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Design and Installation of a 3.5KVA Solar Photovoltaic Power System
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JOURNAL OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION 10(1), MARCH, 2022
ISSN: 2277-0011; Journal homepage: www.atbuftejoste.com
Design and Installation of a 3.5KVA Solar Photovoltaic Power System

Marcus Maafan Aul1, James Diwa Enyia2, Tukur Lawal3
1Aerospace Engineering Department,
Airforce Institute of Technology,

Airforce Base, Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
2Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Nigeria.

3Aerospace Engineering Department,
Airforce Institute of Technology,

Airforce Base, Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
Exploitation of solar energy to power electric appliances starts by ARTICLE INFO
converting the energy coming from the sun to electricity. Photovoltaic Article History
is the direct conversion of the solar energy into electricity. Photovoltaic Received: January, 2022
systems can be used to exploit the solar energy in almost all kinds of Received in revised form: January, 2022
applications. Exploiting of solar energy for domestic use is one avenue Accepted: March, 2022
where the energy emitted from the sun is converted into electricity to Published online: May, 2022
power most, if not all the appliances available at our offices, homes
and residences. In Aerospace Engineering Department (AED) in Air KEYWORDS
Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), there are other reasons why the Electricity, Photovoltaic, Power, Renewable
use of solar energy is so necessary; firstly, appropriate climatic Energy, Solar Energy
conditions, secondly, inadequate electricity supply during working
hours in the Department. Installing a photovoltaic system is the
process of designing, selecting and calculating the ratings of the
equipment’s employed in the system. This process depends on a
variety of factors such as geographical location, solar irradiation, and
load requirements. In this Research, the components required for the
design of a stand-alone photovoltaic system that will power most of the
electric appliances at a medium-energy-consumption for the offices in
AED in AFIT is being studied as presented herein. The result shows
that for a daily energy consumption of 6,640kwh and a load of 1,790W,
as required from the energy audit in the Department. The suitable
rating is a 3.5kva inverter, 4 pieces of 200Ah, 12 V batteries, 1 charge
controller and 5 modules 250W panels are required for sufficient
supply of power.
INTRODUCTION The expanding populace accompanies appeal

The world is degrading gradually and for an alternative source of energy that will be
the change in innovation is giving a positive and favorable to human wellbeing and nature. Along
negative effect on the globe. Our world is these lines, a birth of Renewable Energy as an
secured by the ozone layer that protect all living alternative source of power [1]. Renewable
being to survive from the intense radiation of the energy is energy gotten from regular events that
sun. Development as we probably are aware is can be bridled to do work. It can be ordered
the antagonistic change that happens in a differently; sunlight (solar energy), wind
creature, association or the world, as we Turbine, water (hydroelectricity), geothermal
probably are aware of, Man has assumed a and so on. [2]
major part in these happenings and science and Conventional Energy otherwise called
technology has being the purpose behind these fossil fuel (Hydrocarbons) has assumed a
progressions. Researchers and architects have noteworthy part in the rebirth of the world,
created component to help man to the detriment changing the system from the Stone Age into an
of decimating him and the earth with the advanced existence where less energy is
constant outflow of risky gases that causes required to accomplish more work. The
ecological contamination and health hazard. unfriendly effect of non-renewable source of
Corresponding author: Maafan, M. A. aulmarcus@yahoo.com Aerospace Engineering Department Airforce Institute of
Technology, Zaria. © 2022. Faculty of Technology Education. ATBU Bauchi. All rights reserved
319
energy in particular; Premium Motor Spirit PV systems include; There is no discharge of

