REPORT

https://www.ijert.org/research/design-of-50-mw-grid-connected-solar-power-plant-
IJERTV9IS040762.pdf

Trinasolar Vertex PV Module

up to 11 kV using a transformer. SLD of 50 MW system is shown in Figs. 9.23 and 9.24. A 50 MW solar
plant can be divided into two nos of 25 MW blocks. Each 25 MW unit is divided into five nos of 5 MW
blocks. At present, as the inverters of sizes 2 and 2.5 MW are available, one block can be 12.5 MW
capacity or it can have different configurations with the usage of five winding transformers. The
inverter duty transformers step up the inverter voltage to 33 kV. The transformers output will be
brought to 33 kV switchgear using ring main units or vacuum circuit breakers. If the design of
switchyard is with double bay, the plant will have better reliability.

Introduction research copy

Objectives of the Project

the primary objective of the Solar Flagships Program is to provide the foundation for large scale, grid-
connected, solar power to play a significant role in Australia’s electricity supply and to operate within
a competitive electricity market. Specific objectives of the program are to:

- „ Develop a solar industry in Australia.

- „ Encourage regional development.
- „ Provide research infrastructure.
- „ Develop Australian intellectual property in solar power generation.
- „ Develop and share technical and economic knowledge from the Solar Flagships Program.

As a component of the Solar Flagships Program, the proposed Broken Hill Solar Plant has been
designed to be consistent with and contribute to the achievement of these objectives.

1.4. Overview of the Project

The project involves construction and operation of a nominal 50 MW solar PV plant, approximately
five kilometres south-west of Broken Hill in far western NSW . The plant would comprise a series of
PV solar panels mounted on fixed frames and would occupy approximately 200 hectares of land
(refer to Figure 1-1). The project also includes installation and operation of a double circuit 22kV
overhead transmission line, approximately 2.7 kilometres in length, to connect the PV plant to the
electricity grid at the TransGrid Broken Hill substation. There is an existing 22 kV transmission line
that traverses the proposed plant site. This would be realigned around the solar PV plant (refer to
Figure 1-1). A detailed description of the key elements of the project is provided in Chapter 4.

The project would comprise the following key elements:

- A solar PV plant constructed using cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film solar PV modules,
installed in regular arrays with an aggregate nominal capacity of approximately 50 MW. Each
solar module would be fixed at a 250 tilt from the horizontal with a 00 north azimuth.
- A new 22kV double circuit transmission line approximately 2.7 kilometres long to connect
the solar plant to TransGrid’s Broken Hill substation.
- Diversion of an existing aboveground 22kV transmission line around the solar plant. The
diverted section of line would be installed underground.
 - Aboveground and underground electrical conduits and cabling which connect the arrays to
the inverters and transformers.
- A system of inverters and step up transformers throughout the PV arrays. „ Marshalling
switchgear to collect the power from the PV arrays.
- Internal access tracks to allow for maintenance of the site.
- Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) control system.
- Site office and maintenance building. „ Temporary infrastructure associated with site
construction including the site compound and storage areas.

A PV cell is a semiconductor device that converts sunlight into electricity. Multiple cells can be
combined to form a PV module. The efficiency of a PV module is measured by its ability to absorb
light particles called photons. The more photons that are absorbed, the more efficient the panel is at
converting light into electricity. When light strikes a PV cell, some of the light energy is absorbed
within the semiconductor material. The energy knocks electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely.
The electrons will flow in one direction within the module and exit through connecting wires as solar
electricity, ultimately providing power for residential and commercial users. The modules are
connected together in strings. These strings are then connected together to form arrays.

