KANO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, WUDIL,

KANO

STUDENT INDUSTRIAL WORK EXPERIANCE SCHEME (SIWES)

A TECHNICAL REPORT ON

STEP BY STEP INSTALLATION OF SOLAR ENERGY

AND ITS MAINTENANCE

UNDERTAKEN AT

TECHNOLOGY INCUBATION CENTER, KANO

TIC COMPLEX FARM CENTER, P.O.BOX 11787, KANO.

BY

NURA ALIYU SULAIMAN

UG17/ELEE/1016

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPERTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

SUPERVISOR: Dr. MUHAMMAD SANI GAYA

November, 2021
 CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that Nura Aliyu Sulaiman with Reg. Number UG17/ELEE/1016 wrote this
SIWES report in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Bachelor of Engineering
(B. ENG.) Degree in Electrical Engineering in the Kano University of Science and Technology,
Wudil.

Nura Aliyu Sulaiman ---------------

Student Signature/Date

Dr. Muhammad Sani Gaya ---------------

Industry based supervisor Signature/Date

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 DEDICATION
This report is dedicated to almighty Allah (SWT) who gave me the grace and strength to finish
my SIWES program successfully and I will also like to dedicate this report to my Parents
especially my beloved mother who stood by me throughout.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My outmost gratitude goes to the almighty ALLAH, for His divine grace from which I have
always benefited from. In Him I live, move and have my being. Peace and salutations be upon
our beloved Prophet Muhammad (MPBUH), His family and His companions.

My profound gratitude also goes to all members of staff of Technology Incubation Center Kano,
who gave me an intensive training and provided a conducive environment for the exercise.

I also wish to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Muhammad Sani Gaya, for all his help
and advice during the exercise.

My thanks also goes to my dearly colleagues, for their help and support throughout the period of
my training.

I sincerely appreciate the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the student industrial working experience
(SIWES) and all supervisory agencies that ensure the continuity of the SIWES. Indeed, they have
made tremendous impact in my life.

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Table of Contents
CERTIFICATION............................................................................................................................i
DEDICATION................................................................................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..............................................................................................................iii
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................................2
1.1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................2

1.1.1 COMPONENTS OF A SOLAR POWER.................................................................2

CHAPTER TWO.............................................................................................................................7
1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................................................................7

1.2.1 The benefits of solar installation include:..................................................................7

1.2.2 The challenges of solar installation include:.............................................................8
CHAPTER THREE.........................................................................................................................9
1.3 METHODOLOGY:..........................................................................................................9

1.3.1 THE STEP BY STEP INSTALLATION OF SOLAR ENERGY.............................9

CHAPTER FOUR.........................................................................................................................11
1.4 Problem and Solving.......................................................................................................11

1.4.1 MAINTENANCE OF SOLAR PV SYSTEMS.......................................................11

CHAPTER FIVE...........................................................................................................................13
1.5 CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................13

1.6 REFERENCES................................................................................................................14

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ABSTRACT
This technical paper describes solar energy and Its Maintenance. Solar Energy is refers to as the
energy from the sun; the conversion of the sunlight into electricity gives you Solar power. It
allows any user with necessary receiving components to receive the sun for its utilization by
using photovoltaic (PV). Photovoltaic convert light into an electric current and this current can
be converted into alternating current (AC) using an inverter and also stored using a well arranged
batteries for use in homes for illumination and for appliances at home. This technical paper will
discuss in details the necessary steps to be taken for proper installation and maintenance of solar
energy.

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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Solar energy in recent years has attracted more attention to people due to inefficiency and
unavailability of power for different use in homes and industries. It is a well known fact that the
world is facing a major threat of fast exhaustion of the fossil fuel reserves like in Nigeria where
our source of energy is from natural gas and water.

There has been general outcry against lack of constant power supply to help our industries and
home appliances. This has brought about the urgent need to explore other means of power
generation such as solar energy. Research has been into the development of reliable and strong
systems to harness energy from nonconventional energy resources. Solar power source have
experienced a tremendous rapid growth in the past ten years and is Pollution free source of
abundant power. This paper lists the basic components needed for installation of solar energy at
homes; this includes the solar panels (PV modules), Charge controller, Battery, Inverter,
Connecting wires.

