Design of Grid-Connected Solar PV Power Plant in Riyadh Using PVsyst

Abstract

Solar energy is a quick-producing source of energy in Saudi Arabia. Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy accounts for 0.5% of electricity output, with a total installed capacity of 9.425 GW and 9353 solar power plants of various types globally. Many solar power stations will be established on different sites in the coming years. The capacity of these stations reaches hundreds of megawatts. The primary aim of this study is to facilitate the strategic and systematic assessment of the solar energy resource potential that impacts both large and small-scale solar power projects in Saudi Arabia. This study describes in detail the analysis, simulation, and sizing of a 400 MW grid-connected solar project for the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia site using the PVSyst 8 software program. The software-generated trajectories primarily represent the performance of a PV system at a certain location. It provides data for the geographical position used by maps for component sizing, projecting the installation under extremely realistic conditions. The report further examines the system’s behavior with various tilt and orientation settings of the PV panel, which yields superior simulation results at equivalent latitudes for any practical sizing. Three types of PV modules with different sizes are used to design the solar plant. The main project was designed using 580 WP and was compared with 330 WP and 255 WP power modules. This study confirmed that high-power PV modules are more efficient than small modules.

1. Introduction

Solar power is a rapidly expanding and widely discussed method of generating energy worldwide. Major factors that can accelerate the expansion and utilization of solar energy include raising awareness about climate change, addressing energy security concerns, gaining government support, reducing solar energy costs, and the emergence of innovative business models. The major positive qualities of this source are their renewability and low contribution to pollution. Photovoltaic solar energy has had a substantial increase in usage in recent years. In recent decades, the introduction of new incentives by many countries has led to a rise in the popularity of grid-connected PV systems. There are three main types of solar PV systems: hybrid, off-grid (also called standalone), and grid-connected (also called grid-tied or on-grid) [1,2,3]. There are several programs that may be used to create and simulate grid-connected solar energy systems, including MATLAB [4,5,6] and HOMER software [7,8,9,10].

PVsyst is a specialized software application developed specifically for solar energy systems. PVsyst is a software program that generates, models, and evaluates solar power systems. In [11], PVsyst is employed to evaluate the solar capacity for the year 2019 in the northern part of Morocco to assess the practicality and potential of implementing a 1 MW photovoltaic grid that would be connected to many cities. The optimal tilt angles found by PVsyst were 32 degrees for fixed tilt and 15 degrees for summer and 48 degrees for winter for the seasonal tilt adjustment. An analytical performance assessment was conducted on the two configurations (fixed and seasonal tilt), and the fixed-tilt panel was found to be more advantageous than the seasonal adjustment tilt, with a performance ratio of 77.3%. Tetuan city’s annual energy production is 1096.1 MWh, which is higher than other locations in the same zone.

One study examined the technical and economic feasibility of a 100 MW grid-connected solar PV power plant at Umm Al-Qura University on a monthly basis [12]. They found that the energy injected into the power system varies from 103.3 MWh in May to 80.5 MWh in December. The average performance ratio (PR) of the monocrystalline PV system in the simulated study for the targeted location was 78%. This system is responsible for around 20% of Umm Al-Qura University’s electricity consumption. The study conducted in 2020 assessed the technical feasibility of generating power and the practicality of installing a solar photovoltaic system on the rooftop of a building. The calculation determined that the installation of 200 kWp solar PV panels has the capacity to generate 26,280 kWh of electricity each month [13].

The current and future prospects of the energy sector in Turkey are presented in [14], with a specific focus on solar energy using PESTLE analysis and PVsyst software. A comparative analysis of the solar energy potential between the Konya and Diyarbakır regions has been conducted using the PVsyst program. The results show that Konya and Diyarbakır have promising solar energy potential, and in both regions, solar PV systems can be installed to provide electrical energy.

The authors of [15] successfully accomplished the task of designing, simulating, and assessing a 40 MW solar power station using PVsyst. The simulation results obtained for the Minbu PV power station indicate that the annual power connected for PV systems with a fixed module orientation is 75,730 MWh. The PV station has a performance ratio of 81%. The ideal option for feeding the grid all year round in the Minbu PV station, Myanmar, consists of 158,400 PV panels with a power output of 315 WP each, as well as 20 inverters, resulting in a total output of 40 MW.

A solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system with a capacity of 250 Wp has been installed in Tetulia, Panchagrah. The system’s design and performance were evaluated with PVsyst software [16]. The analysis of the PV rooftop design and overall performance indicates that the system has the capacity to generate 3 kW of electricity and is connected to the grid. In this specific case, the choice of PV module, inverter, and storage is based on the daily load requirement of 8.1 kW and the hourly load demand of 1.6 kW. The total annual energy input into the grid is 1871 kilowatt-hours (kWh). In March, the PV rooftop system generates the highest energy output of 214.9 kWh, which is then fed into the grid. Conversely, the lowest energy output of 99.3 kWh is sent to the grid in July.

The performance of a 250 kWp grid-connected solar PV plant in Pune, India, was assessed by design and simulation using PVsyst [17]. The annual maximum energy fed into the grid by adjusting the angle every month was 377,502 kWh. The angles for optimum energy generation were 47, 45, 23, 5, 0, 0, 0, 0, 15, 31, 44, and 49°, from January–December, respectively. In March, the grid received a maximum energy injection of 37.24 MWh, while in July, the minimum energy injection was 25.24 MWh.

An 11.2 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system was erected on the rooftop of a constituent institute of Siksha, India. The system was monitored from September 2014 to August 2015, and its monthly and annual performance metrics were analyzed. A comparative analysis was conducted to assess the performance of the PV system in relation to comparable grid-connected PV systems worldwide [18]. The system’s overall efficiency was determined to be 12.05%, and it supplied a total of 14.960 MWh of energy to the grid annually. The PV system installed at SOA University resulted in an annual decrease of approximately 14.661 tonnes of CO₂ emissions from the environment.

A solar PV rooftop system with a capacity of 250 Wp was installed in Tetulia, Panchagrah. PVsyst software was utilized to analyze and design the photovoltaic system. The analysis of the PV rooftop design and overall performance indicates that the system has the capacity to generate 3 kW of electricity and is connected to the grid. In this specific case, the choice of PV module, inverter, and storage was based on the daily load requirement of 8.1 kW and the hourly load demand of 1.6 kW. The total annual energy input into the power grid is 1871 kilowatt-hours (kWh). In March, the PV roof-top system generates the largest amount of energy, which is 214.9 kilowatt-hours (kWh), and this energy is supplied to the grid. On the other hand, in July, the system delivers the lowest amount of energy, which is 99.3 kWh [19].

A grid-connected photovoltaic power generation system was developed for agricultural purposes in an agricultural region of Egypt [20]. This work offers an enhanced manual for novices and solar professionals who are interested in implementing solar-based grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems. It also demonstrates the appropriate use of PVsyst software for the precise estimation of different losses within the system.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant rise in energy production capacity, principally driven by population growth and economic development. Figure 1 and Figure 2 depict the breakdown of Saudi’s gross electricity generation by primary energy sources in 2023 and the yearly proportion of installed renewable-based energy in Saudi from 2014 to 2023 [21].

As shown in Figure 1, fossil fuels continue to be the primary source of energy produced in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Over the last decade, there has been a steady increase in both the overall electricity production and the generating capacity for renewable energy. Saudi Arabia possesses one of the highest recorded levels of solar radiation globally, rendering it very suitable for harnessing solar energy. Figure 2 shows that solar energy represents the largest proportion of energy production from renewable sources in Saudi Arabia. As per the Vision 2030 renewable energy goals, which aim to achieve 58.7 GW of power generation capacity by 2030, 40 GW of electricity must be generated by solar renewable energy [22]. There are many solar plant projects in Saudi Arabia. The Sakaka and Rabigh solar plants have an installed capacity of 400 MW and were established in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

This article examines a grid-connected photovoltaic system with a nominal power of 400 MWp, utilizing PVsyst Software for analysis. The Riyadh, Saudi Arabia site is selected, and the results of the simulation are discussed. The planned area is around 1,781,540 m², which would generate 858,548 MWh/year for a 400 MW PV design, with a performance ratio of 87.21%. The loss fraction used for simulation and sizing is 2% at MPP.