This is required to provide a certain amount of voltage and current to the input of the inverters. The
proposed solar PV plant would comprise a series of arrays using the First Solar CdTe thin film 80 watt
(or greater) Series 3 PV modules. First Solar PV modules are manufactured on glass and are thinner
and lighter than traditional crystalline silicon modules. First Solar modules provide superior energy
output in low, indirect, and diffuse light conditions, producing relatively more electricity on cloudy
days. These modules also have a lower temperature coefficient than traditional crystalline silicon
modules, resulting in superior performance at higher ambient temperatures. The PV modules would
be supported on mounting frames consisting of vertical posts and horizontal rails. The modules
would be mounted facing due north at a fixed tilt from horizontal of 25 degrees. The overall plant
capacity would be rated at a nominal 50 MW AC. The plant would comprise 42 x 1.26 MW AC arrays,
consisting of over 650,000 modules. Indicatively, each array would comprise 36 rows of modules with
approximately 45.6 kW-dc installed in each row. The rows would be spaced at 5.4864 metres (18
foot) on centre. Each row will consist of 32 strings (approximately), with approximately 15 modules
(up to 95 watts each) per string. Each 1.26 MW AC array will consist of (approximately) 17,280
modules installed in (approximately) 1,152 strings. The standard 1.26 MW AC block is shown in 3
In Grid-connected projects, the "system" is defined as the set of components constituting the PV-
array, i.e. the PV modules, strings, inverter, up to the connection to the grid.
The system is organized as a set of sub-arrays: one sub-array is constituted of
- A PV module model, chosen in the database,

- An inverter model, chosen in the database,

The number of inverter inputs (either full inverters or number of MPPT inputs, cf Multi-MPPT
- inverters),

- The number of modules in series, and the number of module strings.

The number of strings should ideally be a multiple of the number of MPPT inputs. However PVsyst
will accept uneven number of strings, and will distribute them in the most balanced way across the
MPPT inputs - for example 10 strings on 3 MPPT inputs will be distributed as 3 + 3 + 4. A warning
will be issued when the imbalance is too high (for example distribution of 2 and 3 strings on
different MPPT inputs).
In some cases, additional devices may be added to the sub-array: for example Module or
- String Optimizers.
As a consequence of this organization, in PVsyst all the strings of modules connected to the input of
an inverter (or a MPPT input), are homogeneous: identical modules and inverters, same number of
modules in series, same orientation.
However some aspects of this homogeneity are a general rule for any real installation: you should
never put a different number of modules in series on a same inverter input: this may have dramatic
consequences on the operating conditions of your system (namely for the MPP research).
And mixing different module models on a MPPT input is not advised. Studying arrays with different
module kinds (for example a mix of power classes) is not possible in PVsyst in the present time.
Orientation
An orientation is associated to each sub-array. Normally all modules of a sub-array should be in the
same orientation.
Mixing PV modules of different orientations within a given string is not acceptable, as you may have
big mismatch current losses due to different irradiances (the current of a string is governed by the
worst cell).
However you can mix strings in different orientations, because the mismatch in voltage (strings in
parallel) is usually very low. PVsyst allows the creation of sub-arrays with 2 orientations on a same
inverter input (cf Heterogeneous planes).
Managing sub-arrays
PVsyst allows the definition an unlimited number of different sub-arrays.
You can manage (add, copy, rename, move and delete) in the list on the right of the dialog.
For the management or the automatic sizing of each sub-array, you can specify either the desired
nominal power, or the available area for your modules.
Simulation
During the simulation, each sub-array will be modeled independently, but only the energy and losses
sums will be available as outputs. If you want to study the losses of a specific sub-array you should
perform a simulation of this sub-system alone.

The MPPT of inverter tracks the maximum power of solar array and the inverter converts the
DC power into Solar PV Power. 365 three-phase AC power. The inverter output voltage is
stepped up to the required voltage of 11 or 22 or 33 kV, depending on the requirement, using
an inverter duty transformer. The outputs of the transformers are combined and paralleled in a
switchgear. The switchgear with protection systems transmits the power to the switchyard and
there, the power is evacuated to the transmission line. There will be a SCADA system to
monitor the electrical parameters of the plant and weather details and provide the remote
monitoring facility. Broad system components of a ground-based grid-connected solar PV
power system are as follows:
1. Solar PV Modules
2. DC Array Junction Box (String Combiner Box)
3. Inverter/Power Conditioning Unit
4. AC Distribution Board 5. DC and AC Cable, HT cable
6. Module Mounting Structure
7. Single Axis Tracker (optional)
8. Transformer
9. Isolators
10. LT Panel ‘
11. Switchgear/HT Panel FIG.
12. HT Switchyard/Substation
13. Metering Unit

