Step 1: Calculate Total Array Capacity
First, determine the total daily energy that the solar array must generate, accounting for system losses.
Egenerated=SystemEfficiencyDailyEnergyRequirement=0.84.8kWh/day=6kWh/day=6000 Wh/day
Next, calculate the total Watt-peak (Wp) required for the solar array using the average peak sun hours (PSH).
Parray=PSHEgenerated=5hours/day6000Wh/day=1200 Wp
The total array capacity required is 1200Wp.
Step 2: Calculate Module Configuration
Given:
- Total Array Capacity (Parray): 1200 Wp
- Solar Panel Max Power (Pmax): 300 Wp
- System Voltage (Vsys): 24 V DC
- Solar Panel Voltage at Max Power (Vmp): 32 V
Calculate the total number of panels (Ntotal).
Ntotal=Pmax,panelParray=300Wp/panel1200Wp=4 panels
Determine the number of panels in series (Ns). For a 24V system, a single panel with Vmp=32 V is suitable for charging via an MPPT charge controller.
Ns=1 panel/string
Determine the number of parallel strings (Np).
Np=NsNtotal=1panel/string4panels=4 strings
The module configuration is 4totalpanels, with 1panelinseries per string and 4stringsinparallel.
Step 3: Calculate Battery Bank Sizing
Given:
- Daily Energy Requirement (EL): 4.8 kWh/day
- System Voltage (Vsys): 24 V DC
- Autonomy: 2 days
- Depth of Discharge (DOD): 50%=0.5
First, calculate the daily energy requirement in Amp-hours (Ah).
EL,Ah=VsysEL×1000Wh/kWh=24V4.8kWh/day×1000Wh/kWh=200 Ah/day
Now, calculate the required battery bank capacity, considering autonomy and DOD.
Battery Capacity (Ah)=DODEL,Ah×Autonomy=0.5200Ah/day×2days=800 Ah
The required battery bank capacity is 800Ah.
Step 4: Determine Charge Controller Minimum Current Rating
Given:
- Number of parallel strings (Np): 4
- Solar Panel Current at Max Power (Imp): 9.38 A
- Safety Factor: 1.25 (standard practice for continuous current)
Calculate the maximum current from the solar array.
Iarray,max=Np×Imp=4strings×9.38A/string=37.52 A
Determine the minimum current rating for the Charge Controller, applying a safety factor.
Charge Controller Rating=Iarray,max×SafetyFactor=37.52A×1.25=46.9 A
The minimum current rating required for the Charge Controller is 46.9A.
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