They were the most common type of systems during the s and s, when PV technology was still very expensive and a pure niche market of small scale applications. Only in places where no electrical grid was available, they were economically viable.
Although new stand-alone systems are still being deployed all around the world, their contribution to the overall installed photovoltaic capacity is decreasing. In Europe, off-grid systems account for 1 percent of installed capacity. In the United States, they account for about 10 percent. Off-grid systems are still common in Australia and South Korea, and in many developing countries.
Concentrator photovoltaics CPV and high concentrator photovoltaic HCPV systems use optical lenses or curved mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto small but highly efficient solar cells. Besides concentrating optics, CPV systems sometime use solar trackers and cooling systems and are more expensive. Especially HCPV systems are best suited in location with high solar irradiance, concentrating sunlight up to times or more, with efficiencies of 24—28 percent, exceeding those of regular systems.
However, ongoing research and development is taking place. Both technologies favor locations that receive much sunlight and are directly competing with each other. A hybrid system combines PV with other forms of generation, usually a diesel generator.
Biogas is also used. The other form of generation may be a type able to modulate power output as a function of demand. However more than one renewable form of energy may be used e.
The photovoltaic power generation serves to reduce the consumption of non renewable fuel. Hybrid systems are most often found on islands. Pellworm island in Germany and Kythnos island in Greece are notable examples both are combined with wind.
In , a case-study conducted in seven countries concluded that in all cases generating costs can be reduced by hybridising mini-grids and isolated grids. However, financing costs for such hybrids are crucial and largely depend on the ownership structure of the power plant.
While cost reductions for state-owned utilities can be significant, the study also identified economic benefits to be insignificant or even negative for non-public utilities, such as independent power producers. This theory was reconfirmed with numerical simulations using per second solar flux data to determine that the necessary battery backup to provide for such a hybrid system is possible with relatively small and inexpensive battery systems.
Floating solar arrays are PV systems that float on the surface of drinking water reservoirs, quarry lakes, irrigation canals or remediation and tailing ponds. These systems are called 'floatovoltaics' when used only for electrical production or 'aquavoltaics' when such systems are used to synergistically enhance aquaculture.
The systems are said to have advantages over photovoltaics on land. The cost of land is more expensive, and there are fewer rules and regulations for structures built on bodies of water not used for recreation. Unlike most land-based solar plants, floating arrays can be unobtrusive because they are hidden from public view. They achieve higher efficiencies than PV panels on land, because water cools the panels. The panels have a special coating to prevent rust or corrosion.
In May , the Far Niente Winery in Oakville, California, pioneered the world's first floatovoltaic system by installing solar PV modules with a total capacity of kW onto pontoons and floating them on the winery's irrigation pond. In the case of the Far Niente Winery, it saved three-quarters of an acre that would have been required for a land-based system. The floating PV array also reduces the amount of water lost through evaporation and inhibits the growth of algae.
Utility-scale floating PV farms are starting to be built. The multinational electronics and ceramics manufacturer Kyocera will develop the world's largest, a DC grids are found in electric powered transport: railways trams and trolleybuses.
A few pilot plants for such applications have been built, such as the tram depots in Hannover Leinhausen, using photovoltaic contributors [] and Geneva Bachet de Pesay.
A stand-alone or off-grid system is not connected to the electrical grid. Standalone systems vary widely in size and application from wristwatches or calculators to remote buildings or spacecraft.
If the load is to be supplied independently of solar insolation, the generated power is stored and buffered with a battery. In non-portable applications where weight is not an issue, such as in buildings, lead acid batteries are most commonly used for their low cost and tolerance for abuse.
A charge controller may be incorporated in the system to avoid battery damage by excessive charging or discharging. It may also help to optimize production from the solar array using a maximum power point tracking technique MPPT.
However, in simple PV systems where the PV module voltage is matched to the battery voltage, the use of MPPT electronics is generally considered unnecessary, since the battery voltage is stable enough to provide near-maximum power collection from the PV module. In small devices e. In larger systems e. To convert the DC from the modules or batteries into AC, an inverter is used. In agricultural settings, the array may be used to directly power DC pumps, without the need for an inverter.
In remote settings such as mountainous areas, islands, or other places where a power grid is unavailable, solar arrays can be used as the sole source of electricity, usually by charging a storage battery. Stand-alone systems closely relate to microgeneration and distributed generation.
Artist's concept of the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter - furthest spacecraft to be powered by solar cells. The cost of producing photovotaic cells have dropped due to economies of scale in production and technological advances in manufacturing. Although they are reduced in energy conversion efficiency from single crystalline 'siwafers', they are also much easier to produce at comparably lower costs.
The table below shows the total average cost in US cents per kWh of electricity generated by a photovoltaic system. This varies by geographic region because the average insolation depends on the average cloudiness and the thickness of atmosphere traversed by the sunlight. It also depends on the path of the sun relative to the panel and the horizon. Panels are usually mounted at an angle based on latitude, and often they are adjusted seasonally to meet the changing solar declination.
Solar tracking can also be utilized to access even more perpendicular sunlight, thereby raising the total energy output. The calculated values in the table reflect the total average cost in cents per kWh produced. Normally, photovoltaic modules have a year warranty. Increasing use of photovoltaic systems and integration of photovoltaic power into existing structures and techniques of supply and distribution increases the value of general standards and definitions for photovoltaic components and systems.
While article of the National Electric Code provides general guidelines for the installation of photovoltaic systems, these guidelines may be superseded by local laws and regulations. Often a permit is required necessitating plan submissions and structural calculations before work may begin. Additionally, many locales require the work to be performed under the guidance of a licensed electrician.
