REPORT NUMBER: ME-2626
REPORT
ON
SOLAR PV AND MICRO HYDRO SYSTEM
IN CES
SUBMITTED BY:
ANISH ACHARYA
070BME607
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
PULCHOWK CAMPUS
LALITPUR
AUGUST 16, 2016
REPORT NUMBER: ME-2626
REPORT
ON
SOLAR PV AND MICRO HYDRO SYSTEM
IN CES
SUBMITTED TO:
MR. VIJAY KUMAR YADAV
SUBMITTED BY:
ANISH ACHARYA
070BME607
APPROVED BY:
DR. RAJENDRA SHRESTHA
HOD
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
PULCHOWK CAMPUS
LALITPUR
AUGUST 16, 2016
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express our deepest appreciation to all those individuals who provided us the
guidance to complete this report. I express my deepest gratitude towards Dr. Nawaraj Bhattrai and
Dr. Ajay Kumar Jha for providing data and information about the solar PV system and micro hydro
present in CES.
Furthermore, we would also like to acknowledge Mr. Arun Pandey, Mr. Shekhar Thapa Magar
and Mr. Ashutosh Aman Mishra for helping me in collection of data and also helping in writing
this report.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................................. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................... v
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... vi
SOLAR PV AND MICRO HYDRO SYSTEM.............................................................................. 1
1.Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1
2.Objective of the study .............................................................................................................. 1
3.Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 2
3.1 Primary sources of data collection .................................................................................... 2
3.2 Secondary sources of data collection ................................................................................ 2
4.Observation and Discussion..................................................................................................... 3
4.1 Solar PV system ................................................................................................................ 3
5.Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 9
7.References .............................................................................................................................. 10
8.Bibilography .......................................................................................................................... 10
iii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Solar PV System .............................................................................................................. 5
Figure 2 MHP layout...................................................................................................................... 8
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Example of data collection ................................................................................................ 2
Table 2 Electrical Characteristics (STC*) ...................................................................................... 3
Table 3 Electrical Characteristics (NOCT**) ................................................................................ 4
Table 4 Mechanical Characteristics ............................................................................................... 4
Table 5 Battery Characteristics ...................................................................................................... 5
Table 6 Micro-Hydro Characteristics ............................................................................................. 7
iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CES - Center for Energy Studies
PV - Photo Voltaic
MHP - Micro Hydro Project
STC - Standard Test Conditions
NOCT - Nominal Operating Cell Temperature
V - Voltage
A - Amperes
KW - Kilowatts
W - Watts
Wp - Watt Peak
AH - Ampere Hour
Hrs. - Hours
AC - Alternating Current
DC - Direct Current
v
ABSTRACT
Many alternative sources of energy available in place of fossil fuels. Solar PV and Micro Hydro
are some of them. Solar PV and Micro Hydro present in CES were studied and different data were
gathered by site observation, interview and internet. Solar PV present there is enough to generate
the power needed for CES building. But the condition of Micro Hydro is critical. Also, Solar PV
being one-time investment and Micro Hydro being small and low cost alternative of big hydro
powers have great scope in future.
Keywords: Solar PV, Micro Hydro, Fossil fuels
vi
SOLAR PV AND MICRO HYDRO SYSTEM
1.Introduction
Energy is a primary input for almost all activities and it has been used in different sector such as
industry, commerce, transport, telecommunications, wide range of agriculture and household
services. This has compelled us to focus our attention to ensure its continuous supply to meet our
ever increasing demands.
Fossil fuels are still the main source of energy. Today we are facing the peak of oil and gas
consumption. Fossil fuel resources took millions of years to form and if this trend goes on, they
are sure to be completely exhausted within few decades. So, there comes the alternative sources
of energy. They can replace the current technologies we are using and more emphasis are given
for their growth and development. These renewable energy sources are environment friendly as
they emit less carbon dioxide, compared to fossil fuels. There are many alternative sources of
energies that harness natural forces and resources such as solar power, wind power, bio-energy
and hydro power.
