A grid-tied PV system for commercial load and peak load reduction: South African case study

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are increasingly being installed globally for various reasons including reducing the carbon footprint, improving energy access, for supply and demand side management purposes. The price of PV has been going down in recent years and the trend is expected to continue in future making this clean technology more attractive economically. In this paper a single axis tracking PV system connected to the grid is presented. Data measured over a period of year is used in the analysis with the objective of reducing both the load demand and peak load for a South African commercial entity. The results show load and peak load reductions of 3.4% and 4.5 % respectively. This shows that if such or similar systems are adopted by commercial entities on a larger scale there will be significant load and peak load reductions thereby reducing the energy bills.