Sekarang ini, Indonesia sedang menggalakkan pembangunan civil and power infrastructure, industri pengolahan bahan kimia / mineral tambang serta industri manufaktur.

Pembangunan civil and power infrastructure, terbagi atas 4 sektor, antara lain :

energy / electricity generation and transmission : termasuk di dalamnya, fossil dan renewable electricity

aviation / maritime : bandar udara, ground support, pelabuhan laut termasuk peningkatan dan penataan logistik, agar bisa menjangkau daerah2 perbatasan dan pedalaman lebih efisien dan efektif

teknologi lingkungan : pengadaan sumber air bersih, sanitasi, serta pendaur ulang sampah

civil engineering and construction : jalan toll, jembatan di atas sungai, pengadaan rel kereta api double track serta pembuatan jalan darat untuk menjangkau daerah pedalaman

 Sektor energy / electricity power generation and transmission

 Terjadi peningkatan yang significant untuk kebutuhan listrik, dalam berbagai sektor yang ada seperti sektor industri terkait dengan banyaknya penanaman modal asing, sektor rumah tangga terkait dengan meningkatnya jumlah penduduk indonesia yang diimbangi dengan sektor perumahan dan tingginya daya beli penduduk untuk belanja peralatan elektronika / listrik, sektor bisnis dengan semakin banyak penduduk Indonesia menjadi pebisnis dan perluasan bisnis, bagi pebisnis lama, dan sektor umum/pemerintah/sosial.

Secara statistik, terjadi peningkatan antara 7 hingga 9 persen pertahun dalam kurun waktu 5 tahun. Namun, karena kurangnya infrastruktur electricity generation, mulai tahun 2000 hingga sekarang ini, Indonesia masih menghadapi krisis energi listrik di berbagai daerah. Rasio electrification di Indonesia masih sekitar 70.4% pada tahun 2011, sebagai yang terendah dalam regional Asia Tenggara.

Sektor Penerbangan, Maritim serta Logistik

Dengan populasi lebih dari 240 juta jiwa yang tersebar di 17 ribu pulau-pulau, Indonesia menyatakan dirinya sebagai negara dengan potensi penerbangan komersil yang tinggi serta telah menjadi negara dengan pertumbuhan tercepat di dunia dalam hal penerbangan udara domestik. termasuk juga dalam hal potensi pelayaran komersil (maritim).

Potensi / peluang ini juga meliputi berbagai hal penunjangnya, seperti pembangunan bandar udara dan pelabuhan laut, baik yang domestik maupun perintis, pengadaan teknologi untuk ground support serta penataan logistik, demi terwujudnya iklim lalu lintas barang ke berbagai daerah, untuk meningkatkan ekonomi masyarakat di pelbagai daerah.

Teknologi Lingkungan dan Sanitasi

Indonesia telah dihantui oleh masalah kurangnya air bersih dan sanitasi semenjak pertumbuhan penduduk yang terlalu cepat. Berkenaan dengan itu, kebutuhan air bersih juga

meningkat sejalan dengan aktivitas ekonomi di daerah kota dan pedesaan dan perbaikan tingkat ekonomi masyarakat. Akses untuk mendapatkan air bersih baru mencapai 50% pada tahun 2012, masih jauh dari target yang telah ditetapkan MDG (Millenium Development Goal).

Permasalahan dalam pengadaan air bersih ini, antara lain :

sulitnya mendapatkan sumber air (di beberapa daerah) banyaknya kebocoran pada saluran pipa air (mencapai 33% dari debit yang dialirkan)

kesalahan manajerial dari perusahaan pengolah air bersih

jumlah penduduk yang meningkat, tentunya mengisyaratkan kebutuhan sanitasi yang semakin meningkat. Tanpa dibarengi dengan teknologi pengolahan sanitasi, akan mengakibatkan terakumulasi sampah rumah tangga yang tentunya juga menimbulkan permasalahan kesehatan dan estetika.

