Solar home system with diversified roofing construction

Abstract

Conventional power plants generally emit Greenhouse gases (GHGs) that potentially pollute the environment. Solar Home Systems (SHS) are electrical appliances capable of generating electrical energy by absorbing the sunlight radiation. The operation of Solar Home Systems does not result in pollution. The unlimited amount of solar radiation in our nature makes Solar Home Systems affordable and eco-friendly. In this research, we implemented these Solar Home Systems as a household power supply by taking advantage of diversified roofing conditions in a residential area in Lembah Damai village, Rumbai Pesisir district, Pekanbaru. Different directions and angles of the solar radiation receiver affected the energy output. Observing electrical energy output in five houses as the subject of the research, we found out that House 4's on the side-B roof with a 24-degree inclination and a 72-degree orientation generated the highest power output amounting to 1,265 kWh/yr. Meanwhile, House 2's side-A roof with a 28-degree inclination of and 239-degree orientation generated the lowest power output amounting to 1,073.9 kWh/yr. Thus, the fluctuation accounted for 17.8%.