PV SYSTEM DESIGN

BASIC BLOCK DIAGRAM OF PV SYSTEM

Photovoltaic (PV) power systems are electrical power systems energized by

photovoltaic panels, which are independent of the utility grid.

There are FIVE significant components in a standalone system that is vital for the
system operation to run at its maximum power out-put

1. DC and AC Loads
2. Solar module
3. Battery bank
4. Inverter
5. Charge controller

Each of these components has its Formulae calculation to select the right .
The most important component to consider when designing a standalone system is the
total load that is to be used by the consumer.

Solar module

The solar array consists of PV modules which convert sunlight

into electric energy. The modules are connected in series and/or
parallel to provide the voltage and current levels needed. The
array is usually mounted on a metal structure and tilted to face
the sun.

Charge Controller
The main function is to maintain the batteries at the proper
charging level and to protect them from overcharging.

Battery Bank:
The battery bank contains one or more deep-cycle batteries
connected in series and/or parallel depending on the voltage
and current capacity needed. The batteries store the power
produced by the solar array and discharge it when you need it.

Inverter
An inverter is required when you want to power AC devices.
The inverter converts the DC power, or direct current, from the
solar array and batteries into AC power

.
 Solar PV system sizing
Location: Nai’ereka village, Solomon Islands
Peak Sun hours: 5 hrs
Days without sunlight: 2 days
Inverter efficiency: 85%
Inverter input voltage: 48v
Battery DOD: 80%
Battery capacity: 200Ah, 24v
Panel rating: BP SX3200B 200W,
 Imp- 8.16A,
 Vmp- 24.5v,
 Isc- 8.7A,
 Voc- 30.8v,
 Type- Monocrystalline silicon

1. POWER CONSUMPTION DEMAND

The first step in designing a solar PV system is to find out the total power and
energy consumption of all loads that need to be supplied by the solar PV system
as follows:
Load Specification
POWER
LOADS AC/DC QTY P0WER RATING DUTY CYCLE(hrs) CONSUMPTION(Wh)

Light AC 4 18W 5 360

Security light DC 2 9W 8 144
Refrigerator AC 1 200W 8 1600
Laptop AC 1 65W 2 130
Mobile AC 3 1.5W 2 9
TV AC 1 150W 6 900
1.1 Calculate total Watt-hours per day for each appliance used.

LOAD CALCULATION

AC loads

Lights – 360Wh

Refrigerators - 1600Wh

Laptop - 130Wh

Mobile - 9Wh

TV- 900Wh

Total AC loads = 360Wh + 1600Wh + 130Wh + 9Wh + 900Wh

= 2999Wh

DC loads

Security lights – 144Wh

1.2 Calculate total Watt-hours per day needed from the PV modules.

Total loads = DC loads + (AC loads/Inverter efficiency)

= 144Wh + (2999/0.85)

= 144Wh + 3,528.23Wh

= 3,672.23Wh

Therefore Total PV panels energy needed = 3,672.23Wh

2. SYSTEM CAPACITY

Daily Amp Hour (Ah) required

= Total Load/System Voltage

= 3672.23Wh/48v

= 76.50 Ah

3. BATTERY SELECTION or SIZING:

3.1 Days without Sunlight: 2 days

= 2 days x 76.50Ah

= 153 Ah (Min Capacity to be stored in the Battery)

3.2 Battery DOD: 80%

=153Ah/0.8

=191.25Ah

(Total amount of capacity without fully discharging the battery)

3.3 Batteries required in PARALLEL

= Ah required by battery/Ah rating of battery

= 191.25/200Ah

= 0.956

Therefore: a minimum of 1 batteries of 200Ah (24v) will be required to supply the load
with rated current and voltage.

