CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 LOCATION OF THE EXPERIMENT
This experiment is located at office complex, SANS complex, Laboratories and other locations where
inverter and solar system had been instored.
Maintenance Procedures of the Project
I. The procedures involved in the maintenance of solar power inverter is as follows: -
II. Maintenance of the solar panel stand
III. Maintenance of the PV module
IV. Battery bank maintenance
V. Inverter and charge controller maintenance
VI. Common solar fault an remedies
3. 2 Maintenance of the Solar Panel Stand
Solar panel stand house the solar panel which provides mechanical support that can maintain
a permanent position where the sun rays can effectively fall on it to obtain optimum
performance. The solar panel stand is made up of steel and welded together to produce a
reliable enclosure and held together with binding wires to ensure its firmness on it. The solar
panels were laid on it carefully.
3. 3 Maintenance of the Solar Panel
The photovoltaic cell or modules are collection of solar cells Electrically connected and
joined together in one frame photovoltaic, (photo=light, voltaic=electricity) convert the
energy of the sun to Electricity. Each cell, a solar panel produce about 0.5v, the more the
number of the photocells in the panel, the higher the voltage to be generated. Clear out any
debris at the base of the solar panel mounting brackets and connections. If too much junk gets
caught in here, it could deteriorate the surface causing leaks in your roof. This is a very
important but often neglected part of solar panel maintenance and cleaning a solar panel.
Maintenance for PV system can be classified into the following categories Mechanical and
Electrical Maintenance.
• Mechanical maintenance
This refer to maintenance activities involving the support structure of the
Solar system. Such structures include the PV array mount, as well as the Mounting structure
of all the other system components.
 • Electrical maintenance
To ensure optimal system performance, you have to measure the electrical characteristics of
the PV system from time to time. You must be able to carry out basic measurements using a
digital multimeter.
Solar system maintenance include the following task:
• Visual inspection of components and wiring systems.
• Evaluation of structural attachments and weather sealing.
• Cleaning and removal of debris around arrays. Battery maintenance
• measuring electrical characteristics and verifying systems performance
• Replacement of failed or faulty system components.
3.2 SPECIFIC MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES FOR SYSTEM COMPONENTS
3.2.1 PV Array Maintenance
Maintenance activities for the PV arrays are generally mechanical. You will be
expected to tighten bolts that fasten the array to the mounts, remove leaves that fall on the PV
array, remove dust which accumulates on the surface of the PV array, etc.
Specifically the PV array maintenance activities could include:
• Debris removal: periodically remove a debris, leaves or trash around the PV array.
Debris presents a fire hazard as well as drainage problem. It can lead to Mildew and
insect problems, ultimately causing cable damage.
• Shade control: Blockage from the sun result in energy loss. Therefore, you have to
ensure that the PV array is not shaded by any natural or man made objects. Object
such as trees or shrubs, which were not present at the time of the installation could be
a major cause of shade. Regularly trim all plants which could cast a shadow on your
PV array
• Soiling: PV modules collect dust and are soiled over time, especially in arid a semi-
arid regions were rainfall is in frequent. Things like bird droppings an engine
emission can also accumulate on the surface of the PV modules. This can lead to a
reduction in array output of up to 20%. Therefore, periodic cleaning of the PV
modules is essential.
• Weather sealing and structural maintenance: All equipment that is exposed to the
elements should be inspected regularly for signs of weathering. Regularly inspect all
points where the solar PV arrays is attached to a building for signs of water leakage
and initiate necessary repair immediately
Fig 3.1: Diagram of a PV array
3.2.2 Battery Bank Maintenance
Battery maintenance is the most critical aspect of any off-grid or hybrid solar PV system. To
maximize the battery lifespan, monthly maintenance must be carried out on the battery.
Battery maintenance task depend on a number of factors such as the type of electrolytes and
manufacturer. These tasks include:
• Inspecting and cleaning the battery racks and battery terminals. Battery racks should
be inspected for structural integrity and dust removed at every maintenance interval.
Always check for and remove any corrosion.
• Inspecting the battery disconnect, over current devices and wiring connected to the
Battery bank.
• Electrical protective devices are the only safeguard on the PV system to protect the
user from electrocution. You must check this device to ensure that they are fully
Functional.
• measuring voltage across the battery bank. The voltage flowing across a battery bank
is an important indicator of the state of charge of the battery bank.
• checking terminal and connecting cables. If the connecting cables are not firmly
• Connected and terminated, the partial contact could result in arcing, which could melt
the battery casing and lead to fire.
• Topping up the electrolyte with distilled water (wet cell battery)
Types of battery Absorb glass mat
Soc Gel AGM Wet cell
100% 12.95v 12.8v 12.60v
75% 12.74v 12.55v 12.36v
50% 12.54v 12.30v 12.10v
25% 12.34v 12.20v 11.90v
0% 12.10v 12.00v 11.80v
Table 3.1 Expected voltmeter reading for 12V battery
3.2.2.1 Maintenance Activities on Battery Bank
Before you begin maintenance work on a battery bank, you must perform the following
procedure:
Isolate the battery bank by disconnecting the input (supply) from the solar PV array and the
output from the electrical load.
▪ If working on a dry cell batteries, ensure that the terminals are clean.
▪ If working on wet cell batteries, ensure that the caps of each individual cell are tightly
sealed to prevent dirt from entering the cells.
▪ First aid kit, make sure that a kit is always on sit and fully stocked.
▪ Ensure that a mixture of baking soda and water is close by when working on wet cell
3.2.2.2 Batteries In Case Of Acid Spills.
Precautions to Take When Working With Batteries
When working with batteries, follow all relevant safety rules and regulations. These include:
• Always wear safety goggles when undertaking battery maintenance.
• If working on wet cells, wear protective gloves that are resistant to battery acid solution.
• If working on wet cells, always have a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and
water at hand to treat acid burns.
• Always use tools with insulated handles when undertaking battery maintenance.
• Do not smoke or light a fire near batteries.