2. Methodology

The methodology contains the grid-connected solar PV system design. The methodology also deals with the data inducted by the study, geographical location, PV specifications of the system, inclination, positioning, and inverter of the PV grid-connected system [23]. PVsyst depends on choosing the location where the station is to be built after determining the required station capacity and the size of the PV module. Based on the location, the latitude is determined, then the solar radiation values from the database and the angle of inclination of the panels are determined. The simulation results show the number of panels required, how they are connected, the number of inverters required, the capacity of each inverter, the power loss values, and the performance ratio.

3. Design of the System

3.1. Selection of PV Modules

Photovoltaic (PV) systems have been particularly important in grid-connected systems, as they efficiently transform solar insolation into electrical energy. A solar array is formed by interconnecting several photovoltaic (PV) modules in order to enhance the output voltage and power. The performance of a photovoltaic (PV) array must be meticulously assessed in order to provide electricity year-round. Photovoltaic modules are a crucial component of photovoltaic systems [24]. The efficiency of its monocrystalline PV module surpasses that of the polycrystalline PV module [25]. The current PV module rating data were selected from a 580 Wp monocrystalline solar power plant situated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For this solar power plant, the 580 Wp mono-crystalline 144-cell module was selected. Optimal solar radiation absorption requires the panel to be positioned at a precise fixed angle [26]. To optimize solar exposure, the panel should be orientated at an angle that corresponds to the elevation of the intended site. To choose the appropriate plant, two other PV modules were used in the design, and PVSyst was used to compare the results.

Table 1. PV module specifications and parameters of the solar plant.

Specification	Parameters
Module	JKM 255PP-60-V	JKM330M-60H-TV	JKM580N-72HL4-BDV
Rated power	255 W	330 W	580 Wp
Short-circuit current	8.92	10.25	14.37 A
Open-circuit voltage	38	40.39	51.47 V
Maximum voltage	30.8	33.24	42.59 V
Maximum current	8.28	9.93	13.62 A
Efficiency	15.58%	19.29%	22.46%
No. of modules	1,568,630	1,212,123	689,650 modules
No. of Strings	44,818	36,731	26,525 Strings
Dimensions	1650 × 992 × 40 mm	1704 × 1008 × 35 mm	2278 × 1134 × 30 mm

shows the PV specifications and parameters for the three modules used.

3.2. Inverter

Moreover, the inverter is an essential element of a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system. The purpose of using an inverter is to convert the DC power generated by solar panels into AC power that can be connected to the grid. The operating voltage across the system is 500–1500 volts. For this work, a 275 kWac central inverter was selected. The overall count of inverters is 1119 units, with each inverter being linked to a single array. The inverter model used is SUN2000-330KTL-H2-Preliminary V0.2, and the specifications are shown in

Table 2. Inverter specifications and parameters.

Specification	Input	Specification	Output
Max. Input Voltage	1500 V	Nominal AC Active Power	275 kW
Number of MPPT	6	Nominal AC Active Power	330 kVA
Max. Current per MPPT	65 A	Max. AC Active Power (cosφ = 1)	330 kW
Max. Short Circuit Current per MPPT	115 A	Nominal Output Voltage	800 V
Max. PV Inputs per MPPT	4/5/5/4/5/5	Rated AC Grid Frequency	50 Hz/60 Hz
Start Voltage	550 V	Nominal Output Current	198.5 A
MPPT Operating Voltage Range	550–1500 V	Max. Output Current	240.3 A
Nominal Input Voltage	1080 V	Adjustable Power Factor Range	0.8 Lag–0.8 Lead

.

3.3. Solar Radiation

Solar radiation is a crucial factor in solar power systems since its magnitude directly impacts the electricity generated by photovoltaic machines. Solar radiation is a specific power density measured in kW/m², which is influenced by the geographical location and the prevailing local meteorological conditions. Global solar radiation refers to the cumulative solar energy received in a specific geographical area over a defined time frame, typically measured in kilowatt-hours per square meter.

Saudi Arabia is located in the southwestern region of mainland Asia. Boasting a population exceeding seven million, Riyadh is the most populous city in Saudi Arabia in terms of land size and serves as the political center. When considering sun irradiation, the average global horizontal irradiance (GHI) in Riyadh is around 2200 kWh/m²/year, which is regarded to be quite high. The aforementioned observations indicate that Riyadh has considerable potential for distributed generation (DG) installations. This work presents the mean monthly sun irradiation levels in Riyadh in Figure 3. Consistently, sun irradiation levels rise during the summer months due to the extended duration of daylight. The mean irradiation for Riyadh is around 5.8 kilowatt hours per square meter per day [27].

