PhotoVoltaic System Design for an Industrial Unit

By

Osama Udwan, Rabie Bsiso & Suhaib Abu-Taleb

Supervised by

Dr. Majd Batarseh

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
in

Power and Energy Engineering

at

PRINCESS SUMAYA UNIVERSITY FOR TECHNOLOGY

Amman, Jordan

Second Semester, 2015/2016

 This is to certify that I have examined

this copy of an engineering documentation by

Osama Udwan, Rabie Bsiso & Suhaib Abu-Taleb

And have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respect,

And that any and all revisions required by the final Examining Committee have been made

Dr. Majd Batarseh

ii
 Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

First we would like to express our deepest gratitude to our university, Princess Sumaya University for
Technology.

This project would not have been completed without the cooperation and collaboration support of
many, who gave an incredible help throughout the process of the work. Thanks go to Dr. Majd
Batarseh, the supervisor of this project and the team leader for her persistent support and
contributions, her continuous support is what kept us going in a straight line until we reached the
desired goal, and Engineer Qutaybeh Al-Ghoul, Sahel bani Mustafa, Abdallah Dhedel, Sadam Al-
Tamimi, for their help and motivation,

Last but not least, we owe the success of this project to our dear families who gave everything from
motivation throughout this time period, and supported us during our ups and downs.

Osama Udwan

Rabie Bsiso

Suhaib Abu-Taleb

iii
 Abstract

Abstract

This report presents a photovoltaic system design for the Gulf Cables and Multi Industrial Company,
located in Al Mafraq city, in Jordan, with a system’s size exceeding the 6MWp. The PV panels were
distributed on the roof tops of the 10 building facilities of the company.

Gulf Cables and Multi Industries Company (GCC) factory operates 24 hours a day and manufactures
cables, PVCs, batteries, copper, and enamel cables. It is comprised of 7 factories containing 10
buildings including factories distributed over 250 acres of land out of the total land which is 800
acres. It is supplied with electricity in the medium voltage range through 6 transformers, provided by
Irbid Electricity Company.

With a radiation of 4.3kWh/m2 day in winter and up to 7.61kWh/m2 day in summer, this project
resulted in 19,409 modules to cover the electricity needs of the company, using 345W monocrystalline
modules.

A total of 228 three phase ABB inverters ranging between 33kW and 5.8kW were needed and
operating at 50 Hz frequency as in G59 standard.

Complete and detailed analysis and design procedure are presented in this work along with simulation
results verifying the design.

iv
 Table of Contents

Table of Contents
1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background.................................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Design Requirements .................................................................................................................. 4
1.3 Realistic Constraints .................................................................................................................... 5
1.4 Design Achieved .......................................................................................................................... 5
1.5 Work Allocation ........................................................................................................................... 6
1.6 Organization of the Document .................................................................................................... 7

2 Literature Review ................................................................................................................ 8

2.1 Previous Work ............................................................................................................................. 8

3 Design .................................................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Requirements ............................................................................................................................ 10
3.2 Analysis of Requirements and Constraints................................................................................ 11
3.2.1 Solar PV Modules ................................................................................................................... 11
3.2.2 Inverters ................................................................................................................................. 12
3.2.3 DC Cables .............................................................................................................................. 12
3.2.4 AC Cables .............................................................................................................................. 13
3.2.5 Circuit Breakers (CBs) ............................................................................................................ 13
3.2.6 Main Panels ............................................................................................................................ 14
3.3 Design Approaches .................................................................................................................... 15
3.3.1 PV System Size Design Based (kWp) ...................................................................................... 16
3.3.2 Available Area ........................................................................................................................ 17
3.4 Developed Design...................................................................................................................... 18
3.4.1 Data Collection....................................................................................................................... 19
3.4.2 Calculations ............................................................................................................................ 24
3.4.3 Simulation .............................................................................................................................. 31
3.5 Did the Design Meet Requirements and Constraints ................................................................ 33

4 Results ................................................................................................................................... 34
4.1 Electrical Outputs ...................................................................................................................... 34
4.1.1 Expected Energy Production .................................................................................................. 34

v
 Table of Contents

4.1.2 Single Line Diagram ............................................................................................................... 35

4.1.3 List of Components ................................................................................................................ 36
4.2 Economic Feasibility .................................................................................................................. 38
4.3 Validation of Requirements and Constraints ............................................................................ 39

5 Conclusion and Future Work ....................................................................................... 41

5.1 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 41
5.2 Future Work .............................................................................................................................. 41

6 References ........................................................................................................................... 43
7 Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 45
7.1 Appendix A: Data Sheets ........................................................................................................... 45
7.2 Appendix B: AWG Table ............................................................................................................ 45
7.3 Appendix C: Solar Irradiation .................................................................................................... 46
7.4 Appendix D: Area Informations ................................................................................................. 46
7.5 Appendix E: Calculations ........................................................................................................... 47
7.5.1 PV System Size ....................................................................................................................... 47
7.5.2 Inverters Determination ......................................................................................................... 48
7.6 Appendix F: 3D design ............................................................................................................... 49
7.7 Appendix G: 2D Design .............................................................................................................. 49
7.8 Appendix H: Energy Production ................................................................................................ 49
7.9 Appendix I: Single Line Diagrams .............................................................................................. 49
7.10 Appendix J: List of Components ................................................................................................ 49

vi
 List of Figures

List of Figures

Figure 1-1: (a) 10 Buildings Block Diagram and (b) Google Map View of GCC. ........................................... 3
Figure 1-2: Simplified Design of an On Grid System[5]. ............................................................................... 4
Figure 1-3: Block Diagram of The GCC PV System Design ......................................................................... 6
Figure 3-1: Block Diagram of The PV System Components [13] ................................................................ 10
Figure 3-2: The SUNPOWER Module Parameters ..................................................................................... 11
Figure 3-3: (a) Central[15], (b) 3 Phase String[16], and (c) Micro Inverters[17]. ........................................... 12
Figure 3-4: (a)The Connection of CB`s With Inverter, (b) The Connection Between RCCB and MCB[18]. 14
Figure 3-5: Existing Main Panel .................................................................................................................. 15
Figure 3-6: Design Approaches................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 3-7: Fixed Tilt Angle of PV Modules at 28[20]. .............................................................................. 17
Figure 3-8: PV Modules Installed at The Building`s Rooftop Angle [21],[22]. ............................................. 17
Figure 3-9: The Hybrid Version of The Installation (a) Laying Panels at Roof Inclination and (b) Fixed Tilt
With Separation [23],[24]. ........................................................................................................................... 18
Figure 3-10: Design Procedure Sections...................................................................................................... 19
Figure 3-11: Data Collection Steps .............................................................................................................. 19
Figure 3-12: A Sample of The Electricity Bills............................................................................................. 23
Figure 3-13: Calculation Steps..................................................................................................................... 25
Figure 3-14: Number of Modules for Each Building ................................................................................... 28
Figure 3-15: Naming Process of Strings ...................................................................................................... 29
Figure 3-16: Simulation Steps and Tools ..................................................................................................... 31
Figure 3-17: 3D Design of Enamel Plant .................................................................................................... 31
Figure 3-18: PVC Plant 3D Design ............................................................................................................. 32
Figure 3-19: Enamel Plant 2D Design ........................................................................................................ 33
Figure 4-1: The Final Outputs .................................................................................................................... 34
Figure 4-2: The 12 Month Production of Energy Expected for Enamel Planet. .......................................... 35
Figure 4-3: PC Plant Single Line Diagram ................................................................................................... 36
Figure 4-4: Cash Flow Diagram .................................................................................................................. 38
Figure 4-5: Requirements Validation ........................................................................................................... 39
Figure 4-6: Achieved Constraints ................................................................................................................ 40
Figure 7-1: AWG table[29] ......................................................................................................................... 45

vii
 List of Abbreviations

List of Tables

Table 1-1: Electricity Demand Forecast in the Interconnected System .......................................................... 1

