Location-aware solar simulation and sizing tools for solar home systems.

Abstract

The study was about developing a simulation and sizing tool which solar system designers or vendors can use to optimally size Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Systems and meet the user’s budget or desired reliability of the system. The simulation tool was developed using python. A User-friendly interface was incorporated where the designer inputs the location where the system is to be installed, the choice of battery type, choice of days of autonomy, desired system reliability or consumer budget and also the loads with their power ratings, time and duration of use. The system then generates a load profile which it uses together with the corresponding high-resolution solar insolation data embedded in the system database to establish the future annual energy balance curve. The curve is then used to iteratively recompute the solar panel and battery size until the earlier stated desired reliability or budget is reached. The tool outputs all the components sizes, system reliability and the total system cost