Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes
2024, Vol. 14, No. 3 e-ISSN: 1390-8146
Published by: Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres
How to cite this article (APA):
Rueda, C., Et. Al. (2024) Design of an Assisted Photovoltaic Solar Energy
System for Block 5, Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes, 14(3) 88-109
Design of an Assisted Photovoltaic Solar Energy System for Block 5
Diseño de un Sistema de Energía Solar Fotovoltaica Asistido para el Bloque 5
Carlos Iván Rueda Panchano
Msc. Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres de Esmeraldas, Ecuador
ivan.rueda@utelvt.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5067-6277
Jury Alfredo Ramirez Toro
Msc. Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres de Esmeraldas, Ecuador
jury.ramirez@utelvt.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8420-9463
Byron Fernando Chere Quiñónez
Msc. Universidad Técnica Luis Vargas Torres de Esmeraldas, Ecuador
byron.chere@utelvt.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1886-6147
Nayzer Frank Mina González
Msc. Luis Vargas Torres Technical University of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, nayzer.mina@utelvt.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1344-0369
Karen Yanela Simisterra Quiñónez
Msc. Luis Vargas Torres Technical University of Esmeraldas, Ecuador,
karen.simisterra.quinonez@utelvt.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8590-6316
This study focuses on the design of a photovoltaic system to supply
electricity to the building "Block 5" of the FACI - UTLVTE. This design
considers obtaining energy through two sources which are
photovoltaic modules and the local power grid. Therefore, the
designed photovoltaic system is conceived as an assisted solar
photovoltaic installation. In the present research, calculations and
simulations are carried out based on an analysis of the load demand
and meteorological data obtained with PVsyst software. The results
obtained indicate that the designed photovoltaic system can support
a percentage of the demand of the lighting circuits, general outlets
and special loads of Block 5, which corresponds to a decrease in the
costs associated with the consumption of electricity from the local
power grid. These results demonstrate that the sizing achieved by this
photovoltaic system is optimal, which is validated by means of the
PVsyst software.
Abstract
Received 2024-01-12
Revised 2024-08-22
Published 2024-08-01
Corresponding Author
Carlos Iván Rueda Panchano
ivan.rueda@utelvt.edu.ec
Pages: 88-109
https://creativecommons.org/lice
nses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Distributed under
Copyright: © The Author(s)
Design of an Assisted Photovoltaic Solar Energy System for Block 5
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89
Keywords:
solar resource analysis, PVsyst, photovoltaic system,
demand estimation.
Resumen
Este estudio se centra en el diseño de un sistema fotovoltaico que
sirva para abastecer con electricidad al edificio "Bloque 5" de la FACI
– UTLVTE. Este diseño considera la obtención de energía a través de
dos fuentes que son unos módulos fotovoltaicos y la red eléctrica
local. Por lo tanto, el sistema fotovoltaico diseñado se concibe como
una instalación solar fotovoltaica de tipo asistida. En la presente
investigación, se llevan a cabo cálculos y simulaciones basados en un
análisis de la demanda de las cargas y datos meteorológicos
obtenidos con el software PVsyst. Los resultados obtenidos indican
que el sistema fotovoltaico diseñado puede soportar un porcentaje
de la demanda de los circuitos de iluminación, tomacorrientes
generales y cargas especiales del Bloque 5, lo que corresponde a una
disminución de los costos asociados con el consumo de energía
eléctrica proveniente de la red eléctrica local. Dichos resultados
demuestran que el dimensionamiento alcanzado por este sistema
fotovoltaico es óptimo, lo cual es validado mediante el software
PVsyst.
Palabras clave:
análisis del recurso solar, PVsyst, sistema fotovoltaico,
estimación de la demanda.
Introduction
Photovoltaic systems harness solar energy, an inexhaustible source of
energy, so the implementation of this type of energy system helps to
move towards a more sustainable energy matrix. Likewise, designing
these systems fosters innovation and technological progress, since it
contributes to the understanding of how to efficiently deliver non-
conventional energy to places that require it, a concept known as
"distributed generation".
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At present, the power supply of FACI's "Block 5" building (Figure 1)
depends exclusively on CNEL EP's distribution network. The cost
generated by the consumption of energy from a public network in a
building with the characteristics of Block 5 can be high. One solution
to this problem, which would help reduce the costs associated with
energy consumption, is the development of an assisted photovoltaic
system that injects solar renewable energy into the building and can
also receive energy from the available electrical grid when necessary.
The implementation of such a system can be beneficial not only from
an economic but also from an environmental point of view.