1.1.1 COMPONENTS OF A SOLAR POWER

Solar design and installation is absolute easy thing one can do but with proper knowledge,
training and skill with some money to purchase the equipments. Some of the components you
need for installation of solar energy are listed below:

 Solar system
 Solar panels (photovoltaic PV modules)
 Charge controller
 Battery
 Inverter
 connecting wires
 Appliances (like Bulb, TV, Fan etc)

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1.1.1.1 The Solar system
Solar System can be defined as the Sun and everything that orbits the Sun which also include the
planets and their satellites. It can also be called a group of celestial bodies orbiting another star.
In this paper, solar system refers to the system that includes Earth and the Sun. Solar energy is

the energy from the sun. It comes to us in form of light and heat. Nigeria receives about 4.851 X
10P 12P KWh of energy from sun daily, 1.804 X 10P 15PKWh annually and the country has
average solarP Pinsolation of about 5.535KWh/mP2P/day which will effectively be used for
solar power installation, and will bring about total change in power system failure in the country.

1.1.1.2 Solar panels (photovoltaic PV modules)

A solar cell or photovoltaic cell can be defined as a device that converts light directly into
electricity by the photovoltaic effect. Solar Photovoltaic systems generate electricity directly
using sunlight. Solar thermal systems actively or passively collect, transport, and utilize solar
energy to generate heat. The generation of voltage across the p-n junction in a semiconductor due
to the absorption of light radiation is called photovoltaic effect. The Devices based on this effect
is called photovoltaic device. The solar panel converts the solar energy (energy from the sun) to
electricity which charges the battery. For more effective use, more than one solar panel are
electrically connected to form array for the purpose of collecting a good amount of sun to charge
the battery which will be capable of supplying a home the amount of electricity needed. Solar
panel connections are done in two different ways for efficient useful work.

The two ways of connecting solar PV are as follows:

Series connections.

Parallel connections.

Series connection

Series connection simply is connecting solar panel positive terminals to negative terminals of
another. It gives output voltage equals the sum total of the voltage of the entire module in the
string and the output current equals the equivalent of the current for a single solar. In series
connection all the currents are equal while the voltages are the sum of individual voltages

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By Series connecting, the voltage equals the sum of those panels, being in series, the amperage is
equal.

Fig 1b: Parallel connection of solar

module

Parallel connection

Parallel connection simply is connecting the solar panel positive terminals to positive terminals
of next and negative terminals to negative terminals of next. When using this type of connection,
your voltage remains the same but your amperage is the total sum of the panels being used. That
is to say, it gives output voltage equals the equivalent voltage of a single solar panel in the string
and the output current equals the sum total of all the current of the solar panel in the string.

By parallel connected solar panel gives more current (amperage) the sum of individual currents,
the voltage is equals.

1.1.1.3 Charge Controller

Charge controller ensures is used to charge your batteries, it ensures that the battery is not over-
charged or over-discharged; it stops receiving from the solar panel when the battery is fully
charged and switches off every DC load connected to it when the battery is discharged to the
minimum level. These charge controllers regulate the charging of your batteries because they are
programmed. The quality of these programs determines the lifespan of your batteries. This is the
reason only quality charge controllers should be used, because batteries are the most expensive
part of any solar system installation. DC loads are taken directly from the charge controller. The
procedure for selecting Charge controller is by determining the operating voltage of the PV array

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and the current, i.e. the charge controller must be sized to handle maximum current and voltage
produced by the solar PV array.

1.1.1.4 Battery
Battery stores the electrical charge produced by the solar panel during the day. It helps the output
of the solar panel when it cannot supply enough electricity to the system. Batteries are a major
cost of any solar system and are the most friable component in the solar system. Battery should
have sufficient Amp hour storage to supply the needed power during the cloudy weather.
Batteries can be either shallow cycle discharge (for automobiles) or deep cycle discharge (for PV
system). A shallow-cycle batteries discharge only between 10% and 20% of their Ah
capacity/day discharging beyond this point without recharging shortens the battery life.

Deep-cycle batteries are designed to allow a discharge of 60% to 80% of its Ah capacity. A
battery discharged at a rate of 1 amp will have a higher Ah capacity than a battery discharged at
a rate of 4 amps. A battery which can deliver 1 amp for 100hours has a capacity of 100Ah @
C100. The same battery may only deliver 4 amps for 20hours. Then its capacity is 80Ah @ C20.

C100 means discharged over 100 hours, C20 means discharged over 20 hours. Batteries are
connected in series and parallel.

1.1.1.5 Inverter
This is what will turn the 12 volt DC current into 110-120 volts AC current for use in powering
your household electrical devices. An inverter is device that changes direct current (DC) from
the battery to alternating current (AC) to be used for AC appliances. The battery provides DC
voltage to the inverter, and the inverter converts the DC voltage to normal AC voltage. The
output of a solar PV system can be either DC or AC depending on the type of electrical load it is
meant to power. If it is used to power a DC load, then there is no need for an inverter. However
inverter is required when the electrical load is AC. One can choose to go for solar inverter; solar
inverters have some special functions with the photovoltaic arrays like maximum power point
tracking and anti-islanding protection. There are two types of inverters which include modified
sine wave and pure sine wave inverters.

