Stand-alone and hybrid PV systems

Abstract

This chapter describes various stand‐alone photovoltaic (PV) systems and hybrid PV system solutions as well as their corresponding components. Battery storage is a very crucial component in stand‐alone PV systems. The purpose of batteries is to store the electrical energy generated by PV modules on sunny days to be consumed at night or on cloudy days. Furthermore, typical applications ranging from technical devices to so‐called rural electrification systems are considered. Solar pico systems, also called pico PV, have followed a strong development path in the last few years, because they combine the use of very efficient lighting with sophisticated charge controllers and efficient types of batteries, particularly lithium‐ion batteries. With so‐called solar home systems (SHS), the basic electrification of rural houses without a grid connection can easily be realized. Currently a few million solar home systems SHS have been installed in remote areas in developing countries