BATTERY

3.2.3 INVERTER AND CHARGE CONTROLLER MAINTENANCE

The Inverter and charge controller are system components, which are mostly installed indoors
and which rarely have moving parts except the inbuilt cooling fan. Required maintenance
activities include the following:
Tighten all electrical connections and terminals connected to the Inverter system.
wipe all accumulated dust from vents and surfaces using a dry cloth.
Visually examine all indicators and displays to ensure that the PV array is charging the
battery bank. With the use of multimeter, measure the voltage and current for the system
Components.
3.2.3.1 Maintaining cables and connections
Take care to inspect all cables in the system, ensuring that you do not omit any from your
periodic maintenance. Task to be carried out include:
• Inspect all Panels and boxes for rodent infestation and tighten all connection points.
• inspect the efficiency of switches and breakers. Switch them on and off, looking for
spark there should be no spark.
• check for sign of corrosion or burning on the cables and at their connection terminal
Points.
• Where possible, visually inspect all conduit pipes and trucking for wear and tear.
• Ensure all grounding connection are intact.
3.2.3.2 Documenting Maintenance Activities
As a PV installation professional, you must always document all maintenance activities that
you carry out on the PV system. Important documentation items include:
• Maintenance schedule, which shows the maintenance frequency and dates, the type of
maintenance, involved components and responsible technician.
• PV array log sheet, which shows the maintenance date, condition of the PV array,
Condition of the PV array mounting structure, condition of the cabling, array output
Voltage and array output current.
• Battery inspection log sheet, which shows the date, battery serial number, condition of
terminals and connections, voltage level of the batteries in the bank, and action(s)
Taken.
3.2.3.3 TROUBLESHOOTING
Over the lifetime of the PV system, some faults may develop, which you will need to
diagnose and rectify. The method you choose depends on a variety of factors such as the type
of fault as well as the system type and age.
Before getting into more detailed troubleshooting, talk to the system owner or operator and as
the following questions. They might provide a quick, easy answer to the problem:
Has the weather been cloudy recently? Less sunlight means the system will generate less
energy than the load consumes.
• Is the system a new installation? Failure in a new system can be caused by faulty
components or improper installation.
Have there been any recent modification to the system wiring?
have you added any new loads which were not part of the original system design?
How old are the batteries?
 CHARGE CONTROLLER INVERTER
3.3 AC & DC Load
Gadgets and appliances that use electrical power are defined as “loads”. It may be DC or AC
depending on the area of application. Power consumption units are load for the PV systems.
Proper load estimation should be taken in the installation of standard PV system. The
electrical loads (either inductive or resistive) must be considered for the purpose of the PV
system design. Resistive loads don’t necessitate any significant surge current whenever they
are energized. Meanwhile, inductive loads need a large amount of current when they are first
energized which is about 3.5 times the usual energy requirements.
In this project, proper selection and estimation of load was done to avoid overloading
of the solar panels, batteries and inverter.
3.3.1 System Wiring
The size and selection of the cable is essential for the efficient working operation of the PV
system. The current carrying capacity of the cable should be greater than its specification
because anything exceeding the limit can cause damage and electrical hazard in the whole PV
system. That’s why it is necessary that the current carrying rating should be strictly chosen
more than its actual capacity in accordance to the Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering (IEEE).
Therefore, in this project 4mm2 cable size was used and channeled through the PVC
conduit pipes

Fig 3.2 the circuit block diagram of the project

3.3.2 PROJECT ASSEMBLY AND TOOL
The following enlist the procedures in achieving this project: -
• Maintenance of the solar module on the standing structure.
• Connection of the solar panel in series to provide healthy charging to the batteries
• Running of wires through conduit pipes from the mounting structure of the solar
panels to the control rooms where the inverter and charge controller is located.
• Maintenance and installation of the charge controller in the control room.
• Connection of the charging output of the charge controller to the batteries.
• Connection of the batteries in series in order to give the required voltage rating of the
inverter which is 48V.
• Connection of the load to the inverter.
• Washing of the solar panels
3.3.3 The tools use for the PV module maintenance are shown in the table 3.1.
S/N Tools Applications
1. Hammer It is used to drive nail into the wall and
also for creating holes

2. Screw driver It is used to drive screws in and out of

the equipment.

