Designing of an off-grid Photovoltaic system with battery storage for remote location

Off-grid Photovoltaic (PV) system along with battery storage is very effective solution for electrification in remote areas. However, battery capacity selection is the most challenging task in system designing. In this study, an off-grid PV system along with battery storage is designed for the remote area of Karachi, Pakistan. The system is designed by considering the maximum energy requirement in summer season. The battery storage is selected to fulfill the energy demand during the night and cloudy seasons. On the basis of load, a total of 6 kW system is required to fulfill the energy demand. For such system, 925 Ah of battery is required to meet the energy requirement for a day in absence of solar irradiation. A regression-based correlation between battery capacity and energy demand is prepared for suitable battery sizing using Minitab. An economic analysis of the project is also carried out from which a net present value and simple payback are determined as USD 10,348 and 3 years, respectively. The environmental benefits are also been determined. It is found that the system will reduce around 7.32 tons of CO2 per annum which corresponds to the 183.69 tons of CO2 not produced in the entire project life.

Domestic Hot Water Consumption Profiles Applied to a Flat Tubular Collector for Solar Water Heating in Bogotá

The use of Flat Solar Collectors for the generation of Domestic Hot Water (DHW), facilitates access to this resource in an efficient, economical and sustainable way. The Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN, referring specifically to sustainable water management and access to renewable energy, are the main motivation for this work, since the former is an essential vital resource and its access reduces the inequality index, in developing countries such as Colombia, while the use of solar thermal energy reduces the environmental impact of the water heating process, thus reducing the consumption of electrical energy in the residential sector. Therefore, this work proposes to estimate DHW profiles through a spreadsheet that models the DHW flow thermodynamically for a whole year, making it possible to evaluate the energy performance of a Solar Collector available in the Colombian market and that is used in four types of dwellings located in the city of Bogotá. The simulation results present the DHW consumption profiles in kg/h per year, with DHW temperatures of up to 21°C, for a total transmitted irradiance of the order of 1100 W/m^2, which produces thermal energy close to 1kW. This comparative analysis allows us to review the technical and economic feasibility of solar collectors installed in single-family homes and with a DHW consumption profile close to the Colombian socio-economic reality.

Domestic Hot Water Consumption Profiles Applied to a Flat Tubular Collector for Solar Water Heating in Bogotá

The use of Flat Solar Collectors for the generation of Domestic Hot Water (DHW), facilitates access to this resource in an efficient, economical and sustainable way. The Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN, referring specifically to sustainable water management and access to renewable energy, are the main motivation for this work, since the former is an essential vital resource and its access reduces the inequality index, in developing countries such as Colombia, while the use of solar thermal energy reduces the environmental impact of the water heating process, thus reducing the consumption of electrical energy in the residential sector. Therefore, this work proposes to estimate DHW profiles through a spreadsheet that models the DHW flow thermodynamically for a whole year, making it possible to evaluate the energy performance of a Solar Collector available in the Colombian market and that is used in four types of dwellings located in the city of Bogotá. The simulation results present the DHW consumption profiles in kg/h per year, with DHW temperatures of up to 21°C, for a total transmitted irradiance of the order of 1100 W/m^2, which produces thermal energy close to 1kW. This comparative analysis allows us to review the technical and economic feasibility of solar collectors installed in single-family homes and with a DHW consumption profile close to the Colombian socio-economic reality