Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant

Anthony Simons; Otoo Henry; Kuubeterzie Francis; Cyrus Addy

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12

| Peer-Reviewed

Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant

Anthony Simons, Otoo Henry, Kuubeterzie Francis, Cyrus Addy

Published in American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (Volume 5, Issue 3)

Received: 19 May 2020 Accepted: 11 June 2020 Published: 13 August 2020

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

In ensuring proper energy mix and reducing the number of emissions from traditional thermal plants for power generation, the Energy Commission of Ghana built the Solar Power Plant at Navrongo. This was to help cut down the cost of crude fuel imports and also play a part in mitigating global warming which results from the continuous emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) at the thermal power. Over the years the plant has been faced with inconsistent power generation. This research paper sought to investigate the power losses at the Navrongo Volta River Authority (VRA) Solar Power Plant and come out with measures to improve its efficiency. Power production downtime and power transmission losses were identified as the major constraints of the solar power plant. General evaluation and review of the grid design and transmission system of the plant were considered and a microgrid technology was proposed to eliminate generation downtime and power transmission losses. The output of the proposed microgrid system was predicted using R-studio statistical simulations, also the plant was optimised to ascertain the gains in power generation and the merits of this system were discussed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations where made to ensure energy security and economic competitiveness of the plant.

Published in	American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (Volume 5, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12
Page(s)	44-52
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Microgrid, Solar Power Plant, Energy Loss, Energy Output, Invertors

References

[1]	L. Abdallah and T. EL-Shennaw. Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Electricity Sector Smart Electric grid Application, J. of Engineering, 2013; 1-8.
[2]	R. Gross, M. Leach and A. Bauen, Progress in renewable energy,” Environment International, 2003; 29 (1), 105-122.
[3]	A. S. Bahaj and P. A. B, James (2007). “Future energy solutions”. University of Southampton. Available online: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/fes.pdf (accessed on 4 February 2016).
[4]	A. H. Bagdadee and L. Zhang. A Review of Smart Grid Concept for Electrical Power System. Int. J. of Energy and Opt and Eng. 2019: 8 (4), 106-126.
[5]	A. S. Bahaj and P. A. B. James. Urban energy generation: the added value of photovoltaics in social housing. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2007; 11 (9), 2121-2136.
[6]	S. Bossart (2012), Doe perspective on microgrids: In Advanced microgrid concepts and technologies workshop.
[7]	P. Asmus, and C. Stimmel, Utility Distribution Microgrids. Research Report. IGI Global, 2017. Hershy, USA.
[8]	Carlson D, Wronski C. Topics in Applied Physics: Amorphous Semiconductors: Amorphous silicon solar cells. 1985. Springer Berlin.
[9]	M. A. Green, S. P. Bremner. Energy conversion approaches and materials for high-efficiency photovoltaics. Nature materials. 2017; 16 (1): 23-34.
[10]	A. Chouder and S. Silvestre, Analysis model of mismatch power losses in PV systems. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, 2009, 131 (2) pp. 125-135.
[11]	J. Nelson, The physics of solar cells. (2003), Imperial College Press, pp 384.
[12]	A. Verma and S. Singhal, Solar PV performance parameter and recommendation for optimization of performance in large scale grid connected solar PV plant—case study. Journal of Energy Power Sources. 2015, (1): 40-53.
[13]	J. D. Mondol, Y. G. Yohanis and B. Norton, Optimal sizing of array and inverter for grid-connected photovoltaic systems. 2006, Solar Energy, 80 (12), pp. 1517-1539.
[14]	G. Petrone, G. Spagnuolo, R. Teodorescu, M. Veerachary, M. Vitelli. Reliability issues in photovoltaic power processing systems. IEEE transactions on Industrial Electronics. 2008 Jun 24; 55 (7): 2569-80.
[15]	M. Green, Third-generation photovoltaics: Advanced solar energy conversion. 2006, Springer, Berlin, pp 163.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Anthony Simons, Otoo Henry, Kuubeterzie Francis, Cyrus Addy. (2020). Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant. American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, 5(3), 44-52. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Anthony Simons; Otoo Henry; Kuubeterzie Francis; Cyrus Addy. Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant. Am. J. Mech. Ind. Eng. 2020, 5(3), 44-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Anthony Simons, Otoo Henry, Kuubeterzie Francis, Cyrus Addy. Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant. Am J Mech Ind Eng. 2020;5(3):44-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12,
  author = {Anthony Simons and Otoo Henry and Kuubeterzie Francis and Cyrus Addy},
  title = {Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant},
  journal = {American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {44-52},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajmie.20200503.12},
  abstract = {In ensuring proper energy mix and reducing the number of emissions from traditional thermal plants for power generation, the Energy Commission of Ghana built the Solar Power Plant at Navrongo. This was to help cut down the cost of crude fuel imports and also play a part in mitigating global warming which results from the continuous emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) at the thermal power. Over the years the plant has been faced with inconsistent power generation. This research paper sought to investigate the power losses at the Navrongo Volta River Authority (VRA) Solar Power Plant and come out with measures to improve its efficiency. Power production downtime and power transmission losses were identified as the major constraints of the solar power plant. General evaluation and review of the grid design and transmission system of the plant were considered and a microgrid technology was proposed to eliminate generation downtime and power transmission losses. The output of the proposed microgrid system was predicted using R-studio statistical simulations, also the plant was optimised to ascertain the gains in power generation and the merits of this system were discussed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations where made to ensure energy security and economic competitiveness of the plant.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant
AU  - Anthony Simons
AU  - Otoo Henry
AU  - Kuubeterzie Francis
AU  - Cyrus Addy
Y1  - 2020/08/13
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12
T2  - American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
JF  - American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
JO  - American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
SP  - 44
EP  - 52
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-6060
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12
AB  - In ensuring proper energy mix and reducing the number of emissions from traditional thermal plants for power generation, the Energy Commission of Ghana built the Solar Power Plant at Navrongo. This was to help cut down the cost of crude fuel imports and also play a part in mitigating global warming which results from the continuous emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) at the thermal power. Over the years the plant has been faced with inconsistent power generation. This research paper sought to investigate the power losses at the Navrongo Volta River Authority (VRA) Solar Power Plant and come out with measures to improve its efficiency. Power production downtime and power transmission losses were identified as the major constraints of the solar power plant. General evaluation and review of the grid design and transmission system of the plant were considered and a microgrid technology was proposed to eliminate generation downtime and power transmission losses. The output of the proposed microgrid system was predicted using R-studio statistical simulations, also the plant was optimised to ascertain the gains in power generation and the merits of this system were discussed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations where made to ensure energy security and economic competitiveness of the plant.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Anthony Simons

