load Rated Quantity Hours used kW Wh/day

Power(w) per
day(h/day)
Lighting (1) 32 1 7 0.032 224
Lighting (2) 28 1 6 0.028 168
Motion Sensor 5 1 6 0.005 30
Landscape Light 18 1 8 0.018 144
Refrigerator 80 1 12 0.08 960
TV/Receiver 100 1 2 0.1 200
Computers/Printer 200 1 6 0.2 1,200
Air Conditioner 1000 1 3 1 3000
Total 1460 1.463 5926
Table 1: Load Profile of the Appliances

22
 Figure 8: Daily Load Profile of the Appliances

From figure [8], it is vital to mention that the air conditioner has the highest
energy demand (47%) and secondly comes the printer/computers demand.

3.1. Selection of System Voltage

As a rule of thumb, the higher the shelter energy uses, the higher the voltage
needed by the solar off-grid PV system. Owning to that fact and since the
system is falling somewhere in the middle ranged categories, a 24 V was
chosen. The system voltage is selected based on the requirements of the system. As
a general rule, the system voltage increases with increased daily load. However in a
standalone PV system, the voltage is also dependent on the inverters that are
available. When loads require ac power, the dc system voltage should be selected
after studying available inverter characteristics. Since the total daily AC load is
around 5000W, the system selected voltage is 24 V dc.

Figure 9: Variations of System Voltage with the Daily Demand

23
 3.2. PV array Sizing and Selection of PV module

In this part, the PV module was selected due to few reasons that are worth to
mention; its performance, warranty and high efficiency. Thus, the Yingli
monocrystalline 300 watts is chosen.

But since the only constrain in this project is the area, it is important to
emphasize on this point. The roof area is 18 m2 (6m*3m). Since the roof area
is small, it is quite important to find out the exact number of the PV modules
that are needed to cover the energy demand by the shelter electric
appliances. One could trivially find the maximum number of allowable
installed PV modules on the shelter by directly divide the total area of the
shelter rooftop by the area of the chosen PV module. Hence, to cover the
shelter daily energy demand, only 5 modules are needed. Table [2] shows
specifications of the chosen solar module.

Manufacturer Yingli
Type Silicon-Crystalline Technology
Rated Power (Watts) 300
Nominal Voltage (Volts) 30.2
Nominal Current (Amperes) 9.16
Short Circuit Current (Amperes) 9.6
Open Circuit Voltage (Volts) 40.1
Table 2: Specifications of the selected module

Referring to load assessment and load profiling step, the below is worth
mentioning:

Daily Energy Use (kWh) 5.926

Monthly Energy Use (kWh) 177.78
Annual Energy Use (kWh) 2136
PSH 4.3 hours
Table 3: Energy Demand of the Loads

24
 Referring to table (3), and applying the below formulas, the of-grid PV
system parameters were found:
𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑦 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑈𝑠𝑒 (𝑘𝑊ℎ)
• Off-grid PV system capacity (kWp) = 𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑆𝑢𝑛 𝐻𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠(ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠)

𝑀𝑎𝑥.𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑦 (𝑘𝑊ℎ)

• Off-grid PV System Yield(kWh/ kWp)=PV System Capacity (kWp)

𝑆𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑚 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 (kWp )

• Number of needed modules= Module Rtaed Power (W)

Daily Energy Demand (kWh) 5.926

Off-grid PV System Capacity (kWp) 1.5
Off-grid PV System demand (kWh/year) 2136
Max. Off-grid System Energy (kWh/year) 2442
Off-grid System Yield (kWh/ kWp) 1628
Number of PV modules needed 5
Number of Modules in Series 5
Number of Strings 1
Table 4: System Design Specifications

3.3. Inverter Design and Selection

In this part we have chosen an inverter that can handle the maximum electric
wattage that must be drawn by all of the electric appliances when they are all
turned on at the same time; however, some safety factor is needed here to design
such a proper off-grid PV system. Thus, the safety factor is 1.2.

Total daily wattage needed = 1.463 kW+ (20% SF) =1.8 kW

And this number still valid as it is in the recommended region of the electric
inverter.