Civil Engineering and Construction

Pembangunan infrastruktur di Indonesia, mengacu pada MP3EI (Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia Economic Development) yang diterbitk

Republik Solar Power memiliki keyakinan bahwa dalam waktu dekat, manusia akan mengandalkan hampir kepada energi terbarukan untuk kebutuhan sehari-hari. Tidak hanya untuk kebutuhan pribadi atau masyarakat, tetapi juga negara / negara dan dunia. Produk utama energi surya adalah listrik. Tanpa listrik, akan terjadi bencana di bidang ekonomi, infrastruktur sosial dan lain-lain. Sistem energi terbarukan mengurangi ketergantungan dunia terhadap bahan bakar fosil, dengan menggantikan pada sumber energi yang tersedia bebas dan dapat diperbaharui.

Indonesia, yang terletak di garis khatulistiwa Bumi, memiliki berlimpah sinar matahari, terletak di antara Samudera Pasifik dan Samudera Hindia dan Benua Asia dan Benua Australia, memberikan berlimpah mengalir aliran angin, dan banyak pegunungan, gunung, bukit dan lembah, memberikan berlimpah mengalir aliran air.

Dilaluinya kepulauan Indonesia dengan rangkaian gunung berapi (ring of fire), menjamin ketersediaan sumber panas bumi. Juga dengan begitu panjangnya tepi pantai yang berbatasan langsung dengan Samudera Hindia dan Samudera Pasifik, menyediakan sumber energi ombak / tidal wave yang nantinya dapat dikonversi menjadi energi listrik.

energi yang dibutuhkan, yang juga memiliki efek dalam pengurangan tagihan energi bulanan Anda, termasuk otonomi energi secara parsial atau total dari pemasok listrik yaitu PLN, serta turut berpartisipasi dalam program energi hijau.

What size of solar system do I need for my home ? (For OFF-GRID application)

a. How to estimate the power required for our PV project, including its power tolerance ?

b. How to estimate the size of our inverter ?

c. How to estimate the size and quantity of the battery ?

d. How to estimate the solar charge controller size based on our power requirement ?

e. Which one that I need to choose, between monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar cell ?

Though these are some complicated questions, we have simplified if for you below. Follow the steps to estimate your solar power system needs.

OFF-GRID means that you system is not connected to utility service company. Independent electrification.

Step 1 :

1. Look at your electricity bills, and look for kWh. kWh = kiloWatt hours; a measure of electricity

OR

2. List down the eletrical / electronic appliances in our home, with the estimated time of used per day. In those appliances write down also the normal power consumption for each. For example :

o Lighting (total) : 30 watt used for 12 hours = 360 Wh

o TV set : 100 watt used for 8 hours = 800 Wh

o Refrigerator+Freezer : 120 watt used for 24 hours = 2880 Wh (assuming that the compressor is working 24 hours. Normal operation of the compressor is 1/3 from 24 hours = 8 hours working intermittently)

o Washing machine : 450 watt used for 1 hour = 450 Wh

o Water Pump : 120 watt used for 1 hour = 120 Wh

o Air Cond : 300 watt used for 6 hours = 1800 Wh

o Others : 200 watt used for 2 hours = 400 Wh

o TOTAL = 6810 Wh per day

The tolerance will be 1.3, so TOTAL+tolerance = 8853 Wh / day. Tolerance in here means that spare Wh for a sudden or additional home appliance that we might used in the near future.

Step 2 :

Due to real world efficiency losses (irradiance/heat dissipation, improper electrical cable termination, temperature of season changes and wiring/cable/fitting/receptacles), you should expect that your system power output (AC power) to be about 75% of the system (DC power) size. This is the 0.75 efficiency constant included.

(TOTAL+tolerance) / efficiency = 8853 Wh/day/0.75 = 11804 Wh/day ~ 12 kWh/day.

Step 3 :

For average, in Indonesia, the number of hours per day the sunshines on your house will be 5 hours/day. It can be more in certain area on certain season, but in the average, it can be assume 5 hours/day.

= result from step 2 / number of hours per day the sunshines on your house

= 12000 Wh/day / 5 = 2400 Wattpeak

Step 4 :

There are various specification for a solar module wattpeak (wp) available on the market (depends on the brand and the area), in here, we will use the 120wp.

Then we will have the result = 2400 wp / 120 wp = 22 module.

1 solar module comprise of many solar cell, which are arranged within array matrices.