The objective of this article is to reveal the design of a photovoltaic
power generation system for Block 5 of the FACI, where the key
components of this system (i.e. inverter and photovoltaic modules)
are technically defined or specified, and the feasibility of the solar
installation is evaluated from the point of view of the solar resource
available at the location of Block 5, while taking into account the
demand of the load installed in the building. At the end, a bill of
materials and a budget for the implementation of this photovoltaic
system is estimated.
Figure 1.
Building Block 5 - FACI - UTLVTE.
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
Methodology
Figure 2 presents the two basic types of PV systems, which are: a) Off-
grid installations, and b) Grid-connected installations. The choice of
Block 5
FACI - UTLVTE
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one or the other type of PV configuration depends on the application;
for example, grid-connected solar installations are used when the
objective is to sell electricity and/or perform self-consumption, while
off-grid installations are generally used in rural electrification,
pumping, signaling, and communications applications (Baselga-
Carreras, 2019).. In the technical instruction ITC-BT-40 of the Spanish
Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation, a third classification or type
of photovoltaic system called Photovoltaic Assisted Solar Installation
arises, which has an additional source of energy, i.e., it has
photovoltaic modules that are used to feed the load (Figure 3)
(Mascarós-Mateo, 2016) and the energy from the photovoltaic
modules is complemented with the energy from the local power grid.
This article focuses on the design of an assisted photovoltaic
installation for Block 5, whose implementation will reduce the
consumption of electricity from the local grid, supplying energy to the
building by means of a complementary source based on photovoltaic
solar energy.
Figure 2.
Basic photovoltaic systems: (a) Isolated, (b) Grid-
interconnected.
Note. Taken from (Castejón & Herranz, 2010)..
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Figure 3.
Assisted photovoltaic system
Note. Taken from (Mascarós-Mateo, 2016)..
Finally, it is necessary to mention that the main components in PV
systems are usually the PV modules and the inverter. However, it is
common that some of the following components are also required in
a photovoltaic system, depending on the type of application (Cagua,
2023)Photovoltaic modules, inverter, rechargeable batteries
(accumulator), charge controller or regulator, junction boxes
(combiners), mounting structure, energy meter, automatic
disconnection switches (electrical protections), wiring and monitoring
system.
FACI's Block 5 building has three floors with classrooms, staff rooms
and a small bar. From a survey of information, it has been established
in Tables 1, 2 and 3 that the electrical load of this building, composed
of lighting fixtures, general outlets and special loads (e.g. air
conditioning, electric oven, etc.), demands a total estimated power of
3015 W + 14800 W + 25000 W = 42815 W. However, this total power
value represents a maximum load demand value that, under normal
building operating conditions, will most likely not occur. Then, in
order to estimate a demand that probabilistically would be more in
line with reality, the demand factors (DF) presented in Tables 4 and 5,
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established according to the Ecuadorian Construction Standard
(NEC), are used. (Fernández & Fernández, 2022; Unamo et al., 2018)..
Table 1.
Electrical power: Luminaires
Electrical Power - Luminaires
Environments
Electrical Circuit
Power [W]
Device
Quantity
Watts per Device
[W]
Classroom 1
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Classroom 2
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Classroom 3
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Aisle
Fluorescent tube
16
18
288
Food Bar
Led Spotlight
1
9
9
Classroom 1
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Classroom 2
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Classroom 3
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Classroom 4
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Aisle
Fluorescent tube
14
18
252
Teachers' lounge #2
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Teachers' lounge #3
Fluorescent tube
10
18
180
Teachers' lounge #4
Fluorescent tube
12
18
216
Bathrooms
Led Spotlight
2
9
18
Aisle
Fluorescent tube
18
18
324
Total Power (W)
3015
Table 2.
Electrical power: General outlets
Electrical Power - Outlets
Zones
Environments
Electrical Circuit
Power [W]
Device
Quantity
Watts per Device
[W]
Second floor
Classroom 1
110 V outlet
3
200
600
Classroom 2
110 V outlet
3
200
600
Classroom 3
110 V outlet
3
200
600
Food Bar
110 V outlet
2
200
400
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Second
floor
Classroom 1
110 V outlet
3
200
600
Classroom 2
110 V outlet
3
200
600
Classroom 3
110 V outlet
3
200
600
Classroom 4
110 V outlet
3
200
600
Third floor
Teachers' lounge #2
110 V outlet
17
200
3400
Teachers' lounge #3
110 V outlet
17
200
3400
Teachers' lounge #4
110 V outlet
17
200
3400
Total Power (W)
14800
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
Table 3.
