Sizing and Implementation of a Standalone Solar Photovoltaic System for a Three-Phase Submersible Pumping Machine

Abstract

The solar photovoltaic system is an alternative power supply source that could aid the economic growth of a nation. However, improper  sizing of the system leads to a high installation cost and a low level of penetration in the energy mix. This study focused on the  appropriate sizing and implementation of a standalone solar system for a three-phase pump machine in a farm in Ilorin, Nigeria. The  pump rating was determined manually as 20HP, with a flow rate of 180,000 L/h. Consequently, the daily load and solar global horizontal  irradiance data were acquired and used for sizing the PV system using HOMER Pro software. Fifty-six solar panels with a total area of  120.4 m2 were proposed and installed to achieve a total power of 22.4 kW required for the machine's operation. The levelised cost of  energy was 0.4007 $/kWh as against the cost of energy when the farm was running on generators with an energy cost of 4.170 $/kWh.  The economic analysis of the system for the farm shows the Net present cost and cost of energy of the system configuration are  $28,341.91 and 0.4007 $/kWh, respectively.