In here, we can see the technical specification for our 120 wp solar module :

Cell type : multi / polycrystalline Max power (W) : 120

Min power (W) : 114

Open circuit voltage (Voc) : 21.3

Short circuit current (Isc) : 7.81

Max Power Voltage (Vpm) : 17.1

Max Power Current (Ipm) : 7.02

Max System Voltage (V) : 540

Dimension L * W * H (mm) : 1499 * 662 * 46

Module Efficiency : 13.1

Weight (kg) : 14

Step 5 :

Power Inverter Selection

Total home appliances power draw as in step 1 is 1320 W, with its tolerance 1.3, will be 1716 W.

To provide a small buffer or margin your minimum size inverter choice should be around 2000 W. A Modified Sine Wave Inverter with a 2000 W continuous power rating will therefore be your obvious choice in this specific solar system design. But if there is a spare budget, at least the double as your budget to buy the Modified Sine Wave Inverter, the True Sine Wave Power Inverter will be the best choice, as having better feature and to anticipate the wide range of home appliances such as continous consumption of electric motor drive as found in Air Cond and Refrigerator/Freezer that need AC Electrical Pure Sine Wave for optimum performance and reliability.

Battery size and quantity requirement

The battery should have sufficient amp hour capacity to supply needed power during the longest expected period “no sun” or extremely cloudy conditions. A lead-acid battery should be sized at least 20% larger than this amount. If there is a source of back-up power, such as a standby generator along with a battery charger, the battery bank does not have to be sized for worst case weather conditions.

To maximize the battery life, deep cycle batteries should not be discharged beyond 50% of their capacity, i.e. 50% capacitiy remaining. Discharging beyond this level will significantly reduce the life of the batteries.

Deep cycle batteris are rated in Ampere Hours (Ah). This rating also includes a discharge rate, usually at 20 hours. This rating specifies the amount of current in Amps that the battery can supply over the specified number of hours.

With 12 VDC - 105 Ah battery which available (you can use other rating of battery, but for example, we will use the 12 VDC-105 Ah battery), we will have the sizing as follow :

TOTAL power consumption+tolerance is 8853 Wh / day, and this is the energy we need from the batteries. Converting to Ah, we have to divide by the voltage of the battery size = 8853 Wh/day / 12 VDC = 737.75 Ah/day

The batteries should be discharged to no more than 50%, since the 50% is considered as the DOD (Depth of Discharge), for the health of the battery itself., thus we will have = 737.75 / 50% = 1475.5 Ah / day

For this example, the autonomous day without sun (battery will last to three days without recharging), consider maximum is 3 days, so the size of the battery will be multiplied by 3 = 1475.5 / day * 3 day = 4426.5 Ah .

With efficiency of Lead Acid Battery 80% (should be sized at least 20% larger than the rating), then the batteries size = 4426.5 Ah / 80% = 5533.125 Ah.

With 105 Ah battery, we will have the quantitiy of battery : 5533.125 Ah / 105 Ah = 52.69 ~ 53 batteries.

Size the Solar Charge Controllers

Sizing the charge controller, will be based to Short Circuit current (Isc) from the solar module that we had previously choose : Isc = 7.81.

The quantity of solar module is 22, so charge controller size will be = 7.81 * 22 = 171,82 ~ 180

There are various rating from 10 A, 20 A and 30 A, and for example, we will use the 20 A. So 180 A / 20 A, then we will have 9 solar charge controller.

The price of each component to have the final budget for solar power system is not presented within this example, due to price of the component, keep changing, but still tends to lesser year by year due to mass production to supply world demand.

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Disclaimer : material presented on this websites is intended for information purposes only. It’s not intended as professional advice and should not be construed as such. Any use of the information in here for any purposes other than a general overview or estimated results is not endorsed or encouraged.

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What is the comparison between those solar cell available in the market ?

There are three type of solar cell available :

Monocrystalline cell Polycrystalline cell

Thin film cell

But thin film cell is not familiar in Indonesia, so difficult to find, so I will focus on the first two cell which are available in Indonesia.

Monocrystalline comparison polycrystallineOne square meter solar cell will generate around 190W

Space efficiency (for 100 wp solar module)

One square meter solar cell will generate around 180W

Generally makes a dark black colour and the orner of cells are usually missing as a result of the production process and the physical nature of monocrystalline silicon

Aesthetics Generally makes light or dark blue colour, but not uniformly so, some patches are lighter than others. These come about as a result of the manufacturing process.