(Petrol), Dual Purpose (Kerosene), Automotive gases or natural contamination during
Gas Oil (Diesel) has achieved increment in operation, There is no commotion
emanation of Green House Gases (CO2, CO, contamination during operation, There is no
SO4) which annihilate the earth. Renewable danger of flame flare-up, Maintenance culture is
energy has been given more consideration in exceptionally irrelevant because of no
view of the positive commitment towards the movement system. Solar cells are dependable
sustainability of the planet [3]. The International energy source which can be utilized anyplace,
Energy Agency (IEA) 2014 world energy particularly in remote areas where there is no
Outlook anticipated that an expansion in national grid. and The demerit of solar system
demand for energy would be evaluated at 37% include; Setting-up cost is very expensive
by 2040 [4]. Renewable energy has contributed because of segmented portion of the system,
throughout the years and record for an estimate and No radiation during the evening and less
of 62% of net increases to global power with the radiation in cloudy condition creates low yield
nonstop development in this pattern. and an essential storage system is required for
Renewable energy will acquire prevalence as productivity in conveyance even at more terrible
elective wellspring of energy over different conditions.
sources [4]. A study of assessment was done on
Solar energy that is our major concern the conventional energy that are coal, natural
in this project, works on the principle of the sun gas and hydrocarbons, they have been our
radiation warming the Photovoltaic (PV) major source of energy for a longtime and it has
material where the energy is harnessed by recorded part of colossal accomplishment in
technological method into electricity. This type maintaining human existence. Despite the fact
of energy is one of the cleanest, climate- that these energies accompany her real
friendly, rich and endless type of energy which difficulties that is emission, that obliterates all
can be harnessed all around without causing living organism and the planet at large. In like
environmental change [5]. It is portrayed into manner the epileptic power supply from the
Passive system and Active system. The network has been of genuine worry as it
Passive system doesn’t have mechanical neglects to proffer solution in the offices. Our
gadgets while the active system utilizes venture is fixated on giving elective answer for
mechanical gadgets. Solar electricity could clean energy and steady supply of power to the
either be direct with the utilization of PV or Aircraft Engineering Department (AED) in Air
indirect with the utilization of concentrated solar Force Institute of Technology, AFIT, Kaduna
power (CSP). The CSP system utilizes lenses, State.
mirror and tracking system to center at area The aim of this research is to reduce
where high sunlight falls on a sectional region downtime due to power interruption, by
which changes sunlight into electricity with the providing an alternative source of power supply
aid of some electrical gadgets like semi- for office utilization, effective lecture delivery,
conductor that display the photoelectric effects. and it will support research in the laboratories
The name Photovoltaic is gotten from the and workshop, diminish noise pollution from
process of converting light (photo) into generators, eradicate absolutely the emission
electricity (voltaic) and this procedure utilizes from generators by utilizing the Solar system as
the photoelectric effect. The process of power option for power generation, diminish the over-
generation includes the utilization of solar panel reliance on the conventional source of energy in
that has photovoltaic cells made of semi- the office with the introduction of solar system,
conductors, for example, silicon, cadmium and diminish epileptic power disappointment in the
so forth. These intersection gadgets are the department, wipe out maintenance cost like
essential unit of the solar panel that are the conventional energy, on like solar system which
principal components of the system and can be is zero cost for maintenance, and also other
connected either in series or in parallel activities within the Department that requires
depending on the nature of output needed [6]. power supply.
The cost of setting-up the system is very
expensive and could be extremely demoralizing
in district of low radiation (sunlight). The merit of
320
Off-Grid Solar Electrical System of solar energy in the environment is the issue
of cost. Geyer and other contributors in their
research outcome believed that if the cost of
installing the solar power system is reduced, it
will completely replace other conventional
sources of energy. They proposed three
methods of reducing the cost of a solar
parabolic collector, they include: Cost reduction
by simplification of design, Cost reduction by
improvement of the optical performance of the
collectors, and Cost reduction achieved in
additional steps: possible tilt of the collector and
Figure 1: Off-Grid (stand-alone) PV System extension of collector length per drive unit. After
with battery backup and generator backup. the application of these methods, they were
able to achieve an overall cost reduction for the
The off-grid PV system as in figure solar field of 14%, an increase in the annual
1 above, also known as the stand-alone PV performance of the parabolic trough collector
system is designed to operate independent and an additional reduction of solar electricity
of the electric utility grid, and is generally costs.
designed and sized to supply certain DC as Future research for ways of reducing
well as AC electrical loads. These kinds of the cost of installing the solar power system will
systems might be powered by a PV array only, prove very efficient in the acceptance of solar
or may utilize wind, a motor generator or utility energy in the world. Another research carried
power as an assistant power source in what out by Dr. Okoro [10] reveals that solar energy
is known as a PV-Hybrid system. The most should be a necessary investment in a
well-known sort of stand-alone PV system developing country. In his research, Dr. Okoro
is the one in which batteries are utilized to analyzed and compared the advantages and