Electrical installation practices must comply with standards set forth within the National Electrical Code NEC and be inspected by the AHJ to ensure compliance with building code, electrical code, and fire safety code. Jurisdictions may require that equipment has been tested, certified, listed, and labeled by at least one of the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories NRTL. Despite the complicated installation process, a list of solar contractors shows a majority of installation companies were founded since In the UK, PV installations are generally considered permitted development and don't require planning permission.
In the US, many localities require a permit to install a photovoltaic system. A grid-tied system normally requires a licensed electrician to make the connection between the system and the grid-connected wiring of the building.
PV has been a well-known method of generating clean, emission free electricity. PV modules are mainly made of PV cells, which has no fundamental difference to the material for making computer chips.
The process of producing PV cells computer chips is energy intensive and involves highly poisonous and environmental toxic chemicals. This measure greatly reduces the carbon footprint during the manufacturing process.
Managing the chemicals used in the manufacturing process is subject to the factories' local laws and regulations. With the increasing levels of rooftop photovoltaic systems, the energy flow becomes 2-way. When there is more local generation than consumption, electricity is exported to the grid. However, electricity network traditionally is not designed to deal with the 2- way energy transfer. Therefore, some technical issues may occur. The famous Californian duck curve appears very often for a lot of communities from onwards.
An over-voltage issue may come out as the electricity flows from these PV households back to the network. There are often limitations and costs related to these solutions.
There is no silver bullet in electricity or energy demand and bill management, because customers sites have different specific situations, e.
Electricity tariff may have a few elements, such as daily access and metering charge, energy charge based on kWh, MWh or peak demand charge e. PV is a promising option for reducing energy charge when electricity price is reasonably high and continuously increasing, such as in Australia and Germany. However, for sites with peak demand charge in place, PV may be less attractive if peak demands mostly occur in the late afternoon to early evening, for example residential communities.
Overall, energy investment is largely an economical decision and it is better to make investment decisions based on systematical evaluation of options in operational improvement, energy efficiency, onsite generation and energy storage. Our team at Engineering Passion has researched solar design software tools that are both free and open-source that can be used to design and simulate residential and commercial solar power systems. As a solar power designer, I know how important it is to make systems that are energy-efficient and cost-effective.
Solar design software is used for designing and modeling solar photovoltaic PV systems. It helps in designing the system by determining the size, options, and specifications of the various components in a solar power system such as the solar panel array, PV inverter, charge controller, and battery bank as well as calculating any system losses.
Solar design software also determines the effects of different orientations and tilt angles on the performance of the system and global factors like shading losses. A key function of solar design software includes the ability to calculate the cost and payback period of residential and commercial projects. Essentially solar design software help engineers to design efficient yet affordable on-grid or off-grid solar PV systems.
Solar PV design software allows energy engineers and designers to carry out many tasks and calculations very easily. These calculations would have been time-consuming without them. The major advantages of using solar PV design and simulation software are:. System design includes collecting site location data. This data includes solar irradiation, shading analysis, and utility interconnection requirements.
The second step is the sizing process where the size of each component of the PV system is identified. And other parameters like battery capacity or inverter capacity are also determined. This ensures that enough power is produced to meet household energy demand at various times of the day and year. The performance analysis is where the designed system is simulated using solar PV modeling software. Finally, the last step is to determine the economic viability of the project. In this stage, a thorough study of the economics and feasibility for the construction and commissioning of the solar PV system should be conducted.
Now you have an understanding of the benefits and features of solar design software. RETScreen allows professionals and decision-makers to find, calculate and optimize the technical and financial viability of potential renewable energy projects. RETScreen Expert, an advanced premium version of the software, is available in Viewer mode completely free of charge. The software currently has over , active users around the globe.
RETScreen was really useful for me when I was designing and auditing my renewable energy projects back then. RETScreen offers quite a lot of features that can help in the design and audit of energy projects. It can help benchmark your energy performance against other similar facilities worldwide. Managers can import their energy bills into the software to perform financial analysis. It can help energy professionals determine the best financing option for their renewable energy project with its built-in financial analysis tools.
The software helps determine the emission of greenhouse gases caused by the production, consumption, and transport of energy. Most Popular. New Releases. Desktop Enhancements. Networking Software. Trending from CNET. Download Now. Solar System 3D Simulator is a software application that generates a realistic solar system model and planets in 3 Dimension on the PC using advanced physics formulas. It can display the planets and their orbits, the sun and the moon. The nine planets including planet earth and their detailed physical and chemical information and image pictures is also displayed including solar power, solar energy and solar eclipse details.
The graphical output is in high-resolution 3D full color format and the orbit view can be adjusted and the orbits tilted and rotated to any angle. The speed of the solar system can also be varied. The Solar System model is useful for learning about the physics of the universe, astronomy, science projects and science experiments interactively for both adults and kids.
Students of Elementary, Middle and High School can use it for science fair projects ideas, physics help, science news and creating science articles. Full Specifications. What's new in version 3. Release November 7, Date Added January 3, Version 3. It is available as an online Software as a Service SaaS tool, but does not have any monthly fees.
This startup from Australia, has built an intuitive and user friendly solution, where you can get started within minutes. Rating: 4. Features: You can use this for simulation with multiple energy sources, add multiple loads. You can add factors like wind speed, fuel cost and emissions penalties to the simulations. It enables location search by name.
So some of the reports may not be as comprehensive as from other solar PV specific tools. Features: This is FREE tool to help commercial solar installers to reduce their design costs and include attractive 3D design in their proposals.
SolarEdge uses either custom or satellite images to design photovoltaic projects from the first stage to the very installation. Features: This is more of a collection spreadsheets with macros than a sophisticate design software.
It is a basic tool where data has to be entered manually for every parameter. It has limited automation and no wizards. But there is no option to import weather data from common sources like TMY3.
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