Uganda's electricity sector for long has been depending on hydro as a base power source. Diesel is currently the second source of electricity which supplements the hydro power. The use of diesel has some implications; first, the price of... more
Uganda's electricity sector for long has been depending on hydro as a base power source. Diesel is currently the second source of electricity which supplements the hydro power. The use of diesel has some implications; first, the price of fuel is high and therefore the energy produced is also expensive. Secondly, diesel power would not be a better option because of its immediate and long term effect on environment due to carbon emission and other pollutants that are often injected into atmosphere from diesel. This paper therefore examines the possibility of using solar PV systems as alternative to diesel as a source of electricity. The paper has also established that the tendency of depending on non-renewable sources of electricity can be minimized and at the same time reducing the cost of energy in the future.
This paper presents a simulation of a grid-connected photovoltaic power system. A complex model of power distribution system is developed in MATLAB Simulink, then it will be simulated to determine an amount of power delivered to the grid... more
This paper presents a simulation of a grid-connected photovoltaic power system. A complex model of power distribution system is developed in MATLAB Simulink, then it will be simulated to determine an amount of power delivered to the grid based on irradiance and temperature. Solar irradiance data collection is conducted using a solar irradiance meter. These weather data (solar irradiances and temperatures) are transformed into signal inputs and model through a grid-tied Photovoltaic (PV) model system which consists of PV, incremental conductance Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) method, DC-DC boost converter, inverter, voltage source converter (VSC) control algorithms, and grid equipment. The output variables can be related to current, voltage or power. However, tracing of the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics or power-voltage (P-V) characteristics are the vital need to grid-tied PV system operation. Changes in solar irradiance and temperature imply changes in output variables. Detailed modelling of the effect of irradiance and temperature, on the parameters of the PV module and the output parameters will be discussed. With the aid of this model, one can have a feasible idea about the solar energy generation potential at given locations. This comprehensive model is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink software.
Uganda’s electricity sector for long has been depending on hydro as a base power source. Diesel is currently the second source of electricity which supplements the hydro power. The use of diesel has some implications; first, the price of... more
Uganda’s electricity sector for long has been depending on hydro as a base power source. Diesel is currently the second source of electricity which supplements the hydro power. The use of diesel has some implications; first, the price of fuel is high and therefore the energy produced is also expensive. Secondly, diesel power would not be a better option because of its immediate and long term effect on
environment due to carbon emission and other pollutants that are often injected into atmosphere from diesel. This paper therefore examines the possibility of using solar PV systems as alternative to diesel as a source of electricity. The paper has also established that the tendency of depending on nonrenewable sources of electricity can be minimized and at the same time reducing the cost of energy in the future.
This paper aims to select the optimum inverter size for large-scale PV power plants grid-connected based on the optimum combination between PV array and inverter, among several possible combinations. Inverters used in this proposed... more
This paper aims to select the optimum inverter size for large-scale PV power plants grid-connected based on the optimum combination between PV array and inverter, among several possible combinations. Inverters used in this proposed methodology have high-efficiency conversion in the range of 98.5% which is largely used in real large-scale PV power plants to increase the financial benefits by injecting maximum energy into the grid. To investigate the PV array-inverter sizing ratio, many PV power plants rated power are considered. The proposed method is based on the modelling of several parts of the PV power plant taking into account many design variables and constraints. The objective function is the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and the optimization is performed by a multi-verse algorithm. The optimization method results in an optimum inverter size that depends on the PV plant rated capacity by providing an optimum number of inverters required in the installation site. The optimum sizing ratio (Rs) between PV array and inverter were found equal to 0.928, 0.904, and 0.871 for 1 MW, 1.5 MW, and more than 2 MW, respectively, whereas the total power losses reached 8% of the total energy generation during the PV power plant operational lifetime.
This paper presents a simulation of a grid-connected photovoltaic power system. A complex model of power distribution system is developed in MATLAB Simulink, then it will be simulated to determine an amount of power delivered to the grid... more
This paper presents a simulation of a grid-connected photovoltaic power system. A complex model of power distribution system is developed in MATLAB Simulink, then it will be simulated to determine an amount of power delivered to the grid based on irradiance and temperature. Solar irradiance data collection is conducted using a solar irradiance meter. These weather data (solar irradiances and temperatures) are transformed into signal inputs and model through a grid-tied Photovoltaic (PV) model system which consists of PV, incremental conductance Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) method, DC-DC boost converter, inverter, voltage source converter (VSC) control algorithms, and grid equipment. The output variables can be related to current, voltage or power. However, tracing of the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics or power-voltage (P-V) characteristics are the vital need to grid-tied PV system operation. Changes in solar irradiance and temperature imply changes in output variables....