A solar PV-powered residential grid-connected system (with battery storage) typically has
these major components: a solar PV module, a hybrid inverter, a battery, and a module
mounting system with associated cables, a net meter unit, and other components. These
systems use hybrid inverters that can be directly connected to the grid at the LT bus (400/415
V AC, single or three-phase system) while simultaneously charging the battery bank with
surplus power from the solar PV module to feed power into the grid, based on set of
parameters. Fig. 6.19 shows a schematic of a typical grid-connected solar PV system with
battery storage.
 The total number of PV modules which must be installed in the PV plant NI,o is calculated
according to the PV plant power rating Pplant,nom (MWp ) that is specified by the PV plant
Fig. 1. Block diagram of the large PV plant. designer, as follows: NI,o = Pplant,nom · 106
PM,STC (1) where PM,STC (W) is the power rating of each PV module. As shown in Fig. 1, the
PV modules of the PV plant are distributed in PV sets, and each PV set is connected to a PV
inverter. Each PV set consists of Np PV strings (Np ≥ 1), while each string is comprised of Ns PV
modules that are connected in series (Ns ≥ 1). The minimum and the maximum number of PV
modules which can be connected in series in each PV string, Nsmin and Nsmax , respectively,
are calculated according to the PV inverter dc input maximum power point (MPP) voltage level
Vi,max (V) and the maximum permissible dc input voltage level, VDC,max (V), both specified
by the PV inverter manufacturer, as follows: Nsmin = 1 ≤ Ns ≤ Nsmax = = min floor Vi,max
VM,max , floor VDC,max Voc,max (2) where Voc,max and VM,max are the maximum open-
circuit voltage (V) and MPP voltage (V), respectively, which can be developed at the PV module
output terminals according to the incident solar irradiation and ambient temperature
conditions that prevail at the PV plant installation site during the year.

The type of PV panels and mounting structures define the major conceptual design elements of the
solar farm. The city has specified an AMAT or equivalent line of large amorphous silicon thin film
panels measuring 2.2 x 2.6 meters with an estimated efficiency of 6-7.5 percent. These panels
would be mounted on racks, facing due south, at an angle of 30 degrees above horizontal to
maximize the system for annual energy production. The mounting racks would be aligned in rows
along an east-west axis across the entire area defined for the project. Depending on the height of
the panels off the ground, it is estimated that approximately nine to ten feet of spacing between
rows would be required to prevent shading from one row of modules onto the other. This row
distance is determined by the “design day,” or Winter Solstice, when the sun is at its lowest point
above the horizon and casts the longest shadow. In addition, providing adequate distance between
rows allows for access by maintenance vehicles or small cranes should system maintenance or
module replacement be required. In addition to the panels and racks, inverters will be required to
convert the solar power generated from DC to AC power so it can be exported to the utility grid.
The largest PV inverters available are 500 kVa (kW). These inverters are an ideal size, as each
inverter would handle five percent of the power generated. In the event of an inverter failure, only
five percent of the entire system would be unavailable for power generation. Many large PV
systems also employ the use of a pre-wired spare inverter wherein if an existing inverter fails, the
power is rerouted to the spare inverter. Use of a spare inverter eliminates any down time while the
failed inverter is repaired or replaced. In addition, solar farms of this size would require a
switchgear at the point of interconnection to the utility distribution system; however, the 500 kVa
inverters have a built-in internal switchgear which negates the need for a single large switchgear.
Inverters are placed on concrete pads, and should be placed strategically throughout the solar farm
to minimize DC wiring line losses. Often, the inverters are placed in a row, in the center of the solar
farm, perpendicular to the rows of solar panels. In addition, the solar farm developer will need to
work closely with CenterPoint Energy to meet all interconnection requirements for connecting with
the power grid. Figure 2 below provides a one-line diagram of the conceptual design elements of a
500 kW PV building block which would be replicated 20 times to achieve the desired 10 MW system
size.