Design of a 1 kva PV system for electrical laboratory in faculty of engineering, University of Uyo, Nigeria

Abstract

One of the most challenging issues in most developing countries of the world today remains access to electricity. In areas where there is access to electricity, the epileptic nature of the supply and the inconsistency of the generated voltage and over loading pose a serious threat to the safety of electricity consumers equipment. In Nigeria, just like most developing countries, the situation is not different, hence the need for this study. In this work, a 1 KVA Photovoltaic (PV) system was designed and implemented for use in the electrical engineering laboratory of University of Uyo, Nigeria. A 12 V 100 Ah storage system was integrated into the design to support laboratory emergency load of up to 6.5 hours off peak and 1.5 hours peak loads. The designed PV system was used during laboratory sessions and was seen to be effective and provided the needed solution to sudden power failure which is a predominant occurrence experienced during laboratory sessions.