Table 1-2: The Name of Each Building in The Factory ................................................................................. 3
Table 1-3: Realistic Constraints ..................................................................................................................... 5
Table 1-4: Responsibilities of Each Member ................................................................................................. 6
Table 3-1: Design Requirements ................................................................................................................. 10
Table 3-2: Number of MCB and RCCB Used for Each Building ................................................................ 14
Table 3-3: Monthly Solar Irradiation ........................................................................................................... 20
Table 3-4: The Day Number....................................................................................................................... 22
Table 3-5: Calculated Solar Irradiation for a Fixed Tilt Angle 28 .............................................................. 22
Table 3-6: Monthly Energy Consumption ................................................................................................... 23
Table 3-7: Available Area for Each Building ............................................................................................... 24
Table 3-8: The Number of Inverters for Each Building .............................................................................. 26
Table 3-9: The Number of Strings for Each Building.................................................................................. 28
Table 3-10: The Total length of DC Cables for each Building ..................................................................... 29
Table 3-11: Number of MCB and RCCB Used for Each Building............................................................... 30
Table 3-12: The Total Length of AC Cables for Each Building ................................................................... 30
Table 4-1: The Annual Energy Produced .................................................................................................... 35
Table 4-2: MCB`s Ratings and Quantities for Enamel Plant ........................................................................ 37
Table 4-3: The Total Number of MCCB's and Their Ratings ...................................................................... 37
Table 4-4: The Total Quantity of RCCB`s .................................................................................................. 37
Table 4-5: Components Prices .................................................................................................................... 38
Table 4-6: The Simple Payback Period ........................................................................................................ 39
Table 4-7: Annual energy produced ............................................................................................................ 40
Table 5-1: The Energy Consumptions of Year 2013/2014 .......................................................................... 41
Table 7-1: GCC Buildings Dimensions ....................................................................................................... 46

viii
 List of Abbreviations

List of abbreviations

2D Two Dimensions

3D Three Dimensions

AC Alternating Current

AM Air Mass Ratio

AWG American Wire Gauge

CB Circuit Breaker

DC Direct Current

GCC Gulf Cables and Multi Industries Company

MCB Miniature Circuit Breaker

MCCB Moulded Case Circuit Breaker

MEMR the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

MPPT Maximum Power Point Tracker

NEPCO National Electric Power Company

PV PhotoVoltaic

RCCB Residual Current Circuit Breaker

STC Standard Test Conditions

ix
 Introduction

1 Introduction
1.1 Background
Energy plays an axial role in every one’s daily activities. The degree of growth of a country is
measured by the amount of energy consumption. A pressing worldwide issue now has
become the switch of energy generation to more clean and sustainable sources [1].

One of the most important issues, globally and nationally, in present time is the energy topic.
The current situation of the Jordanian energy sector according to National Electric Power
Company (NEPCO) shows that Jordan is highly dependent on imported energy, due to the
fact that its oil imports from abroad amount to about 97% of its primary energy consumption
[2]. This necessitates seeking proper solutions and alternative sources, not just to reduce the
cost of fossil fuels generated electricity, but also for the energy independence and security
aspects in addition to its cleaner and safer environmental impact [2].

A national strategy in Jordan was set to reduce the energy bill cost by about 30%, which
means to decrease the percentage of the imported energy from 97% to 65%, this dictates the
shift to other available sources of energy. According to the rising energy demand, it`s
expected to achieve 8.13 Gigawatts in 2030 which means 6.6% annual growth comparing
with 3.2 Gigawatts in 2015, the table below by NEPCO shows the energy consumption over
the coming few years. [2]
Table 1-1: Electricity Demand Forecast in the Interconnected System

Year Max demand Electrical Energy Generated

MW Growth (%) GWh Growth (%)
2015 3,200 6.2 18,600 4.0
2016 3,390 5.9 19,640 5.6
2017 3,596 6.1 20,800 5.9
2018 3,810 6.0 22,090 6.2
2019 4,045 6.2 23,510 6.4
2020 4,300 6.3 25,060 6.6
2030 8,130 6.6 49,290 7.0

Therefore, in order to meet the expected consumption, a scan of the available resources was
needed. As Jordan enjoys a global average radiation of 5.7 kWh/m2 /day [3], with more than
300 sunny days per year; therefor, solar energy is considered a viable source of energy and a
better alternative for Jordan.

Over the past two decades the growth of PhotoVoltaic (PV) has been in an exponential curve,
in 2014. China was the leader of the entire world in installing PV modules with an added

1
 Introduction

capacity of 10,560 MW, on the other hand Germany was the leader in the total capacity with
a 38,200 MW. [4]

Solar PV panels are the main component in any PV system, which convert the sunlight
directly into DC electricity. PV modules consists of many solar cells connected to each other
in series and parallel to increase the voltage and current capabilities.

This project aims at employing solar energy and designing a PV system to cover the electric
demand of an industrial unit in Jordan in order to reduce its electricity bill.

Gulf Cables and Multi Industries Company (GCC) factory that manufactures cables, PVCs,
batteries, copper, and enamel cables, in addition to that it works 24 hours per day. GCC, in
Al Mafraq city – Jordan, is located between latitude 29.18 - 33.4 N and between longitude
34.9 - 38.78 E, GCC, is comprised of 7 factories containing 10 buildings including factories
distributed over 250 acres of land out of the total land which is 800 acres. It is supplied with
electricity in the medium voltage range through 6 transformers, provided by Irbid Electricity
Company.

This factory was targeted as it is on the verge of losing business due to the high electricity
bills which caused to shut down two industrial units and stop production. It is considered a
good example to show the saving, energy independence and promising investment in Solar
energy.

Figure 1-1 (a) and (b) show the arrangement of all 10 buildings and the Google map view of
GCC respectively.

2
 Introduction

(a) (b)

Figure 1-1: (a) 10 Buildings Block Diagram and (b) Google Map View of GCC.

Table 1-2 lists each number in the above figure and the corresponding GCC building.

Table 1-2: The Name of Each Building in The Factory

The building’s Name The building’s Name

number number
1 PVC plant 2 Cable plant
3 Copper plant 4 Metalize plant
5 Bopp plant 6 Battery plant
7 Workshop 8 Enamel plant
9 Canteen plant 10 Administration

3
 Introduction

1.2 Design Requirements

The goal of this project is to design a PV system aiming at full energy consumption coverage
for the factory. Fig 1-2 shows the components of the PV system to be designed.

Figure 1-2: Simplified Design of an On Grid System[5].

In order to achieve the desired goal of this project, some design specifications and
requirements must be set for the components that make up this system A brief listing of the
design parameters are given as:
1- The current annual energy demand of the company.
2- Available area for the design
3- Investment budget of the company.
4- Technical specifications of the PV modules and Inverters

According to the above, the PV modules will be chosen along with the inverter and all other
Balance of System BOS Hardware in terms of wiring, cables and breakers to complete the
design.

The design will be completed and analyzed then tested in simulation and the overall design
sketched. A list of simulation software packages used is:

1- SketchUp: which is an application that used to do a 3 dimensions (3D) designs for

buildings.
4
 Introduction

2- AutoCAD: in this case this application was used to do the final 2 dimensions (2D) design
for the panels.
3- BlueSol: is a solar simulation tool which requires the strings, modules, and inverters
details as an input, to give the radiation, losses, and the generated energy for the system.

