Solar Energy Production and CO2 avoidance of a 5.0 kW Solar Power Generator Integrated in a Mango Processing Facility

Abstract

An agri-based manufacturing facility that processes mango by-products into high-value commodities can reduce its electrical energy costs by installing an on-grid photovoltaic (pv) system. Three solar panel configurations were designed and a boost configuration consisting of 20 pv polycrystalline panels each with 250-W output and a maximum power point inverter with a 4000- W rating was installed. An online pv planner (Sunny Design Web) was used to calculate for the yield and the total investment. Results were compared with the actual data collected. On its first year of operation, it has generated a total of 7.3 MW of power, equivalent to a savings of PhP 73,000 for that year. On the other hand, the CO2 mitigated by this system is measured at a total of 5.09 t CO2 per year. The chosen configuration produced over 2% than what was theoretically calculated, considering that the boost configuration was computed using a continuous grid supply and neglecting all line losses. Furthermore, the solar energy harvested was greatest during sunny days compared to energy harvested during cloudy and rainy days. The daily energy harvested follows a bell-shape profile wherein energy peaks are usually observed during the middle of the day. The solar panel system works very well in the agri-processing facility as it generates energy to compensate for its needs and requires minimal maintenance. It reduces energy costs; hence, it is highly recommended for any processing factories that have high energy requirements.