Department of Physics Seminar

Abstract:

Energy is critical for the economy of any country since all services can be directly or indirectly connected to energy. Solar is one of the sources of energy that is reliable and free form monthly bills save for the initial installation cost. It is also abundant and generally environmentally friendly. However, to tap solar energy and convert it to electricity, a solar panel is needed. When connected to other balance of systems components in such a way as to provide energy to power devices and provide lighting, we call it a Photovoltaic (PV) solar system. For a PV system to work effectively and efficiently, it has to be well designed, sized and installed, and this needs training.  The Department of Physics, through the Solar Academy, a community outreach arm of the Condensed Matter Research group has been running short courses in Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System Design, Sizing, Installation and Maintenance since 2012. The training is usually at three levels:  technician 1 (T1), technician 2 (T2) and technician 3 (T3). Technician 1 and 2 is usually training for basic PV systems while technician 3 is for advanced PV systems. To enhance its training capability and impact to the society, the solar academy partnered with a local private company, Automax Engineering Ltd and installed the first 3 KW Photovoltaic Grid tie system at the Department of Physics, Chiromo Campus, University of Nairobi.  The system comprises of 12-250 W Polycrystalline panels connected to a two string single phase 3 KVA Hosola grid tie inverter with remote control. This presentation describes the details of the system installation. The system will not only be instrumental for training and research, but will also contribute in lowering the power consumption in the Department.