How much electricity is produced by a 150 kWp solar power plant built on the ground?
How much
electricity the solar power plant produces depends not only on the geographical
location, the quality of the selected equipment, the quality of installation,
but also on the correct orientation (azimuth) of the solar panels and their
slope, as well as potential shading.
The production of electricity in solar power plants requires as much solar radiation on the surface of solar panels. Throughout the year, depending on the season, different solar radiations alternate on the surfaces. The more south-facing the solar panels are, the higher the production will be.
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To some extent, the slope of the panel affects the increase in production from the summer to winter months, while the orientation to the east or west can affect the production during the day, thus increasing the production in the morning or evening. However, for fixed angle installed modules, there is only one combination that contributes to the highest electricity production and thus reduces installation, use and loss costs due to the changing nature of the weather.
The slope of the panel is the angle that is determined by the horizontal. It is usually determined in advance by the construction of houses or roofs. In special cases, when building solar power plants on free surfaces on the ground, production can be influenced by the optimal angle. The best angle is the one where the panel is most exposed to the sun. This is called the energy optimum because during that installation it gives the largest amount of electricity at the output.
Shading of solar panels greatly affects electricity production. Therefore, when designing and budgeting solar power plants, special attention must be paid to facilities that cast shadows on photovoltaic modules (adjacent buildings, chimneys, poles, trees ). Some of the disturbances cannot be affected, e.g. weather influences, but the effects of shadows created by adjacent buildings or buildings adjacent to a building can sometimes be influenced by eliminating them (trees) or at least minimizing them with the best possible configuration of solar panels.
If even one
solar panel from a certain string is in the shadow, the production of all other
modules will be reduced to the level of the one in the shadow in that string.
If the shadows cannot be removed, then when arranging the configuration, the
layout is made so that as many solar panels that are more often in the shade
are placed on one string, and those that are less in the shade or not in the
shade at all are placed on the second or third string . This will reduce the
decline in total electricity production.
In this post, we will show the optimal electricity production of a 150 kWp solar power plant installed on the ground, the optimal orientation and slope of the panels, without the possibility of shading the panels.
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General data of the solar power plant 150 kWp
• Latitude, longitude:
• Elevation: 468 m.
• Connected power of the production
facility: 150 kWp
• Planned annual electricity
production: 170 MWh
• Generator type: photovoltaic with
inverters
• Total number of solar panels: 612 (pcs) unit power 245 Wp
• Total number of inverters: 6
• Connection method: to the associated
MV electricity distribution network via the newly built transformer station 10
(20) / 04 kV, 160 kVA
Solar power plant configuration 150 kWp (Solar Electricity Handbook – 2019)
The system consists of 6 solar fields with five strings with 3x20 and 2x21 panels, total power 24.99 kW, where the first three strings (3x20 panels) will be connected to input A of the inverter, and the fourth and fifth (2x21) to input B inverter. Each string is connected via a DC distribution box to the inverter. Distribution DC cabinets and inverters are mounted laterally, on the right side on the steel structure of the solar fields. The AC sides of the inverter are connected with XP00-A 4x25 mm2 cables, laid in a common cable duct, to the LV block in the newly built transformer station.
Figure 1- Photo of solar power plant 150 kWp during construction
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The panels are placed in a portrait position (Figure 1)
facing the south side of the world, at a slope parallel to the natural slope of
the plot (33o), at a height of 50 cm from the ground. Adequate
galvanized steel construction is used for the installation of the panels, with
the help of which the necessary ones are achieved conditions for the
installation of photovoltaic panels, in order to obtain maximum utilization of
solar radiation.
For electrical connection of photovoltaic panels, a
halogen-free solar conductor in black and red color with a cross-section of 4mm2
/ 6mm2 is used. The electrical connection between the panels was made using MC4
connectors and T splitters. Metal parts of the structure and panels are
galvanic connect to the annular earthing of the photovoltaic power plant.
Partition cabinets and the inverters are equipped with DC and AC surge
arresters and earthing busbars.
Electricity production of solar power plant 150 kWp in 2016
During 2016, the total electricity produced by solar power plant was 179,505 kWh, while at this site for a given power, the estimated electricity production in the PVGIS program was 170,245 kWh with an optimal slope of 330 and azimuth 30.
Figure 3 presents the
histogram of electricity produced in 2016 and the estimated electricity
production in the PVGIS program.
The realized monthly peak forces of this production facility
are shown by the histogram in Figure 3.
Figure 3- Realized monthly peak
production power of a solar power plant 150 kWp in 2016.
CONCLUSION
The current operation of the described
solar power plant can be characterized by the following facts:
- So far, the full uninterrupted operation of the solar power plant has been achieved without any failures.
- From the data on the produced electricity, it is evident that in the input calculations, the estimation of the production of electricity in the PVGIS program can be performed quite precisely. The realized annual electricity production in this case is higher than estimated in the PVGIS software package, which is certainly the result of choosing quality equipment, quality installation, but also taking into account the optimal orientation and slope of the panel, as well as the absence of any shading panels.
- Maintenance costs of photovoltaic power plants are minimal and were reduced to cleaning photovoltaic panels, visual inspections and periodic measurements of relevant parameters
- Although occasional severe weather disasters were recorded (strong wind, big hail, showers), in no case was there any physical damage to the photovoltaic panels in question.
Based on the presented indicators, it
can be concluded that this is a profitable investment, which is primarily a
safe investment with the desired product, a secure customer and a secured price
for a longer period.
Accordingly, the investment in question
is in the long run a reliable and respectable source of funding, but also a
contribution to energy efficiency and environmental protection. (How Solar Energy Became Cheap)
Very good article for solar power plant as an example, that give us more understanding and insight for this type of electrical power that is available to us.
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