This thesis presents the design and installation of a self-sufficient photovoltaic system on a standalone garage structure, intended to meet the electricity needs of a private household. The theoretical part covers the fundamental components of photovoltaic systems, including the operating principles of solar cells and modules, the types and structure of inverters, the role of power optimizers, and the requirements for electrical wiring and safety elements.
The practical part describes the design process of the photovoltaic system, beginning with a location analysis of the Kočevje municipality using the PVGIS web tool, which revealed an average annual solar irradiation of 104.32 kWh/m². The garage structure with a floor area of 41.25 m² is oriented to the southeast, with the photovoltaic modules installed at a tilt angle of 10° to minimize mutual shading between rows. Based on PVGIS simulations and the household's annual electricity consumption, a solar power plant with a peak power of 6.825 kW was installed, achieved by mounting fifteen monocrystalline panels with a rated power of 455 W each. A three-phase SolarEdge SE10K inverter was selected for DC-to-AC conversion, paired with SolarEdge S440 power optimizers. The system also includes appropriate protective installations on both the DC and AC sides, as well as wireless performance monitoring via the mySolarEdge application.
The projected annual electricity production of the system is 7,062 kWh. A comparison of projected and actual production over the first three winter months of operation revealed significant deviations, primarily due to snow accumulation on the modules. It is expected that this shortfall will be compensated during the spring and summer months, when solar irradiation conditions are more favourable.
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