store energy created by the PV array. disadvantages of using conventional energy
sources and solar energy. According to him,
LITERATURE REVIEW solar energy is very important in a developing
Several researches have been done on country because the over-dependence of fossil
solar energy and its application. The study by fuels and other energy sources has caused
Arun et al clearly reveals that the increase in energy crisis in developing countries. After his
demand for conventional energy sources has work, he was able to conclude that, though the
driven the society towards the research and initial cost of installing the solar power system is
development of renewable energy sources; high as compared to the conventional sources,
hence solar energy [7]. The solar energy offers the cost of maintaining the solar power system
lots of advantages over the conventional is very low when also compared to the
sources of energy; the application of this energy conventional source. It is evident from his paper
is useful and provides power to remote areas of that the solar energy is the most attractive and
the world, it is environmental friendly and efficient way of electrical generation in a
inexhaustible. However, the limitations of day developing country. A study done by Harry [11]
and night cycles coupled with high costs in showed that solar energy has vast application.
comparison to other sources of energy hinders In his research “Solar to Fuels Conversion
its ready acceptance which calls for more Technologies”, harry pointed out that for solar
research to be done in the area of solar photo- energy to completely replace the conventional
voltaic, and solar energy as a whole with a view source of energy, two important challenges
of discovering alternative materials with higher must be addressed. According to him, the first
efficiency of conversion, reduced panel areas challenge is to provide adequate energy storage
per kilo-watt, more effective, economic and capabilities for solar-generated electricity, given
durable storage system for sustained the intermittent character of the solar resource.
production of power [8]. The second and perhaps the most important
According to Michael Geyer et al [9], the challenge, is utilizing solar energy to aid in the
major setback in the acceptance and application production of clean alternative fuels for the
321
transportation, industrial and housing sector. In research, “solar energy application in Nigeria”,
his attempt to address the second challenge, he described the solar thermal systems as solar
harry studied the conversion of solar energy to energy technologies for conversion of solar
fuel for use in the transportation sector. Solar radiation into heat which can be used directly or
energy collected and concentrated within a converted into mechanical energy and in turn
solar utility can be harnessed in different ways electricity. The solar radiation and conversion
to generate an environmentally friendly solar are done using the solar energy collector. The
fuel, this processes includes; efficiencies of these collectors can be improved
1. Photovoltaic system to convert sunlight by using spectrally selective surface. The
into electricity which, in turn, could be used conversion of solar heat into mechanical energy
to drive electrochemical (electrolysis) cells and then to electricity is termed concentrated
that decompose inert chemical species solar power (CSP). Also the PV system is a
such as H2O or CO2 into useful fuels. solar energy technology for direct conversion of
2. Photo electrochemical or photocatalytic sunlight into electricity using panels made of
system could be designed wherein semiconductor cells. After defining the solar
electrochemical decomposition reactions thermal system and the PV system, he gave
are driven directly by light, without the need different applications of solar energy which
to separately generate electricity. includes; solar water heaters, solar crop, fish
3. Photo thermal systems could be used and manure dryers, solar cookers, solar chicken
either to heat working fluids or help drive brooders, solar photovoltaic and solar
desired chemical reactions such as those concentrated power. In this research, much
connected with thermolysis, emphasis will be made on the solar PV system
thermochemical cycles, etc. and it applications that make it more viable than
conventional power supply. The conversion of
the solar cell to the solar photovoltaic system is
shown in figure 2 above.
The birth of PV technology dates back
to 1839 when Edmund Bacquerel, a French
experimental physicist, discovered the
photovoltaic effect while experimenting with an
electrolytic cell made up of two metal electrodes
[14].
RESEARCH METHOD
In the design and establishment of
a solar photovoltaic system, there is an
arrangement for general improvement to
guarantee that the research is accomplished
successfully. A comprehensive literature review
Figure 2. From Solar Cell to a Photovoltaic is carried out to ascertain extent at which similar
System [13]
research has been conducted and identify
Source:Photovoltaiccell@www.wiki/photovoltai
knowledge gap. This comprises of survey of the
ccell.com
solar PV system outline and development
throughout the years and furthermore a definite
The solar fuel so produced offer efficient clarification of the essentials of the fundamental
production, sufficient energy density, and
parts of the PV system. Furthermore, an energy
flexible conversion into heat, electrical, or
audit was carried out at the Department to
mechanical energy. Solar energy has numerous ascertain the required power rating for electricity
applications when it is converted to heat,
consumption. This comprises taking the power
electricity or biomass. The technologies for
rating for every required electrical appliance at
conversion of solar energy into heat and
the Department and sum up to give an
electricity can be classified into solar thermal
approximate power rating of 3.5kva considering
systems and PV systems [11]. A work carried
safety factor of 25%. Afterwards, a thorough
out by Ilenikhena [12] helps define the solar
market survey was made to meet the market
thermal system and the PV system. In his
322
worth of all the necessary components required START