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana
Otoo Henry

Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana
Kuubeterzie Francis

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana
Cyrus Addy

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Anthony Simons, Otoo Henry, Kuubeterzie Francis, Cyrus Addy. (2020). Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant. American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, 5(3), 44-52. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Anthony Simons; Otoo Henry; Kuubeterzie Francis; Cyrus Addy. Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant. Am. J. Mech. Ind. Eng. 2020, 5(3), 44-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Anthony Simons, Otoo Henry, Kuubeterzie Francis, Cyrus Addy. Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant. Am J Mech Ind Eng. 2020;5(3):44-52. doi: 10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12,
  author = {Anthony Simons and Otoo Henry and Kuubeterzie Francis and Cyrus Addy},
  title = {Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant},
  journal = {American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {44-52},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajmie.20200503.12},
  abstract = {In ensuring proper energy mix and reducing the number of emissions from traditional thermal plants for power generation, the Energy Commission of Ghana built the Solar Power Plant at Navrongo. This was to help cut down the cost of crude fuel imports and also play a part in mitigating global warming which results from the continuous emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) at the thermal power. Over the years the plant has been faced with inconsistent power generation. This research paper sought to investigate the power losses at the Navrongo Volta River Authority (VRA) Solar Power Plant and come out with measures to improve its efficiency. Power production downtime and power transmission losses were identified as the major constraints of the solar power plant. General evaluation and review of the grid design and transmission system of the plant were considered and a microgrid technology was proposed to eliminate generation downtime and power transmission losses. The output of the proposed microgrid system was predicted using R-studio statistical simulations, also the plant was optimised to ascertain the gains in power generation and the merits of this system were discussed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations where made to ensure energy security and economic competitiveness of the plant.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Design and Optimisation of a Microgrid for Improved Efficiency of the Volta River Authority (Navrongo) Solar Power Plant
AU  - Anthony Simons
AU  - Otoo Henry
AU  - Kuubeterzie Francis
AU  - Cyrus Addy
Y1  - 2020/08/13
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12
T2  - American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
JF  - American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
JO  - American Journal of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
SP  - 44
EP  - 52
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-6060
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmie.20200503.12
AB  - In ensuring proper energy mix and reducing the number of emissions from traditional thermal plants for power generation, the Energy Commission of Ghana built the Solar Power Plant at Navrongo. This was to help cut down the cost of crude fuel imports and also play a part in mitigating global warming which results from the continuous emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) at the thermal power. Over the years the plant has been faced with inconsistent power generation. This research paper sought to investigate the power losses at the Navrongo Volta River Authority (VRA) Solar Power Plant and come out with measures to improve its efficiency. Power production downtime and power transmission losses were identified as the major constraints of the solar power plant. General evaluation and review of the grid design and transmission system of the plant were considered and a microgrid technology was proposed to eliminate generation downtime and power transmission losses. The output of the proposed microgrid system was predicted using R-studio statistical simulations, also the plant was optimised to ascertain the gains in power generation and the merits of this system were discussed. Finally, conclusions and recommendations where made to ensure energy security and economic competitiveness of the plant.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download