COMPONENTS DESIGN FOR A STAND-ALONE SOLAR-POWERED PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM FOR VARIOUS NIGERIAN LOCATIONS

The majority, if not all, of the equipment in our homes and apartments can be powered by solar energy. Solar energy is a renewable resource. Other factors that make using solar energy so important in Nigeria include the country's climate, which is suitable for solar energy use, inconsistent electricity supply, delayed electricity supply projects for rural areas, etc. Designing, selecting, and figuring out the equipment ratings for a photovoltaic system is therefore important. The methods used to choose the different components of a stand-alone photovoltaic system were examined in this paper. The method was chosen to be applied to a typical Nigerian household in a highbrow neighbourhood. For the solar PV array, battery bank, voltage controller, and inverter to meet the design goals, measurements were taken and suitable brands were suggested. The household under consideration required 128 Poly-Luminous solar panels (250 Watts, 24 V, 8.31 A); 22 LiFePO4 batteries (48 V, 400 Ah, High Capacity, 20 KWH Energy Storage Battery); 5 ConextTM MPPT 60 150 solar charge controllers; and 1 Mercury 11 KVA Solar Hybrid Inverter in order to supply 82.3875 kWh/d of solar power to the household. The variables that influence the selection of each piece of equipment employed in the system's design and size were also discussed. Oversizing and undersizing of any piece of equipment were avoided to guarantee appropriate system design. Applications with higher or lower energy consumption as well as those in different regions can employ the same approach, which could be modified accordingly. Nonetheless, the design should adhere to these environmental parameters of these areas.