Assembling And Maintenance Of A 6Kw Inverter With Solar Energy 2nd Edition

ABSTRACT

Solar inverter converts the variable direct current (DC) output of a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current (AC) that can be fed into a commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. It is a critical component in a photovoltaic system, allowing the use of ordinary AC-powered equipment.

In solar inverter, Solar panels produce direct electricity with the help of electrons that are moving from negative to positive direction. Most of the appliances that we use at home work on alternative current. This AC is created by the constant back and forth of the electrons from negative to positive. In AC electricity the voltage can be adjusted according to the use of the appliance.  As solar panels only produce Direct current the solar inverter is used to convert the DC to AC.

Alternating power supply from a solar inverter supplies an alternative means of electrification to the user. This paper shows the assembling and maintenance of a 6kw inverter with solar energy.

TABLE OF CONTENT

COVER PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENT

• INTRODUCTION
• SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
• PROBLEM STATEMENT
• AIM AND OBJECTIVES
• SIGNIFICANT STUDY
• ADVANTAGES OF SOLAR INVERTER
• DISADVANTAGES OF SOLAR INVERTER
• LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
• RESEARCH QUESTION/HYPOTHESIS
• DEFINITION OF TERMS

 

CHAPTER TWO

2.0   LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1   PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR SYSTEM

2.2   DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOLAR CELLS

2.3   PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR GENERATOR

2.4   REVIEW OF SOLAR CELL MATERIALS

2.6      REVIEW OF EARLY INVERTERS

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0   PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM SIZING

3.1   SYSTEM BLOCK

3.2   COMPONENTS OF A SOLAR INVERTER

3.3   SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

3.4   CONFIGURATION

3.5   PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM SIZING

3.6   FACTORS AFFECTING PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM SIZING

3.7   SIZING OF THE SOLAR ENERGY

3.8   SIZING OF THE BATTERY

3.9   SIZING OF THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR

3.10 SIZING OF THE INVERTER

3.11   SOLAR PANEL INSTALLATION PROCESS

3.12   SOLAR CONNECTION DIAGRAM

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1   TESTING OF SOLAR PANELS

4.2   OFFICE APPLIANCES

4.3   SIZING THE SOLAR ENERGY

4.4   SIZING OF THE BATTERY BANK

4.5   DISCHARGE DURATION

4.6   SIZING OF THE SYSTEM WIRING

4.7   PRECAUTION

4.8   MAINTANANCE

4.9   CARE AND MAINTENANCE TIPS FOR INVERTERS

4.10  BILL OF ENGINEERING MEASUREMENTS AND EVALUATION

 

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1    CONCLUSION

5.2    RECOMMENDATION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0    INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study

The sun provides the energy to sustain life in our solar system. In one year, the earth receives enough energy from the sun to meet its energy needs for nearly a year. Photovoltaic is the direct conversion of sunlight to electricity, it is a beautiful alternative source of energy to conventional sources of electricity for many reasons it is safe, silent, non – polluting, renewable, highly modular in that their capacity can be increased incrementally to match with gradual load growth, it is reliable with minimal failure rates and projected service lifetimes of about 20 to 30 years. It requires no special training to operate, it contains no moving parts, it is extremely reliable and it’s virtually maintenance free, and can be installed almost anywhere.

A photovoltaic system is a complete set of interconnected components for converting sunlight into electricity by photovoltaic process including array, balance of system and load. The intensity of sunlight that reaches the earth varies with time of the day, season, location and the weather condition, the total energy on a daily or annual basis is called Irradiation and indicates the straight of sunshine. Irradiation is expressed in Whm ^{– 2} per day or KWh.m^-2 per day. Different geographical regions experience different weather patterns, so the site we live is a major factor that affects the photovoltaic system design, the orientation of the panels, finding the number of days of autonomy where the sun does not shine in the sky and choosing the best tilt angle of the solar panels.

Photovoltaic panels collect more energy, if they are installed on a tracker that follows the movement of the sun although it is an expensive process; for this process they are usually fixed in a particular position with an angle called the tilt angle B. This angle varies according to seasonal variation, for instance, in summer the solar panel must be more horizontal while in the winter, it is placed at a steeper angle.