Electrical power: Special loads
Electrical Power - Special Loads
Zones
Environments
Electrical Circuit
Power [W]
Device
Quantity
Watts per
Device [W]
Second
floor
Classroom 1
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Classroom 2
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Classroom 3
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Second floor
Classroom 1
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Classroom 2
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Classroom 3
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Classroom 4
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Third floor
Teachers' lounge #2
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Teachers' lounge #3
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Teachers' lounge #4
220 V power socket - Air conditioning
1
2500
2500
Total Power (W)
25000
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
Table 4.
Demand factors: Luminaires and general outlets.
Housing Type
FD Lighting
FD Outlets
Small - Medium
0,70
0,50
Medium Large - Large
0,55
0,40
Special
0,53
0,30
Note. Based on. (Fernandez & Fernandez, 2022; Unamo et al., 2018)..
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Table 5.
Demand factors: Special loads.
For one load
For two or more
loads
For two or more loads
For two or more loads
1
CE<10 kW
0.8
10 kW<CE<20kW
0.75
CE>20kW
0.65
Note. Based on. (Fernandez & Fernandez, 2022; Unamo et al., 2018)..
Next, according to the type of load, Table 6 presents the power
demand values of Block 5 modified with the respective demand factor
(DF). (Cagua, 2023):
Table 6.
Total demand calculation for Block 5 using the respective
demand factor.
No
.
Type of cargo
Power [W]
FD
Demand with FD =
Power x FD [W].
1
Luminaires
3015
0,53
1598
2
Outlets
14800
0,53
7844
3
Special loads
25000
0,65
16250
Total Demand with FD [W]
25692
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
Probabilistically, the value of 25692 W of total demand presented in
Table 6 is more accurate than the previously mentioned 42815 W that
established the value of the total power demand for building Block 5
assuming the unlikely case that the building load remains working at
full load throughout the day. This power demand of 25692 W for
Block 5, calculated using the respective demand factors, is the one
that is subsequently used in the sizing of the PV field required for the
solar installation of this building.
Solar Resource Study
In the literature. (Cevallos-Sierra & Ramos-Martin, 2018; Ulloa-
Santillán, 2020) it is established that for a solar photovoltaic
installation to be feasible from the point of view of the available solar
resource and energy generation, it is necessary that the average
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annual value of the Global Horizontal Solar Irradiance (GHI - acronym
in English) at the installation site is not less than 3.8 kWh/m2. With
respect to the above, it has been identified through the PVsyst
software, that for the location of Block 5, whose coordinates are
latitude 0.9721 and longitude -79.6662, the GHI value is on average
4.94 kWh/m2/day (Figure 4), which indicates that, from the point of
view of available solar resource and photovoltaic energy production,
the implementation of a photovoltaic system is viable in this location.
Figure 4.
Annual average of Global Horizontal Irradiance in Block 5 of
the FACI.
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
In the following section of this article, the work of selecting the main
components of the assisted photovoltaic system for Block 5 is carried
out. This selection or identification of components, which could also
be called sizing or design of the photovoltaic system, is carried out
through the use of the PVsyst software. Basically, this sizing consists
of entering in the software the parameters or characteristics related
to the installation and operation of the photovoltaic system. Among
the main parameters to be entered are: the optimal inclination of the
photovoltaic modules, their orientation and output voltage, the
power consumption of the load, and the system losses.
4.94 kWh/m /day
2
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The orientation and inclination of the photovoltaic modules (Figure 5)
should be such that they receive as much energy as possible when
they receive the sun's rays. The greatest amount of energy received
by the modules is when the sun's rays strike perpendicularly on the
solar cells of the panel (Institute of Educational Technologies, 2023).
(Institute of Educational Technologies, 2023).. To achieve this, the
orientation (α = Azimuth) of the photovoltaic modules must be in the
direction of the equator (parallel 0°). As the Block 5 building is located
in Esmeraldas - Ecuador (northern hemisphere), the orientation of the
photovoltaic modules must be towards the south, in other words,
towards the equator, with an azimuth angle of 0° (α = 0°). On the
other hand, the optimal tilt (βopt) of the modules can be determined
through equation 1, as follows, where φ is the latitude of the
installation site (Rodriguez-Mas et al., 2022):
𝛽
!"#
= 3.7 + 0.69 ∙
|
𝜑
|
Eq.
1
Therefore:
𝛽
!"#
= 3.7 + 0.69 ∙
|
0.9721
|
= 4.37°
Regarding the output voltage of the photovoltaic modules, it is
recommended that. (Mascarós-Mateo, 2016; Ulloa-Santillán, 2020)
that it be selected based on the information provided in Table 7.
