Autonomous photovoltaic systems: Influences of some parameters on the sizing: Simulation timestep, input and output power profile

In this paper, an optimized sizing method of an autonomous photovoltaic system is applied to a case study located in Corsica. Using a global systemic approach based on solar radiation data and load profile, the photovoltaic system operation behaviour is first simulated. The system autonomy constraint leads to an infinity of system configurations which can be reduced by additional physico-technical constraints. Adding, as a parameter, the kilowatt-hour cost and its minimization constraint, the best system configuration is determined. In this study of the influence of the temporal repartition of the load and of the simulation time step, we determine the important energy surplus produced by the optimized autonomous photovoltaic system. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd