Renewable Generation & Distributed Generation

MSC course

PVSyst Tutorial

Dr. Sahban Alnaser

© 2020 S. Alnaser - The University of Jordan 1

 Exercise

 You are required to design a roof-mounted (on a flat roof) PV

system in Jordan (Amman) that is specified as follows:
– Location: University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
– PV array azimuth: 0º due south
– PV array inclination: 30º from the horizontal
– PV mounting type: Free installation
– PV array peak power: 3 kWp
– PV modules: Generic Poly-crystalline Silicon 250P 250Wp
– Inverter AC output: Single-phase AC (230V)
– Inverter power: 3 kVA
– Inverter mounting: Outdoor installation

© 2020 S. Alnaser - The University of Jordan 2

 Step 1: Select or create a site

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 Step 1: Select or create a site

 Choose the Geographical site

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 Step 1: Select or create a site

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 Step 1: Select or create a site

 Click Import

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 Step 1: Select or create a site

 Press OK and provide a name for the created geographical

site:

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 Site Sun Path Diagram

 Let’s us return back to the geographical site parameters to

understand the impacts on the sun path diagram and the
difference between solar time and local time

 What are the solar angles on 21/3?

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 Step 2: Create a Project

 Create a Work space to save the files of the project

– Files  Workspace

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 Step 2: Create a Project

 Select New
– Choose the location of the Workspace

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 Step 2: Create a Project

 Project basic definitions

– Geographical site of your system
– The reference to a file with the meteorological data
– Some general parameters like the Albedo definition
– Some sizing conditions and parameters specific to this project
– In the database it will get a filename with the extension *.PRJ

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 Step 2: Create a Project

 Site and Meteo:

– You can browse and check the settings of the meteo file
– If the file does not exist  You can create new site and add it to
the database

 Save the active project

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 Step 2: Create a Project

 Project Settings for the design  Temperature

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 Step 2: Create a Project

 Project Settings for the design  Albedo

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 Step 3: System variant

 System variant (All the detailed definitions of your system,

which will result in a simulation calculations
– Choice of solar panels and inverters, the number of panels and
inverters
– Geometrical layout and possible shadings, Electrical connections
– In the database, the files with the Variants of a project will have
the Project's file name, with extensions VC0, VC1, VCA, etc. You
can define up to 36 Variants per project.

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 Step 3: System variant

 Type a name for a first simulation variant e.g Pvsystem

 The next option parameter to be completed is the Orientation
of the PV system

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 Step 3: System variant

 Effect of tilt angle

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 System Design

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 3.0 kWp System Design

 Choose System
– Enter planned power to be 3.0 kWp
– Select Inverter as SMA Sunny 3000TL-21 inverter
– Select PV module as Generic Poly-crystalline Silicon 250 Wp PV
modules, 60 cells
– 1 PV string of 12 PV modules in series.
• Within Design array choose 12 modules in series in order to
keep the nominal power ratio (100 % nominal power ratio)

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 System Design

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 3.0 kWp System Design – PV module

8.33 A x 30V =249.9 W (STC)

 PV module

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 3.0 kWp System Design- Inverter Selection

 SMA Sunny 3000TL-21 inverter

 Even though the software indicates that the inverter has 2
MPPT trackers, deselect Use of MPPT feature

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 3.0 kWp System Design- Inverter Selection

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 3.0 kWp System Design – Detailed Losses

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 Detailed Losses

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 Simulations

 When reaching this point of the design, all the lights on the
project design screen should be green and the simulation
button should be active to be pressed

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 Simulations

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 Simulations

 Performance ratio is defined in the IEC EN 61724 as

– PR = E_Grid / (GlobInc * Pnom)
– The product (GlobInc * Pnom) is numerically equivalent to the
Energy which would be produced if the system was always
running with its nominal efficiency as defined by the nameplate
nominal power [kWh]
– PR is related to the system quality, and allows the comparison
between installations in different locations and orientations
– It is often used as Performance Warranty basis
– The PR includes all the array losses mentioned on the Loss
diagram (Shadings, IAM, Soiling, PV conversion, mismatch, wiring
resistance, etc) and the system losses (inverter efficiency and AC
losses in grid-connected)

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 Simulations

Performance ratio = 5.228MWh/(3*2330.8)= 0.748

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 Step 3: System variant

 Horizon (Far Shadings): Simplest way for defining shadings

– Only suited for treating shadings of objects sufficiently far,
say, ten times the PV field size
– You can change the red lines in order to insert information for Far
Shadings

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 Step 4: Shading Effects

 Building dimensions  PV Plane ( 3kWp connected as 12

– Width (x): 25 m modules in series) position
– Length (y): 10 m – x: 15 m

– Height (z): 3m – y: 7 m
– z: 3.2m

 X: Red
 Y: Green

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 Step 4: Shading Effects

 Click on the Construction / Perspective and the following

screen will appear. In this screen you will design your system

 For each Object

– Create the Object
– Define the dimensions of the Object
– Define the position of the Object

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 Step 4: Shading Effects

 Click on the Construction / Perspective and the following

screen will appear. In this screen you will design your system
 Building
– Create→ Building / Compose Object
– Add Object
– Define the type
– Define the dimensions
– Define position after clicking rotate

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 Step 4: Shading Effects

 Panels
– Create Rectangular PV
plane (single or
multiple)
– Select the number of
rectangles: 1
– Select the tilt to 30°
– Select by modules
– Indicate the number of
moudels:12 (Remember
that the design
comprises of 12 series
modules)
– Define the position (X =
15 m, Y = 7 m and Z =
3.20 m)
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 Step 4: Shading Effects

 Panels
– Create PV tables as Sheds ("Shed" or
"row" in PVsyst is a physical structure
(mechanics) which receives PV modules)
• 19 modules in series
• 9 rows (strings)
• Pitch (distance between the starting
of the first and second rows) is 5m

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 Step 4: Shading Effects

 Place a shading object to your scene (e.g. a tree)

– Shading object – Tree
 Create  Elementary shading object
 Within Position set X = 2 m and Y= 14 m

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 Step 4: Shading Effects

 To complete the shading setup:

– Press File and Save the scene
 Tools  Shading animation

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 Simulations
 Exit the shading scene and press Yes to keep the shading
scene
 Run again the simulation to observe the effects on the energy
yield due to shading. Again examine the report and check the
loss due to shading

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 Simulations

 You can run the simulation again but

now you can simulate shadings more
accurately by selecting According to
module strings
 Press Construction / Perspective
– Edit Select the PV array and click on
the Partition to module chains
– There is only 1 string in this design so
select Number of strings in width: 1
and In Height: 1

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 Module Layout

 String definition

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 Module Layout

 Define modules orientation ( Portrait)

 Set all modules
 Choose string per string
 Using the left click button you can choose the modules within
the selected string ( right click to delete a module)
 Use in simulation

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