Chapter 3: Design

& Dimensioning
of an installation
photovoltaic
autonomous

Dr. A Guenounou
Department of Renewable Energies
University of BLIDA 1
2020/2021

Design & Sizing of an Autonomous Photovoltaic Installation

Table of contents

Introduction 3
I - Definition of electrical need 4
II - Assessment of the solar resource 5
III - Sizing the PV array of an off-grid photovoltaic installation 7
1. Calculation formula for photovoltaic peak power...................................................7
2. Application of the formula for calculating the PV peak power ..........................................8
3. Simple example of sizing the PV field of a photovoltaic installation
autonomous
IV - Sizing of the battery fleet 12
1. Choice of the battery park voltage .........................................................................12
2. Choice of battery park capacity........................................................................13
2.1. Calculation parameters ................................................................................................................................13
2.2. Formula for calculating nominal capacity ..............................................................................................14

V - Choice of regulator and inverter 18

1. Choice of the regulator ..........................................................................................................18
2. Choice of the inverter .........................................................................................18
VI - Sizing of photovoltaic cables (DC wiring) 19
1. Admissible current of cables ........................................................................................19
2. Voltage drop in a photovoltaic installation ................................................21

2
Introduction
Sizing a photovoltaic system is essential for its proper functioning and for the
user satisfaction. For an autonomous PV system, this involves following the following steps:
Assessment of electrical needs (inventory of electrical appliances and calculations of electrical needs).
Assessment of the local solar resource (Depending on the location, angle of inclination and
the orientation).
Sizing of the PV field (calculation of the necessary peak power).
Sizing of the battery bank (choice of voltage and capacity of the battery bank).
Choice of regulator and inverter
Cable sizing.

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 Definition of electrical need
The definition of electrical needs is an important preparatory work impacting the sizing of
photovoltaic field and the battery park. Underestimating the electrical needs will cause
operational faults (power outages, premature aging of batteries), whereas its
Overvaluation will significantly increase the installation cost.
This section lists the devices that consume electricity and provides a calculation method.
of electrical needs.

Method: Calculation of electrical needs

Estimation of the daily usage duration of each device.
Estimation of the daily energy consumed by each device (in Wh).
Overall assessment of the building's electrical needs.

Example: Simple example

Consumption
Electrical device daily energy =
Duration of use
Electrical device Rated power Nominal power X
daily (in h/day)
(in W) Usage duration (in
Wh)

6 fluorescent lamps
compact of a
6 × 15 = 90 W 4 hours/day 360 Wh/day
power of 15 W
each one

1 refrigerator 150 W 6 h/day 900 Wh/day

1 charger for
5W 1 h/day 5 Wh/day
mobile phone

1 television 110 W 5 hours/day 550 Wh/day

TOTAL 1,815 Wh/day

4
 II Evaluation of the solar resource

In the field of autonomous photovoltaics, the time scale for assessing solar potential is
the day. Solar radiation is commonly expressed in kWh/m²/day. This daily solar radiation
depends on the location, but also on the time of year.

Where to find weather data?

Online resources (satellite data): PVGIS, NASA, ...
Certain software: RETScreen, PVSyst...
Ground measurements

Empirical calculation.

Optimal tilt angle of PV modules in an autonomous photovoltaic installation

The inclination corresponds to the slope of the module relative to the horizontal. It is measured in °.
The tilt of the photovoltaic field of an off-grid installation is a parameter that must be defined.
subtle way in line with the needs.
Formula for autonomous PV installation:
Optimal tilt = (latitude of the location + 10°) × (1 - Orientation/180°)

Angle of inclination

5
Evaluation of the solar resource

Orientation Angle

6
 Sizing of the PV field
of a photovoltaic installation
III autonomous

This operation simply involves calculating the peak power necessary for the proper functioning of
the installation.

1. Formula for calculating photovoltaic peak power

Basic hypotheses
In a standalone photovoltaic installation, the only source of energy available comes from the
photovoltaic field.
The battery park should not be considered a source of energy, as it only stores.
a portion of the energy produced by the photovoltaic field.

Sizing rule of the photovoltaic field

The daily electric energy produced by the field

photovoltaic Elec) must be at least equal to the energy
daily consumption by electrical devices (E Need ).