for successful installation of solar PV power
supply. RESEARCH
! TOPIC:
Proper design of the rack, angle of ! Design and installation of a

3.5KVA solar photovoltaic
!
inclination of the rack on which the panels are to !
system
be mounted are scaled to standard dimension ! LITERATURE REVIEW:
to enable maximum productivity of the solar !

Review of Solar PV systems,
Innovations and related
radiation. The stipulated battery, inverter, ! research
!
charge controller and all required components Choose! Grid-Connected CONSIDERATIONS:
are put in place to achieve research aim. A PV system with no battery

! backup
Site description, Energy
Audit and types of PV
study is further conducted on the installation ! systems
site. Here, the latitude, longitude, elevation, YES!

!
climate conditions per annum, the measure of !
Is the available grid
! ! ! ! ! YES
Is there grid power
power consistent? on the site location?
solar radiation and period of solar radiation ! ! ! ! ! ! !
every day is gotten and recorded. After the site NO!!
review, an energy review is done on the site. Do a proper sizing of each

NO!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The outcome from the energy Choose Grid-Connected
PV system
! with a suitable
component and then
installation will take place
Choose off-grid (stand-
alone) PV system with a
battery backup and a
review is then recorded on a tabular form and it !
charge controller
suitable battery backup
and a charge controller
includes calculating the aggregate energy !
TESTING:
!
consumption of every gadget to be controlled !
To ensure that the installed
PV system is operating as
daily. Subsequent to social event all important ! per scheduled
data about the PV system from the literature !
review, and a detailed description of the site has !

REPORT:
YES! !
been gotten including completing an A report is done based on
the result!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
of installation YES
EVALUAUTION:
Is it operation per
appropriate energy review on the site, at that and a conclusion is drafted
scheduled?
point the best PV system compose is selected,

and the different components are identified. PRESENTATION:
A presentation about the
Subsequently, a legitimate whole work is done STOP
measuring of the components is done by