4. SOLAR PANEL SIZING

4.1 Total Ah required charging the Battery per hour/Peak Sun hours

= 191.25 Ah/5hrs

= 38.25A
4.2 Solar panel required in PARALLEL
No. of panels required in PARALLEL

=Total Amp required by panel/Peak Amp of chosen panel

=38.25 A/8.16A

= 4.6875

Therefore: 5 panels require in parallel

4.3 Solar panel required in SERIES

= System voltage/Panel voltage

= 48v/24.5

= 1.9

Therefore; 2 panels required in Series

5. INVERTER SIZING

Total Watts of AC loads x 30% (allowance 25% - 30%)

= [(4 x 18W) + (1x 200) + (1 x 65W) + (3 x 1.5W) + (1x150W)] x 30%

= 488.5 x 30% = 146.55

= 488.5 + 146.55

= 635.05W

Therefore, the inverter size used should be 1000W

6. SELECTION OF CHARGE CONTROLLER

Module specification

 Pm- 200W
 Vm – 24.5V
 Im – 8.16A
 Voc – 30.8V
 Isc – 8.7A

CHARGE CONTROLLER SIZE = No. panel in parallel x Isc x Energy loss

= 5 x 8.7A x 1.25

= 54.375A

Therefore, the charge controller should be rated 60A (or greater) @ 24v
CABLE SIZING, CIRCUIT BREAKERS, SWITCHES & GPO’s

CABLE SIZE

Cable from Charge Control to BATTERY Bank

 6mm-10mm

Cable from Charge Control to inverter input(dc)

 6mm-10mm

From inverter out-put(ac) to Switchboard

 6mm-10mm

Switch board to:

 Lights (1.5 mm 2core and earth)

 General Purpose Out-put (GPO)
 2.5mm 2cc and earth

CIRCUIT-BREAKERS

Mains

 40A

Lights

 10A

Power-point

 15A
POSITIONING OF THE PV MODULE

All devices powered by solar cells are expected to operate under its maximum
power. The power incident on a PV module depends not only on the power
contained in the sunlight, but also on the angle between the module and the sun.
When the absorbing surface and the sunlight are perpendicular to each other, the
power density on the surface is equal to that of the sunlight (in other words, the
power density will always be at its maximum when the PV module is
perpendicular to the sun). However, as the angle between the sun and a fixed
surface is continually changing, the power density on a fixed PV module is less
than that of the incident sunlight.
Therefore, the BEST ANGLE for a PV module is when the solar cell is positioned
perpendicular to the direction of sun light
Discussion
 Turbine Design
TURBINE BLADE DESIGN

1. TIP SPEED RATIO (TSR)

The tip speed ratio is a very important factor in the different formulas of blade design. Generally,
slow running multi bladed wind turbine rotors operate with tip speed ratios like 1-4, while fast
runners use 5-7 as tip speed ratios.

(tip speed of blade) ωR

 TIP SPEED RATIO (TSR) = (wind speed). = V

Where ω is rotor rotational speed in radians/second,

R is the rotor radius in meters
V is wind speed (m/s)

To fit the known generator capacity and revolutions to the wind speed and to the swept rotor
area. Two formulas are needed
 Power (W) = 0.6 x Cp x N x A x V3
 Revolutions (rpm) = V x TSR x 60 / (6.28 x R),

2. REVOLUTION (rpm)

V x TSR x 60
Revolutions (rpm) = (6.28 x R)

10 m/ s x 7 x 60
= (6.28 x 2.5 m)

= 267.51 rpm
3. TURBINE CAPACITY

Power (W) = 0.6 x Cp x N x A x V3

Where; Cp = Rotor efficiency,
N = Efficiency of driven machinery
A = Swept rotor area (m2),
V = Wind speed (m/s)
TSR = Tip Speed Ratio
R = Radius of rotor

Thus Rotor efficiency can go as high as Cp = 0.48, but Cp = 0.4 is often used in this type of
calculations. This concept works without transmission. If transmission, a efficiency of 0.95 was
to be included.

For our design;

 N = (0.95 x 0.6 )
 Tip speed ratio (TSR) = 7
 Wind speed (V) =12 m/s
 Rotor efficiency (Cp) = 0.4
 Generator efficiency (N) = 0.7
 Swept rotor area (A) = 19.625m2
 Radius of rotor = 2.5m
 Revolutions = 267.51 rpm

Therefore Power output (Generator Capacity) = 0.6 x 0.4 x (0.95 x 0.6) x 19.625m2 x (12 m/s) 3
= 4.639KW

4. BLADE CHORD

The width of the blade is also called the blade chord. A good formula for computing this is:

5.6 x R2
Blade Chord (m) = (i x Cl x r x TSR 2)
Where;
  R = Radius at tip,
 r = radius at point of computation,
 i = number of blades,
 Cl = Lift coefficient,
 TSR=Tip Speed Ratio.