25
Input Data Recommended PV Power (kW) 1.2-2.4
Maximum Usable Current (A) 13.4
Max. Array Short Circuit Current (A) 16.7
MPP Voltage Range (V) 120-335
Output Data AC Normal Power (AV) 1500
Max. Output Power (VA) 1500
Max. Output Current Protection (A) 20
Inverter Efficiency 96%
Nominal Battery Voltage (V) 24
Maximum Charge Current (A) 35
Table 5: Selected Inverter Specifications

3.4. Battery Bank Sizing and Battery Selection

The first decision that one needs to make for battery bank sizing is ‘how much storage you
would like your battery bank to provide to provide the off-grid PV system would be’.
Normally, this is expressed as ‘days of autonomy’; because it is based on the number of
days that one expects his/her system to provide electric power without receiving any input
charge from the off-grid solar PV array. Moreover to the days of autonomy, load usage
pattern should be also considered. From the below equation, the battery capacity in (Ah)
could easily be found as:

(𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑡−ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠

Battery Capacity (Ah) = ( × 𝐷𝑂𝐴)
𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟 η ×𝑁𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐵𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒(𝑉)×𝐷𝑂𝐷(%)

Total Daily Watt-Hour Requirements (kWh) 5.926

Days of Autonomy 2
Maximum Depth of Discharge 50%
Inverter Efficiency 96%
Nominal Battery Voltage (V) 12
Daily Amperes-Hours needed 1576
Table 6: Demand of the System at the Battery

Selected Battery Specifications

Battery Manufacturer Hoppecke Solar.Power

Battery Capacity (Ah) 140
Battery Type Lead Acid
Nominal Battery Voltage (V) 12
Daily Amperes-Hours needed 1576
Number of Batteries in Parallel 6
Number of Batteries in Parallel 2
Total needed Batteries 12
Table 7: Specifications of the Selected Battery

26
3.5. Charge Controller Design and Selection

In this part, the charge controller is going to be selected in order to regulate the
voltage and current coming from the PV panels going to the battery bank and
prevents battery overcharging and also prolongs the battery life. A charge
controller determines how much current should be injected into the battery bank
for in its most optimum performance. The charge controller protects the battery
bank from overcharging as it determines the efficiency of the entire solar system
as well as the operating life of the batteries that is why some might consider it a
very vital component of the off-grid solar PV system.

Selection

Charge controllers are selected based several criterion but one of the most
common method is to find the maximum AC wattage of the solar system
appliances as the inverter should handle this power plus some safety factor that
one must take into consideration due to the face that sometimes, some appliance
like refrigerators or washing machine requires a surge current and power that is
normally higher than their rated current and watts simultaneously. Below are
steps to find the best suitable choice for the electric inverter ratings.

• PV array voltage

The controller’s DC voltage input must match the nominal voltage of the
solar array and the battery bank as well.

• PV array current

The controller must be sized to handle the maximum current produced by the
PV array.

In order to best select the desired charge controller one might encounter the
following:

 Wattage of the array = 5 modules * 300 (W/module)= 1500 W

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑦 𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 (𝑊)
 Charge controller current=𝐵𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝐵𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑁𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 (𝑉)=62.5 A

27
  For safety purposes, 1.25 safety factor is applied, so the charge
controller current that mostly can handle more than 75 A

Also, the rated power of the charge controller is sufficiently higher than the
possible maximum power generated by the PV array. Table [8] shows the
associated specifications of the charge controller. Here, it quite important to
mention that the charge controller type is MPPT. Hence, checks the output
of PV module then it compares it to battery voltage then fixes what is the
best power that PV module can produce to charge the battery and converts it
to the best voltage to get maximum current into battery. It can also supply
power to a DC load, which is connected directly to the battery. It is obvious
that the selected charge controller is capable to handle up to 75 A of current
that being injected to the batteries but the system configuration needs only
63 A, so still there is a safety margin.

