Design and performance analysis of a solar photovoltaic system for a rural community in rivers state, Nigeria.

This study presents the design, simulation and performance analysis of a 650 kW on-grid solar electricity generation system for a rural community in Rivers State, Nigeria, using the photovoltaic system (PVsyst) software. The model consists of 2500 PV modules each with a rating of 260 W. The PV array consists of 119 (125) strings. Each string is made up of 19 (20) panels in series. Eleven 50 kW (40 kVA) inverters were used. The key parameters assessed are the normalized output of the inverter, the total PV array energy, energy supplied to the grid, conversion efficiency of the PV array, losses in the system, and the system performance ratio. Results obtained show that the system produces an annual electricity of 908 MWh with an annual specific production of 1398 kWh/kW and a performance ratio of 0.83. The normalized production is 3.83 kWh/kW/day. The array and system losses are 0.71 kWh/kW/day and 0.07 kWh/kW/day, respectively. The findings from this research suggest that the system that has been designed is both efficient and productive. It can effectively harness solar energy and transform it into electricity with minimal losses. This not only lessens our dependence on fossil fuels but also results in financial savings and benefits to the environment.