5. WIND TURBINE BLADE CALCULATION AND POWER CACULATION

There are many complicated calculations and equations involved in understanding, constructing
wind turbine generators however, there is no need to worry about most of these, the following
vital information should remember:
1) The power output of a wind generator is proportional to the area swept by the rotor - i.e.
double the swept area and the power output will also double.
2) The power output of a wind generator is proportional to the cube of the wind speed.

Kinetic Energy = 0.5 x Mass x Velocity 2, where the mass is measured in kg, the velocity in m/s,
and the energy is given in joules. Air has a known density (around 1.23 kg/m 3 at sea level), so
the mass of air hitting our wind turbine (which sweeps a known area) each second is given by the
following equation:
 Mass/sec (kg/s) = Velocity (m/s) x Area (m2) x Density (kg/m3).

Therefore, the power (i.e. energy per second) in the wind hitting a wind turbine with a certain
swept area is given by simply inserting the mass per second calculation into the standard kinetic
energy equation given above resulting in the following vital equation:

 Power = 0.5 x Swept Area x Air Density x Velocity3

Where Power is given in Watts (i.e. joules/second), the Swept area in square metres, the Air
density in kilograms per cubic metre, and the Velocity in metres per second.

Therefore, the equation for wind power (P) is given by;

 P= 0.5 x ρ x A x Cp x V3 x Ng x Nb
Where, ρ = Air density in kg/m3,
A = Rotor swept area (m2).
Cp = Coefficient of performance
V= wind velocity (m/s)
Ng = generator efficiency
Nb = gear box bearing efficiency
P= 0.5 x 1.23 kg/m3 x 19.625 m2 x 0.4 x (10m/s)3 x Ng x Nb
 = 8.342KW

Therefore: Wind Power = 8.342KW

6. WIND TURBINE BLADE CALCULATION AND POWER USING SOFTWARE

Wind Power, rotational speed and torque of the wind turbine can be also calculated using the
free software Blade Calculator.

Therefore, the output obtained for the given parameters are;

7. WIND TURBINE MODEL AND SPECIFICATION
Base on the calculation and analysis, our wind turbine system specification as follows;
Specification HAWT-5KW WIND Model
GENERATOR
Blades rotor diameter 5 m (16.4 ft.)
Blade material and 3 Pcs / FRP
quantity
Rated power 5000W
Max power 9000W
Rated rotate speed 267.51(r/min)
Startup wind speed 3 m/s ( 6.72 mph)
Rated wind speed 10m/s ( 22.4mph)
Working wind speed 3-25m/s (6.72-56 mph)
Protection method Tail vane Autolean
Optional Output 220V
Voltage(DC)
Top weight 410 kg
Generator Type PMG AC Direct Drive
Generator Material Cast iron body+copper
/surface treatment wire+electrostatic painting
Swept area 19.625 m2
 MODELING AND SIMULATION
1.1 Introduction
For this work, MatLab Simulink software has been used to model the wind energy
system. MatLab Simulink was chosen for this work because it is user friendly and
had the entire component to design a model of wind system. This beta wind
toolbox can be downloaded from internet and then saved at the existing Simulink
library. By using the latest wind beta toolbox, it becomes easier to understand the
circuit model. After finished designing the model, the parameter of all component
were set using own value.
1.2 Wind Energy System Model
A wind turbine can be designed by using Matlab-Simulink as shown in figure
below. The designed system consist of a 5 KW (can be changed to any value) wind
turbine connected to a load 400KVA and electric power source 25 KV through
three phase transformer, the active and reactive power is measured for different
wind speed and different pitch angle of the blade.
Below is the wind turbine system model using MAT Simulink
1.3 Model Component and Function
 Wind turbine
Wind turbine component consist the parameter that can be set with own
value such as pitch angle and base wind speed. Figure 4.4 shows the wind
turbine block and the parameter that can be set during the simulation
process.
 Scope block
Scope block can produce the waveform from every connection. By using
this scope, the magnitude of output power either real or reactance power
can be read and recorded.

