Sizing of the array for stand-alone photovoltaic systems

A brief critical review of stand-alone photovoltaic (SAPV) array sizing methods is presented, leading to the suggestion that a new class of methods is required in order to make the sizing exercise both accurate and accessible to a wide range of designers and users. The energy balance method is identified as an example of such a method. It is then used to obtain the array areas for a notional SAPV system situated in six widely-dispersed stations world-wide, with a total 24-hour load of 0.25, 2.5, or 25 kW h. Through correlational analysis of all the results and input data, it is recommended that the expression used to obtain array area is 1334Q(TY)(-2.272)L(0.986) with the terms and associated units being defined in the main body of the paper. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.