Charge Controller Manufacturer Sunny Island

Nominal Voltage (V) Adjustable (202-253)
Maximum Continuous Power (W) 2200
Input Voltage Range (V) (172.5-264.5)
Charge Controller Type MPPT
Battery Capacity (100-10000)Ah
Maximum Battery Charging Current (A) 90
Battery Voltage Range(V) (16.8-31.5)
Charge Controller Efficiency 93%
Table 8: Charge Controller Specifications

28
4. Solar PV System Simulation Results

This part was conducted through a simple simulation for the design being
implemented on the rooftop of the rural PV Shelter.

4.1. Average Annual Energy

Figure 10: Monthly Average Energy (kWh)

4.2. Solar PV System Components Specifications

Figure 11: Components of the Designed PV System

29
4.3. Single Line Diagram

Figure 12: Single Line Diagram of the Designed System

4.4. Solar PV System Yield

Figure 13: Solar Yield at the PV Array

30
4.5. Inverter Part

Figure 14: Simulation at the Inverter Part

31
4.6. System Simulation Result

Figure 15: Simulation Result of the System

4.7. System Simulation Result

Figure 16: Results per Module Area

32
 4.8. Production Forecast with Consumption

Figure 17: Production Forecast with Consumption

5. Performance and Cost Analysis

5.1. Introduction
When it comes to off-grid solar PV system, it is never sufficient to only design and
select the best possible configuration as some financial factors and performance
factors are strongly play a stand-out role in the performance of the solar PV system
in general. Referring to this, several factors are needed to be calculated.

33
 5.2. Performance Ratio

It is one of the most important factors that associated with any solar PV system as it
gives strong evidence about the relationship between the real and theoretical output
of a solar off-grid PV system.

PR=[(𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 (𝑘𝑊ℎ))/(𝐼𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 (𝑘𝑊ℎ/𝑚2) × 𝑃𝑉𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎(𝑚2) ×

𝑃𝑉𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑒𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦))] × 100

By plugging in the previous equation with the corresponding values, PR is equaled

to 77%. This value gives an indicator that the installed solar PV system is efficient
as it utilizes 77 % of the total available solar energy and dedicates it to generate
electricity.

Area of One Solar Panel (m²) 1.97

Total solar panel Area (m²) 9.8
Solar panel yield (%) 18%
Average Solar Radiation/Tilt (kWh/m2/year) 2144
Cost of electricity (JOD/kWh) 0.53
Monthly Electricity Cost (JOD/kWh) 115
Interest On Capital 8%
Price Increase of Energy Cost 4%
Useful Harvested Energy (kWh/year) 2442
Performance Ratio 77%
Table 9: System Performance Specifications

6. Cost Analysis

At this stage, several findings and clues could be projected regarding any solar PV
system. Those findings are so important when it comes to compare more than one
alternative (system design models).Also, the cost analysis can give a strong
indicator about the solar system performance and whether it is efficient or not. It
sometimes can tell if the decision of installment of such a renewable solar PV
system is feasible or not.
For this project, it is important to focus on some factors and put them into
consideration as it is a small-ranged system (1.5 kWp).

34
Table [10] shows all individual costs for the installment of the 1.5 kWp solar PV
system.

System Type Off-Grid PV Solar System

System Capacity 1.5 kWp
Solar Panels 5*300 W*0.4 JOD/W
Inverter 450 JOD
Batteries 12*80 JOD/Battery 960
Charge Controller 200 JOD
Mounting System 70 JOD
Wiring System 220 JOD
Life of the System 20 years
M &O Costs (JOD/year) 25
Table 10: Solar System Components Costs

Daily Load Demand (kWh) 5.926

Monthly Load Demand( kWh) 178
Annual Load Demand (kWh) 2136
Cost of electricity (JOD/kWh) 0.53
Monthly Electricity Cost (JOD/kWh) 115
Annual Electricity Cost (first year) (JOD/kWh) 1380
Annual Electricity Cost (first year) (JOD/kWh) 8%
Investment (JOD) 2500
Table 11: Load Demand-Related Values

