Assessment Of Stand-alone Solar Photovoltaic Power Systems Performance And Reliability For Rural Electrification In Ethiopia

The purpose of this study was focused on assessment of stand-alone solar photovoltaic powerrnsystems performance and reliability for rural electrification in Ethiopia. It was conducted tornassess and evaluate the data collections which were administered on samples randomly selectedrnsites installed in the Benshangul Gumuz, Tigray, Oromia and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. Aboutrnten sample sites were identified for each regions and data gathering were made using solarrnphotovoltaic systems investigation check list (see appendices I -VI ) for almost two months. Thernsolar and wind master plan of Ethiopia (used as indicated on the solar radiations data) has arnhuge solar energy potential for rural electrification through the off-grid system in the samples ofrnrandomly selected sites of solar home systems (SHS) and institutional systems (like health postrnand rural primary schools) in the four regions. The data collected were analyzed usingrndescriptive survey; theoretical, mathematical formulation experimental models, emissionrnreduction analysis and PVsyst software analysis. The analysis and interpretation of data havernbeen made according to the objectives. As can be seen from the investigation of SHS oc V wasrndecreased by 1.54V (7%), sc I whereas decreased by 7.961A (97.3%). Thereby, the output powerrnout oc sc P V  Irnwas reduced by 4.37W (21.85%) after installation. Similar situations have beenrnobserved for institutional systems too. Based on the findings of this study, the performance andrnthe reliability of stand-alone PV power systems were affected by variety of factors, such asrnfailure of the components, system configuration, maximum power point tracking, systemrnorientation, tracking solar panels and the ambient conditions. Moreover, loss of PV systems havernbeen observed everywhere in the sample sites due to an accumulation of dust, failure of systemrndesign, high temperature and shading. Some of these factors may not be the cause for a totalrnfailure, but still have a de-rating impact on the output power of a PV system. In fact, anyrnparameter that impacts the output power of a PV system causes a de-rating in its nominalrngeneration, and can potentially degrade its capability to supply the load, and that leads to arnreliability issue. So, it is critical to adapt standard design practices of mathematicalrnformulations, experimentally and PVsyst methods by numerical simulation to identify the ways tornimprove performance and reliability of stand-alone PV power systems for further practicality inrnthe country.rnKeywords: Stand-alone, Solar photovoltaic system, Maximum power point tracking, Systemrnorientation, Tracking solar panels, Performance, Reliability

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