Using PVSYST to select electrical equipment for a photovoltaic system

Solar energy is on the rise, and it incentivizes the construction of new solar farms, which have to be designed, modeled, and equipped appropriately if they are to operate reliably and efficiently. This paper discusses step-by-step modeling of an autonomous solar farm to deliver electricity to households in a hard-to-reach unelectrified region in the Republic of Tajikistan; the modeling approach uses PVsyst, a software suite designed to analyze and simulate photovoltaic systems. The paper describes the principles behind this software as well as the stages and structure of modeling. Photovoltaic system performance assessment was based on such factors as geographical location, panel orientation, mounting structure, and climate. The program and the daily load curve helped select the basic solar farm equipment: a controller, a photovoltaic module, energy storage units, and a backup power source. The researchers built a 3D model of the facility using the horizon graph and and the shading chart. The performance ratio and the solar energy percentage, both being the efficiency metrics, were high for the system.