 Three phase programmable voltage source

Three phase programmable voltage source is use to generate a three-phase
sinusoidal voltage with time-varying parameters. You can program the time variation for the
amplitude, phase, or frequency of the fundamental component of the source.
 Display block component
Display block component is used to measure and display the value of active
power (P) and reactive power (Q).

 Scope block
Scope block can produce the waveform from the connection. By using this
scope, the magnitude of output power either real or reactance power can be
read and recorded.

 Three phase Transformer

This block implements a three-phase transformer using three single-phase
transformers. The saturable core can be simulated simply by setting the
appropriate checkbox in the parameter menu of the block.
 Three-Phase Series RLC
The Three-Phase Series RLC Load block implements a three-phase balanced load as a series
combination of RLC elements. At the specified frequency, the load exhibits a constant
impedance. The active and reactive powers absorbed by the load are proportional to the
square of the applied voltage.

1.4 Results for the wind turbine

 Turbine speed vs. output power for different pitch angle equal
Pitch angle can be defined as the angle of attack of the wind with the blade.
Changing pitch angle means that the angle of attack of the wind is changed;
 this can be done by changing the set of the wind turbine in Matlab-simulink in
the wind turbine parameters block. Table below show how pitch angle affect
the output power of turbine for different wind speed.

Pitch angle Graph

0

10

 Effect of changing wind speed on the output power.

The table below shows the effect of changing wind speed on the output power (Active
power) when the pitch angle is constant.

Wind Graph from Scope Power Reading

speed (KW)

Active Power= 4.085KW

12m/s

Active Power= 8.137KW

13m/s
 Active Power= 13.72KW

14m/s

Active Power= 1.01KW

11m/s
 1.5 Discussion

Note that the wind turbine generator capacity that was calculated is rated at
4.639KW in 12m/s winds and the wind power that was calculated is 8.342KW.
Why the power of the wind is so much larger than the maximum power of the
turbine generator is because of the Betz Limit and inefficiencies in the system.
The Betz law means that wind turbines can never be better than 59.3% efficient.
The law can be simply explained by considering that if all of the energy coming
from wind movement into the turbine were converted into useful energy then the
wind speed afterwards would be zero. However, if the wind stopped moving at
the exit of the turbine, then no more fresh wind could get in - it would be
blocked. In order to keep the wind moving through the turbine, to keep getting
energy, there has to be some wind movement on the outside with energy left in
it. There must be a 'sweet spot' somewhere and there is, the Betz limit at 59.3%.

Pitch angle can be defined as the angle of attack of the wind with the blade.
Changing pitch angle means that the angle of attack of the wind is changed, this
can be done by changing the set of the wind turbine in Matlab-simulink in the
wind turbine parameters block as shown above. For example, when the pitch
angle is zero and wind speed is 12 m/sec we get maximum power but if we
change the pitch angle to 5 and 10 respectively for the same wind speed the
output power is decrease and this indicate the effect of pitch angle on the output
power as shown on the result. So the pitch angle value must be evaluated for
optimum wind speed in order to get best output power such as it change
automatically when the speed is high or low and this done by using proper
position control, the optimum pitch angle value is set as set point for the wind
turbine. This position control system change the pitch angle according to wind
speed, for example for high wind speed the pitch angle decrease and for low wind
speed the pitch angle increase to get constant speed and after that to obtain best
output power and for the safety of the blades structure.

On the result, one can see the effect of changing wind speed on the output power
(Active power) when the pitch angle is constant. The output power of the wind
turbine depend on wind speed, so the output power change when the wind speed
is change as shown in result. As noted from the simulation, output power of the
wind turbine depend on wind speed. Thus, the output power change when the
wind speed is change. The maximum power for our wind turbine when simulated
is 4.085KW when the wind speed is 12 m/sec.