Technical Evaluation of Photovoltaic Systems in the Bamenda Municipality of the North West Region of Cameroon

Abstract

In the Bamenda Municipality of Cameroon households are adopting Solar Photovoltaic Systems (SPVS). The penetration of SPVS in this Municipality depends on their technical performance. The study aimed to evaluate the technical installation of SPVS within the Municipality. A field inspection and administration of a questionnaire was conducted. The field inspection evaluated the respect of technical installation norms for SPVS. The questionnaire captured data on the technical situation of the SPVS. The SPVS installed included PV and grid to power separate loads, and PV and grid to power same loads. The installed loads were a mix of AC and DC loads of capacity from 360 W to 10000 W. The load powered by the installed SPVS varied from 300 W to 7000 W. The PV array varied from 200 W to 3200 W and battery bank capacity of 100 Ah to 800 Ah. The PV arrays were mostly installed on roof tops. Only 5% of the SPVS were installed by certified personnel. More than 50% of the installed SPVS operated below designed operation time. Failures in installed systems were related to inverters (36 %) and battery banks (36 %). Most of the PV arrays were installed on rooftops at tilt angles between 20° and 50°. More than 50 % of the PV arrays were oriented to directions other than South. Protective devices were installed in only 14 % of the installed systems. Some of the SPVS were not properly dimensioned. It may be concluded that most of the installed SPVS do not respect the technical installation norms and were not dimensioned according to users’ needs. The survival and penetration of SPVS technology in the Bamenda Municipality, Cameroon, and other sub-Saharan communities requires awareness and capacity building, policies, and regulations in the design and installation of this technology.