Table 7.
Recommended output voltage levels for photovoltaic
modules.
Rated Working Voltage (V)
Cargo Demand
12 V
Less than 1500 W
12 V or 48 V
Between 1500 W
and 5000 W
48 V or 120 V
Greater than 5000
W
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023)
Losses in a photovoltaic installation can be of various types as shown
in the example Loss Diagram in Figure 6, where an interconnected
solar installation reinjects 1834 MWh to the electrical grid. Note that
for this PV system the nominal power generated by the PV modules
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at standard test conditions (STC) is 2390 MWh. However, note that
this input PV power, generated by the PV modules and transferred to
the load, presents losses of various kinds that cause that, at the output
of the PV system, a lower value of energy is obtained which is equal
to 1834 MWh.
The sizing of the assisted photovoltaic system is done with the PVsyst
software. In this software the meteorological data of the installation
point are selected and the basic parameters of the PV system are also
entered, which as mentioned in the previous section, are basically the
following: a) inclination of the modules and their output voltage, b)
demand of the fed load, c) losses of the PV system.
In the present study, we have determined that the optimal tilt of the
PV modules is βopt = 4.37° and the orientation α = 0° is southward
(Figure 7). The total load demand has also been estimated to be a
value of 25692 W using demand factors. Finally, as for the losses these
have been defined with the default values set in PVsyst. With this
information, the software allows the selection of the fundamental
components of the system, which are the photovoltaic modules and
inverters.
Figure 8 shows the window for selecting the key components (inverter
and PV modules). In this window, the PV modules are selected with
the criterion of having a high peak power level, since this reduces the
number of modules needed to meet the building's demand. In
addition, to comply with Table 7, the PV modules should have an
output voltage between 48 to 120 V DC.
The selected inverter would be expected to be able to transfer all
levels of input DC power to the AC load, regardless of irradiance and
temperature conditions. However, in a real scenario, the PV system
will operate at the highest DC power levels only on very occasional
occasions throughout the year; for this reason, in order to reduce the
cost of the inverter, it is generally recommended to undersize its
respective output power. In other words, it is recommended to
oversize the PV generator field with respect to the inverter output
power. This concept is known as the Inverter Load Ratio (ILR) which is
equal to the division between the input DC power (STC) of the PV
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system divided by the nominal AC output power of the inverter.
According to (Masters & Hsu, 2023), in the United States normally an
accepted value of ILR should be between 1 and 1.25. In the present
study, an ILR of 1.2 is selected, i.e., the selected inverter is expected
to be able to handle without overloading up to 80% of the maximum
DC power level of the generator field. It is worth mentioning that an
inverter normally has a mechanism that avoids overshooting the
output power capacity by automatically limiting it to the nominal value
whenever there is excess input power. The excess output power is not
transferred by the inverter to the load and instead this device cuts the
output power so that it does not exceed the nominal power. This
behavior in the inverter is referred to as "clipping." (Good & Johnson,
2016; Masters & Hsu, 2023; Sandia National Laboratories, 2024)..
Figure 5.
Orientation (angle α) and tilt (angle β) of a Photovoltaic
Module.
Note. Taken from (Rodríguez-Mas et al., 2022)..
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Figure 6.
Example of losses of a solar PV system interconnected to
the grid.
Note. Taken from (Diaz-Santos et al., 2017)..
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Figure 7.
Entry of PV module tilt and orientation parameters in PVsyst.
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
Panel inclination
Orientation: South
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Figure 8.
Selection of the technical specifications of the main
components of the block 5 assisted photovoltaic system.
Table 8 presents a summary of the sizing of the assisted photovoltaic
system for Block 5. This table shows the fundamental components of
the system and also mentions other aspects related to the design of
the photovoltaic field; for example, the number of modules required,
the configuration of the photovoltaic array, the power generated, etc.,
are determined.
Note in Table 8, that an area of 121 m2 is required for the installation
of the 72 solar panels needed by the assisted photovoltaic system. It
has been determined that the terrace of Block 5 has an available area
of approximately 600 m2; therefore, there is sufficient area to
implement the photovoltaic field (photovoltaic modules) on the
terrace of this building.
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Table 8.
Technical specifications of the assisted photovoltaic system.