1.3 Realistic Constraints

There are some constraints that should be noted while designing this system:
Table 1-3: Realistic Constraints

Nature Constraint
The company has limited the PV installation to
Area only rooftop areas and hence design restriction
that will eventually place some limitations over
the chosen PV modules/cost.
The design should include the total coverage of
Energy Consumption the energy consumption including the 2 shut
down factories in order to reoperate them in
the future.
The anticipated huge number of PV modules
Safety placed in strings and connected to multiple
inverters place safety concerns following
standards and codes.
The design is to aim at reduced cost incurred
Financial by the company. All components and devices
and the design in total should be economically
viable.

1.4 Design Achieved

The listed specifications and requirements would be employed in designing the PV system
shown in the figure 1-3 which presents the overall design to be achieved.

5
 Introduction

Figure 1-3: Block Diagram of The GCC PV System Design

1.5 Work Allocation

The team consists of three students Osama Udwan, Rabie Bsiso and Suhaib Abu-Taleb. Table
1-4 shows work procedure that had been done in this project and divided between the team
members.
Table 1-4: Responsibilities of Each Member

Task Osama Rabie Suhaib

Solar irradiation √ √ √
PV module selection √ √ √
3D design √
(SketchUp)
Strings arrangement
and Invertor √
selection
2D design √
(AutoCAD)
Sizing of DC cables √ √ √
Circuit Breakers √ √ √
(CBs) determination
Sizing of AC cables √ √ √
Simulation of
electrical design √
(BlueSol)
Collecting prices √ √
Documentation √ √ √

6
 Introduction

1.6 Organization of the Document

The work presented in this documentation will be discussed as follows, Chapter 2 will explore
several papers that discuss the same project and will compare between this PV system design
and those designs. The entire system design, requirements, constrains and design approaches
will be discussed in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 presents the final results and examines and validates
the goals and constraints. Finally, Chapter 5 lists the conclusion and discusses future work
that can be done to this design.

7
 Literature Review

2 Literature Review
2.1 Previous Work
The authors of [6] designed a system of 1MW grid connected using the rooftops of buildings
and car parks in Kwama Nkrumah University of science (KNUST)-Ghana, by using
RETscreen as a simulation software. The total area of roofs on buildings and car parks is
9,120 m2 and the 4255 polycrystalline, 240Wp, south facing, modules were distributed over
13 invertors and achieved a 97% efficiency.

Sahab industrial district is provided by the electric utility company NEPCO at 33kV and
stepped down to 11KV. The location of the proposed large-scale PV generation Grid-
connected system was in the Al-Risha area due to the low cost of the land, and the link to the
national grid. The results of the presented study clearly explain that it is possible to use
photovoltaic generation at large-scale for peak load shifting. [7]

A.Y. Al-Hasan, et al in [8], proposed a design that installs a PV system as an electricity

generator. However, it was not possible to supply all needed energy by the Solar alone, based
on that the final design was a hybrid of PV system and the utility grid. Using the PV plant
helps to minimize the electrical load demand.

In Egypt the 10MW grid connected EL-Shimy project [9], was designed and simulated using
RETscreen simulation software, through electric energy production analysis and financial
analysis. The study shows that placement of the 10 MW PV-grid connected, the plant at
Wahat Kharga site; offers the highest profit and energy production.

The proposed approach which is based on calculating the amount of CO2-emmision was
presented in [10]. The carbon-tax imposed on electricity generation companies with high
emission of CO2, has led to use this as a financial aid to promote PV-system installation.
Tezuka et all in [10] concluded that the reduction of the total amount of CO2-emission helps
to increase the PV system financial aid policy under the same tax-rate.

Denholm and Margolis [11], analyzing the necessity of a large scale PV system to provide a
large function of electricity. The capability of evaluating the PV system to provide a large
fraction up to 50% of the utility energy consumption, by comparing hourly output of the
simulated large PV system to the amount of electricity actually used, found that the system
will have overflowing electricity generation from PV during certain periods of the year.

8
 Literature Review

Viability of solar photovoltaics as an electricity generation source for Jordan was estimated
using a proposed 5 MW grid‐connected solar photovoltaic power plant [12]. System was
analyzed to estimate the distribution of radiation and sunshine duration over Jordan, it was
found that Tafila and Karak are the most compatible sites for the solar photovoltaic power
plants.

The next chapter will explain the proposed PV system design for the GCC project.

9
 Design

3 Design

3.1 Requirements
The system has the following requirements and design specifications:
Table 3-1: Design Requirements

Design Requirement Specified Value

Annual Energy Demand of GCC 9,520,400 kWh
Rooftop Area 45,613.36 m2
Temperature Range [coldest, hottest] [ 4C, 50C]

This chapter discusses the PV system design for an industrial unit to meet the above listed design
requirements. It is worth first listing the components of the PV system to be designed. Figure 3-1
shows the block diagram of the PV system components

Figure 3-1: Block Diagram of The PV System Components [13]

10
 Design

3.2 Analysis of Requirements and Constraints

3.2.1 Solar PV Modules

PV modules widely vary in terms of technology, efficiency, cost and weight. Selecting the
proper panel is a crucial stage in the design.

For the design undertaken for GCC, and since the available area is limited to rooftops, it was
important to maximize the energy yielded by PV panels with reduced number of models,
however, on the other hand taking into consideration the constraint of cost. For these
reasons, the high rating of the 345Wp SUNPOWER PV modules with efficiencies reaching
21.5%, were selected. Figure 3-2 shows the selected SUNPOWER module parameters, and
its datasheet is given in APPINDIX A

Figure 3-2: The SUNPOWER Module Parameters

11
 Design

3.2.2 Inverters
Inverters are power electronics circuitries that convert power from the DC sources of PV to
alternating current (AC) power synchronized with the national grid in amplitude and
frequency. There are 3 possible connections between the PV modules and the inverters;
central, string and micro. [14]

Figure 3-3: (a) Central[15], (b) 3 Phase String[16], and (c) Micro Inverters[17].

i. Central inverters are used for applications with large number of arrays that are
installed on buildings, industrial facilities, as well as field installation. [14] all PV
modules are wired to one central inverter. A failure of one module would shut the
whole system down.
ii. String inverters is the most widely used type of inverters in homes and commercial
solar power systems. [14] String of PV modules are wired to the inverter.
iii. Micro inverters consist of a small box that is located on the back of or very close to
a solar panel, used to convert DC electricity produced by a single solar panel. [14]

3.2.3 DC Cables
DC cables are used to connect the DC parts of the system. It must also be correctly rated
and sized.
12
 Design

3.2.4 AC Cables
AC cables are used to connect AC parts of the system with each other’s; especially for AC
side which starts from inverters and ends at the main panel. It must be correctly rated and
sized using equation (3.1) and (3.2).

𝐼𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝐼´ = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . . … … … … … . (3.1)
𝐾1 ∗ 𝑘2

R L
V%  2   I nom  ……………………………………………………………. (3.2)
Vnom 1000

where:

I´ The output current (Amp)

I load The load current (Amp)

K1 temperature isolation coefficient

K2 temperature air coefficient equal 1

L is the length of the pipeline in meters

Inom is the current in the cable at Standard test conditions (STC)

Vnom is the voltage on the cable at STC

R is the resistance per km of cable at a temperature of 80 °C

Note that STC is the Standard Test Conditions of 1000kWh/m2 solar irradiation,
temperature of 25 C, and 1.5 Air Mass Ratio(AM) .

3.2.5 Circuit Breakers (CBs)

Photovoltaic arrays always produce output voltage when exposed to sunlight, so it must be
possible to disconnect the system for maintenance or testing. CB’s are designed according to
the maximum voltage and current that exist in the system. A reachable CB must be connected
to each inverter in the system, to make it easy to disconnect the inverter in case of
maintenance or when faults occurs.

CB’s ratings vary according to their location in the system, Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)
and Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) circuit breakers are connected directly after
each inverter. Figure 3-4 shows an example for the connection.

13
 Design

(a) (b)
Figure 3-4: (a)The Connection of CB`s With Inverter, (b) The Connection Between RCCB and MCB[18].