numerical computational methods. At the point Figure 3: Flow Chat
when the estimation has been done, the system
is then installed and tested. The testing Location Description
procedure is to accumulate data about the This site is the Faculty of
working state of the PV system and the power Engineering building in AFIT, Kaduna
delivered by the system. This is to test if the State. The Institution is a fast growing
system is working legitimately, if yes, at that institution in Nigeria. It is located in Kaduna,
point the venture moves to the following Kaduna State. The school lies w i t h in latitude
procedure that is composing a definite result of 10° 36' 33" N and longitude 7°25' 46"E (36),
the project. In the event where the PV system thus it en joy s two climate seasons in a
and its parts are not working appropriately or year: The wet season from April to October
according to expectation, at that point the and the dry season from November to March.
procedure falls back to the measuring and As a result of the effect of climate change, the
installation process where important adjustment city of Kaduna has more sunlight than rainfall in
is made to guarantee the system operates or a year.
works as expected. At the point when this is
done, the project moves to the last stage that is Energy Audit
composing of the outcome from the different The energy audit involves itemizing
exercises carried out over the span of the the various electrical device that will be powered
project. The research has so far shown a by the PV system with their power ratings and
promising outcome at this preliminary stage. An time of operation during the day to obtain the
outline demonstrating the project flowchart is as average energy demand in Watt-hour per day
shown in fig 3 below. (Wh/day). The total average energy
consumption is used to determine the
equipment sizes and ratings starting with the
323
solar array and ending with system wiring and system. After a legitimate PV System has
cost estimation. This part of the project is very been chosen, the next thing is to pick the parts
vital as it will determine the sizes of all other of the system. A grid-connected PV system with
components and the cost of the project. It battery will require a battery backup and a
involves checking the power rating of each charge controller which isn't required for the
device to be powered and summing them up, grid-connected PV system without battery
the result is then represented on a tabular form. reinforcement. Likewise, the kind of inverter
required for the stand alone inverter will be
Selection of the Best Grid quite different from the Grid-connected PV
Essentially, there are three kinds system. In general, the system sizing
of PV system; the grid-connected without incorporates; sizing of the solar array, sizing
battery backup, the grid-connected with the battery capacity, sizing the charge
battery backup and the off-grid or stand- controller, sizing of the inverter and
alone PV system. The selection of any of measuring of the wiring cables. The
the three kinds of PV system will be based on strategy utilized here is depicted by Ali et al
the following; Amount of solar radiation and [15].
span of sunlight per month on site, Energy audit
accomplished on the site, Availability of a grid Sizing of the Solar Array
power nearby, and Reliability of the grid power Before sizing the array, the total
nearby. daily energy in Watt-hours (E), the average
The amount of solar radiation and sun hour per day T min and the DC-voltage of
duration of solar radiation per day will determine the system (VDC) must be determined.
how well and how long the radiation from the Once these factors are made available then,
sun will hit the solar array, a very large amount the sizing process can commence. To avoid
of solar radiation will mean that the amount of under sizing, losses must be considered by
sunlight available to be converted into electricity dividing the total power demand in Wh/day by
will be significantly high, and the duration will the product of efficiencies of all components in
determine how long the solar array will convert the system to get the required energy Er. To
light into electricity. Basically, large solar avoid under sizing, we begin by dividing the
radiation and long hours of sunlight will need total average energy demand per day by the
fewer solar modules to charge the storage efficiencies of the system components to
battery and vice versa. The energy audit will obtain the daily requirement from the solar
help determine how much power is needed and array:
the size of the PV system. A large power will
need a grid-connected PV system with battery
backup while small power can use a stand-
alone PV system. =
The availability and reliability of the
grid-power on site is the most important factor = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (1)
to be considered. Is there a reliable grid-power
on site, then a grid-connected PV system
without battery bank can be used to supply To obtain the peak power, the previous result is
power to devices when there is a grid power divided by the average sun hours per day for the
outage. If the grid-power on site is not reliable, geographical location Tmin.
then, there will be need for a storage battery;
hence, a grid-connected PV system with battery # $ %
backup will be used. On the other hand, if there
=
is no grid-power available, then the Stand-Alone $ −ℎ /
(off-grid) PV system with battery bank and/or
generator backup can be utilized. = . (2)
)*+,
System Sizing
The system sizing involves sizing
of the significant components of the PV
324
The total current needed can be calculated by

dividing the peak power by DC- voltage of the 8 D
system.
= … … . (8)
; ℎ ℎ
) /01
# $ %
= At this moment, we need to make
2 a decision regarding the rated voltage of
= … … … … … … … … . (3) each battery Vb to be used in the battery bank.
)*+, The capacity of the battery bank needed in
ampere-hours (Ah) can be evaluated by
Modules must be connected in series dividing the safe energy storage required by
and parallel according to the need to meet the the DC voltage of one of the batteries selected.
desired voltage and current in accordance with:
First, the number of parallel module which 2
equals the whole module current divided by the 8 D
= … … … … … … … … … … … … … . . (9)
rated current of one module Ir. 9F
4 5 46 According to the number obtained

) for the capacity of the battery bank, another
=
decision has to be made regarding to the
/01 capacity C b of each of the batteries of that
= … … (4)
/ bank. The battery bank is composed of
batteries. The total number of batteries is
Second, the number of series obtained by dividing the capacity C of the
module which equals the DC voltage of the battery bank in ampere-hours by the
system divided by the rated voltage of each capacity of one of the battery Cb selected in
module Vr. ampere-hours.
4 5 48 2
4H II + 8 = … … … … … … … … … … 10)
2 2F
=
901 The connection of the battery bank
= … … … … … … … . . (5)
9 can then be easily figured out. The number
of batteries in series equals the DC voltage of
Finally, the total number of modules the system divided by the voltage rating of one
Nm equals the series module multiplied by the of the batteries selected.
parallel ones.
48
901
4* = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (11)
= 48 ;46 … … … … … … … … … … … … … . (6) 9F
Sizing of the Battery Bank Then number of parallel paths N p

