Design of a Photovoltaic Mini-Grid System for Rural Electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa

• 作者: Edwin N. Mbinkar Derek A. Asoh Roger Tchuidjan Amadou Baldeh
• 来源期刊: 能源与动力工程(英文)
• 学科: 工学
• 关键词: PHOTOVOLTAIC Solar Radiation Rural Electrification Mini-Grid System Dimensioning
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（3）
• 页码范围: 91-110
• 页数: 20页
• 分类号: TP3

摘要

This paper presents a detailed design of a photovoltaic (PV) system for use in the rural electrification of remote settlements that are far off from the electricity grid. Since investment in building transmission lines from the grid to these localities is not viable, a good solution is <span>an</span><span> installation in these areas of standalone photovoltaic systems. The design process comprises the choice and dimensioning of the solar panels, the battery storage, DC-AC inverter, and mini transmission grid to the different homes. The design is for a 15 kW PV system including an economic evaluation and analysis using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) software. Data on the average monthly solar radiation and temperature w</span><span>ere</span><span> obtained from various sources, including, Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) for Africa. From this data the study area receives a monthly average solar insolation of 6.16 kWh/</span><span>m</span>^{<span style="vertical-align:super;">2</span>}<span>/day with the worst month </span><span>being </span><span>August with 5.22 kWh/</span><span>m</span>^{<span style="vertical-align:super;">2</span>}<span>/day. The total daily electrical energy consumption is estimated to be about 72.525 kWh. Simulation results using HOMER software shows that the overall capital cost of the PV system components is $122,337, a replacement cost of $12,889 and an operation and maintenance cost of $29,946 over 10years. A financial analysis of the system showed that the design was both viable and sustainable with low maintenance cost</span><span>.</span>