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1991
Conference Paper
Titel
Experiences with a PV power plant for a remote greenhouse cooling system
Alternative
Erfahrungen mit einer photovoltaischen Stromversorgungsanlage zur Kühlung eines netzfernen Gewächshauses
Abstract
A photovoltaic solar power plant with a nominal capacity of 4.8 kWp was installed, tested and operated from May 1988 to June 1990 at a desert site in Kuwait. The plant was incorporated into a greenhouse system in order to assess the technical viability of using stand-alone PV plants to provide the electric energy needs of food production in greenhouses situated in hot arid zones. The plant comprised a PV array, which was integrated in the roof of a greenhouse-like structure, a bank of lead-acid batteries, charge controllers, an inverter and a resistive dummy load. The plant was well instrumented to monitor and record all relevant data for system and component performance evaluation. The two years' experience with the plant and extensive data collection and analysis showed a satisfactory overall system performance. System components performed reliably, although some few faults and breakdowns were encountered. These were mostly caused by the harsh summer environment of Kuwait or by the a daptation of some components to suit the specific requirements of the plant.