The amount of rough energy storage is obtained by dividing the total number of
required is equal to the product of the total batteries by the number of batteries connected
power demand and the number of autonomy in series:
days.
46
= 4F
>?@ A
II + 8
= … … … … … … … … … … . (12)
=) % ; 48
= B … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . (7)
Once the sizing of the battery bank is
For safety, the result obtained is divided by made available, we proceed to the next system
the maximum allowable level of discharge: component.
325
Sizing the Charge Controller mounted on rooftops, generally with a few

The major function of the charge inches gap and parallel to the surface of the
controller is to prevent over charging of roof. If the rooftop is horizontal, the array is
the batteries, so the capacity of the mounted with each panel aligned at an angle. If
charge control will be the total voltage of the roof is already constructed, it is relatively
the batteries connected in series. easy to retrofits panels directly on top of existing
roofing structures. In all cases of retrofits
2 . ℎ particular considerations to weather sealing is
=9 . . ℎ 5 . (13) necessary. This is why this method is applied in
this particular research. An example of the
Sizing the Inverter similar view is as could be seen in figure 4
Since the work of the inverter is below.
to control the A C devices in the
connected P V system, in this way, when
estimating the inverter, the genuine power
drawn from the apparatuses that will keep
running in the meantime should be resolved.
This power is the limit of the inverter required.
/ K
= 25% … (14)
0.65
Determining Angle of Inclination

To maximize solar energy, there is
need to have to point them toward the path Figure 4: Roof mounted PV Solar Array
that attracts the most sunlight. Be that as it
may, there are various factors in making the RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
best location. Solar panels ought to regularly The result for the various factors
confront genuine south in the event that you that are considered by utilizing standard
are in the northern hemisphere or genuine north formulas expressed in the last session and
if you are in the southern hemisphere. the geographical region as well as power
The next step is to determine at requirement analysis of the site area to get the
what angle from horizontal should the panels result for the design considerations. The major
be tilted? The tilt ought to be equivalent to considerations are the location, sizing of the
your scope, in addition to 15 degrees in major components, mounting angle etc, of
hot climate, or minus 15 degrees in cold which energy auditing was carried out to
climate. This can be improved by about 4%. investigate the required power rating.
To get the best tilt angle resultant, one of the
equation is utilized to locate the best point from Energy Audit
the horizontal at which the panels ought to be In the design of a solar PV
tilted; If your latitude is beneath 25°, utilize the system, it is first vital to do an energy
latitude times 3.05 and If your latitude is in the review on the devices accessible in the site
vicinity of 25° and 50°, utilize the latitude area. The energy audit utilizes values such as
times 0.76 in addition to 3.1 degrees. Utilizing voltage, current of every device to be powered
one of the above will ensure the best measure to acquire the total energy in watts and Watt
of sunlight promptly accessible for conversion hour. The energy audit helps in the
[16]. computation of; Size of the solar array, Size of
the battery bank, Size of the charge controller,
Method of Mounting and Size of the inverter.
Different solar technologies work with From Table 1 below, the total power
different mounting types, but in general there input in Watt is obtained by first determining the
are three common solar mounting types, quantity of devices to be powered and then
namely the roof, ground and pole [17, 18]. The obtaining the power input for every device, at
roof mounting solar array of a PV system can be that point, the total of all power input is
326
resolved which sum-up to the total power YP

