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Renewable Energy
October, 2009
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Renewable Energy
Over-sizing the cross section of a cable beyond the result of voltage and current
theoretical calculations is, in most of cases, a worth investment that is easily
amortised by the electricity bill savings (reduction of Joule losses). In the case of
a photovoltaic (PV) installation, the allocated price for energy (feed-in tariff) is
much higher than the market price, getting amortised much faster.
1 Introduction
The analysis is carried out for a PV plant of 100 kW located in Spain.
PV plant features:
• Location: Valencia, Spain
• Panels installation mode: fixed tilt of 30 ° South oriented
• Number of panels in series in each array : 16
• Number of arrays : 33
• Maximum ambient temperature: 50 º C
• Cable type: Tecsun (PV) (AS) (special cable for photovoltaic systems - lifespan
30 years, maintenance free)
• System installation: the open mesh tray (without thermal influence of other
circuits)
PV modules:
• Nominal power: 222 W
• Current at maximum power: IPMP = 7.44 A
• Voltage at maximum power: Upmp = 29.84 V
• Short Circuit Current: Icc = 7.96
Miscellaneous:
• Inverter power = plant nominal power: 100 kW
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Renewable Energy
Picture 1 : Tecsun Cable (PV) (AS) - Special cable for photovoltaic systems - lifespan 30 years,
maintenance free
The whole is grouped into 3 blocks of 11 arrays each, connected respectively into three
junction boxes (CCG1, CCG2 and CCG3) (see picture here below for CCG1).
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Renewable Energy
We will focus on the line between the junction box CCG1 and the inverters. Two cables
are used.
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We calculate, per junction box, the voltage and current at the point of maximum power.
Derived from this we will determine the section of cable to be used for the main DC
line.
VOLTAGE
For a given array, the panels are connected in series, so the voltage of the array is the
sum of the voltage of the modules. This is the applicable voltage at the junction box
level.
CURRENT
The total current is the addition of the current of each single array. There are 11 arrays
per junction box.
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2 Design phase
The table 52-D1 for ambient temperature of 50ºC and cable type Tecsun
(thermostable) gives a coefficient of 0.9. Taking into account the fact that the cable is
exposed to sun, the factor 0.9 will be applied twice.
126.3 A is the corrected value of current. We will use this value in Table A.52-1a to
determine the cable section.
Cable is lying on a grill type rack (Category “F” in the table). The insulation type of
Tecsun (PV) (AS) cable is XLPE2. This leads to a section of 25 mm2 for copper
conductor (see table below).
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Renewable Energy
We use again the same article ITC-BT 40 of the Low Voltage Regulation: “The voltage
drop between the generator and the point of connection to the Public Distribution
Network or indoor installations shall not exceed 1.5% at nominal current.”
We assume that the main DC line is responsible of 1% voltage drop and the remaining
0.5% corresponds to the rest of the cabling.
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Renewable Energy
The cable section is, in this case, defined as follows (this is also applicable for AC
single phase):
L.I
S=
γ .e
Where
• L: length of the line (positive + negative) Æ 2 x 45 = 90 m
• I: nominal current Æ 81,84 A
• γ: conductivity of copper (at 70ºC 1 ) Æ 46.82 m/Ω.mm2
• e: Maximum voltage drop Æ 4,77 V
This leads to :
90 x81,84
S= = 32,98mm 2 Æ 35 mm2
46,82 x 4,77
The resulting section is 35 mm², as this is the one filling the 2 criteria (allowed intensity
and maximum voltage drop).
1
We take 70ºC as the approximate value resulting from an environment temperature of 50 º C increased
by 20ºC due to conductor heating by Joule effect.
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Renewable Energy
Increasing the conductor section leads to higher investment cost but also to lower
generation losses. In this chapter we analyze the pay-back time of conductor sections
beyond the size defined by standards.
The time distribution of the current follows the solar radiation (maximum during the day
and zero during the night). In other words:
Ep = ∫ R (t) • I² (t) • dt
Ep ≈ R² • ∫ I (t) • dt
To get the calculation simpler, we will use the sum of discrete values (see the picture
below), as we have the values of incident radiation, per hour, for each month of the
year (Satel-light source: http://www.satel-light.com).
Ep ≈ R · Σ (Ii2 · ti)
Ep ≈ R · Σ Ii2
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2
For this example we use the annual average current. In a more developed analysis we should proceed to
the sum of each single hour of the year.
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And the cost of losses (energy lost and not sold at the applicable feed-in tariff (FIT) is:
We have determined the variable cost of energy losses. This has to be confronted to
the investment cost of cable.
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Renewable Energy
Where:
Ps: cable price (€ / m)
t: time (years)
Cs = 90 x Ps + 109.23 x 35 / S x t (€)
Therefore we can now easily calculate the payback period for each section of
conductor beyond 35 mm ², as well as the savings over 30 years.
Savings over 30
Payback
Ps (€/m) Cs = 90 x Ps + 109,23 x 35/S x t (€) years = 30 x (Cs-
(years)
C35) (€)
Savings over 30
Payback
Ps (€/m) Cs = 90 x Ps + 160,21 x 35/S x t (€) years = 30 x (Cs-
(years)
C35) (€)
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Renewable Energy
Picture 7 : Life Cycle Cost of various cable sections with applicable FIT = 30 c€/kWh
When the applicable feed-in tariff (FIT) is 30 c€/kWh, the most economical sections are
70 mm ² and 95 mm ².
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Picture 8 : Life Cycle Cost of various cable sections with applicable FIT = 44 c€/kWh
When the applicable feed-in tariff (FIT) is 44 c€/kWh, the most economical sections are
95 mm ² and 120 mm ².
In the case of use of solar trackers, the payback time is shortened due to increased
current generated by a better utilization of solar radiation (see graph below).
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Renewable Energy
Picture 9 : Recovered radiation according to the installation type : fix tilt 0º / fix tilt 30º / trackers.
Location Valencia (Spain)
It has been analyzed the use of bigger cable sections in order to reduce enery losses.
The cumulated savings for this installation of 100 kW and Feed-In Tariff of 30
c€/kWh is around 4000 € (Net Present Value = 2000 € using an annual rate of
3.5%). The payback period is about 6 years.
If the applicable Feed-In Tariff is 44 c€/kWh, then the cumulated savings reach 7000 €
(Net Present Value of 3600 using an annual rate of 3,5%).
The table below shows the impact of different interest rates when considering the initial
overinvestment and the cumulated savings along 30 years.
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Renewable Energy
4 Conclusions
In general terms the economic sizing analysis is always worth to be carried out, but
especially in renewable energy installations, as the applicable Feed-In Tariff is higher
than the wholesale market price and often higher than consumer retail price.
Together with an improved profitability of the project, there are additional advantages
when using bigger cable sections:
• Electric lines with lower load, which improves the lifespan of the cables;
• If the plant is to be enlarged, the cables can be maintained;
• A better response to potential short-circuits;
• Improved Performance Ratio (PR) of the plant;
• Associated environmental benefits (CO2 emissions and other)
Tecsun (PV) (AS) cables are designed for a lifespan of 30 years without any
maintenance.
Product Manager
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