1 acre model on PVsyst

[hdinram]

Hey guys,

Since I am new to PVsyst I am having a few discrepancies.

I want to simulate a 1 acre PV grid connected model. I know the solar module type, inverter config, tilt angle etc.

However when it comes to shading I am having problems.

I chose the option of No-shading and then went to construction/perspective. Out there I chose Pv in sheds.

My question:

What pitch value I choose to get maximum o/p efficiency and o/p kWh? For 1 acre?

Please help.

Thank you.

[André Mermoud]

There is no direct mean of sizing the sheds configuration, as this is a multi-variable (and complex) problem.

However you have a pedagogic tool for the understanding of the basis of the shed optimization.

In the "Orientation" part, please choose "Unlimited sheds". And here you have a button "show optimization" which shows the issues.

You can press F1 for explanations in the help.

[hdinram]

I did not quite understand. If somebody could clear the following queries it would be really helpful:

1) Is pitch in any way related to packing factor? If so, in what way?

2) I know that I want to design a 4057m2 area PV farm. My company has told me to select PV farm in sheds. In order to cover this area, a dimension of 50*2 (Length * Width) is chosen and hence that comes to 45 sheds.

My only question is, what value of pitch should be taken to get maximum o/p. My company ideally wants it to be <2m but then the shading factor is almost 0.7 which is very high. So, if anybody could help me with this, it would be highly helpful.

[Bruno Wittmer]

There is no simple answer to this question.

You are absolutely right in saying, that a pitch of <2m with a shed width of 2m leads to large shading factors and subsequent losses.

The ideal situation is to choose the optimal tilt for your latitude, and either to have all sheds side by side, so that there is no shading, or to put them behind each other with infinite wide spacing, which will also lead to no shading.

Of course you cannot do this in practice, so you have to approximate to it, given your specific constraints, like availability of the area, clearance for access paths, etc. The optimum from an economic point of view will include also an assessment of the costs of the surface, installation and maintenance costs, and the expected revenues or savings per kWh that is produced. This is highly dependant on your specific project and has to be studied case by case.

But as a general rule, you can take that you should put as much sheds as possible side by side and keep the distance between rows as large as possible.

Remember, that the closer the rows are to each other (i.e. the smaller the pitch), the smaller you should choose the tilt angle to minimize shading losses.

The tool that André mentions, will help you already with the geometrical optimization, for given surface constraints.

We are also preparing a tool in PVsyst that will allow a more complex analysis, including economic variables. This should be available in a version within the coming month or two.

[hdinram]

Okay! I know this question is stupid, but is there any way we can get the answer in Megawatts? Let me give you an example. I want to simulate a 1 acre land and get an output of 131 kilowatts. I will adjust my shading and other parameters etc in such a way that I get this output. However PVsyst gives me an answer in kilowatt HOURS and I want the answer in Kilowatts. How do i do that?

[hdinram]

Hello! I really need my people. I'm stuck in my project due to this one single problem.

So, I need to simulate a 4047m2 area PV plant with a PV nominal tototal of 85.7kw DC.

However when I try to design this in the systems design, the lowest kw I can manage with the total area is around 600kw. I have tried various models of module's, inverters etc but nothing is working.

Kindly help.

[André Mermoud]

Installing 875 kW on an area of 4047 m2 is indeed problematics. If installed horizontally, this would mean collectors of 21.2% efficiency, without any intervals between them.

Please see our FAQ In sheds arrangement, which power can I install on a given area ?