Sizing stand-alone photovoltaic systems

Abstract

A method of sizing stand-alone photovoltaic systems regarding the reliability to satisfy the load demand, economy of components, and discharge depth exploited by the batteries is presented in this work. Solar radiation data simulated by an appropriate stochastic time series model, and not actual measurements, are used in the sizing procedure. This offers two distinct advantages: (a) sizing can be performed even for locations where no actual data exist, (b) the influence of the variation of the statistical parameters of solar radiation in sizing can be examined. The method has been applied and tested for several representative locations all over Greece for which monthly daily average values of solar radiation are given by ELOT (Hellenic Organization of Standardization).

References

1. L. Barra, S. Catalanotti, F. Fontana, and F. Lavorante, “An analytical method to determine the optimal size of a photovoltaic plant,” Solar Energy, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 509–514, 1984. View at: Google Scholar
2. H. Saha, “Design of a photovoltaic electric power system for an indian village,” Solar Energy, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 103–107, 1981. View at: Google Scholar
3. M. Buresch, Photovoltaic Energy Systems: Design and Installation, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, USA, 1983.
4. P. P. Groumpos and G. Papageorgiou, “An optimal sizing method for stand-alone photovoltaic power systems,” Solar Energy, vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 341–351, 1987. View at: Google Scholar
5. E. Ofry and A. Braunstein, “The loss of power supply probability as a technique for designing stand-alone solar electrical (photovoltaic) systems,” IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, vol. 102, pp. 1171–1175, 1983. View at: Google Scholar
6. B. J. Brinkworth, “Autocorrelation and stochastic modelling of insolation sequences,” Solar Energy, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 343–347, 1977. View at: Google Scholar
7. C. Mustacchi, V. Cena, and M. Rocchi, “Stochastic simulation of hourly global radiation sequences,” Solar Energy, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 47–51, 1979. View at: Google Scholar
8. L. Vergara-Dominguez, R. Garcia-Gomez, A. R. Figueiras-Vidal, J. R. Casar-Corredera, and F. J. Casajus-Quiros, “Automatic modelling and simulation of daily global solar radiation series,” Solar Energy, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 483–489, 1985. View at: Google Scholar
9. A. Balouktsis, D. Tsanakas, and G. Vachtsevanos, “Stochastic modeling of daily global solar radiation,” International Journal of Solar Energy, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 1989. View at: Google Scholar
10. P. Bendt, M. Collares-Pereira, and A. Rabl, “The frequency distribution of daily insolation values,” Solar Energy, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 1–5, 1981. View at: Google Scholar
11. ELOT, Hellenic Organization of Standardization, No. 1291, 1991.
12. J. A. Duffie and W. A. Beckman, Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, USA, 1991.
13. M. S. Imamura, P. Helm, and W. Palz, Photovoltaic System Technology: A European Handbook, H.S. Stephens & Associates, Bedford, UK, 1992.
14. F. Lasnier and T. G. Ang, Photovoltaic Engineering Handbook, Adam Hilger, Bristol, UK, 1990.
15. A. Hadj Arab, B. Ait Driss, R. Amimeur, and E. Lorenzo, “Photovoltaic systems sizing for Algeria,” Solar Energy, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 99–104, 1995. View at: Google Scholar

Copyright

Copyright © 2006 A. Balouktsis et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.