Description
Manufactur
er
Model
Features
PV modules
Panasonic
VBHN-330-
SJ47
Rated power (STC):
330 Wp
V
MPP
@ 60 °C: 51.3V
Inverter
Fronius
Internation
al
ECO 25.0-3-
S
Rated power: 25kW
Input voltage: 580 -
850V
Photovoltaic
field design
N/A
N/A
Modules in series: 12
Strings: 6
Number of modules:
72
Area covered by
modules: 121 m
2
Rated power of
photovoltaic field
(STC): 23.8 kWp
Note. Based on (Cagua, 2023).
Results
Once the key components of the system have been dimensioned in
PVsyst (Figure 8) and the self-consumption needs for the building load
have been established (Figure 9), the PV system performance
simulation is run in PVsyst. The result of the simulation is the "PVsyst
- Simulation Report" (Figures 10 and 11) which indicates various
details related to the performance of the assisted PV system.
Among the information presented on page 5 of the PVsyst simulation
report (Figure 11), it is possible to identify that the annual
consumption of the load is 225044 kWh. Additionally, it can be
observed that the PVsyst system contributes 36973 kWh to the load,
while the grid provides the remaining energy, i.e. 188071 kWh. This
means that, once the assisted PV system is implemented, about 20 %
of the total energy to power the load will come from the solar panels
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throughout the year. Logically, this would represent a 20% reduction
in energy consumption from the grid. This fact means that an
economic saving of the same percentage (20%) would be expected in
the monthly energy consumption bills of this building once the
assisted photovoltaic system is implemented.
Finally, Table 9 shows an approximate budget for the materials, main
equipment and services required to build the assisted photovoltaic
system that we have studied in this article.
Figure 9.
Entry of self-consumption parameters in PVsyst.
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
Demand of Block 5- FACI: 25692W
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Figure 10.
PVsyst simulation report (page 1).
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
Figure 11.
Production of the assisted photovoltaic system.
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023).
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Table 9.
Approximate budget of the assisted photovoltaic system for
Block 5 - FACI.
Assisted Photovoltaic System Budget
No.
Description
Quantity
Unit
Unit Cost
Total Value
1
330 Wp photovoltaic
module.
Manufacturer:
Panasonic. Model:
VBHN-330-SJ47
72
EA
$320,00
$23.040,00
2
Inverter 25 kW.
Manufacturer:
Fronius International.
Model: ECO 25.0-3-S
1
EA
$3.500,00
$3.500,00
3
Structure
1
GB
$1.800,00
$1.800,00
4
Grounding rod.
1
EA
$16,00
$16,00
5
General switch.
1
EA
$35,00
$35,00
6
Differential switch of
30 mA sensitivity.
1
EA
$12,00
$12,00
7
gPV fuses.
8
EA
$8,00
$64,00
8
Photovoltaic Cable.
300 meters.
1
EA
$1.062,00
$1.062,00
9
MC4 connectors.
150
EA
$7,14
$1.071,00
10
SPD (varistors).
5
EA
$35,12
$175,60
11
Labor.
1
GB
$2.000,00
$2.000,00
Total Power (W)
$32.775,60
Note. Taken from (Cagua, 2023)
Conclusions
The use of specialized tools such as PVsyst has made it possible to
predict the performance of an assisted photovoltaic system designed
for the FACI Block 5 building. Through the use of this software it has
been possible to select the essential components of this type of
photovoltaic system, such as the photovoltaic modules and the
inverter. The results obtained in the PVsyst simulation report support
Design of an Assisted Photovoltaic Solar Energy System for Block 5
Revista Científica Interdisciplinaria Investigación y Saberes , / 2024/ , Vol. 14, No. 3
107
the design decisions and ensure the efficiency of the proposed
system.
On the other hand, meteorological and geolocation information has
been used in this study, and at the same time information has been
gathered through visual inspections of the installation site, in order to
evaluate whether the conditions are favorable to support the
implementation of the project in a technical manner.
In addition, the detailed study of the installed load in the "Block 5"
building has revealed crucial information to determine the energy
demand. This step has been essential to properly size the PV-assisted
system, ensuring that it can meet the needs efficiently. Effective
planning has been made possible by understanding consumption
patterns and projecting solar power generation. A detailed budget
has also been prepared considering the costs associated with
equipment acquisition and installation.
To conclude, the results of this work have supported the feasibility of
implementing an assisted photovoltaic system in Block 5. The
detailed identification of the technical specifications of the main
components, the accurate identification of the load and the
presentation of a detailed budget form a comprehensive framework
for the successful implementation of the project.
This work lays the groundwork for the transition to a more sustainable
energy source in Block 5, and also suggests that the adoption of solar
energy will not only be beneficial from an environmental standpoint,
but may also have a positive impact on long-term cost reduction.
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