2.Objective of the study
The objectives of the study were
To study about solar PV system and micro hydro present in CES
To learn about their working principle
To learn about their construction and fitting1
To learn their conditions
1
3.Methodology
To know the about different energy resources and their conditions, different types of data will be
collected. Collection of the data will be done in two categories: primary sources and secondary
sources of data collection.
3.1 Primary sources of data collection
3.1.1 Observation
Primary source of data collection was done by observing the resources in their location. During
observation, data like code of solar panel, code of battery, head and flow rates of micro hydro were
collected.
S.N Type Value
1. Nominal Output (Pmax) [Wp]
2. Voltage at Pmax (Vmp) [V]
3. Current at Pmax (Imp) [A]
4. Cell Efficiency [%]
5. Module Efficiency [%]
Table 1 Example of data collection
3.2.2 Interview
Different personals involved in this field were interviewed to get further data and information.
3.2 Secondary sources of data collection
Secondary source of data collection was done from the internet. In this modern time, we can easily
get information about the problems which are probably occurring and the information which may
be useful for techniques and the theories that we will prefer in our project.
2
4.Observation and Discussion
4.1 Solar PV system
A solar PV system is a power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of
photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to
absorb and convert sunlight into electricity, battery to store energy in form of chemical energy, a
solar inverter to change the electric current from DC to AC, as well as other electrical accessories
to set up a working system.
A single photovoltaic unit is called solar cell and the combination of such cells is solar module.
These cells are made up of semiconductors. When sunlight is absorbed by these materials, the solar
energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material
to produce electricity. This process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) is called
the photovoltaic (PV) effect.
Solar cells are typically combined into modules that hold about 40 cells; a number of these modules
are mounted in PV arrays that can measure up to several meters on a side. These flat-plate PV
arrays can be mounted at a fixed angle facing south
During the visit it was found that the solar system used was rooftop-mounted with capacity of
6.5KW. The solar module used was LDR 185D-24(S). Its characteristics are:
Type Value
Nominal Output (Pmax) [Wp] 185
Voltage at Pmax (Vmp) [V] 35.5
Current at Pmax (Imp) [A] 5.23
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) [V] 44.7
Short Circuit Current (Isc) [A] 5.63
Cell Efficiency [%] 16.6
Module Efficiency [%] 14.49
Table 2 Electrical Characteristics (STC*)
STC*: Irradiance 1000 W/m2 , Module Temperature 25 °C, Air Mass 1.5
3
Type Value
Nominal Output (Pmax) [Wp] 134
Voltage at Pmax (Vmp) [V] 32.1
Current at Pmax (Imp) [A] 4.18
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) [V] 41.3
Short Circuit Current (Isc) [A] 4.56
Table 3 Electrical Characteristics (NOCT**)
NOCT**: irradiance 800 W/m2, Air 20 °C, wind speed 1 m/s
Type Value
Solar Cell 72 (6 x12) monocrystalline silicon solar cells
Cell Dimension 125 mm x 125 mm
Module Dimension 1580 mm x 808 mm x 40 mm
Weight 15.6 kg
No. of Modules 100
Capacity of each module 65W
Peak Solar time 4.15hrs
Slope of Panel 30° NS
Total Capacity 6.5KW
Electricity Generation 27 kWH
Table 4 Mechanical Characteristics
4
Characteristics Value
Type Tubular Plate
Nature Heavy Duty
Capacity 2V, 468AH
No. in series 120
No.in parallel 2
Total no. of batteries 240
Total Voltage 240V
Table 5 Battery Characteristics
This PV system present in CES building and has 6.5 kW capacity.100 Solar PV modules each of
65 Watt are kept as a roof on the main entrance of the building. The slope of the panel is 30° North-
South. With total peak sunshine hours of 4.15 hrs., it generates electricity of 27 kWh in a day.