The process of making it is more complex and costly, also time consuming, the cell is also more expensive

Initial cost Less expensive

Once the cell break due to foreign material hit the panel, the crystalline arrangement of the cell will be damage, so will reduce the ability to convert the solar

Fragile Since the crystalline arrangements are not uniform, the ability to convert the solar is still better than the monocrystalline.

Suffer a reduction in output once the temperature from the sunlight reaches around 50 degrees Celcius around 12-15%.

Heat resistance Still reliable under higher temperature, compare to monocyrstalline

Able to convert the highest amount of solar energy into electricity in a flat crystall

More eletricity / efficiency Lesser amount of electricity produced, due to the crystall arrangement in my direction

arrangement

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Which solar charge controller is suitable most ?

There are 2 types are available :

PWM : Pulse Width Modulation MPPT : Maximum Power Point Tracking

Since the brighter the sunlight, the more voltage the solar cells produce, the excessive voltage could damage the batteries. A charge controller is used to maintain the proper charging voltage on the batteries. As the input voltage from the solar array rises, the charge controller regulates the charge to the batteries preventing any over charging. Choosing a well made charge controller is integral to the long life and efficiency of your entire solar power system. By optimizing the power coming in from your solar panels, you will get that much closer to offsetting your use of traditional on grid power sources and by protecting your battery supply you protect yourself from any unwanted and unneeded replacement costs. Your solar charge controller is an item well worth investing in and researching as your customize your solar panel electric system.

What they do :

The PWM controller is in essence a switch that connects a solar array to a battery. The result is that the voltage of the array will be pulled down to near that of the battery.

The MPPT controller is more sophisticated (and more expensive): it will adjust its input voltage to harvest the maximum power from the solar array and then transform this power to supply the varying voltage requirement, of the battery plus load. Thus, it essentially decouples the array and battery voltages so that there can be, for example, a 12 volt battery on one side of the MPPT charge controller and a large number of cells wired in series to produce 36 volts on the other.

The resultant twin strengths of an MPPT controller

a) Maximum Power Point TrackingThe MPPT controller will harvest more power from the solar array. The performance advantage is substantial (10% to 40%) when the solar cell temperature is low (below 45°C), or very high (above 75°C), or when irradiance is very low.

At high temperature or low irradiance the output voltage of the array will drop dramatically. More cells must then be connected in series to make sure that the output voltage of the array exceeds battery voltage by a comfortable margin.

b) Lower cabling cost and/or lower cabling lossesOhm’s law tells us that losses due to cable resistance are Pc (Watt) = Rc x I², where Rc is the resistance of the cable. What this formula shows is that for a given cable loss, cable cross sectional area can be reduced by a factor of four when doubling the array voltage.

In the case of a given nominal power, more cells in series will increase the output voltage and reduce the output current of the array (P = V x I, thus, if P doesn’t change, then I must decrease when V increases).

As array size increases, cable length will increase. The option to wire more panels in series and thereby decrease the cable cross sectional area with a resultant drop in cost, is a compelling reason to install an MPPT controller as soon as the array power exceeds a few hundred Watts (12 V battery), or several 100 Watts (24 V or 48 V battery).

Conclusion

PWM

The PWM charge controller is a good low cost solution for small systems only, when solar cell temperature is moderate to high (between 45°C and 75°C).

MPPT

To fully exploit the potential of the MPPT controller, the array voltage should be substantially higher than the battery voltage. The MPPT controller is the solution of choice for higher power systems (because of the lowest overall system cost due to smaller cable cross sectional areas). The MPPT controller will also harvest substantially more power when the solar cell temperature is low (below 45°C), or very high (above 75°C), or when irradiance is very low.

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Do I need the power inverter ?

Unless you plan on using battery power for everything, you will need a Power Inverter. Since the majority of modern appliances all run on 220VAC, the Power Inverter will be the heart of your Solar Energy system. It’s not only convert the low voltage DC to the 220VAC that runs most appliances, but also can charge the batteries if connected to the utility grid or a AC Generator as in the case of totally independent stand-alone solar power system.

Square wave power inverters :

This is the least expensive and least desirable type. The square wave it produces is inefficient and is hard on many ype of equipement. These inverters are usually fairly inexpensive, and use an automotive cigarette lighter plug-in. Don’t even consider one of these types of power inverters for a home system.