For this project, ABB CB’s were selected according to their ability of protection with the
lowest cost possible.

Table 3-2 shows the number of Moulded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs), MCB`s and
RCCB`s used for each building, and all the details about the CB’s ratings will be found in
chapter 4.
Table 3-2: Number of MCB and RCCB Used for Each Building

The Number Number Number The Number Number Number

buildings of of MCB`s of buildings of of MCB`s of
number MCCB`s RCCB`s number MCCB`s RCCB`s
1 1 5 5 2 8 116 116
3 3 12 12 4 2 10 10
5 4 28 28 6 4 28 28
7 3 6 6 8 3 15 15
9 1 3 3 10 3 5 5

3.2.6 Main Panels

Main panels can be defined as a collection point which consist of all the CB’s with their
different types and it separates the PV system from other electrical systems, Figure 3-5 shows
a main panel that actually exist in the GCC.

14
 Design

Figure 3-5: Existing Main Panel

3.3 Design Approaches

The PV system design of GCC could be achieved by following one of the approaches shown in
Figure 3-6. It is worth mentioning that the design for this work is limited to the electrical part and
with the assumption that the factories can hold the weight of PV system in addition to the wind
pressure affecting the components on their rooftops with no stress analysis or structure design.

15
 Design

Install PV system
according to standard
form
PV system size (KWp)
Install PV system to
cover all their needs

Design approaches
Install PV system at
optimum tilt angle

Install PV system at the

available area (m2) same tilt angle of each
building rooftop

Hybrid PV system
installation

Figure 3-6: Design Approaches

As shown in Figure 3-6 the overall design approach can either be PV system size based (kWp) or
available area based (m2).

3.3.1 PV System Size Design Based (kWp)

This design approach discusses how the solar PV system should be designed to generate a specific
value of power (kWp). This approach is further divided into two designs means as follows:

i. Install PV System According to Standard Form

This is the amount of power that is presented by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources
(MEMR) as a standard value which is equal to 5,000kWp for such projects, but it’s not the appropriate
choice because it’s not enough to cover the GCC load consumption. [19]

ii. Install PV System to Cover All Their Needs

The load consumption of GCC relying on annual electricity bills for the year 2014/2015 is equal to
6,013kWp while the two factories mentioned before were closed. Therefore, this should be a good
design approach to meet the constraint set by the company. However, this approach assumes there
is no area restriction, which is another constraint by the company. So it must look out for another
suitable approach.

16
 Design

3.3.2 Available Area

This design approach will start with the constraint of area restriction and utilize all the available area
in the company to install the solar PV system. This design approach is further subdivided into the 3
possible routes as follows:

i. Install PV System at Optimum Tilt Angle

Installing solar PV system at optimum tilt angle of 28° since it is the best angle to collect the maximum
irradiation in Jordan, achieves a full absorption of solar radiation so that the system output become
more efficient and at its highest levels, but it requires a lot of high quality steel structure to carry the
PV panels weight. Figure 3-7 shows the way that the panels could be installed depending on this
solution.

Figure 3-7: Fixed Tilt Angle of PV Modules at 28[20].

This however, does not only mean increased cost, but also bigger needed area in order to separate
panels to avoid shading effect. The disadvantage of the separation between panels is that the available
area for installation will be reduced and will be not enough to install all the needed modules.

ii. Install PV System at the Same inclination of the Building Rooftop

Appling this method will decrease the cost, weight on the rooftops, and distances between modules,
which will increase the number of the used modules; unfortunately, there are a lot of modules that
will be installed at a zero degree, and that will make them kind of useless, figure 3-8 show how to
install modules at the same angle of the rooftop.

Figure 3-8: PV Modules Installed at The Building`s Rooftop Angle [21],[22].

17
 Design

i. Hybrid PV System Installation

On the other hand, using a hybrid design between the two designs mentioned above can decrease
the separation distances, the weight and the cost. In addition to installing a lot of modules at the best
tilt angle which is 28, rooftops will be covered with panels at the inclination of the roof itself. Figure
3-9 shows the hybrid version of the installation.

(a) (b)
Figure 3-9: The Hybrid Version of The Installation (a) Laying Panels at Roof Inclination and (b) Fixed Tilt With
Separation [23],[24].

After discussing the introduced solutions, the most appropriate one is the hybrid design which will
be discuss in details below.

3.4 Developed Design

This section will discuss the installation of the PV system design for each building, knowing that the
system has been done using the hybrid PV system installation approach. The following figure shows
the solar PV system design procedure.

18
 Design

Solar Irradiation

Energy
Data Collection
Consumption

Available Area

Design Procedure
PV System Size

Inverters
Calculations
Determination
Strings
Arrangement

3D Design

Simulations Electrical Design

2D Design

Figure 3-10: Design Procedure Sections

3.4.1 Data Collection

The starting point is to collect all the necessary data about the location, solar irradiation and GCC
main information, figure 3-11 shows the most important data collected.

Solar irradiation

Data collection Energy consumption

Available area

Figure 3-11: Data Collection Steps

19
 Design

i. Solar Irradiation

The collected table of solar irradiation for GCC imported from PVGIS [25], and NASA [26] data
bases. Table 3-3 shows the monthly solar irradiation for the region of GCC.
Table 3-3: Monthly Solar Irradiation

month Hh Hopt H(90) IOPT

Jan 3000 4330 4130 57
Feb 3690 4790 3950 48
Mar 5350 6210 4110 36
Apr 6340 6580 3150 20
May 7440 7080 2290 7
Jun 8440 7610 1810 -1
Jul 8240 7610 2010 2
Aug 7570 7600 2900 15
Sep 6430 7280 4190 31
Oct 5020 6440 4980 45
Nov 3640 5240 4890 55
Dec 2900 4390 4410 59
Year 5680 6270 3570 28

Optimal inclination angle is 28.

Annual irradiation deficit due to shadowing (horizontal): 0.0%

Hh: Irradiation on horizontal plane (Wh/m2/day)

Hopt: Irradiation on optimally inclined plane (Wh/m2/day)

H (90): Irradiation on plane at angle: 90deg. (Wh/m2/day)

Iopt: Optimal inclination (deg.)

As shown in the table above, the solar radiation increases in summer especially in May, June, July and
August, on the other hand it reaches its lowest level in winter especially January, February, November
and December, in addition to this data, the solar irradiation was calculated using the equations below
for the angles of each building`s rooftop.

360
δ = 23.45 ∗ (( ) ∗ (n − 1)) … … … … … … … . … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . (3.3)
365

20
 Design

Hsr = cos −1 (−tanl ∗ tanδ) … … … … . … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (3.4)

24 360n
Io = ( ) ∗ S. C ∗ [1 + 0.034 cos ( )]
π 365
∗ (cosl ∗ cosδ ∗ sin Hsr + Hsr ∗ sin l sin δ) … … … … … … … … … … … . (3.5)

IH
Kt = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . . … … … … … . . (3.6)
Io

IDH
= 1.390 − 1.027KT + 5.531KT 2 − 3.108KT 3 … … … … … … … … . … … … … … . . (3.7)
IH

1 + cos()
IDC = IDH ∗ … … … … … … . … … … … … … … … … … … … . … … … … … … … (3.8)
2

HSRC = min{cos−1 (−tan l ∗ tanδ), cos −1 (−tan(l − ) ∗ tanδ)} … … . … . . … … … … (3.9)

cos(l − ) ∗ cos δ ∗ sin HSRC + HSRC ∗ sin(l − ) ∗ sin δ

RB = … … … … … … … … . … . (3.10)
cosl ∗ cosδ ∗ sinHSR + sinl ∗ sinδ

IBC = IBH ∗ RB … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . . … . (3.11)

IDH 1 + cos∑
Ic = ((1 + ( )) ∗ RB) + (IDH ∗ ( )) … … … … . … … … … . . … … … … . . (3.12)
IH 2

Where:

 The declination angle at any day of the year

n The day number shown in table 3-4.
HSR Sun rise hour angle
L the latitude angle
IO The Extraterrestrial Insolation
S.c solar constant (1.362 kW/m²).
N day number
KT Clearness Index
IH it is the horizontal insolation
IDH Horizontal Diffuse Irradiation
IDC Diffuse Irradiation on the collector
∑ Is the tilt angle
HSRC Sunrise hour angle for the collector
RB The beam tilt factor

21
 Design

IBC The beam Insolation on the collector

IC The Total Insolation on the collector

Table 3-4: The Day Number

Month Day Number Month Day Number

January n=1 July n=182
February n=32 August n=213
March n=60 September n=244
April n=91 October n=274
May n=121 November n=305
June n=152 December n=335

All the results of the calculated monthly solar irradiation at 28 tilt angle using equations (3.3) –
(3.12), are listed in table 3-5, and the rest of data attached in appendix C.

