Off Grid Solar Power Systems Design 101

Name: Off Grid Solar Power Systems Design 101
Rating: 3.9 (138 reviews)

A simple design process for stand-alone solar PV systems.

Created byMathy Mpassy Isinki

Last updated 4/2016

English

What you'll learn

Describe the configuration of stand–alone PV systems
Perform load estimate calculations
Describe PV array configuration
Design battery banks in series and parallel configurations and calculate values for current, voltage, power and energy
Identify the appropriate controller and inverter for stand-alone systems
Design a complete stand-alone photovoltaic system for any particular application.

Course content

5 sections • 18 lectures • 51m total length

Introduction1:48
This lecture is about how the course is structured and what you will gain from it. The benefit of the course is that you will be able to size solar power systems of any sizes.

Electricity basics5:20
In this lecture, you will discover basics electricity concept. The concept learned are useful for the design of PV systems. We will deifine electricity, energy, power, voltage and current. We will also learn electric circuits configuration and the concept of resistance.
Solar PV basics6:19
How is sunlight converted in electricity? In this lecture, we will get an answer to this. We will discover the three generation of PV cells and describe their performance. We will also learn the basics terms used in the PV language.
Stand-alone solar power systems configuration3:41
In this lecture we will list the components of off grid PV systems and learn how they work together.
Energy storage3:25
Off grid PV systems rely on battery storage to supply energy when the sun is not available. In this lecture we will discover lead acid batteries, the most used batteries for solar PV applications.
Controller1:24
Overcharging and deep discharging are the main causes of bateries premature failure. In this lecture, we will discover the two types of controller used to prevent batteries overcharging and deep discharging.
Inverter3:56
PV electricity is DC but most appliances are AC. In this lecture we will discover the inverter, the component responsible of converting DC electricity into AC electricity usable by most of appliances.

PV array energy output estimate3:37
The PV array is responsible of generating enough energy to cover the needs of the consumers. In this we will learn how to make an accurate estimate the amount of energy a PV array should deliver.
PV array power output estimate3:35
Energy delivered by PV modules depend on several factors. In this lecture we will learn to estimate the required PV power necessary to deliver enough energy to cover consumers needs.
PV array configuration2:10
This lecture is about how PV modules are arranged in a system to build up the voltage or the current.
Controller selection1:34
This lecture present the selection parameters of PWM and MPPT controllers.
Battery bank configuration2:39
In this lecture we will learn how batteries are arranged in a PV system to build up the voltage or the amps hour.
Inverter selection1:50
This lecture present inverters selection parameters.
Off Grid Solar Power Systems Sizing Tool 1011:00

Requirements

Students don’t need prior solar PV knowledge to take this course: all the basics concepts will be explained and, we will also use examples to make sure students understand.

Description

The goal of this course is to provide a solid understanding of the fundamental concepts necessary to design a stand-alone solar power system. Students will learn to perform application-based load analysis, how to size PV array and configure battery banks to meet energy requirements; students will also learn controllers and inverters design criteria.

The class will consist of a collection of three to five minute lecture videos and exercises. The instructor encourage and challenge students to learn from each other, and interact by helping each other and sharing ideas and best practices, in the course forum.

The course is structured in four section:

Stand-alone solar PV basics
Load assesment
Stand alone PV systems design
Conclusion

This course is ideal for those seeking to enter the off grid solar PV industry and, for those already in the industry but seeking to strengthen their design skills.

Who this course is for:

This course teaches the theory necessary in order to design an off grid photovoltaic (PV) system. It is the ideal course for those seeking to enter the off grid solar PV industry and, for those already in the industry but seeking to strengthen their design skills. Even if the course is particularly indicated for off grid solar PV installers, this course is not a PV systems installation course.

Off Grid Solar Power Systems Design 101

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction1 lecture • 2min

Stand-alone solar PV basics6 lectures • 24min

Load assesment2 lectures • 7min

Stand-alone solar power systems design7 lectures • 16min

Conclusion2 lectures • 3min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: