İshioma Ani ODİGWE, Chidiebere NNADİ, Ayoade Felix AGBETUYİ, Ajibola Ayokunle AWELEWA, Francis IDACHABA

Development of a Software Solution for Solar-PV Power Systems Sizing and Monitoring

Power systems sizing and monitoring are very important design components in determining the overall performance of solar-photovoltaic (PV) systems. These design components represent the pre-installation and post-installation stages of solar-PV systems planning respectively, and paying adequate attention to them can go a long way to increasing the working life of solar-PV system installations. The SolarHelper developed in this work is a small software solution package that monitors and records vital system variables that will give the state and performance of an existing solar-PV installation at any given time; and it is able to accurately provide a simulated output of the required battery storage capacity, and PV array size based on load demands.

Keywords:

Interfacing; microcontroller; monitoring; sizing; software solution package; solar-PV system,

PDF

___

Alberto Escudero Pascual, “Sizing of standalone PV systems based on the “worst month” method”, available at: http://fantsuam.it46.se/files/D1/IT46_en_solar_energy_di mentioning.pdf, accessed on 1 April, 2013.
Hybrid optimization model for electric renewables- HOMER, available at: at: P. Niemeyer, and J. Knudsen, Learning Java, 3rd ed., O’Reilly Media, 2005, ch.9 and ch.10.
Wikibooks: Serial Programming in Java, available at: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Serial_Programming/Serial_ Java, accessed on 10 July, 2013.
Gupta A, et al., “Modelling of hybrid energy system-Part I: Problem formulation and model development”, Renewable doi:10.1016/j.renene.2010.06.035. (In press),
Gupta A, et al., “Modelling of hybrid energy system-Part II: Combined dispatch strategies and solution algorithm”, Renewable doi:10.1016/j.renene.2009.04.035. (In press),
K. Katti, and M.K. Khedkar, “Alternative energy facilities based on site matching and generation unit sizing for remote area power supply”, Renewable Energy, pp. 1346-66, 2007.
E. Koutroulis, D. Kolokotsa, A. Potirakis, and K. Kalaitzakis, “Methodology for optimal sizing of stand- alone photovoltaic/wind-generator systems using genetic algorithms”, Solar Energy, pp. 1072-88, 2006.
G. Capizzi, and G. Tina, “Long-term operation optimization of integrated generation systems by fuzzy logic-based management” Energy, pp. 1047-54, 2007.
C. Protogeropoulos, B.J. Brinkworth, and R.H. Marshall, “Sizing and techno-economical optimization for hybrid solar photovoltaic/wind power systems with battery storage”, International Journal of Energy Review, pp. 465-79, 1997.
H. Yang, L. Lu, and W. Zhou, “A novel optimization sizing model for hybrid solar-wind power generation system”, Solar Energy Journal, pp.76-84, G.C.H. Seeling, “A combined optimization concept for the design and operation strategy of hybrid-PV energy systems”, Solar Energy, Vol.61 (2), pp.77-87, 1997.
P. Larancij, L. Silveir, and W.Q. Lamas Engenharia Termica, “Solar Software Applied to Design a Photovoltaic System to supply the energy demand of an Italian school”, (Thermal Engineering), Vol. 8(2), pp.84- , December 2009.
Mark Hankins, Stand-Alone Solar Electric Systems. The Earthscan Expert Handbook for Planning, Design and Installation, earthscan expert series, London, 2010, pp. 117-140.
Photovoltaic Design Assistance Center, Stand- Alone Recommended Laboratories, March 1995, pp. 7-40. A Handbook of design practices, Sandia National
Michael Owens, The Definitive Guide SQLite, New York: Springer-Verlag, 2006, pp. 171-423.