An Optimized Combination of a Large Grid Connected PV System along with Battery Cells and a Diesel Generator

Environmental, economical and technical benefits of photovoltaic (PV) systems make them to be used in many countries. The main characteristic of PV systems is the fluctuations of their output power. Hence, high penetration of PV systems into electric network could be detrimental to overall system performance. Furthermore, the fluctuations in the output power of PV systems make it difficult to predict their output, and to consider them in generation planning of the units. The main objective of this paper is to propose a hybrid method which can be used to control and reduce the power fluctuations generated from large gridconnected PV systems. The proposed method focuses on using a suitable storage battery along with curtailment of the generated power by operating the PV system below the maximum power point (MPP) and deployment of a diesel generator. These methods are analyzed to investigate the impacts of implementing them on the economical benefits that the PV system owner could gain. To maximize the revenues, an optimization problem is solved. KeywordsDiesel generator, Economic analysis, Gridconnected, Photovoltaic system, Power curtailment, Storage battery.