Intelligent Off-Grid Photovoltaic Supply Systems

Off-grid Photovoltaic (PV) systems are empowering technology in underdeveloped countries like Ethiopia where many people live far away from the modern world. Where there is relatively low energy consumption, providing energy from grid systems is not commercially cost-effective. As a result, significant people groups worldwide stay without access to electricity. One remote village in northern Ethiopia was selected by the United Nations for a pilot project to improve its living conditions. As part of this comprehensive project, an intelligent charge controller circuit for Off-grid PV systems was designed for the clinic in that village. In this paper, design aspects of an intelligent charge controller unit and its load driver circuits are discussed for an efficient utilization of PVbased supply systems. {"references": ["Prashant Kumar Soori, L.Parthasarathy, Masami Okano, Leake Enquay,\nKifleberhane Zemalecot, and Gebrehiwot Abraha, \"Automated charge\ncontroller for off-grid photovoltaic lighting system,\" presented at the\n2007 5th Int. Conf. Industrial automation, Montr\u00e9al, Qu\u00e9bec, CANADA.", "Antonio Luque, and Steven Hegedus, \"Handbook of photovoltaic\nscience and engineering,\" West Sussex: Wiley, 2005, ch. 17.", "Bogdan S.Borowy, and Ziyed M.Salameh, \"Methodology for optimally\nsizing the combination of a battery bank and PV array in a wind/PV\nhybrid system,\" IEEE Transl. Energy conversion, vol. 11, June 1996, pp.\n367-373.", "H.P.Garg, and J.Prakash, \"Solar energy fundamentals and applications,\"\n1st revised ed, Tata McGraw-Hill, 2002, pp. 403-404.", "S.P.Sukhatme, \"Solar energy principles of thermal collection and\nstorage,\" 2nd ed. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2002, pp. 22-23.", "Photovoltaics Design and Installation Manual, Solar Energy\nInternational, New Society, 2004.", "Soori Prashant Kumar, Wondimu W/G, and Tademe Asfaw,\n\"Photovoltaic domestic lighting system for rural areas,\" presented at the\n2003 1st CEETE Conf., Ethiopia.", "S.Saha, and V.P.Sundarsingh, \"Novel grid-connected photovoltaic\ninverter,\" IEE Proc.Gener. Transm. Distrib. vol. 143, no. 2, pp. 219-\n224, March 1996.", "L.Salvaderi, and G.B.Martini, \"An international perspective on the\nfuture of power generation and transmission worldwide: The Italian\ncase,\" IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 83,March\n1992.\n[10] Badrul H.Chowdhury, \"Optimizing the integration of photovoltaic\nsystems with electric utilities,\" IEEE Trans. Energy Conversion, vol. 7,\nno. 1, pp. 72-78, March 1992."]}