So, we must have:

Furthermore, electrical energy EElec is calculated using the formula

:

With:
Ei is the daily solar irradiation, expressed in kWh/m²/day, received by the photovoltaic field.
E Elec is the daily electric energy potentially produced by the photovoltaic installation,
expressed in kWh/day.
Pc is the peak power of the photovoltaic field.
Pi is the radiative power under standard test conditions (STC), expressed in kW/m². So, Pi = 1
kW/m² (1000 W/m²).
PR is the performance ratio of the photovoltaic installation (defined in the following paragraph).
Thus, the condition EElec ≥ ENeed becomes :

7
Sizing of the PV field of an autonomous photovoltaic installation

and so:

Definition: The performance ratio PR for a stand-alone photovoltaic system

The performance ratio, PR (Performance ratio), is a coefficient that allows quantifying the losses.
intrinsic to the electrical installation. It is therefore a number between 0 and 1 (or 0 and 100%). The higher it is
Close to 1 (or 100%), the installation is more efficient from an electrical point of view.
Every photovoltaic installation is unique, and the performance ratio is specific to each installation.
Nevertheless, it is possible to outline an order of magnitude for the value of the performance ratio PR,
car :
The temperature coefficient of power K (P) is similar
T from one module to another (order of
magnitude: -0.4 %/°C).
The voltage drop in the cables is limited to 3%.
The efficiency of the regulator is similar from one regulator to another (on the order of magnitude: 97%).
The efficiency of batteries is around 85%
The efficiency of the inverter is similar from one inverter to another (order of magnitude: 95%).
Other miscellaneous losses are similar from one installation to another (order of magnitude: 2%).
The only truly variable parameters are the integration method and the presence or absence of a device.
MPPT. Thus, we will draw up a general summary table of the performance ratio value:

2. Application of the formula for calculating PV peak power

Calculate the electrical needs (E Need ).
Choose PR, in the table, based on the installation site and presence or absence of the MPPT.
Calculate the daily solar irradiation received by the photovoltaic field (in kWh/m²/day) in
taking into account the orientation and the inclination.

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 Sizing of the PV field of an off-grid photovoltaic installation

Note: Problems
The daily electrical energy produced by the photovoltaic field fluctuates with the seasons.
Similarly, the daily energy consumption of electrical devices varies depending on the
time of the year.
As a result, the peak power calculated by the rule mentioned earlier also varies over time.
of the year.

Example:

Example of the evolution of daily energy consumption (monthly average) E_Need in kWh/day

Example of the evolution of daily solar irradiation (monthly averages) Ei, in kWh/m²/day

Evolution of the peak power required for the proper functioning of the installation (sizing by month)
In this example, we see that a peak power of 1 kWp is sufficient to meet the needs.
electricity during the summer months (May, June, July, August).
On the other hand, during the month of December (the month when electrical needs are the highest)
important and the solar yield is the lowest), the required peak power is around 16
kWc.

9
Sizing of the PV field for a standalone photovoltaic installation

Thus, if we want to meet 100% of the electricity needs regardless of the month of the year, it
it would be appropriate to put ourselves in the most unfavorable case, that is to say to set up a field
16 kWp photovoltaic. But this poses an efficiency problem, as such power is
Oversized during the other months of the year. In other words, we are overinvesting money.
So, a real dilemma between on one hand, reducing the cost related to PV modules, and on the other hand, covering
the totality of electrical needs.
The source of the problem arises from the fact that, in some cases, like in this example, we consume more
during periods when solar radiation is at its lowest, usually in winter. As a result, in summer, one finds oneself
find with 4 to 16 times too much installed peak power

Advice: Some solutions

Reduce the disparity of needs between winter and summer
The ideal would be for electrical needs to follow the same curve as solar irradiation. This could be
achieve by following a few rules:
Plan for a heating method without relying on PV electricity (Example: Gas, Oil, Wood, ...);
Use light-emitting diode (LED) technology for lighting;
Integrate an intelligent electricity consumption management system;
....
Adding a backup energy source
Connect the photovoltaic field to a backup power source, such as a generator.
very favorable for the case of Algeria where the cost of gas oil is very low compared to other countries.
Mediterranean.

3. Simple example of sizing the PV field of a

autonomous photovoltaic installation
It is a small garden shed, located around Blida, whose electrical equipment is only
consisting of 4 LED bulbs with an electric power of 6 W each, or a power
total of 24 W. We want to implement an autonomous photovoltaic installation that allows
to power the lighting system.
The photovoltaic modules will be installed on the roof of the garden shed. The roof is oriented 15° East.
and inclined at 20°.
Calculation of daily energy consumed:
The duration of lighting varies from one season to another.

