Design and Economic Evaluation of a Solar Household Electrification System

Abstract

In this paper, a simplified design and analysis approach has been used for assessment of a solar PV system for domestic household electrification in Pakistan. The load requirement of a typical domestic building is estimated and based on the load requirements system components for an off grid PV power system are designed. The total load requirement of the facility under study is estimated to be 28.10 kWh/day. The required peak power and area of PV modules designed using developed model to fulfill load demand requirements is found to be 5.77 kW and 41.03 m2 , respectively. Furthermore, life cycle cost and unit electricity cost of the system is determined using developed model. The achieved rate of electricity from solar PV system for household electrification is estimated to be 7.44 PKR/kWh which is about 50 to 55% cheaper as compared to grid supplied conventional electricity. The developed model and obtained results will encourage and provide a guideline for policy makers and people in the Country to install off grid solar PV systems for household electrification.