IDC =
Z[\
input in Watt (W). Also, to obtain the total
power input in Watt hour (Whr), the power Modulus must be connected in series and in
input for every device is multiplied by the parallel according to the need to obtain the
number of hours it is utilized every day and desired voltage and current in accordance with;
the quantity of days it is utilized every week first, number of parallel modules:
/01
then it is divided by the number of days in a 46 =
week. This will give the individual power unit /
in an hour for every device, the aggregate That is, four solar modules are needed with all
of these values will give the total power input four connected in parallel. Battery sizing: The
in an hour. The table 1 beneath gives the total energy use = 6640Watt.hour. Days of No-
results for the energy audit. sun days = 1 day. According to the selected
battery (UB – 8D
Selection of Best grid
As earlier stated, there are three Size of Charge Controller
kinds of PV system; the grid-connected According to the selected charge
with battery backup, the grid-connected controller (Xantrex C-60, 24V, 30-A), the rated
without battery backup and the off-grid or current of the charge controller is;
stand- alone PV system. Selection of the best / = / ×4 ×^
grid system will rely upon the following factors; = 6.06 × 4 × 1.25
Amount of solar energy radiation and duration = 30.3_
of sunlight per month of the site, Energy audit The number of controllers equals;
a cd.c
carried out on the site, Availability of a grid- 4` ,I = = =
b*68 `@ ` ,I cd
power on the site, Reliability of the grid-power 1.01 = 1 ℎ
on the site. Therefore, 1 charge controller is
In the site location i.e. Faculty of required for this research.
Engineering, the average solar radiation and
span of sunlight hours is 13.64 and 4.20 Size of Inverter
respectively. The energy audit carried out on the The power of the devices that may run
site revealed that the total AC load connected at the same time is Ptotal = 1790Watts. The
is 1790W and the average daily AC load inverter needed must be able to handle about
consumption is 6640 Watt hour. Likewise, 1790Watts at 220Vac. Therefore,
from the electrical examination did on the site K =) ; 25%
area, it was found that there is grid power = 1790;1.25
= 2,237.4.
available on the site and the grid power is
reliable, generating 8 hours of power daily on 2,237.5
average. # % = 0.65 = f g
0.65
= 3.442.3$%
System Sizing
= 3.4$ .
The system sizing involves sizing of the major
Hence, the minimum size of inverter required for
component of the Stand-alone PV system. The
this job is 3.5kva, 48V.
major components include; the solar Panel, The
battery bank, the charge controller, and the Panel Sizing
inverter. The daily energy requirement from the Note: PSH=8hrs and Total Watt hour=6,640 x
solar array can be determined by using equation 1.25=8,300
(1) 8,912.5
# 2 =f g
M 8
Er = = 1,114$%
NOPQRSTT
To obtain the peak power of the PV, we use Approximately 1.2kw. This will require 4 pieces
equation (2); of 300W panel.
M
Pp = R
UVWX Battery Sizing
The total current needed can be Battery Capacity (Ah) = (Total Wh per
calculated using equation (iii); day used by appliances x DOA)/ (0.85 x 0.5 x
327
normal voltage)= (6640 x 3)/(0.85 x 0.5 x Fig 6: Sunshine hours against Global Solar
24)=19,920/10.2=1,952.9Ah. Assuming DOA-1, Radiation for Kaduna LGA.
Battery Capacity=650.9. This is equivalent to 4
x 200Ah, 12 V battery. The figure 6 above shows the monthly
sunshine hours and global solar radiation all
through the year for a typical weather condition
in Kaduna State. It can be observed that the
highest and lowest sunshine hours is 6.49 and
4.55 for February and August respectively. And
that of the monthly solar radiation is 18.22 and
12.02 for same months respectively.
35
30
Power Demand (Kw)

25
20
15
10
5
0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23
Fig 5: Average Monthly Electricity Production
Time (hrs)
for the PV and Grid.
The figure 5 shows above the Fig 7: Hourly Energy Consumption in the
comparison between the PV and grid. It can be Institute.
observed that the highest and lowest point is the
month of February and August respectively. Figure 7 shows the amount of power
This is due to the temperature of 340C and 220C usage in a typical day at the Department. It can
for the two months respectively. This goes be observed that power usage started rising
further to explain the effect of sunrise in power from about past 8am when workers started
generation for the PV array. clocking into the days’ job which starts at 9am
and stable till about 5pm when the days’ job
come to an end, and shorting down keeps some
Sunshine hours against National Solar workers using power up till about 7pm for those
radiation for Kaduna LGA doing overtime before it returned to normal level
20 at about 8pm.
The table 1 below shows the various
15 appliances, quantity, load, power rating and
Radiation
10 daily energy usage. It is deduced from this table

to calculate the major requirements of the main
5 components in the solar array applied in this
0
research.
Jan
Feb
Sep
Nov
Mar
Apr
Jul
Aug
May
Jun
Dec
Oct
Months
Sunshine hours Global Solar Radiation

