Power generation by application of photo voltaic

1. Power Generation by
Application of Photo-Voltaic
BY
O.A. AKINOLA
DEPT. OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE ABEOKUTA
NIGERIA
PAPER PRESENTED AT THE 2012 NIGERIA ALTERNATIVE ENERGY EXPO,
JUNE 12 CULTURAL CENTRE, ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE, NIGEIRA

2. Did you know that…?
 The 89 PW of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface is plentiful – almost 6,000 times
more than the 15 TW equivalent of average power consumed by humans.
 Solar electric generation has the highest power density (global mean of 170 W/m 2)
among renewable energies
 By the end of 2011, a total of 67.4 GW had been installed, sufficient to generate 85
TWh/year. Solar photovoltaic is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most
important renewable energy source in terms of globally installed capacity
 The first 1 MWP solar park was built by Arco Solar at Lugo near Hesperia, California
at the end of 1982, followed in 1984 by a 5.6 MW P installation in Cerrizo Plain.
 The largest solar parks currently operating have capacities between 200 and
300MWP.
 The largest sites under construction have capacities of hundreds of MW P and
projects at a scale of 1 GWP are being planned.

3. Outline
 Introduction
 What is Photovoltaic
 What is Photovoltaic system
 Application
 Advantages
 Power Ratings
 Site Area and Land Use
 Some Power Plants Around the World
 Power Cost
 Energy Storage
 PV System under construction and Planned
 Solar Cell Companies and their Rankings
 World Largest PV Systems

4. Introduction
What is Photovoltaic?
Photovoltaic (PV) is a method of generating
electrical power by converting solar radiation into
direct current electricity using semiconductors that
exhibit the photovoltaic effect.
Materials presently used for photovoltaic include
monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline, amorphous,
cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium
selenide/ sulfide.

5. What is Photovoltaic systems?
 Photovoltaic systems (PV system) use solar panels to
convert sunlight into electricity. A system is made up of one or
more solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, a DC/AC power
converter (also known as an inverter), a racking system that
holds the solar panels, electrical interconnections, and
mounting for other components.
 Optionally it may include a maximum power point tracker
(MPPT), battery system and charger, solar tracker, energy
management software, solar concentrators or other
equipment.
 A small PV system may provide energy to a single consumer,
or to an isolated device like a lamp or a weather instrument.
Large grid-connected PV systems can provide the energy
needed by many customers.

6. Application of photovoltaic
Power station
80 MW Okhotnykoyo Solar Park in Ukraine The 25.7 MW Lauingen Energy Park
in Bavarian Swabia, Germany
Bellpuig Solar Park
Near Lerida Spain uses pole-mounted 2-axis trackers Waldpolenz Solar Park
divided into blocks each with a centralised inverter

7. Application of photovoltaic
Photovoltaic wall at MNACTEC
Terrassa in Spain
The 104kW solar highway
Standalone
near Tualatin Oregon in December 2008
Solar parking paystation

8. Advantages
 Solar electric generation has the highest power density (global
mean of 170 W/m2) among renewable energies
 Solar power is pollution-free during use
 PV installations can operate for many years with little
maintenance or intervention after their initial set-up, so after
the initial capital cost of building any solar power plant,
operating costs are extremely low compared to existing power
technologies.
 Grid-connected solar electricity can be used locally thus
reducing transmission/distribution losses .

9. Power Rating
Photovoltaic power stations are typically rated in
terms of the DC peak capacity of the solar arrays as
follows
 mega watt-peak (MWP),
 nominal maximum AC output in megawatts (MW)
 mega volt-amperes(MVA).
Most solar parks are developed at a scale of at least 1 MWP.
The largest operating photovoltaic power stations have capacities
of hundreds of MWP; projects up to 1 GWP are planned

10. Site area and Land Use
 Fixed tilt solar arrays using typical modules of about 15%
efficiency on horizontal sites, need about 1 hectare/MW in the
tropics and this figure rises to over 2 hectare in other location.
 Some large photovoltaic power stations like Waldpolenz Solar
Park and Topaz Solar Farm cover tens or hundreds of hectares
and have power outputs up to hundreds of megawatts.
 The best locations for solar parks in terms of land use are held
to be brown field sites, or where there is no other valuable
land use. Even in cultivated areas, a significant proportion of
the site of a solar farm can also be devoted to other productive
uses, such as grazing or biodiversity.

