BY

O.A. AKINOLADEPT. OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE ABEOKUTANIGERIA

PAPER PRESENTED AT THE 2012 NIGERIA ALTERNATIVE ENERGY EXPO, JUNE 12 CULTURAL CENTRE, ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE,

NIGEIRA

Power Generation by Application of Photo-Voltaic

Did you know that…?

The 89 PW of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface is plentiful – almost 6,000 times more than the 15 TW equivalent of average power consumed by humans.

Solar electric generation has the highest power density (global mean of 170 W/m2) among renewable energies

By the end of 2011, a total of 67.4 GW had been installed, sufficient to generate 85 TWh/year. Solar photovoltaic is now, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable energy source in terms of globally installed capacity

The first 1 MWP solar park was built by Arco Solar at Lugo near Hesperia, California at the end of 1982, followed in 1984 by a 5.6 MWP installation in Cerrizo Plain.

The largest solar parks currently operating have capacities between 200 and 300MWP.

The largest sites under construction have capacities of hundreds of MWP and projects at a scale of 1 GWP are being planned.

Outline

Introduction What is Photovoltaic What is Photovoltaic system Application Advantages Power Ratings

Site Area and Land UseSome Power Plants Around the WorldPower CostEnergy StoragePV System under construction and PlannedSolar Cell Companies and their RankingsWorld Largest PV Systems

Introduction

What is Photovoltaic?Photovoltaic (PV) is a method of generating

electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect.

Materials presently used for photovoltaic include monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline, amorphous, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium selenide/ sulfide.

What is Photovoltaic systems?

Photovoltaic systems (PV system) use solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity. A system is made up of one or more solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, a DC/AC power converter (also known as an inverter), a racking system that holds the solar panels, electrical interconnections, and mounting for other components.

Optionally it may include a maximum power point tracker (MPPT), battery system and charger, solar tracker, energy management software, solar concentrators or other equipment.

A small PV system may provide energy to a single consumer, or to an isolated device like a lamp or a weather instrument. Large grid-connected PV systems can provide the energy needed by many customers.

Application of photovoltaic

Power station

Waldpolenz Solar Park divided into blocks each with a centralised inverter

Bellpuig Solar Park Near Lerida Spain uses pole-mounted 2-axis trackers

The 25.7 MW Lauingen Energy Park

in Bavarian Swabia, Germany

80 MW Okhotnykoyo Solar Park in Ukraine

Application of photovoltaic

The 104kW solar highway near Tualatin Oregon in December 2008

Standalone Solar parking paystation

Photovoltaic wall at MNACTEC Terrassa in Spain

Advantages

Solar electric generation has the highest power density (global mean of 170 W/m2) among renewable energies

Solar power is pollution-free during use

PV installations can operate for many years with little maintenance or intervention after their initial set-up, so after the initial capital cost of building any solar power plant, operating costs are extremely low compared to existing power technologies.

Grid-connected solar electricity can be used locally thus reducing transmission/distribution losses .

Power Rating

Photovoltaic power stations are typically rated in terms of the DC peak capacity of the solar arrays as follows mega watt-peak (MWP), nominal maximum AC output in megawatts (MW) mega volt-amperes(MVA).

Most solar parks are developed at a scale of at least 1 MWP.

The largest operating photovoltaic power stations have capacities

of hundreds of MWP; projects up to 1 GWP are planned

Site area and Land Use

Fixed tilt solar arrays using typical modules of about 15% efficiency on horizontal sites, need about 1 hectare/MW in the tropics and this figure rises to over 2 hectare in other location.

Some large photovoltaic power stations like Waldpolenz Solar Park and Topaz Solar Farm cover tens or hundreds of hectares and have power outputs up to hundreds of megawatts.

The best locations for solar parks in terms of land use are held to be brown field sites, or where there is no other valuable land use. Even in cultivated areas, a significant proportion of the site of a solar farm can also be devoted to other productive uses, such as grazing or biodiversity.

Some Power Plants Around the World

Name Country Nominal power Commissioned note

Lugo USA 1 MW Dec 1982 First MW plant

Carrisa Plain USA 5.6 MW Dec 1985 World’s largest

Hemau Germany 4.0 MW Apr 2003 Europe’s largest;

community owned

Leipziger Land Germany 4.2 MW Aug 2004 Europe’s largest; first

under FITs

Pocking Germany 22 MW Apr 2006 World's and Europe's

largest

Nellis Airforce Base,

Nevada

USA 14 MW Dec 2007 America's largest

Olmedilla[ Spain 60 MW Jul 2008 World's and Europe's

largest

Sinan[ Korea 24 MW Aug 2008 Asia's largest

Waldpolenz, Saxony Germany 40 MWPDec 2008 World's largest thin

film plant. Extended

to 52 MWP in 2011

Some Power Plants Around the World

DeSoto, Florida[ USA 25 MW Oct 2009 America's largest

La Roseraye Reunion 11 MWPApr 2010 Africa's first 10MW+

plant

Sarnia, Ontario Canada 97 MWP (80 MWAC) Sep 2010 World's largest

Golmud[ China 200 MW Oct 2011 World's largest

Charanka, Gujarat India 214 MW Apr 2012 World's and Asia's

largest (consists of

multiple solar power

plants co-located on the

same site)

Agua Caliente, Arizona[ USA To be: 290 MWACJul 2012 Passes 200 MW in July

2012 to become world's

largest solar park

Walkaway, Western

Australia[

Australia 10 MW Oct 2012 Largest in Australia

Topaz, California USA To be: 500 MWAC2013 Construction started

2011/12[

Power Cost

The table below shows the total cost in US cents per kWh of electricity generated by a photovoltaic system using the Levelized Energy Cost (LEC) which is the price at which electricity must be generated from a specific source to break even over the lifetime of the project.

The row headings on the left show the total cost, per peak kilowatt (kWp), of a photovoltaic installation. The calculated values in the table reflect the total cost in cents per kilowatt-hour produced.

They assume a 5%/year total capital cost (for instance 4% interest rate, 1% operating and maintenance cost, and depreciation of the capital outlay over 20 years). Normally, photovoltaic modules have a 25 year warranty.

Power Cost

Energy Storage

Solar energy can be stored at high temperatures using molten salts. Salts are an effective storage medium because they are low-cost, have a high specific heat capacity and can deliver heat at temperatures compatible with conventional power systems. The Solar Two used this method of energy storage, allowing it to store 1.44 TJ in its 68 m³ storage tank, enough to provide full output for close to 39 hours, with an efficiency of about 99%.

Off-grid PV systems have traditionally used rechargeable batteries to store excess electricity.

With grid-tied systems, excess electricity can be sent to the transmission grid.

Some PV System under Construction and Planned

Legend: * Under construction; ** Planned

Some Solar Cell Companies and their ranking

Some World Largest PV System

Veprek Solar Park 35.1Mwp in Czech Republic

Waldpolenz Solar Park52 MWp in Germany

Some World Largest PV System

DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center. 25MWP in U.S.A

Lieberose Photovoltaic Park71.8 MWp in Germany

Golmud Solar Park China 200MWp Completed October

2011

Conclusion

Nigeria has sufficient solar resources which can be harnessed to power the whole nation. We need to take the responsibility of creating a green world of pollution free and environmental friendly.

Photovoltaic system is the answer to alternate and renewable energy production in Nigeria.

Thank you for listening