Performance Analysis of a Stand-alone Building Integrated Photovoltaic System

This study focus on the performance analysis of a building integrated photovoltaic system for residential energy access. An off-grid 3.8 kWp rooftop PV generator was developed in SolarWatt Park, Alice and was used in the study. Onsite meteorological and electrical data acquisition systems were set up. The parameters monitored are solar radiation, generated PV voltage, current, demand and energy consumption of a house. The results of the study which only involves the PV system performance on March 2019, show a significant amount of solar radiation with total irradiation of 150.72 kWh/m(2), averaging 4.86 kWh/m(2)/day. The average PV supply rate was 1.67 kW and cumulative energy of 487.00 kWh, which is equivalent to 15.71 kWh/day. The 3.8 kW 4-plate cooker was observed to be the dominant energy consumer in the house, responsible for 50% of the 10 kWh daily energy consumption. It also generates an average morning and evening peaks demand of 1.18 and 1.32 kW, respectively. Based on the findings, the designed PV system can serve as an alternative energy supply for a single-family house, but the use of an electric cooking appliance is discouraged for effective and efficient utilisation of the system.