11. Some Power Plants Around the World
Name Country Nominal power Commissioned note
Lugo USA 1 MW Dec 1982 First MW plant
Carrisa Plain USA 5.6 MW Dec 1985 World’s largest
Hemau Germany 4.0 MW Apr 2003 Europe’s largest;
community owned
Leipziger Land Germany 4.2 MW Aug 2004 Europe’s largest; first
under FITs
Pocking Germany 22 MW Apr 2006 World's and Europe's
largest
Nellis Airforce Base, Nevada
USA 14 MW Dec 2007 America's largest
Olmedilla[ Spain 60 MW Jul 2008 World's and Europe's
largest
Sinan[ Korea 24 MW Aug 2008 Asia's largest
Waldpolenz, Saxony Germany 40 MWP Dec 2008 World's largest thin
film plant. Extended
to 52 MWP in 2011

12. Some Power Plants Around the World
DeSoto, Florida[ USA 25 MW Oct 2009 America's largest
La Roseraye Reunion 11 MWP Apr 2010 Africa's first 10MW+
plant
Sarnia, Ontario Canada 97 MWP (80 MWAC) Sep 2010 World's largest
Golmud[ China 200 MW Oct 2011 World's largest
Charanka, Gujarat India 214 MW Apr 2012 World's and Asia's
largest (consists of
multiple solar power
plants co-located on the
same site)
Agua Caliente, Arizona[ USA To be: 290 MWAC Jul 2012 Passes 200 MW in July
2012 to become world's
largest solar park
Walkaway, Western Australia 10 MW Oct 2012 Largest in Australia
Australia[
Topaz, California USA To be: 500 MWAC 2013 Construction started
2011/12[

13. Power Cost
 The table below shows the total cost in US cents per kWh of
electricity generated by a photovoltaic system using the
Levelized Energy Cost (LEC) which is the price at which
electricity must be generated from a specific source to break
even over the lifetime of the project.
 The row headings on the left show the total cost, per peak
kilowatt (kWp), of a photovoltaic installation. The calculated
values in the table reflect the total cost in cents per kilowatt-
hour produced.
 They assume a 5%/year total capital cost (for instance 4%
interest rate, 1% operating and maintenance cost, and
depreciation of the capital outlay over 20 years). Normally,
photovoltaic modules have a 25 year warranty.

14. Power Cost

15. Energy Storage
 Solar energy can be stored at high temperatures using molten
salts. Salts are an effective storage medium because they are
low-cost, have a high specific heat capacity and can deliver
heat at temperatures compatible with conventional power
systems. The Solar Two used this method of energy storage,
allowing it to store 1.44 TJ in its 68 m³ storage tank, enough
to provide full output for close to 39 hours, with an efficiency
of about 99%.
 Off-grid PV systems have traditionally used rechargeable
batteries to store excess electricity.
 With grid-tied systems, excess electricity can be sent to the
transmission grid.

16. Some PV System under Construction and
Planned
Legend: * Under construction; ** Planned

17. Some Solar Cell Companies and their ranking

18. Some World Largest PV System
Veprek Solar Park Waldpolenz Solar Park
35.1Mwp in Czech Republic 52 MWp in Germany

19. Some World Largest PV System
DeSoto Next Generation Solar Lieberose Photovoltaic Park
Energy Center. 25MWP in U.S.A 71.8 MWp in Germany
Golmud Solar Park China
200MWp Completed October 2011

20. Conclusion
Nigeria has sufficient solar resources which can be
harnessed to power the whole nation. We need to
take the responsibility of creating a green world of
pollution free and environmental friendly.
Photovoltaic system is the answer to alternate and
renewable energy production in Nigeria.

21. Thank you for listening