Table 3-5: Calculated Solar Irradiation for a Fixed Tilt Angle 28

Month Solar irradiation Month Solar irradiation

(kWh/m2/day) (kWh/m2/day)

January 3.955696 July 7.187173693

February 4.574595485 August 7.445083762

March 6.11403842 September 7.127984

April 6.426302949 October 6.261987

May 6.834982 November 4.873640315

June 7.170739341 December 3.932149798

22
 Design

ii. Energy Consumption

Table 3-6 lists the annual electrical energy consumption for the GCC.
Table 3-6: Monthly Energy Consumption

Date Consumption (kWh) Date Consumption (kWh)

9/2014 936,700 3/2015 839,900
10/2014 752,100 4/2015 803,800
11/2014 808,400 5/2015 774,400
12/2015 721,500 6/2015 859,600
1/2015 634,600 7/2015 747,600
2/2015 749,000 8/2015 892,800

GCC consumption as an industrial unit is priced at the industrial tariff which is divided into three
parts; day tariff, night tariff and peak load. Table 3-6 only lists the day tariff and the night one.

In figure 3-12 a sample of the electricity bills is shown, the day tariff and the night one are marked.

Figure 3-12: A Sample of The Electricity Bills

23
 Design

iii. Available Area

Since GCC consists of 10 buildings that could be used to install the PV modules on their rooftops,
so all the available area must be calculated. Table 3-7 shows the total area, skylights; which are pieces
of transparent glass used to increase the lighting in the building, area installed on some rooftops, and
the net available area for PV installation for each building.

Table 3-7: Available Area for Each Building

Building number Available area (m2) Skylight (m2) Net area (m2)
1 652.35 - 652.35
2 24,793.8 2060 22,733.8
3 1,601.16 - 1,601.16
4 1,785 200 1,585
5 6,454.8 440 6,014.8
6 6,124.68 336 5,788.68
7 506.52 50 456.52
8 2,172.96 120 2052.96
9 756 - 756
10 793.09 - 793.09

The detailed information of the buildings dimensions and the skylights for each one will be found in
Appendix D.

Therefore, this first step of data collection can be summarized as:

Solar insolation of 5.99 kWh/m2/day

Annual Energy Demand of 9,520,400 kWh/year

Total Available Area of 42,434.36 m2

3.4.2 Calculations
Achieving the required PV system design must pass through several calculations, the main parts of
the calculations are shown in Figure 3-13

24
 Design

PV system size

Calculations Inverters determination

strings arrangement

Figure 3-13: Calculation Steps

i. PV System Size

In order to cover the annual electric energy demand of 9,520,400 kWh/year, it is important to size
the PV arrays accordingly as in equations (3.13) and (3.14).

𝐸. 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙
𝐸. 𝑎𝑣𝑔 = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . … (3.13)
12 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠
𝐸. 𝑎𝑣𝑔
𝑃𝑉 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (3.14)
𝐷𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 ∗ 𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘 ∗ 30 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠

E total The total energy consumption per year (kWH/yr)

E avg. Average monthly consumption (kWH/month)

PV size The solar PV system size (kWp)

PV system size is the quantity that represent how much power needed to cover all the factories
consumption.

Derate factor is a quantity that represents the power losses in the system such as PV module, inverter
and transformer losses, mismatch losses, DC wiring losses, AC wiring losses, shading losses, and Age
losses, as well as the temperature losses so the overall derate factor set in Jordan is almost equal to
0.7596. [27]

Using the above equations, the GCC PV system size is found to be almost equal to 6,103 kWp. the
details of these calculations are found in Appendix E

25
 Design

ii. Inverters Determination

To guarantee the synchronization with national companies, a string inverter is the most commonly
used type for home and commercial solar power systems, compared to the central inverter or micro
inverters because they allow a high design flexibility, with high efficiency, availability of several sizes
and its low cost.

To specify the range of inverter`s parameters for each building it depends on the PV system size on
its rooftop, so the number of inverters will be evaluated using the equations below.

𝑃𝑉 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 = 𝑁 ∗ 𝑃. 𝑛𝑜𝑚 = 455 ∗ 345 = 157𝐾𝑊 … … … … … … … … … … … … … . . … . (3.15)

𝑃𝑉 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . (3.16)
𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔

Where:

PVsize Total output power (kWp)

N The number of modules

Pnom. Nominal power of the PV module (Wp)

So to guarantee that the total number of inverters is enough to serve all PV modules; it must ensure
that the total power of inverters is equal to the PV modules size.

GCC PV system design requires 228 three phase inverters with different ratings of ABB brand, which
are 33kW, 27.6kW, 20kW, 12.5kW, 10kW, 8.5kW, 7.5kW and 5.8kW, operate at 50 Hz frequency as
in G59 standard.

Since it is a huge PV system size for each building, the most used inverter was the 33kW inverter, all
the inverters that belongs to each building is listed in table 3-8.
Table 3-8: The Number of Inverters for Each Building

The buildings Number of inverters The buildings Number of inverters

number number
1 5 2 116
3 12 4 10
5 28 6 28
7 6 8 15
9 3 10 5

26
 Design

iii. Strings Arrangement

This section investigates the proper number of PV modules per string, in addition to the number of
strings for each building. The best approach was to divide every building into zones, and define a
naming procedure for each string.

Many factors such as maximum input voltage, maximum input current, and minimum input voltage
determine the number of strings and the number of modules per string that are allowed to be
connected on each inverter. For example, 33kW ABB inverter has:

1. V max = 950V
2. I max =58 A
3. V min =580V

To be in a correct range of voltage limits it must be insuring that the voltage of the series modules
will not exceed 950 V and not less than 580 depending on the output voltage of the chosen PV
module which in this case equals to 68.2V thus, the maximum number of module is 13 and the
minimum number of modules is 9 modules. So the number of modules that can be connected in
series is 12 modules per string with 818.4 V.

The total number of strings that could be connected in parallel must be equal to/or less than 58 A,
depending on the output current of the modules which is 6.02A, so that the maximum number of
strings that can be connected in parallel is 9 strings. Since the 33kW inverter have a one Maximum
Power Point Tracker (MPPT) and 8 pairs of DC input per MPPT the chosen number of strings is 8
with 51.12 A.

Depending on the calculations listed in Appendix E, the total number of modules found was 19,409
PV module, which are distributed between the buildings as listed in figure 3-14.

27
 Design

202 number of modules

235
246
1,075
391 PVC: 246
Cable: 10,672
Copper: 836
2,480
Metalize: 672
Bopp: 2,600
Battery: 2,480
2,600 10,672
Workshop: 391
Enemal: 1,075
Canteen: 235
672
Administration: 202
836

Figure 3-14: Number of Modules for Each Building

After arranging the PV modules on each building, DC cables are used to connect a group of modules
together making a string. With each inverter having its own ratings of input DC current and voltage,
these connections were guided with a limited number of strings and a limited number of PV modules
per each one, the following table summarizes the division of the total strings on the buildings.

