Design of an autonomous photovoltaic power supply system for Nyabikenke Hospital (Burundi) using the ETAP tool

Abstract

Our energy future must be based on non-polluting energies with significant resources. Renewable energies are the best candidates, but the intermittency of their production requires finding efficient and environmentally friendly storage means. Solar electricity must be stored to be used later when needed. There are many ways to store electricity, and they all involve converting it to another form of energy that is easier to contain. A study on the design of an autonomous electrical system was carried out at Nyabikenke Hospital to solve the major problem of the lack of hydroelectric power at Nyabikenke Hospital. We therefore first sought to estimate the energy needs of the user and then proceeded to an optimal dimensioning of our system using the ETAP software. In normal operation, the photovoltaic field and the battery bank will operate, in the event of a cut in the two sources, the emergency Diesel generator intervenes. The design tool simulates the operation of an autonomous electrical system for a load of 131.5kW necessary for the hospital to be supplied. He can design any system from the experimental results of the components. The results of the simulation make it possible to characterize the operation of the system in an autonomous application, determine its performance, and evaluate the influence of the various losses.