In this project, the various components of a 6kw solar inverter are assembled and maintained.

1.2    PROBLEM STATEMENT

This study was carried out to overcome the difficulty in assembling of solar inverter seen among electrical students of Nigeria and poor maintenance skills observe among users of solar inverters.

1.3    AIM AND OBJECTIVES

1.3.1 AIM

The main aim of this project is to assemble and maintain a 6k solar inverter

1.3.2           Objectives

1. To generate electricity from solar energy in which the source is free in nature and abundant.
2. To find solution to irregularity in power supply by PHCN
3. To carry out the system sizing in solar power inverter.
4. To study the performance of each component constituting the solar power inverter.
5. To assemble and maintain a solar inverter

1.4    Significant Study

In respect to failure of power supply and perpetual increase in fuel price to run power and most times fuel scarcity, there is need to introduce the use of solar energy power system towards a stable power supply for developing and developed nations of the world.

1.6    Advantages of Solar Inverter

1. The use solar inverter can result significant power bill savings.
2. Similarly, a solar inverter prioritizes charging from solar panels, allowing your batteries to be charged via PV panels even while the grid is on, saving you money on your power bills.

• The use of an inverter with solar energy has always aided in the reduction of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Using an inverter with solar energy also saves money that would otherwise be spent on fuel for a convectional generator.
2. Depending on the battery level, some solar inverter aids will allow you to prioritize charging to solar panels or the power grid. Some solar converters are smart enough to draw exactly as much shortfall current from the grid as is needed.
3. Solar inverters are the finest option and are superior to traditional electric inverters. In addition, they are inexpensive to maintain.

• Solar inverters can work even when there is no sunlight, as long as their batteries are fully charged by sunlight.
• inverter with solar energy can operate even when there is no sunlight, as long as their batteries have been fully charged by sunlight.

1.7                            Disadvantages of Solar Inverter

1. Space: Photovoltaic cells take up a lot of space, which we may anticipate being addressed with correct design.
2. High Cost: The cost of a solar system is now prohibitively expensive for the typical Nigerian person.

iii. Low energy efficiency: At the moment, the commercially available units have a 45 percent efficiency.

1. Because the device is rated at 6000W, any load more than that should not be applied to it.
2. The battery will need to be charged and recharged from time to time.
3. Designing a pure sine wave inverter circuit is relatively costly; this leaves space for improvement.

1.8                                    Limitation of the study

There are different types of inverter used for solar energy with different sizes, but in this work a 6000w modified sine wave inverter was used for the assembling.

1.9                             Research question/hypothesis

Research question

At the end of this work answers to the following question shall be made known:

1. What are the advantages of assembling an inverter with solar energy?
2. What are the components used in assembling an inverter with solar energy?

• Does it cost much money to assemble an inverter with solar energy?

Research hypothesis

There is a significant relationship between inverter and solar energy.

1.10 Definition of Terms

SUN – Source of energy

SOLAR PANEL – It’s device that converts light energy to electrical energy

SOLAR REGULATOR – It’s a device that regulates from 40VDC to 28VDC

BATTERY – It’s a device that serves as reservoirs/storage device

INVERTER – It’s a device that converts D.C (12v) [Battery/Solar] 28VDC to   AC 220AC.

LOAD – AC output using devices (laptop, Bulb, Ceiling fan, Handset Charger)

POWER – Voltage × Current

WATTAGE – Power factor [0.8] × Power i.e. power (VA)

SOLAR CELLS – Is the smallest semiconductor (silicon) device that converts solar energy (sunlight) to electrical energy (DC)

ARRAY – Is the combination of panel in series or parallel

PANEL/MODULES – Is the combination of cell in series or parallel.

SHORT CIRCUIT – It has low resistance or no resistance and potential differences of zero.

CLOSED CIRCUIT – The current is generated across the load.

OPEN CIRCUIT – It has no current to generate across the with high resistances