The aim of hybridizing renewable energy sources is that the main load shall be covered by the available solar energy source and other sources shall function as a complement when there is a deficiency in the main source. The aim of the system is to cover outdoor lighting, which is also designed in this report, at the campus of AAiT during night.
Due to frequent power outages in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the PV system has been designed to provide enough electricity supply to cover most of the offices in the Administration Building at AAiT.
The solar potential of the site is based on monthly average data of solar irradiation provided by NASA. The optimum angle to mount the PV modules is determined through simulations based on irradiation on a horizontal surface. The design of outdoor lighting is based on giving a suitable illumination dependent on what the area is used for after sunset. The PV system was dimensioned to supply enough energy to light the campus.
Four backups to the PV system were examined to find the optimal solution: battery, diesel generator and the two hybrid systems with battery and diesel generator or grid. The configurations made to find the optimized system were modeled in The Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) software.
Source: KTH
Authors: Bergman, Lovisa | Enocksson, Amanda
