Design and Simulation of Grid Connected Photovoltaic Power Plant in National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia

The energy market will become ever more important for Cambodia’s economy as it continues to develop, with rapidly increasing demand for electricity. The Cambodia Energy Outlook estimates an increase by 7.5times from 2015 to 2040. According to Cambodian authorities, electricity demand in the country is expected to grow from 1.5GW to 2.3GW by 2020, and 2.8GW megawatts by 2021. So far, power imports from Laos, Vietnam and Thailand are helping the country to meet its growing demand. In Cambodia, electricity generation is dominated by hydro power and coal power plants. Power outages are especially common in the dry season, making Cambodian businesses dependent on diesel back-up systems to ensure their electricity supply. Both, high electricity costs and power outages lead to an increasing attractiveness of investments in photovoltaic systems. Solar PV systems for on-site electricity generation can be a solution to lower electricity costs and to increase electricity supply security. The present study addresses aim at parametric analysis of 233.28kWp PV system, with Somera VSM.72.360.03.0472 mono-crystalline modules from Vikram Solar coupled with AS-IC01-12000-2 AEG grid-tied inverters that applied to a rooftop of building at the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia in Phnom Penh. The Photovoltaic simulation tool takes an important role in calculating the energy production from the solar panels. PVsyst software and PVGIS along with calculation formula were used as a simulation tool in this operating. The study shows the effect of PV module types, solar radiation, solar panel alignment and generation, performance ratios and year degraded PV energy production for the system. The results of the study showed that the PV plant has a high energy density which is suitable for installing a PV Power Plant. In addition, estimated power generation for the first year is 32546.11 kWh with performance ratio between 77% to 81% and the plant could reduce CO2 emissions by 5145.991tons for 25 years.