 Average Annual Cost

(1 + 𝑍𝑏)𝑍𝑏 × 𝑍𝑏
𝐴𝐶 = 𝐼 × [ ] + 𝑂𝐶 + 𝑀𝐶
(1 + 𝑍𝑏)𝑍𝑏 − 1
Where;
AC: Annual Cost (JOD/Year)
I: Investment (JOD)
ZB: Interest on Capital (% Compounded Yearly)
OC: Operational Cost (JOD/Year)
MC: Maintenance Cost (JOD/Year)

Using the values that are mentioned in table [11] and plugging in the
previous equation yields annual costs of 280 JOD/year

35
  Specific Energy Costs of the System
𝐽𝑂𝐷
𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡 (𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟)
𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦(𝑘𝑊ℎ)

Verifying for the previous equation, this yields 0.19 JOD/kWh

𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠(𝐽𝑂𝐷)
 Payback Period of the Investment =𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠(𝐽𝑂𝐷)
=1.8 Years
=21.6 Months

1−(1+𝐼)𝑁
 Present Value of the Solar PV System =[ ]×𝐶
𝐼
Where;
C: Annual Cash Flow (JOD)

Verifying for the above equation (I=8%, N=20, C=479.37 JOD/year from
solar PV system) gives 4706.53 JOD from solar system as savings or
revenue.
And repeating the same procedure for the annual bill as if energy is supplies
by the utility company (I=8%, N=20, C=1380 JOD/year), gives 13,549 JOD

By simply comparing the two scenarios of the supplied emery, it is quite

clear that the energy cost of the solar energy PV system is cheaper than the
cost of energy as if supplied by a utility grid and this is quite unambiguous
due to the increasing prices of the energy from conventional resources (gas
and Crude oil) and also due to the oscillation of their market and the political
affairs of the neighboring countries which are the main suppliers of the
conventional energy needed by the country. Shifting to RE is quite feasible
and do not harm the environment due to the huge reduction of the carbon
emissions when shifting to renewable solutions.

36
 Figure 18: Cash Flow for the Solar System and for the Utility
Electricity Bills

7. Conclusion

Since the purpose of this project is to design a 1.5 kWp for a rural shelter
that is used for commercial purposes, it is more feasible to shift for RE
technology rather than being dependent on the conventional utility
electricity.

The solar PV system is intended to cover 100 % of the energy demand

needed by the shelter electric appliances. As the system captures the sun’s
energy using the solar PV array, it stores the excess of its need in the batter
bank and uses it at the night times when the solar PV system is incapable of

37
providing it with its need. It is quite unambiguous that this project perfectly
serves the energy demand of such shelters/cabins as it seems so encouraging
and feasible and ideally suited for migration away from nonrenewable fossil
fuel towards sustainable solar.

The design of the solar PV system for the shelter was conducted through a
multi-staged criterion in order to best optimize the selection of the ratings of
the main components needed by the solar PV System.

The results showed promise for solar PV system. The location where the
shelter is installed in has the best solar suitability from solar designing point
of view; it should be strongly considered for solar PV system as this
technology becomes more affordable relative to fossil fuels.

Hence, the potential of the solar PV systems is enumerated and projected

trade-offs that are being inherent among all the presented alternatives (Being
a utility dependent). Also, an extensive bottom-up approach is conducted in
seek of cost estimation by determining the costs of all the components that
the solar thermal project breaks into. Afterwards, a financial cash flow chart
is drawn and then to decide whether this project is justified or not upon a
numeric evidence. Apparently, by having a quick look at the economic
parameters of the solar project one could conclude that it is economically
justified.

Future Work

Further research on the design of off-grid PV Solar system for a rural shelter
is recommended; to test the system behavior over the months when the solar
radiation is at their bottom values in order to encompass a complete
extensive results over the course of a full year or seasonal changes which
will result in more conclusive and pronounced outcomes for the future
optimization off-grid PV system and get conclusive evidence if any backup
generating energy source might be added to cover the slight shortages of the
energy demand on those months with minimum solar radiation values. A
thorough cost and feasibility study customized to suit the climate, energy
demand, and market in Jordan is also recommended.