Modified sine wavep ower inverters :

This is probably the most popular and economical type of power inverter. It produces an AC waveform somewhere between a square wave and a pure sine wave. Modified Sine Wave Inverters, sometimes called Quasi-Sine Wave inverters, are not that expensive and work well in all but the most demanding applications and even most computers work well with a Modified Sine Wave Inverter. However, there are exceptions. Some appliances that use

motor speed controls or that use timers may not work well with Modified Sine Wave inverter. And since more and more consumer products are using speed controls and timers, I would only recommend this ytpe of inverters for smaller installation.

True Sine Wave Power Inverters :

A True Sine Wave Power Inverter produces the closest to a pure sine wave of all power inverters and in many cases produces cleaner power than the utility company itself. It will run practically any type of AC equipment and is also the most expensive. Many True Sine Wave power inverters are computer controlled and will automatically turn on and off as C loads ask for service. When you turn off the lights or refrigerators kicks off for example, the power inverters shuts down to save battery power.

While the Modified Sine Wave Inverter is nearly half the price of a True Sine Wave inverter, I would still recommed using a True Sine Wave inverter if you want to supply automatic power to a normal home using a wide variety of electrical devices. Also, most appliances run more efficiently and use less power with a True Sine Wave Inverters as compare to Modified Sine Wave Inverter.

Grid Tie Power Inverters :

If you are connected to normal Utility company power and just want to add some Free Sun Power electricity to reduce your electric bill and you don’t need a totally independent system, it is possible that a Grid Tie Power Inverter will suit your needs. With a Grid Tie Power inverter, whatever electricity that your solar panels produce, will reduce the amount supplied by the utility company, in effect lowering your bill. For this type of setup, a much smaller battery bank can be installed just to cover short term outages from a few minutes to an hour or two.

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There are few kind of batteries, which one is the last longer and less maintenance and less money?

There are 2 type of battery commonly used for solar system applications :

-          Seal Lead Acid (SLA)

-          Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA)

Those are deep cycle batteries, are designed to be discharged over a long period of time (100 hours) and recharged hundreds or thousands of times, unlike conventional car batteries which are designed to provide a large of current for a short amount of time.

Solar Batteries (Deep Cycle Batteries) are a key component in a stand-alone renewable energy system. If you are installing a wind, solar panel or hydro electric system that will be tied to your utility grid, you will still need deep cycle batteries if you are trying to use power in the event of an outage. Without deep cycle batteries, you can only use power at the time

you produce it (i.e. you will not have power when the sun isn't out if you don't have batteries in your solar electric system).

In renewable energy systems, deep cycle batteries provide the energy storage for your system. Unlike your car battery, deep cycle batteries that are used in renewable energy applications are meant to be discharged and recharged (cycled) repeatedly. To maintain healthy batteries and prolong battery life, most manufacturers suggest limiting the depth of discharge to about 20%. (That means the deep cycle batteries will be at 80% capacity or better.) At the very least, do not allow the batteries to be discharged below 50% Depth of Discharge (DOD). Often an inverter will have a Low Voltage Disconnect feature that will disconnect loads at a given set point. Low voltage alarms can provide audible warnings as well. Ammeters, Voltmeters, Battery Monitors can help better maintain deep cycle battery health and provide statistics about the overall health of the system.

Lead-acid batteries are the most common in PV systems because their initial cost is lower and because they are readily available nearly everywhere in the world. There are many different sizes and designs of lead-acid batteries, but the most important designation is that they are deep cycle batteries. Lead-acid batteries are available in both wet-cell (requires maintenance) and sealed no-maintenance versions.

The battery should have sufficient amp hour capacity to supply needed power during the longest expected period “no sun” or extremely cloudy conditions. A lead-acid battery should be sized at least 20% larger than this amount. If there is a source of back-up power, such as a standby generator along with a battery charger, the battery bank does not have to be sized for worst case weather conditions.

The size of the battery bank required will depend on the storage capacity required, the maximum discharge rate, the maximum charge rate, and the minimum temperature at which the batteries will be used. During planning, all of these factors are looked at, and the one requiring the largest capacity will dictate the battery size.