Note: the size of the inverter should be around three times what you plan to use it for, this is
because the consumer products do not always use the best components and this is a way to
ensure your unit will last longer than when you purchase an undervalued unit and push it to burn
out. Before you buy an inverter you need to take cognizes of the following:

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  The maximum load; the rating is larger than wattage of all the ac loads to be run at any
one time
 The maximum surge; Inverter is designed to surge if motors will be connected.
 The output voltage
 The input battery voltage requirements

1.1.1.6 Connecting Wires

They are used to connect one component to the other. The generated electricity (electric current)
flows through them to the load. The recommended size of cables is 2.5mm.

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CHAPTER TWO
1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Studies have shown that solar installation can have a positive impact on the environment by
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. Additionally, solar
installation can provide financial benefits for individuals and businesses through cost savings on
electricity bills and the ability to sell excess energy back to the grid. Furthermore, solar
installation can help to improve energy security and reduce the dependence on non-renewable
energy sources.

Some of the challenges and barriers to widespread solar installation. These could include the
initial cost of installation, lack of government incentives or regulations in some areas, potential
conflicts with local zoning laws, and the limited availability of land suitable for large-scale solar
projects. In addition, there is still ongoing research on the most efficient and cost-effective ways
to store and utilize the energy generated by solar panels, especially for places with high energy
demandand low sunlight hours.

1.2.1 The benefits of solar installation include:

i. Environmental benefits: Solar energy is a clean, renewable energy source that does not
produce harmful emissions or pollutants, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the
dependence on fossil fuels.
ii. Financial benefits: Installing solar panels can lead to significant cost savings on
electricity bills and the ability to sell excess energy back to the grid.
iii. Energy security: Solar installation can help to improve energy security by reducing
dependence on non-renewable energy sources.
iv. Increased property value: homes and buildings with solar panels tend to have a higher
value.
v. Job creation: The installation and maintenance of solar energy systems can create jobs in
the construction and service industries.

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1.2.2 The challenges of solar installation include:
i. Initial cost: The upfront cost of installing solar panels can be high, which may be a
barrier for some individuals and businesses.
ii. Limited availability of land: Not all properties have the necessary space or orientation to
accommodate solar panels, which can limit the potential for solar installation.
iii. Government regulations and policies: In some areas, there may be limited government
incentives or regulations to support solar installation, which can make it less financially
viable.
iv. Zoning laws: There may be conflicts with local zoning laws, which can make it difficult
to obtain the necessary permits for solar installation.
v. Weather conditions: Weather conditions such as heavy clouds, storms and snow can
temporarily reduce the efficiency of the solar panels, which can affect the overall
performance of the system.
vi. Energy storage: Storing the energy generated by solar panels is still a challenge, and it
requires additional equipment such as batteries, which can add to the cost and
maintenance of the system.

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CHAPTER THREE
1.3 METHODOLOGY:

1.3.1 THE STEP BY STEP INSTALLATION OF SOLAR ENERGY

Solar power plant installation is very easy. But before the actual work begins, the most important
issues that you must have done are to know the total electricity consumption for the household,
this can be done by taking a physical view of all the appliances to check their power ratings to
know the capacity of all the system components and the total number of panels, batteries and the
capacity of charge controller and the appropriate inverter needed. Now the components are
conveyed to the site a day before the actual installation. The stages in the installation include.

1.3.1.1 Arrange the photovoltaic PV modules

After bringing out the PV with the ratings behind the panel, the information you will see is the
maximum wattage, voltage, and amperes. After that, wire the panel according to the required
need but I prefer the parallel connection (the voltages remain the same while the currents is
added). Then mount the PV on the rooftop of the building with a few inch gap and parallel to the
surface of the roof. Solar PV can also be mounted on the ground. The solar array is usually best
placed in perpendicular to the sun’s rays, which change continuously over the course of the day
and season. The most suitably location and inclination for a PV mounting is east front and slope
of 30-40o.

1.3.1.2 Charge controller

The next thing to do after the setting up the solar PV array is to connect the charge controller
(which you know is to ensure that the battery is not over-charged or over-discharged) directly
from the output terminals of the solar PV using lighter gage wires.

Note: DC loads can be directly connected to the charge controller. After the connection, we
move to next step which is connecting the battery.

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1.3.1.3 Battery
The batteries are properly connected either in series or parallel connection depending on your
need, and then connect the battery to the charge controller at the port selected/indicated for it in
solar charge controller. The next thing to connect is the inverter.