The electricity generated is stored in battery banks kept at the basement of the building. 120
batteries of heavy duty nature, each of 2 Volt capacity 468 AH, are connected in series which
produce 240 Volts. Such two battery banks are connected in parallel and each produces 240 Volt
DC. An automatic software controlled inverter continuously monitors the whole process of the
electricity generation from solar panel, storing in batteries and the connection to the grid as well.
The inverter also supplies the excess power generated to the campus grid.
SUN Radiation PV cell/ Charge Dashboard Invertor
Controller
Module
Battery DC AC
appliances Appliances
Figure 1 Solar PV System
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4.2 Micro Hydro System
Micro hydro uses mechanical energy of water in streams to generate electricity. The energy of
water in the streams manifests in form of kinetic and potential energy. Kinetic energy of water is
due to its velocity of movement through the river course. And potential energy is due to its position
above the sea level. The energy stored in water elevated from the sea level may be expressed
mathematically as follows
E = mgh [1]
where, E - energy of water in Joules;
m - mass of water in kg;
g - acceleration due to gravity in m/s2; and
h – elevation of water with respect to the sea level in m.
Equation [1] may be rewritten as
E = x V x g x h [(kg/m3) x (m3) x (m/s2) x m]
= 1000 x V x g x h [kg x (m/s2) x m]
= 1000 x V x g x h [N x m]
= 1000 x V x g x h [J]
The corresponding power may be calculated as
P = E/t [J/s] = E/t [W]
= 1000 x V x g x h/t [W]
= 1000 x (V/t) x g x h [W]
= Q x g x h [kW]
P = 9.81 Qh [kW] [2]
Equation [2] represents the theoretical power that may be generated from elevated water. In reality
some losses are involved in power generation. Let be the efficiency of the process of power
generation. Then equation [2] may be rewritten as
P = 9.8 x x x Q x h [3]
This equation is known as hydropower equation. represents in equation [3] accounts for losses
in water conveyance, such as canal, penstock, trash racks losses etc., turbine and generator. For
micro-hydropower plants the value varies from 0.5 to 0.6.
6
The micro-hydro system present in CES has following characteristics:
Characteristics Data
Gross head 12m
Net head(h) 11m
Flow rate (Q) 65litre/sec
Penstock diameter 180mm
Spillway diameter 75mm
Pump Set 25HP Centrifugal Pump
Theoretical Power 7KW
Actual power 3KW
Table 6 Micro-Hydro Characteristics
Initially the turbine used was cross flow turbine. The cross flow turbine used rain water collected
at the lower pond. The water was then pumped up to the forebay tank which passes through the
penstock and hit the turbine to produce electricity. The power house was equipped to simulate the
load distribution.
Now there is micro Francis turbine too. But both the turbine doesn’t work at current. The load
distribution system is also broken. Serious maintenance is needed to make it work again.
The whole plant is designed, manufactured, erected and commissioned by Balaju Yantra Shala
along with CES faculty members.
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Figure 2 MHP layout
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5.Conclusion
Thus, the solar PV system and micro-hydro present in CES was studied. It helped a lot to know
about the working and construction of those system. It can be concluded that solar PV system and
micro-hydro has high scope to supply energy. These can decrease the gap between energy demand
and supply.
6. Recommendation
The condition of micro hydro is very critical. If not repaired immediately, maintenance
cost would be very high later. Also, some part should be replaced completely for
working.
From the data gathered there, it can be said that solar PV system and micro-hydro has
high scope in part of Nepal where the grid system has not reached yet.
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7.References
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/essay/energy-short-essay-on-energy/29307/
http://hananessays.blogspot.com/2012/03/alternative-sources-of-energy.html
Rai,G.D.(2005) Non-Conventional Sources of Energy. Delhi:Khanna Publishers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_system
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar-energy/tech/solarpv.html
http://ces.ioe.edu.np/?cat=5
8.Bibilography
Bhattarai,N.(2016). Presentation Slides
Bajracharya,T.R. Overview of Micro Hydro Systems
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