38
8. List of Symbols
PV Photovoltaic
Isc Short Circuit Current
IMP Maximum Power Current
Mpp Maximum Power Point
PWM Pulse with Modulated
RER Renewable Energy Resources
Voc Open Circuit Voltage
VDC System Direct Voltage
ɳ Electrical Efficiency
PSH Peak Sun Hours
DOD Depth of Discharge
DOA Days of Autonomy

39
9. References
1. Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Renewable Energy
Department '' by Ali Anani [ 2009]
2. Tomas. Adamz, 'Contineous Power for Electrical Field', 2014.
[10- Jan- 2017]
3. University of Washington State. Solar System Design and
Installation). [2009]
4. Photovoltaic-Thermal Hybrid Solar
Collector." Http://www.tessolarwater.com/index_en.html?zeuspv-
t.html&2. Ed. Tes Zues. N.p., 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 1016.
5. Mourad, m. (Year published). Energy Efficient-Smart Homes for
new cities in Egypt, Egypt, 2013. Assuit, Egypt
6. Antony, Falk, Christian Dürschner, and Karl-Heinz
Remmers. Photovoltaics for professionals: solar electric systems
- marketing, design and installation. London: Routledge, 2016.
Web.
7. Mansfield, John. ABORIGINAL LAND COMMISSIONER.
Darwin: 2013. Doc. Report for the year ended 30 June 2013
8. "Federal Register of Legislation - Australian
Government." Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory)
Amendment Act 2006. Web. 04 Mar. 2017.
9 Duffy, Brian. Off-Grid Photo voltaic System Design Project.
TechWeb. Jan. 2016.
http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=
1077&context=eesp
10. P.G. Charalambous, S.A. Kalogirou, G. Maidmentand T.G.
Karayiannis “A review of Photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) collectors"
[October 2004]
12. KIWAN, S.
Economics of Wind Energy
In-text: (Kiwan)
Kiwan, Suhail. "Economics Of Wind Energy". 2015. Lecture.
13. Minimise Group Hybrid PV-T Range PowerHybrid 240
Advantages Graph
14. ODOS, M.
Off-Grid PV System Design
In-text: (Odos)
Odos, Mohammad. "Off-Grid PV System Design". 2014. Lecture.

40
List of Figures

Page

1. Solar Radiation Map of Jordan 8

2. Grid-tied PV System Schematic 9

3. Interactive PV System Schematic 10

4. Off-grid PV System Schematic 12

5. The Relationship among cell, module and 12

array
6. Types of PV modules 13

7. Shelter Schematic 21

8. Daily Load Profile of the Appliances 23

9. Variations of System Voltage with the Daily 23

Demand
10. Monthly Average Energy (kWh) 29

11. Components of the Designed PV System 29

12. Single Line Diagram of the Designed System 30

13. Solar Yield at the PV Array 30

14. Simulation at the Inverter Part 31

15. Simulation Result of the System 32
16. Results per Module Area 32
17. Production Forecast with Consumption 33
18. Cash Flow for the Solar System and for the 37
Utility Electricity Bills

41
List of Tables

Page

1. Load Profile of the Appliances 22

2. Specifications of the selected module 24

3. Energy Demand of the Loads 24

4. System Design Specifications 25

5. Selected Inverter Specifications 26

6. Demand of the System at the Battery 26

7. Specifications of the Selected Battery 26

8. Charge Controller Specifications 28

9. System Performance Specifications 34

10. Solar System Components Costs 35

11. Load Demand-Related Values 35

42
 10. Approval and Commitment to Ethical Standards and Integrity

I, Noor Hussein AL Dulaimi declare my full acknowledgment of GJU laws,

bylaws, regulations, and decisions that are currently followed. I certify to
have personally prepared my thesis on my own with scientific integrity and
abided by ethical standards in writing scientific theses. I also declare that my
thesis was not plagiarized from other theses, books, research papers, reports,
or any other source. In compliance with the above information I hold myself
fully responsible if my thesis breaches the above. GJU’s Deans Council has
the right to revoke the decision of granting me the scientific degree and to
withdraw the certificate and approve a statement of "annulled certificate" to
be recorded on all documents on my academic record.

Student Signature: _________________ Date: 04/03/2017

43

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