1.3.1.4 Inverter
The next setup is the inverter, as we discussed above the inverter converts the DC supply from
the solar PV into the battery to AC supply in order to power our AC loads. Connect the battery
terminal to the inverter with 2.5mm cable. Finally, from the inverter you connect to the external
load in the house. The rating of the inverter should be the same with rating of the PV array.

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CHAPTER FOUR
1.4 Problem and Solving

1.4.1 MAINTENANCE OF SOLAR PV SYSTEMS

Solar panels have no moving parts, and therefore no potential points of mechanical failure.
Therefore properly installed PV system requires very little maintenance. After the installation of
solar system for household use, best maintenance practice is to inspect the equipment especially
batteries and modules, to make sure all electrical contacts are tight. We can keep the solar PV
operational through two maintenance techniques which include the preventive and corrective
maintenance. Let us look at maintenance of the different components of the solar system which
include:

1.4.1.1 Solar PV Maintenance

You should wash the PV array, during the cool of the day, when there is a noticeable buildup of
dust and dirt. Periodically inspect the system to make sure all wirings and supports are intact.
Furthermore, check for tree growth that has shaded your modules and also check for birds’ nests
in your modules and junction boxes. Review the output of the system annually (assuming the
array is clean) to see if the performance of the system is close to the previous year's reading. Do
not scratch the glass casing of the module.

1.4.1.2 Battery Maintenance

Battery is very important component in the solar system; therefore proper care should be taken.
For long life, battery should be cleaned monthly; the electrolyte level should be checked and kept
in a high state of charge. When cleaning batteries, beware of the battery acid and do not short the
terminals. Carry the battery outside when cleaning to avoid spilling acid, keep plenty of water
nearby to rinse spills.

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1.4.1.3 Charge controller malfunction
Charge controller will be will go bad if the battery voltage exceeds the appropriate set voltage for
the type of battery used, and also the batteries are bubbling severely causing a lot of moisture
accumulation on the battery tops. Charge controller can go badly if the battery bank capacity is
not up to the rate.

Some of the general precaution/maintenance to be carried on the system include:

i. observe the tightness of screws on all connector strips, controls; switches, etc. make sure
that they are well chewed. This is mostly important for old or exposed wire.
ii. look at the junction boxes to make sure that insects have not build house there, and also
make sure they are watertight when exposed to the environment.
iii. inspect switches to make sure they are in good operating manner
iv. inspect the fuses to ensure no one is blown. If blown, find the cause and replace or repair
with a new one of the same size.
v. inspect the indicator lamps on the charge controller. The solar charge controller indicator
should be ON when the sun is up. If is not ON. Check to see if batteries are being
charged. Check whether the other LED indicator lamps are working (that is battery full
and low voltage).
vi. Check grounding wires to make sure they are still intact.

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CHAPTER FIVE
1.5 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, solar installation is a viable and sustainable option for generating electricity. The
use of solar energy can have a positive impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. Additionally, solar installation can provide financial
benefits for individuals and businesses through cost savings on electricity bills and the ability to
sell excess energy back to the grid. Furthermore, solar installation can help to improve energy
security and reduce the dependence on non-renewable energy sources.

In the present work a Solar PV Energy System was implemented. A portion of the energy
requirement for a private house, farm house, a small company, an educational institution
depending on the need at the site where used has been supplied with the electricity generated
from the solar power. It reduces the dependence on one single source and has increased the
reliability. Apparently, we can improve the efficiency of the system with an individual interest
mode of generation. Photovoltaic systems are cost effective, pollution-free and maintenance free.
They could be deployed in remote locations where conventional power is not readily available.

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1.6 REFERENCES
[1] Wikipedia Inc. “Solar Power” Available [Online]:
0TUhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/solarpowerU30T
[2]J.Godson,M.Karthick,T.Muthukrishnan, M.S.Sivagamasundari “Solar PV-Wind Hybrid
Power Generation System” Department of EEE,V V College of Engineering,Tisaiyanvilai,
Tirunelveli, India
[3] Microsoft Encarta 2009 ”Solar system” Microsoft Corporation 1993-2008.
[4] Engr. Eze D.I (May 2015) “Solar and Renewable Energy” NAPSAS/NAPTIN Training
Manuel Module One
[5] “How to Build an Off Grid Solar Power Plant” By [email protected]
[6] Nwanya A.C. (May 2015) “Solar PV Installation and Maintenance” Lecture Material
NAPSAS Training Programme
[7] Wikipedia Inc “Power Inverter“available [Online]
0TUhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/power_invert
erU30T
[8] Wikipedia Inc “Photovoltaic Mounting System “available
[Online]30TUhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U30TUphotovoltaic
mounting system
[9] Nwanya Assumpta C. (2015) “Solar PV
installation and maintenance” National
Centre for Energy Research and
Development, University of Nigeria Nsukka

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