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Performance Analysis of Installed Solar PV System Using Homer in Tanzania: A Case Study of Zanzibar and Arusha

Received: 4 November 2018    Accepted: 7 February 2019    Published: 6 March 2019
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Abstract

This study reflects two photovoltaic (PV) power generations, at Karume Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) - Zanzibar and The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) - Arusha in Tanzania. The output data sets from each site were verified for possible PV simulation of different operational scenarios to obtain the optimum design configuration. The HOMER software was used to analyze the entire operation of the system. The effect of the accuracy of the photovoltaic integration was determined by analysis of different operational behaviors of the simulated PV levels. Furthermore, the overall performance of the station per site was analyzed for technical, economic and environmental constraints as well as their comparative cost-benefit analysis. The study finds that there is a high sensitivity in the demand for the load (i.e. load growth) whose system performance is characterized with minimum: total net present cost (NPC) of $474,745 and $29,169, feed in tariffs, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $1.06/kWh and $0.0118/kWh, total energy output and renewable fraction of 15% and 22% for KIST and NM-AIST respectively, thus support the use of photovoltaic power sources in the generation of energy than their counterpart alternatives because of the best technical performance and is less dependent on other external sources of energy, and simultaneously has good economic and environmental performance

Published in American Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems (Volume 8, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12
Page(s) 11-22
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Solar PV System, Performance, Analysis, HOMER, Economic Simulation

References
[1] Gwang'ombe, F. and N. Mwihava, Renewable in Tanzania: Status and Prospects of Biomass Based Cogeneration and Geothermal Technologies. HBF-HA, Sida/SAREC and AFREPREN/FWD, 2005.
[2] Kassenga, G., The status and constraints of solar photovoltaic energy development in Tanzania. Energy Sources, Part B, 2008. 3 (4): p. 420-432.
[3] Hoffmann, C., E. Romero, and E. Alonso. Combining different controlled-suction techniques to study expansive clays. in Proceedings of the international symposium on advanced experimental unsaturated soils mechanics EXPERUS, Trento, Balkema. 2005.
[4] Hoffmann, W., PV solar electricity industry: Market growth and perspective. Solar energy materials and solar cells, 2006. 90 (18): p. 3285-3311.
[5] Lilienthal, P., HOMER® micropower optimization model, 2005, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO.
[6] Liu, G., et al., Techno-economic simulation and optimization of residential grid-connected PV system for the Queensland climate. Renewable Energy, 2012. 45: p. 146-155.
[7] Bernal-Agustín, J. L. and R. Dufo-Lopez, Simulation and optimization of stand-alone hybrid renewable energy systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2009. 13 (8): p. 2111-2118.
[8] Anwari, M., et al. Photovoltaic power system simulation for small industry area. in Electrical, Control and Computer Engineering (INECCE), 2011 International Conference on. 2011. IEEE.
[9] Ani, V. A. and B. Abubakar, Feasibility Analysis and Simulation of Integrated Renewable Energy System for Power Generation: A Hypothetical Study of Rural Health Clinic. Journal of Energy, 2015. 2015.
[10] González, P., et al. Impact of Grid Connected Photovoltaic System in the Power Quality of a Distribution Network. in DoCEIS. 2011. Springer.
[11] Khatib, T., A. Mohamed, and K. Sopian, A software tool for optimal sizing of PV systems in Malaysia. Modelling and Simulation in Engineering, 2012. 2012: p. 10.
[12] Klein, S., Calculation of monthly average insolation on tilted surfaces. Solar energy, 1977. 19 (4): p. 325-329.
[13] Mishra, S., C. Panigrahi, and D. Kothari, Design and simulation of a solar–wind–biogas hybrid system architecture using HOMER in India. International Journal of Ambient Energy, 2016. 37 (2): p. 184-191.
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  • APA Style

    Mohammed Haji, Eugene Park, Thomas Kivevele. (2019). Performance Analysis of Installed Solar PV System Using Homer in Tanzania: A Case Study of Zanzibar and Arusha. American Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems, 8(1), 11-22. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12

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    ACS Style

    Mohammed Haji; Eugene Park; Thomas Kivevele. Performance Analysis of Installed Solar PV System Using Homer in Tanzania: A Case Study of Zanzibar and Arusha. Am. J. Electr. Power Energy Syst. 2019, 8(1), 11-22. doi: 10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12

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    AMA Style

    Mohammed Haji, Eugene Park, Thomas Kivevele. Performance Analysis of Installed Solar PV System Using Homer in Tanzania: A Case Study of Zanzibar and Arusha. Am J Electr Power Energy Syst. 2019;8(1):11-22. doi: 10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12,
      author = {Mohammed Haji and Eugene Park and Thomas Kivevele},
      title = {Performance Analysis of Installed Solar PV System Using Homer in Tanzania: A Case Study of Zanzibar and Arusha},
      journal = {American Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems},
      volume = {8},
      number = {1},
      pages = {11-22},
      doi = {10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.epes.20190801.12},
      abstract = {This study reflects two photovoltaic (PV) power generations, at Karume Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) - Zanzibar and The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) - Arusha in Tanzania. The output data sets from each site were verified for possible PV simulation of different operational scenarios to obtain the optimum design configuration. The HOMER software was used to analyze the entire operation of the system. The effect of the accuracy of the photovoltaic integration was determined by analysis of different operational behaviors of the simulated PV levels. Furthermore, the overall performance of the station per site was analyzed for technical, economic and environmental constraints as well as their comparative cost-benefit analysis. The study finds that there is a high sensitivity in the demand for the load (i.e. load growth) whose system performance is characterized with minimum: total net present cost (NPC) of $474,745 and $29,169, feed in tariffs, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $1.06/kWh and $0.0118/kWh, total energy output and renewable fraction of 15% and 22% for KIST and NM-AIST respectively, thus support the use of photovoltaic power sources in the generation of energy than their counterpart alternatives because of the best technical performance and is less dependent on other external sources of energy, and simultaneously has good economic and environmental performance},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Performance Analysis of Installed Solar PV System Using Homer in Tanzania: A Case Study of Zanzibar and Arusha
    AU  - Mohammed Haji
    AU  - Eugene Park
    AU  - Thomas Kivevele
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12
    T2  - American Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems
    JF  - American Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems
    JO  - American Journal of Electrical Power and Energy Systems
    SP  - 11
    EP  - 22
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2326-9200
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.epes.20190801.12
    AB  - This study reflects two photovoltaic (PV) power generations, at Karume Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) - Zanzibar and The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) - Arusha in Tanzania. The output data sets from each site were verified for possible PV simulation of different operational scenarios to obtain the optimum design configuration. The HOMER software was used to analyze the entire operation of the system. The effect of the accuracy of the photovoltaic integration was determined by analysis of different operational behaviors of the simulated PV levels. Furthermore, the overall performance of the station per site was analyzed for technical, economic and environmental constraints as well as their comparative cost-benefit analysis. The study finds that there is a high sensitivity in the demand for the load (i.e. load growth) whose system performance is characterized with minimum: total net present cost (NPC) of $474,745 and $29,169, feed in tariffs, levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $1.06/kWh and $0.0118/kWh, total energy output and renewable fraction of 15% and 22% for KIST and NM-AIST respectively, thus support the use of photovoltaic power sources in the generation of energy than their counterpart alternatives because of the best technical performance and is less dependent on other external sources of energy, and simultaneously has good economic and environmental performance
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Materials, Energy Science and Engineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania

  • Department of Materials, Energy Science and Engineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania

  • Department of Materials, Energy Science and Engineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania

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