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Home » Solar Energy » Solar panel size for my factory & office
Solar panel size for my factory & office
Q: There have to be two systems, one powering single phase appliances and the other 3 phase. Now how do I start calculating on the area of solar panels I need and its orientation?
Only one system is needed for generation. But because of the different types of loads, office vs. factory, two separate backup systems would be prudent and should be equal or lower in cost over time than a single backup system.
Orientation is simpler to explain so I will start there. I will presume you are looking to install a stationary system (i.e. the solar panels will not move to track the sun). For many sites like yours this is sufficient and is exponentially simpler to design, install and operate. It is what is most commonly seen on the roofs of homes and businesses. There are two orientations to consider. The inclination of the solar panel from the ground plane, and the azimuth of the solar panel (its compass facing from magnetic north).
As a rule of thumb, you should set the incline of the solar panels equal to the latitude of your location to the nearest degree. With your being so close to the tropics there might be some variance, and I will look into it. That said, even in the tropics the rule of thumb works very well, just not always optimally.
The other general rule of thumb for the azimuth is to face due south (180 degrees) when north of the equator. Again, within the equatorial belt of the tropics this can have some variance, but it is even less of an issue than the variance in inclination, and is generally not worth the extra headache.
Being familiar with the Persian Gulf area, I would be willing to say you can have a very effective system just following the rules of thumb. Basically you are trying to aim them solar panels so that the normal from their face is pointed to the average location of the sun at solar noon (its highest point vs. where it is at noon on the clock) as averaged over the course of a year. Hence the sufficiency of the rules of thumb.
As to the number of solar panels, that is dependent on both the size of system desired, and the specs of the solar panels you choose to use. You stated you use 7800kWh annually and Georgi calculated that to be 21.37kWh daily (30kWh if only running 9-5 M-F). I would recommend a design of 25kWh (roughly midway between the two extremes). This ensures sufficient power today and allow for growth in the future. Since you are designing a system that will use the grid as a final backup, you will be able to sell what excess you generate to the grid and create a residual income for the company (adding $$$ to the owners pocket is always a good thing).
Now we simply divide the daily output we want (25kWh) by the rated output of the solar panel we choose.
Example:
Let X be the number of solar panels needed
X = daily kWh need / solar panel's rated wattage
Daily need is 25kWh
Solar panels are rated for 250W
X = 25000 / 250 = 100
As there are many different solar panels to choose from, I could not possibly more precise without knowing the specs of the ones you choose, and choosing a solar panel is another set of considerations (availability, cost, power rating, efficiency, etc.).
Only one system is needed for generation. But because of the different types of loads, office vs. factory, two separate backup systems would be prudent and should be equal or lower in cost over time than a single backup system.
Orientation is simpler to explain so I will start there. I will presume you are looking to install a stationary system (i.e. the solar panels will not move to track the sun). For many sites like yours this is sufficient and is exponentially simpler to design, install and operate. It is what is most commonly seen on the roofs of homes and businesses. There are two orientations to consider. The inclination of the solar panel from the ground plane, and the azimuth of the solar panel (its compass facing from magnetic north).
As a rule of thumb, you should set the incline of the solar panels equal to the latitude of your location to the nearest degree. With your being so close to the tropics there might be some variance, and I will look into it. That said, even in the tropics the rule of thumb works very well, just not always optimally.
The other general rule of thumb for the azimuth is to face due south (180 degrees) when north of the equator. Again, within the equatorial belt of the tropics this can have some variance, but it is even less of an issue than the variance in inclination, and is generally not worth the extra headache.
Being familiar with the Persian Gulf area, I would be willing to say you can have a very effective system just following the rules of thumb. Basically you are trying to aim them solar panels so that the normal from their face is pointed to the average location of the sun at solar noon (its highest point vs. where it is at noon on the clock) as averaged over the course of a year. Hence the sufficiency of the rules of thumb.
As to the number of solar panels, that is dependent on both the size of system desired, and the specs of the solar panels you choose to use. You stated you use 7800kWh annually and Georgi calculated that to be 21.37kWh daily (30kWh if only running 9-5 M-F). I would recommend a design of 25kWh (roughly midway between the two extremes). This ensures sufficient power today and allow for growth in the future. Since you are designing a system that will use the grid as a final backup, you will be able to sell what excess you generate to the grid and create a residual income for the company (adding $$$ to the owners pocket is always a good thing).
Now we simply divide the daily output we want (25kWh) by the rated output of the solar panel we choose.
Example:
Let X be the number of solar panels needed
X = daily kWh need / solar panel's rated wattage
Daily need is 25kWh
Solar panels are rated for 250W
X = 25000 / 250 = 100
As there are many different solar panels to choose from, I could not possibly more precise without knowing the specs of the ones you choose, and choosing a solar panel is another set of considerations (availability, cost, power rating, efficiency, etc.).
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