Table 3-9: The Number of Strings for Each Building

The buildings Number of strings The buildings Number of strings

number number
1 19 2 845
3 67 4 68
5 220 6 224
7 35 8 93
9 20 10 18

As this is a large system in terms of the number of PV modules, buildings and strings of PVs for
each building, for convenience in transaction and ease of maintenance, each string was designated
according to the following process shown in figure 3-15.

28
 Design

aa: the
building
number

d1: MPPT
tracker b: zone
d2: string aa,b,ccc,d1d2
charachter
number

ccc: the
invertor
number

Figure 3-15: Naming Process of Strings

For example, the PV system of the Enamel plant consists of three zones (a, b, and c), 93 strings and
15 inverters thus the naming of strings will be as following:

1. The building number is 08

2. Zone character such as a
3. Inverter number 206
4. MPPT number =1, string number =3
Thus the name of the above string is 08, a, 206, 13.

iv. DC Cables

The lengths of DC cables were measured depending on the 3D design based on the location of the
modules and the inverters. Table 3-10 shows the total lengths of DC Cables for each building.
Table 3-10: The Total length of DC Cables for each Building

The buildings Dc cables (m) The buildings Dc cables (m)

number number
1 783.5 2 92,146.5
3 2,925 4 3,132
5 10,068 6 9,844
7 1,265 8 5,167
9 1,818 10 1,366

29
 Design

After using equation (3.3) and the American Wire Gauge (AWG) table which is listed in Appendix
B, the diameter of All the DC Cables that have been used before inverters found to be 4.0 mm 2,
which is good to minimize the power losses as possible in response to the long distances of cables.

𝐼𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑
𝐼´ = … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … . (3.17)
𝐾1 ∗ 𝑘2

Where:

I´ The output current (Amp)

I load The load current (Amp)

K1 temperature isolation coefficient

K2 temperature air coefficient equal 1

v. Circuit breakers
ABB CB’s selected according to their ability of protection with the lowest cost possible. Table 3-14
shows the number of MCCB`s, MCB`s and RCCB`s used for each building, and all the details about
the CB’s ratings will be found in chapter 4.
Table 3-11: Number of MCB and RCCB Used for Each Building

The Number Number Number The Number Number Number

buildings of of MCB`s of buildings of of MCB`s of
number MCCB`s RCCB`s number MCCB`s RCCB`s
1 1 5 5 2 8 116 116
3 3 12 12 4 2 10 10
5 4 28 28 6 4 28 28
7 3 6 6 8 3 15 15
9 1 3 3 10 3 5 5
vi. AC Cables
AC cables diameters ranges from 16mm2 to 35mm2 according to the output current and the distance
of each cable from inverter to main panels, table 3-12 shows the total lengths of AC cables for each
building.
Table 3-12: The Total Length of AC Cables for Each Building

The Buildings Ac Cables (m) The Buildings Ac Cables (m)

Number Number
1 276 2 6,002
3 129 4 164
5 918 6 887
7 59 8 249
9 15 10 17

30
 Design

3.4.3 Simulation
To achieve the desired design, its simulation passes through three steps, Figure 3-16 shows the
simulation steps and their tools.

3D design Sketch UP

Simulation Electrical design Bluesol

2D design AutoCAD

Figure 3-16: Simulation Steps and Tools

i. 3D Design
This section will give a quick vision of the 3D Design that had been done using SketchUp. Figure 3-
17 shows Enamel Plant (building 8) after installing the system on its rooftop.

The rooftop is a good example of the hybrid system of laying PV on roof tile and the fixed tile PV
panels.

Figure 3-17: 3D Design of Enamel Plant

31
 Design

Because of the small value of the solar irradiation on parts of the rooftops on 3 buildings, PVC
plant, Copper plant, and Metalize plant, the PV system covered only half of their rooftops. Also
some rooftops got a daily long time shading, so this specified area of the rooftop will not contain
any PV module, such as in the figure below which belongs to the PVC plant (building 1).

Figure 3-18: PVC Plant 3D Design

All the detailed 3D designs for the rest buildings will be found in Appendix F.

ii. Electrical Design

The electrical design of GCC depends on the 3D design, using BlueSol as a simulation software to
produce all the electrical designs for the buildings, the following outputs were monitored.

1- Single line diagram.

2- Energy generated.
3- List of components used in each building.

Chapter 4 will give an elaborated discussion about the above results.

iii. 2D Design
AutoCAD is one of the most important softwares in designing a PV system, used to show the
electrical connection of the strings and their modules with all the data related to them, figure 3-19
shows an example of the 2D design which is related to Enamel Plant (building 8).

32
 Design

Figure 3-19: Enamel Plant 2D Design

2D designs for the rest of the buildings in details are attached in Appendix G.

3.5 Did the Design Meet Requirements and Constraints

Hybrid PV system design that is proposed for this design has indeed met all the requirements and
constraints. All available rooftop area was exploited with an output yielded more than what is needed
to cover all the energy consumption for the facilities. Chapter 4 will test design under simulation to
further verify results.

33
 Results

4 Results
In this chapter, the solar PV system design final outputs will be illustrated in the following categories.

Results

Electrical
outputs Validation Of
Economic
Feasibility Requirements
And Constraints

Expected
Energy Single Line List Of
Production Diagram Components

Figure 4-1: The Final Outputs

4.1 Electrical Outputs

The results of the present study clearly illustrate that the system is ready to be connected to the
electrical distribution grid with three phase AC medium voltage, a specialization of Irbid Electric
Company.

Electrical results, as mentioned before, are divided into three categories which are the expected
energy production, single line diagram, and the list of components for each building.

4.1.1 Expected Energy Production

The main aim of installing PV modules is to generate a green and free energy to replace the imported
electricity from the distributors, figure 4-2 below shows the monthly production of energy per month
for Enamel (building 8) plant over one single year.

34
 Results

Figure 4-2: The 12 Month Production of Energy Expected for Enamel Planet.

The monthly values for the other buildings are attached in appendix H.

The total energy produced by each building in the whole year are listed in table 4-1.
Table 4-1: The Annual Energy Produced

Building`s Number Annual Energy Building`s Number Annual Energy

Produced (kWh) Produced (kWh)
1 145,633.26 2 6,241,618.02
3 489,294.47 4 394,731.42
5 1,385,790.18 6 1,410,278.60
7 224,862.55 8 632,385.67
9 144,625.58 10 124,349.65

4.1.2 Single Line Diagram

For a simplified sketch of the entire circuit including all the components, their ratings and names, a
single line diagram is required, Figure 4-3 shows the single line diagram for the PVC plant (building
1), all the single line diagrams for the buildings are in appendix I.

35
 Results

Figure 4-3: PC Plant Single Line Diagram

4.1.3 List of Components

Due to the large number of components, table 4-2 shows a list of the connected MCB`s, their ratings
and the quantity of each kind of them for the Enamel plant (building 8).

36
 Results

Table 4-2: MCB`s Ratings and Quantities for Enamel Plant

MCB ratings Number of MCB ratings Number of

MCB`s MCB`s
63A, 1200V 198 20A, 500V 2
35A , 400V 8 16A, 800V 3
25A, 750V 12 15A, 400V 5

since MCB`s are not enough because of the large number of inverters that are connected in parallel
producing high amount of output current, connecting MCCB`s at the end of the line almost before
connecting to the main panel is requested to maximize safety and protection factor, table 4-3 shows
the total number of MCCB’s and their ratings.