Determination of daily solar irradiation Ei:

The installation is located around Blida. The solar irradiation data on the inclined plane of 20°C and
15° East orientation, derived from the online software 'PVGIS', indicates the following figures:

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 Sizing of the PV field of an autonomous photovoltaic installation

Calculation of the performance ratio PR:

As the modules will be installed in overlay, we consider that the photovoltaic field will be
normally ventilated. Furthermore, the regulator will not have MPPT.
Thus, we evaluate the performance ratio PR = 0.65.
Calculation of the necessary peak power:
We can now apply the formula to calculate the necessary peak power, month by month.
month :

The results obtained are illustrated in the following figure:

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 Sizing of the park
IV batteries
The battery sizing consists of making the two following technical choices:
Choice of battery voltage.
Choice of battery capacity.

1. Choice of the battery park voltage

The calculation of the battery park voltage is based on 2 constraints:
Minimize the voltage drop in the cables (performance constraint),
Avoid cable overheating (safety constraint).
The voltage of the battery park is therefore certainly a function of the allowable voltage drop between this park.
battery and the regulator, the length of the cables, their section, and the maximum current that passes through them.
We will return, in detail, to the relationship linking these different magnitudes in the paragraph reserved for
Sizing of photovoltaic cables. But we can already use the abacus in the figure.
next reserved for the recommended typical values, namely a length of 3 while the battery park and
the regulator and a voltage drop of 1%.

Table giving the cable section between the battery park and the inverter based on the power of
electric devices (consumers) and the voltage, for a cable length of L=2×3m and a drop of
tensionε=1%.

12
 Sizing of the battery system

We identify 3 spheres of power:

These indications apply for a linear length between the battery park and the inverter of about 3
If this length is greater, it will be necessary either to increase the sizes of the cables, or
increase the tension.

2. Choice of battery park capacity

2.1. Calculation parameters
First of all, it is important to define the following 2 key concepts:
the number of days of reserve autonomy, N; J
This is the number of days during which your batteries do not need to be recharged.
photovoltaic panels) while maintaining normal energy consumption. In general, this
represents the number of consecutive days without sunshine that you can face.
the maximum discharge depth P Discharge.
This discharge depth is the amount of energy that has been discharged from the battery. It is
percentage of its capacity. It is also the opposite of the Battery Charge Rate TDC (or
SOC for State Of Charge in English.

Discharge depth and charge state of a battery.

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Sizing of the battery park

The parameter P Discharge must be defined by the designer of the installation. In practice, one chooses a
maximum discharge depth of 70%.
The choice of parameter P plays an important role in relation to the lifespan of batteries, as in
Discharge
by limiting the depth of discharge, we avoid the phenomenon of electrode sulfation which improves the
battery lifespan. Nevertheless, in sizing, this requires choosing batteries
presenting a higher capacity which increases the cost. In fact, to choose the value of P Discharge, the
It is important to find the right balance between, on the one hand, the lifespan of batteries and, on the other hand, the cost.
To do this, it is appropriate to analyze the frequency at which the batteries can be discharged. In general,
this depends on the required reserve autonomy, as explained in the following table.

2.2. Formula for calculating nominal capacity

Rule
The capacity of the battery park must be able to cover all electrical needs (ENeed):
on the duration of reserve autonomy (NJ),
without any input of solar energy,
without ever exceeding the maximum discharge depth (PD),
and under the temperature conditions of the site (KT).

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 Sizing of the battery park

Example: Example of application

Let's take the previous example again. The electrical devices that consume electricity are as follows:
A television with a power of 80 W.
The lighting with a total power of 90 W.
A refrigerator with a power of 150 W.
A microwave with a power of 600 W.
A vacuum cleaner with a power of 500 W.
Determination of the daily energy consumed:
The formula for calculating the battery capacity involves the daily energy expressed in
Ah. Energy being the product of power and duration of use, it is therefore important to know the
duration of use of each of the equipment.

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Sizing of the battery park

In our example, we will consider the following durations:

Autonomie de réserve N souhaitée

J :
We want a 5-day autonomy. This means that the battery can power, independently of
photovoltaic field, the electrical equipment defined in the previous table for 5 days of
suite.
Temperature coefficient:
In this example, we consider that the battery will operate at 0°C (in winter for example),
It is appropriate to apply the correction factor KT(C) = 0.90, according to the following table (manufacturer data):

Determination of the maximum discharge depth PDécharge:

Deep discharges are detrimental to the lifespan of lead batteries. In accordance with
recommendations from the previous table, we choose a maximum discharge depth of 70%, that is
PDischarge = 0.70.
Calculation of the nominal capacity of the battery park (at 24 V):
Let's simply apply the previous formula:

Thus, the capacity C120

The battery park must be at least 1,071 Ah. We can then deduce the value.
of the nominal capacity C by
10 the relation: C ≈ 71%
10 × C , or C ≈ 760 Ah10(under 24 V).
120

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 Sizing of the battery fleet

Supplement: Deduction of the standard nominal capacity C10

17
 Choice of regulator and inverter

Choice of the regulator

The sizing of the regulator is done according to 3 major parameters:
The current supplied by the PV field must not exceed a certain limit imposed by the regulator,
what determines the maximum number of parallel branches.
2. The voltage provided by the PV field must be limited in order not to damage the regulator in case of
disconnection of batteries. This thus determines the maximum number of modules connected in series in a
branch.
3. The battery park voltage must comply with the regulator configuration.

