| Summary: | Bibliography: leaves 215-217. === This dissertation documents a research study on the comparative technical and economic performance of photovoltaic and diesel gensets as off-grid electrical power supply systems. The provision of reliable energy supply infrastructures has been identified as a key pre-requisite for social and economic development. The convenience and versatility of electricity have established it as the preferred form of energy for industrial, commercial, agricultural and domestic applications. However, the dispersed geographical nature and low energy consumption of potential electricity consumers in under-developed and rural areas in Southern Africa preclude the extension of the national electricity grid to meet these demands. Traditionally diesel generator sets have been used for off-grid power supply, but the advent of silicon based photovoltaic technology has introduced PV systems as an elegant and increasingly cost effective alternative to diesel gensets. Although studies have been conducted internationally, scant information is available on the relative performance and suitability of these two contrasting technologies in the Southern African context. In addition to conventional diesel genset systems, the introduction of an energy storage reservoir, in so-called genset-plus systems, represents a refinement in the operating characteristics of diesel gensets which also has not been critically evaluated. This study addresses the need for reliable and empirically derived data regarding the operating characteristics of PV and genset based off-grid power systems.
|
|---|
