Solar Photovoltaic Systems: A Technical and Economic Feasibility Design Approach with Homer Pro

Abstract

With the declining cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and batteries used for energy storage, many users are now shifting towards solar energy because of its renewable nature and availability. Though this is a great step to combat climate change, most of the solar systems installed always fail due to poor system sizing. For this reason, optimal systems are required to be deployed. This paper presents a technical and economic feasibility design approach for a solar PV system using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) Pro software. The design is based on site-specific data collected from Moi University in Kenya. The temperature and solar radiation data were collected from the weather station of the university, while the power demand data was collected from the Margaret Thatcher Library of the university using the PCE-360 power analyzer.  The simulation results show that a 100kW solar PV system is required to power the Margaret Thatcher library with a financial investment of KES 32,000,000. This system is strongly recommended to be used by the university as it will ensure reliability of power supply for students to study and also save on costs incurred on utility bills.