3. Hack saw It is used for cutting of PVC conduit

pipes to their required sizes.

4. Pliers It is used for stripping off insulation

from wires and also to cut cables.

5. Hand chisel It is used for boring holes on the wall or

piece of material.
6. Moping sticks It is use for moping the panels with
water.
7. Buckets It is use to carry water for moping.

8. Multimeter it is use for taking the voltage readings

before and after the pv module
maintenance
3.3.4 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION
The working principle of the project works is thus; the solar PV system use solar cells to
converts the sun’s radiant energy into electricity (that is the photovoltaic effect of the solar
cells which converts the sun’s heat into direct current (DC) electricity) which is passed
through a 25mm2 PVC conduit pipe of 4mm2 cable connected to 60A charge controller. The
charge controller permits only the amount of current needed to charge the batteries. It possess
three terminals; the input terminal takes the supply coming from the solar panels and two
output terminals, one goes to the batteries and the other is meant for DC loads. The terminal
meant for charging the batteries are connected to the batteries to receive charging currents
from the solar panels and the terminals of the batteries are linked to the inverter. The 48V,
3.5KVA inverter then converts the 48V DC supply into 230V AC, 50Hz supply which is fed
to the AC loads.
3.3.5 MAINTENANCE PRESCRIPTION MANUAL
The possible faults, causes and remedies that can be applied when the device is been operated
upon in table 3.2
Table 3.2 Maintenance Prescription Manual
S/No Faults Symptoms Causes Remedies
1. No output when Battery disconnected. Check battery
battery is full Switch is open. contacts
Transformer may be Check the switch
open.
2. Light too dull Battery low Change battery
3. Voltage drop Low voltage Change battery
4. Battery takes long Battery cells very weak Change battery
time to charge
5. Output frequency is Open or faulty circuit Check the
not stable of the resistor, components for
MOSFET and proper replacement
transistor.

CHAPTER FOUR
TESTING, RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
4.1 TESTING
Periodic testing helps to ensure that the solar system is at safe working operation with its
optimum performance of each of the components that constitute the solar system. Therefore,
the several tests that should be carried out after installation are as follows:
• Testing the solar modules/panels output voltages
• Testing the output voltage of the charge controller
• Testing the AC output from the inverter.
4.1.1 Testing the Solar Modules/Panels output voltages
After the connection of the solar array as shown in figure 4.1. The multimeter was set in
direct current (DC) range and the output voltage of the solar panel was taken. It was observed
that at the end of the testing the required voltage was not altered, even though it was cloudy.

Figure 4.1: Testing the solar panel output voltage.

4.1.2 Testing the output voltage of the charge controller
The test was carried out to ensure that the required 48V direct current is supplied to the
storage battery. It was observed that after installation, a better output was gotten.
4.1.3 Testing the AC output from the inverter
The multimeter was set to AC voltage range and the probes was placed on the two output
terminals of the inverter as shown in figure 4.2. It was observed that the required AC voltage
is gotten.
 Figure 4.2: Testing the AC output of the inverter.
4.2 RESULTS
Table 4.1 shows the measurement and test result from the inverter and the solar panel.
Measurement Specified Result

V output (solar panel) 30.3V 30.3V

P output (solar panel) 260W 260W
V output (inverter) 230V 230V
I output (inverter) 8.59A 8.59A
P output 3.5KVA 3.5KVA
Frequency 50Hz 50Hz
Waveform Sine wave Sine wave
4.3 Discussion
The solar panel were installed and connected in series so as to meet the required
output voltage. The solar panels are arranged and placed at an angle to obtain optimum
performance. The output of the solar panel was connected to the 60A charge controller which
controls the change of DC voltage due to the varying intensity of the sun on the solar panel
thereby allowing constant 48 volts to enter the battery and finally the output of the batteries
are connected to the 48V, 3.5KVA inverter.
The inverter operates automatically as it cutoff the charge controller whenever AC
source is applied. The mains are passed through the automatic voltage regulator (charge
controller) in order to provide a constant charging current to the inverter. The varying
intensity of the sun affects the reading of the inverter. Therefore, the voltage produced is
directly proportional to the intensity of the sun. The battery can be charged in two ways
which are AC and DC source.