Solar Systems Applications in Cape Town

1
Solar Systems Applications in Cape Town
Solar Systems

• Background
• DmE projected impact of RE in 10 years is dismal
  (10 000 GWh/pa)
• Because it is judged against poor electric
  conversion efficiencies
• Solar water heating has been suggested to by-pass
  this shortcoming
• Highest impact however would be on peak demand
  losses on ESKOM grid
• Cape Town have ambitious target of 10 000 solar
  heaters (by 2010)
• Objectives
• Impact of solar heaters on grid peak demand
• Projections of energy and line loss savings on a
  nationwide application

2
Case Study Blombos Pilot Solar Water Pumping
Solar Systems

• Outputs
• Solar panel driven pump system
• Farmer had more water than needed!
• Cost of R13k (40 of original spec!)
• Comments
• Over-design ignorance increases costs
• Need to move away from obsolete methods
• Additional White LED installation for ultra-low
  power lighting

• Background
• Blombos lies about 300 km on Cape Towns west
  coast
• Farm needs water pumping
• Commercial system cost R33k
• Approach
• Used latest state of the art equipment - not
  archaic solar maps!
• Used wind to advantage raised the panel up

3
Optimization of Solar Water Pumping System using
Genetic Algorithms
Solar Systems

• Scope
• Development of algorithms
• Collection experimental results
• Simulation
• Modifications

4
Solar Systems

• Pump type SOLASTAR positive displacement pump
  for low head applications (lt 100 m)
• Maximum Power Point Tracking is provided by an
  algorithm that monitors potential and current
  from the pv array.
• System simulations for
• Motor
• Pv array
• Optimisation
• Analysis of conduction losses
• Power dissipations
• Other circuitry losses