328
Table 1: Cost of Energy Consumption from recommended appliances

S/N Appliance Quantity Power rating Connected Operating Time Daily
(W) Load (W) (hrs) Energy
(KWh)
1 32’ TV 3 70 210 4 840
2 Fan 4 70 280 4 1120
3 Projector 1 60 60 4 240
4 Desktop 2 80 160 5 800
5 Laptop 4 60 240 4 960
6 Printer 2 70 140 2 280
7 Scanner 1 100 100 1 100
8 Bulb 10 10 100 8 800
9 Miscellaneous 500 500 3 1500
Total 1,790 6,640
CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONS
Solar energy is predicted to play a The output of a solar PV system is
major important role in the nearest future, very reliant on good system design derived
thereby reducing reliance on petroleum from accurate site and demand data. It is
derivatives (fossil fuels), as well as diminishing important that exact assumptions are made
the environmental hazards as priority. This with respect to energy demand/pattern of
research introduces the utilization of solar PV operation and energy availability. Considering
system in producing a sustainable power solar PV system and energy availability, the
supply, likewise decreasing the over reliance daily variation in solar power generation
on conventional energy as PV system meets requires storage capacity of surplus of energy
the general requirement of power on sunny days for utilization on cloudy days.
production, being that it is renewable, This research will enable accurate valuation
sustainable, cost effective, almost of the solar PV system components to be
maintenance free, and suitable for off-grid expanded, additionally, further modification on
applications. It can be utilized to replace the the system can be completed to effectively
conventional source of generating power. The capture more sunlight and create more
solar PV power generation system converts electrical power during the day. Such
the DC energy by a solar cell array into AC modification may incorporate, solar tracking
energy that is fed into the utility. The PV mechanisms, increase in the quantity of solar
system composed of the solar array contains panels, or utilization of a solar concentrated
the solar cell that is used for the direct panels to focus sunlight over an enormous
conversion of sunlight into electricity, the region. Improving solar power generation
battery bank that stores the battery for use in capabilities will help to reduce the global carbon
less sun days mainly during the night, the footprint, meet climate change goals, and
charge controller or charge regulator reduce pollutants and greenhouse gases from
regulates the voltage entering the battery by traditional energy sources. If any cell in a solar
creating a short circuit if the voltage supply panel is blocked from the sun, it will disrupt the
is too much, and the inverter that converts energy output of the panel. Cleaning dust and
the DC produced by the solar array into AC dirt from the panel can be challenging, time
that is fed into the utility. Furtherm ore the consuming and dangerous considering the
proposed 3.5KVA power size was successfully location of solar panel mounting being the roof
generated, the system was design to feed out of the Faculty of Engineering, windshield self-
3.0KVA as utility output while 0.5KVA was wipers can be attached to solar panels in
reserved as factor of safety and for avoidance subsequent solar PV design and installation.
of power fluctuation and system overloading.
Acknowledgment
The authors wish to most profoundly
appreciate Tertiary Education Trust Fund
329
TETFUND for her benevolence in sponsoring for Renewable and Sustainable Energy,
this research work all through. We are really 6(1).
most grateful from the debt of our hearts. [12] Manoelle L. (2015) “Types of Solar Energy
Technologies”, available online.
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Design and Installation of a 3.5KVA Solar Photovoltaic Power System

Article · March 2023

James DIWA Enyia

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Design and Installation of a 3.5KVA Solar Photovoltaic Power System

Airforce Institute of Technology,

Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Nigeria.

Airforce Institute of Technology,

INTRODUCTION The expanding populace accompanies appeal

energy in particular; Premium Motor Spirit PV systems include; There is no discharge of

worth of all the necessary components required START

Proper design of the rack, angle of ! Design and installation of a

be mounted are scaled to standard dimension ! LITERATURE REVIEW:

to enable maximum productivity of the solar !

are put in place to achieve research aim. A PV system with no battery

site. Here, the latitude, longitude, elevation, YES!

every day is gotten and recorded. After the site NO!!

review, an energy review is done on the site. Do a proper sizing of each

data about the PV system from the literature !

review, and a detailed description of the site has !

point the best PV system compose is selected,

measuring of the components is done by

The total current needed can be calculated by

4 5 46 According to the number obtained

Sizing of the Battery Bank Then number of parallel paths N p

Sizing the Charge Controller mounted on rooftops, generally with a few

Determining Angle of Inclination

resolved which sum-up to the total power YP

Power Demand (Kw)

10 daily energy usage. It is deduced from this table

Sunshine hours Global Solar Radiation

Corresponding author: Maafan, M. A. aulmarcus@yahoo.com Aerospace Engineering Department Airforce Institute of

Table 1: Cost of Energy Consumption from recommended appliances

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