Attention: Identify the sizing parameters on the technical data sheet

In order to size the photovoltaic regulator, in accordance with the 3 parameters presented.
previously, it is important to know its electrical properties. Thus, it is important to have access to the
technical sheet of the regulator (provided by the manufacturer).

Example: Technical data sheet of the TriStar regulator from the brand Morningstar Corporation

We observe that the 3 essential parameters for sizing are present.

Example of a technical data sheet for a regulator - Identification of the 3 sizing parameters of the
regulator

2. Choice of the inverter

Reminder:
Already addressed in the Inverter section in chapter 2.

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 Cable sizing
VI photovoltaic (DC Wiring)
The choice of the cable cross-section on the DC polarity side is made according to two major criteria:
The allowable current I in
Z the cable.
The permissible voltage drop in the cable.

1. Acceptable current of cables

The first parameter to consider for calculating the cross-section of cables is the permissible current.
The allowable current I of the
Z cables depends mainly on the installation method and the temperature of the
driver.
The allowable current of a cable is the maximum value of the current intensity that can flow through it.
permanence this conductor without its temperature exceeding its specified temperature (See the
the following standard values).

Allowable current of a copper cable - Ambient temperature of 60°C - Maximum temperature at the core of
120°C

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Sizing photovoltaic cables (DC wiring)

Current allowable for a copper cable - Ambient temperature of 70°C - Maximum temperature at the core of
120°C

Current admissible of a copper cable - Ambient temperature of 80°C - Maximum temperature at the core of
120°C
In order to avoid any overheating of the cables, it is advisable to choose the cable sections
presenting an allowable current (I) higher
Z than the maximum operating current (I) of the
B electrical circuit.
Under normal operation, the maximum operating current on the Photovoltaic Field side must be taken as:
1.25 × ICC
Thus, we will always choose cable sections whose permissible current I = 1.25 × Z I. It goes without
CC saying that the
currents add up in the presence of parallel junctions of several photovoltaic chains.

Attention:
The rule I Z= 1.25 × I cannot
CC apply when multiple photovoltaic strings are likely
to produce return currents. The table below summarizes the intensity of the return current according to the
number of channels in parallel.

20
 Sizing of photovoltaic cables (DC wiring)

2. Voltage drop in a photovoltaic installation

The second parameter to consider for calculating the cross-section of cables is the voltage drop.
admissible.
In theory, a cable is a perfect current conductor, meaning its resistance is zero. In practice,
A cable is not a perfect conductor: it behaves like a resistance.

Modeling a cable
It is recommended that the maximum voltage drop between the photovoltaic field and the regulator be
3%. Ideally, we will aim for a voltage drop of 1%.
Let ε be the voltage drop in the cables.
By definition:

Furthermore, we also know that:

In a cable, we know that:

So we deduce:

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Sizing of photovoltaic cables (DC Wiring)

From where can we derive the formula expressing the section S of a cable:

With:
ρ: Resistivity of the conductive material (copper or aluminum) under normal service. Such as:
ρ = 1.25×ρ, 0where ρ0 is the resistivity of the conductor at 20°C. The resistivity will be expressed in Ω.m.

L: Total length of the cable (m).

S: Cable section (mm²);
I : Current flowing in the cable (A);
e: voltage drop;
V:A Tension at the origin of the cable (V).

It should be noted that the two portions (positive side + and negative side -) must be added together for the calculation of the cable length.
Thus, for example, for the cable between the battery and the regulator, it is enough to replace L with 2L and the relationship
previous becomes:

Reminder: Resistivity of a conductor

The resistivity of the conductor is a manufacturer data point and depends on the material:
ρ = 1.851 × 10^-8 Ω.m for a copper conductor
ρ = 2.941 × 10^-8 Ω.m for a conductor made of aluminum
It is customary to express the resistivity of a conductor in Ω.mm²/m. This unit allows, when calculating
cable sections, express lengths directly in meters and sections in mm².
ρ = 0.01851 Ω.mm²/m for a copper conductor.
ρ = 0.02941 Ω.mm²/m for an aluminum conductor.

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