Sizing of a Standalone Solar Home System for Rural Electrification in Thar

Abdul R. Jatoi; Muhammad M. Jakhrani; Sadam H. Jakhrani

Abdul R. Jatoi Department of Energy & Environment Engineering, QUEST Nawabshah, Pakistan
Muhammad M. Jakhrani Department of Electrical Engineering, Indus University Karachi, Pakistan
Sadam H. Jakhrani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Keywords: Rural electrification, Sizing of solar components, Solar home system, Thar

Abstract

The worth of autonomous solar home systems is associated with the precise sizing of system components. This
paper presents a simplified intuitive method for sizing of solar home systems which assures the least possible cost at a preset power reliability to satisfy load. The system is sized by considering two most expensive components of solar home system, namely PV module and battery storage. A case study for sizing of solar home systems components was carried out for a load demand of 105Wh/day and 405Wh/day for rural electrification in Chachro, Thar. The system was sized to supply power for two autonomy days. The system slope was optimized for two different scenarios based on worst month and yearly average. The optimized angle was found to be 51 and 23.9 with the power output increase of 42.6% and 10.6% for first and second scenario, respectively. It was established that the systems could be successful in Thar if properly monitored and maintained on regular basis.