Solar PV System Design

Explore geographic information systems fundamentals, including reference data, information, information systems, layers, and map projections, and distinguish vector and raster models used in geographic information systems.

Download GMT data from USGS Earth Explorer for Namibia's oma region at 15 arc-second resolution, and download regional boundaries, roads, power lines, and substations as shapefiles in QGIS.

Learn to prepare base GIS layers in QGIS for solar farm design by extracting data, loading min, median, max, roads, power lines, and regional boundaries, then save the project.

Identify a known solar farm by locating its coordinates in Google Earth, enable Bing Aerial in QGIS, set EPSG 4326, and prepare to digitise.

Digitize the solar farm by creating a polygon shapefile and setting the project CRS to Namibia. Add a name field (Innoson PV) and record the boundary, then remove the layer.

Clip required layers to regions of interest using QGIS, then label regions, clip roads and power lines by region, and export clipped datasets for solar site analysis.

Estimate distances from a digitized solar plant to roads and power lines with the vector distance tool in QGIS. Export the results and compute the 10th percentile to guide siting.

Estimate heights, slopes, and aspects around the solar farm using a buffer and zonal statistics to identify terrain traits for locating new solar sites.

Classify raster layers in QGIS using a raster calculator to define slope and aspect ranges, convert to a two-class vector layer, and address topology and geometry issues.

Identify areas of interest for solar farm locations by checking validity of the ideal terrain, buffering it, and intersecting with buffered power lines and roads to reveal suitable sites.

Verify results by tweaking GIS layers, adding open street maps, and focusing on roads, power lines, and substations to locate near load centers for solar farms in real life.

Perform a site survey for solar PV installations using a practical checklist, documenting roof type, rafters, azimuth, the nearest AC connection, and taking photos for net metering design.

Conduct a site survey for a Windhoek rooftop solar install, locating inverter placement, cable paths, and shadows. Model the site in SketchUp and export to PV six for optimization.

Model a roof-mounted solar PV site in SketchUp by geolocating the site and aligning axes. Create the sloped roofs with overhangs and accurate dimensions.

Model the sloping roof in SketchUp, refining lines with push/pull to create a usable roof area. Assess shadows across times to estimate LG mono crystalline panel fit.

Insert roof-mounted PV modules with Skelion, adjusting azimuth, tilt, and orientation for net-metered roof systems, and export a 3d model of a 16 kW system.

Design and optimize a grid-connected PV system in PVsyst, using a fixed tilted plane and energy optimization. It yields 56 modules (13.1 kW) and 27.39 MWh/year with 75% performance ratio.

Model a flat-roof building in SketchUp for solar design, apply materials, rough the shape, and configure a Skyline module layout tilted at 30 degrees to analyze shading in Namibia.

Use the System Advisor Model to find the ideal tilt for flat or ground-mounted PV by a 0–45 degree sweep with Namibia weather data, showing 23 degrees as optimal.

design a stand-alone PV system for a flat roof building using PVsyst, set tilt and orientation, define assumed loads, and size batteries and modules for two days of autonomy.

Configure a rooftop stand-alone PVsyst system with eight LG modules (two in series, four in parallel), azimuth zero, tilt 23 degrees, and import the 3D model for shading.

Size the pv array to inverter cable using the short-circuit current of 36.6 amps for a 52-volt system, considering a 15 m run, 3–5% loss, and 6 awg.

Explore a sample bill of quantity or quotation for a typical solar pv installation, detailing panels, inverters, mounting structures, battery banks, wiring, connectors, protection, consumables, and installation pricing.