Table 4-3: The Total Number of MCCB's and Their Ratings

MCCB ratings Number of MCCB ratings Number of

MCCB`s MCCB`s
1600A, 600V 2 200A, 1100V 2
800A, 600V 6 160A, 750V 1
600A, 600V 1 150, 600V 2
500A, 600V 3 125A, 1200V 7
400A, 600V 9 100A, 600V 2
250A, 500V 2 25A, 750V 1
225A, 500V 1 16A, 800V 1

RCCB’s used to detect any earth fault current, so that any mismatch between two currents flowing
through phase and neutral will be detected by RCCB and trip the system within 30 milliseconds, table
4-4 shows the total number of RCCB’s that used to serve GCC project. [28]
Table 4-4: The Total Quantity of RCCB`s

RCCB ratings Number of

RCCB`s
30mA, 63A, 1200V 228

The other lists of components are shown in Appendix J.

37
 Results

4.2 Economic Feasibility

Because of the ongoing payments of electricity bills, as mentioned before two industrial units
stopped. The project solved the problem by installing PV modules, as seen in table 4-5 the total
system cost is 5,429,388 this means that 1Wp would cost around 0.89 JOD.
Table 4-5: Components Prices

Items Cost (JD)

Inverters 567,139
CB`s 26,400
Modules plus steel structure 4,075,890
Cables (AC,DC) 88,629
Installation cost (0.11 per watt) 671,330
Total 5,429,388

Now if the company pays 5,429,388 JD, after how many years will the company get the profit?

Figure 4-4: Cash Flow Diagram

Economic feasibility has been performed using simple payback period, it gives a clear estimation of
the time it takes to recover the initial investment. The payback period is calculated using equation
4.1:
𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡
Payback period = 𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑑 …………………………………………………..…(4.1)

The initial cost of this project as mentioned in table 4-5 is 5,429,388 JD. The project is expected to
save 874,300 JD per year.
now by using equation (4.1), the payback period equal to 6.2, that means in year 7 the company will
start gaining profit.

38
 Results

Table 4-6 shows how the simple payback period occurs.

Table 4-6: The Simple Payback Period

Time(years) Money (JOD)

Now -5,429,388
1 -4,555,088
2 -3,680,788
3 -2,806,488
4 1,932,188
5 -1,057,888
6 -183,588
7 +690,712

4.3 Validation of Requirements and Constraints

Solar PV system design has met all the requirements and constraints. Since all the simulation results
validate the design, the main goal of this project was achieved. Figure 4-5 lists the design requirements
validation.

Solar PV use SUNPOWER

modules (345W) PV modules

Strings use a different ratings

inverters of ABB inverter

have a 4mm2 DC cable

DC cables
with different lengths

Requirment ABB MCB's

Circuit
ABB RCCB's
Breakers

ABB MCCB's

have a different length

AC cables
and diameters

Figure 4-5: Requirements Validation

39
 Results

As shown above the used 19,409 PV modules are of the same type which is a 345 W SUNPOWER
modules, connected to each using a 128,515 m of a 4mm2 DC cables and to the inverters, and from
the inverters to the main panels through a 8,716 m of AC cables of different sizes.

These all modules cover all the available rooftops area which is around 42,434 m2.

The total energy produced in a year equals to 11,193,569.4 kWh which is distributed as shown in
table 4-7 for each building.

Table 4-7: Annual energy produced

Building`s Annual energy Building`s Annual energy

number produced (KWh) number produced (KWh)

1 145,633.26 2 6,241,618.02

3 489,294.47 4 394,731.42

5 1,385,790.18 6 1,410,278.60

7 224,862.55 8 632,385.67

9 144,625.58 10 124,349.65

And Figure 4-6 shows the constraints validation.

Energy
limited area Dealing with large Economical
consumption
exploitation scale PV system fasability
coverge

Achieved since it is
Achieved by using Achieved by cover
complicated to deal Achieved by
all the available area the entire loads of
with a large system reducing the cost as
which is almost GCC using PV
size like this of possible as can
equals to 42,400 m2 modules
GCC

Figure 4-6: Achieved Constraints

40
 Conclusion and Future Work

5 Conclusion and Future Work

5.1 Conclusion
Solar modules cost is currently on a fast decline, and expected to continue the drop, so that solar PV
modules will raise the energy field to a highly hopeful future both economically and environmentally.

Since SUNPOWER PV modules are used for its high quality, this leads to a minimum life time of 25
years for the system.

After this design GCC can cover all its present needs from energy depending only on the solar PV
energy, notice that GCC must be always connected to the grid to import the electricity from it when
there is no sun and export it on the other time, this will help to reopen the two closed industrial units,
it is also being considered as a good investment especially after the payback period.

5.2 Future Work

The project calculated the system for 2014/2015 when the monthly average energy consumption was
793,366.667 kWh, this consumption was when two of the industrial units were totally closed, so this
required getting the electricity bills of year 2013/2014, when all the industrial units were operated,
the table below summarize the monthly consumption for that duration.

Table 5-1: The Energy Consumptions of Year 2013/2014

Date Energy Date Energy

Consumption Consumption
(kWh) (kWh)
2/2013 1,175,600 8/2013 1,357,000
3/2013 1,150,200 9/2013 971,800
4/2013 1,341,000 10/2013 1,478,100
5/2013 1,233,700 11/2013 1,105,000
6/2013 1,057,500 12/2013 1,074,600
7/2013 1,359,200 1/2014 1,085,900

The monthly average energy consumption in that period when all the industrial units were in
operation was 1,199,133.333 kWh.

When reopening the two closed industries there will be an increment of around 405,722.666 kWh in
energy consumption per month compared with 2014/2015.

41
 Conclusion and Future Work

According to these readings there must be a new calculation for the PV system and the total PV
modules needed to cover all the estimated needs.

After using equations (3.13), (3.14), and (3.16) the new PV system size found to be 9,231.2030 kWp
and depending on it, the new number of PV modules is 26,757.

This project contains 19,409 modules, since the new calculated values gives a new number of PV
modules which is more than the above number by 7,348 modules, a new enough area must be found
to get all these modules installed.

The next step is to expand the system to cover all the new needs.

42
 References

6 References

[1] [Online]. Available: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy#.VzQc-75Hbrw

[2] National Electric Power Company / Jordan, “NEPCO Annual report”, Amman, Jordan
2014. [Online] Available : http://www.nepco.com.jo/store/docs/web/2014_en.pdf
[3] photovoltaic system design software, PVsyst V6.43.
[4] [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_of_photovoltaics#Countries
[5] [Online]. Available: http://www.solar-philippines.com/services/grid-tied-and-off-grid-
rooftop-pv-systems-for-residential-commercial-and-industrial-installations/
[6] Ebenezer Nayarko. K, Abeeku Brew. H, “design and analysis of 1 MW Grid-Connected
solar PV system in Ghana, African Technology Policy Studies Network, WORKING
PAPER SERIES, 78.
[7] Mahmoud Hammada,Munzer S. Y . Ebaidb, Ghassan Halaseha, Baslan Erekata,”Large scale
grid connected (20MW) photovoltaic system for peak load shaving in sahab industrial
district”, JJMIE, VOL 9, (2015),46-59.
[8] A.Y. Al-Hasan, A.A. Ghoneim, A.H. Abdullah, “Optimizing electrical load pattern in
Kuwait using grid connected photovoltaic systems". Energy Conversion and Management,
Vol. 45, (2004), 483-494.
[9] M. Al-Shimy, "Viability analysis of PV power plants in Egypt". Renewable Energy 34
(2009)2187-2196.
[10] T. Tezuka, K. Okushima, T. Sawa, “Carbon tax for subsidizing photovoltaic power
generation systems and its effect on carbon dioxide emissions”. Applied Energy, Vol. 72,
(2002), 677–688.
[11] P. Denholm, R. Margolis, “Very Larg-Scale Deployment of GridConnected Solar
photovoItaics in the United States: Challenges and Opportunities". NRELlCP-620-39683,
2006.
[12] M.Hammad, M. S. Y. Ebaid, L. Al-hayari L, "Green building design solution for a
kindergarten in Amman". Energy and Buildings, Vol. 76, (2014), 524-537.
[13] [Online]. Available: http://www.alternative-energy-tutorials.com/solar-power/grid-
connected-pv-system.html
[14] [Online]. Available: http://www.energymatters.com.au/components/micro-string-central-
inverters/
[15] [Online]. Available:
http://www.abb.com/cawp/seitp202/43fa7c20309a38f5c1257b8a004f36b6.aspx
[16] [Online]. Available: http://new.abb.com/power-converters-inverters/solar/string/three-
phase/trio-20-0kw-27-6kw
[17] [Online]. Available: http://tandem-solar-systems.com/solar-inverters/abb-solar-inverters-power-
one/
[18] [Online]. Available: http://serena-yeoh.blogspot.com/2013/02/solving-power-woes.html

43
 References

[19] [Online]. Available: http://www.memr.gov.jo/Pages/viewpage.aspx?pageID=268

[20] [Online]. Available: https://livingonsolarpower.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/what-should-be-the-
orientation-of-solar-panels/
[21] [Online]. Available: http://www.renexpo-bucharest.com/2016/03/05/solar-companies-
the-united-kingdom/
[22] [Online]. Available: http://www.solarserver.com/knowledge/basic-knowledge/solar-
electricity-grid-connected-photovoltaic-systems.html
[23] [Online]. Available: http://cleantechnica.com/2012/06/22/germany-moving-away-solar-
parks-rooftop-schemes/
[24] [Online]. Available: http://chasityfountain.soup.io/
[25] PVGIS. [Online]. Available:
http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/pvgis/apps4/pvest.php?map=africa
[26] NASA from the database of BlueSol
[27] Royal Scientific Society, Energy Research Center, PV Department, Eng. Sahel Bani
Mustafa.
[28] [Online]. Available: http://electrical-engineering-portal.com/what-is-the-difference-
between-mcb-mccb-elcb-and-rccb
[29] [Online]. Available: http://www.electricneutron.com/wire-cable/current-rating/

44
 Appendices

7 Appendices
Some of the Appendices will be found as a soft copy in the attached CD due to the large size of the data exists.
7.1 Appendix A: Data Sheets
This appendix divided into 9 sections, that are attached in the CD.

1. PV module
2. 33 kW ABB inverter
3. 27.6 kW ABB inverter
4. 20 kW ABB inverter
5. 12.5 kW ABB inverter
6. 10 kW ABB inverter
7. 8.5 kW ABB inverter
8. 7.5 kW ABB inverter
9. 5.8 kW ABB inverter

7.2 Appendix B: AWG Table

Figure 7-1: AWG table[29]

45
 Appendices

7.3 Appendix C: Solar Irradiation

Will be found in the attached CD.

7.4 Appendix D: Area Informations

Since GCC have a (10) buildings could be used for the PV system installation. The calculated rooftop
area indicates that 50,147.46 m2 are available as shown in the table below:

Table 7-1: GCC Buildings Dimensions

Building`s name Dimensions Building`s name Dimensions

Higher hanger dimension
(24x24) m.
Max & min height of Dimensions (186x132)
hunger (15.00-13.40) m. m
PVC Plant Store hunger dimension Cable Plant Max & min height of
(30x24) hunger (8.30-6.00) m
Max & min height of
hungers (4.60-5.80)

Dimension (132x24)
m.
Front lower hanger
dimension (54x24) m.
Back lower hanger Dimension
dimension (30x24) m (126.23x48.32)
Copper Plant Max & min height of Metalize Plant Max & min height of
hanger (7.80-6.00) m. hanger (7.30-6.20) m.
Higher hanger
dimension (28x24) m.
Max & min height of
hanger (12.00-10.20)
m.

Dimension Dimension
(132.27x48.36) (126.23x48.32) m.
Bopp Plant Max & min height of Battery Plant Max & min height
hanger (8.80-7.00) m. of hanger (7.30-
6.20) m.

46
 Appendices

Dimension
(42x30)
Max & min height
of hanger (6.00- Dimension (30x72) m.
Workshop 5.20) m. Enamel Plant Max & min height of
Dimension (6x42) hanger (7.70-6.10) m.
m x2.
Max & min height
of hanger (3.20-
2.60) m.

Dimension(36.6x13.6)
m.
Canteen Dimension (18x42). Administration Dimension(17.3x10.7)
m.
Dimension
(10.65x10.35) m.

7.5 Appendix E: Calculations

7.5.1 PV System Size

The annual energy consumption is the summation of all the readings from table3-5 in chapter three
divided by 12 months, equation 3.5 shows the average monthly consumption of energy.

𝐸. 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 9520400𝐾𝑊ℎ/𝑦𝑟 𝐾𝑊ℎ

𝐸. 𝑎𝑣𝑔 = = = 793366.667 … … … … … … … (3.5)
12 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠 12 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ

Using equation 3.6, the amount of PV system size that should be installed on GCC plants will be
found.

𝐸. 𝑎𝑣𝑔 793366.667
𝑃𝑉 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 = = = 6102.820513 𝐾𝑊𝑝 … … … … … … … (3.6)
𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘 ∗ 30 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 130

Where:

E total The total energy consumption per year (kWh/yr)

E avg. Average monthly consumption (kWH/month)

PV size The solar PV system size (kWp)

47
 Appendices

7.5.2 Inverters Determination

To specify the range of inverter`s parameters for each building it depends on the PV system size on
its rooftop, so that the number of inverters for Enamel Plant zone a and other buildings will be
evaluated using equation 3.7 and equation 3.8.

𝑃𝑉 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 = 𝑁 ∗ 𝑃. 𝑛𝑜𝑚 = 455 ∗ 345 = 157𝐾𝑊 … … … . (3.7)

𝑃𝑉 𝑠𝑖𝑧𝑒 157𝐾𝑊𝑝
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 = = = 4.756 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 = 4𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡 … … … . (3.8)
𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 33𝑘𝑤

Where:

N The number of module that installed on each zone.

P nom. The nominal power of SUNPOWER module.

The rest of PV size will be distributed on 20kW inverter and 5.8kW inverter as following.

Inverter 33 kW: (4 Units).

MMPT1: 12 module x 8 strings = 96 modules

Inverter 20 kW: (1 Unit).

MMPT1: 11 module x 3 strings = 33 modules
MMPT2: 11 module x 2 strings = 22 modules

Inverter 5.8 kW: (1 Unit).

MMPT1: 8 module x 2 strings = 16 modules

So that the PV system installed on Enamel Plant, (Zone a) rooftop have been covered by using 6
inverters, (Zone b) have the same calculation but with a different names and numbers for their
inverters and strings.

PV system that can be hold by Zone c equal to 61.71kWp, so its require three inverters of the
following ratings:

Inverter 33 kW: (1 Unit).

MMPT1: 12 module x 8 strings = 96 modules.

Inverter 20kW: (1 Unit).

MMPT1: 11 module x 3 strings = 33 modules
MMPT2: 11 module x 2 strings = 22 modules

Inverter 8.5 kW: (1 Unit).

MMPT1: 7 module x 2 strings = 14 modules.

This process applied to all buildings, each one separated from the others.

48
 Appendices

7.6 Appendix F: 3D design

Will be found in the attached CD.

7.7 Appendix G: 2D Design

Will be found in the attached CD.

7.8 Appendix H: Energy Production

Will be found in the attached CD.

7.9 Appendix I: Single Line Diagrams

Will be found in the attached CD.

7.10 Appendix J: List of Components

Will be found in the attached CD.

49