3.4. Geographical Location

The Riyadh Solar Power Plant is situated in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. A latitude of 24.69° (N) and a longitude of 46.69° (E) define the location of Riyadh Solar Plant. Data on solar radiation and temperature were obtained from the solar radiation resource assessment. The present study is grounded on authentic meteorological data and considerations of geographical location, including latitude, longitude, altitude, and time zone. Meteorological data and the geographical location of Riyadh Solar Plant in Saudi Arabia are available on the internet and published in [28]. The concept is specifically developed for integration into the grid at the Riyadh Solar Plant. The inclination angle measures 30 degrees.

4. Results and Discussion

The main objectives of the PVsyst program are to conduct performance analysis and financial evaluation of the solar facility systems. The software facilitates pre-installation modeling by offering crucial computations, such as site requirements, energy production estimates based on the selected site, estimations of various losses, estimates of energy injected into the grid, and computations of energy consumption for auxiliary loads from solar and the grid [29].

4.1. Energy Production

Solar-powered electricity generation is more intriguing. PV systems can also convert DC power to AC power and share energy with the grid. Approximately 2235 kWh/m² of energy is received by the PV array annually, which is a considerable amount of radiation. Out of the 858,548 MWh of electricity that the grid can use from the 580 W PV module, 872,166.5 MWh will be produced by the grid-connected system.

Table 3. The electricity production of the solar plant using different modules.

PV Module	580 W	330 W	255 W
Array nominal energy (MWh)	961,799.5	950,827.7	942,341
Electricity generated (MWh)	872,166.5	837,454.6	820,180.3
Electricity to the grid (MWh)	858,548	822,747.4	806,786.6

shows the results for the three modules to compare the electricity available to the grid.

4.2. Performance Analysis

Compared with the potential energy generation, assuming the system runs continuously at its nominal STC efficiency, the performance ratio measures the operational efficiency of energy production or consumption. As shown in Figure 4, the system’s performance ratio in this application (580 W module) is 0.872, which translates to an efficiency of 87.21%. The performance ratio value decreases during the summer from June to September due to the high temperatures, which reduces the actual energy outputs. The system’s performance ratio with a 330 W module is 0.835, and with a 255 W module, it is 0.82. The performance ratio is higher for the solar plant designed with panels of higher output power.

Three significant numbers are highlighted in

Table 4. New simulation variant normalized performance coefficients.

	Yr kWh/m2/day	Lc kWh/kWp/day	Ya kWh/kWp/day	Ls kWh/kWp/day	Yf kWh/kWp/day	Lcr Ratio	Lsr Ratio	PR Ratio
January	6.90	0.55	6.35	0.09	6.26	0.080	0.013	0.907
February	6.92	0.64	6.28	0.09	6.18	0.093	0.013	0.894
March	7.07	0.74	6.33	0.10	6.24	0.104	0.014	0.882
April	7.06	0.82	6.24	0.10	6.14	0.116	0.013	0.870
May	6.34	0.82	5.51	0.09	5.43	0.130	0.013	0.857
June	6.62	0.90	5.72	0.09	5.63	0.136	0.014	0.850
July	6.47	0.91	5.56	0.09	5.47	0.140	0.013	0.847
August	6.52	0.92	5.60	0.09	5.51	0.141	0.013	0.845
September	6.91	0.94	5.97	0.09	5.88	0.135	0.014	0.851
October	6.95	0.85	6.10	0.09	6.01	0.122	0.014	0.864
November	6.56	0.62	5.93	0.09	5.84	0.095	0.013	0.891
December	6.63	0.55	6.08	0.09	5.99	0.082	0.013	0.904
Year	6.74	0.77	5.97	0.09	5.88	0.115	0.013	0.872

’s normalized energy production: the PV array’s collecting loss of 0.77 kWh/kWp/day, the system loss of 0.09 kWh/kWp/day, and the usable energy generated by the inverter output of 5.88 kWh/kWp/day. The normalized outputs for the solar plant with a 580 W module are displayed in Figure 5. The 330 W PV module’s collection loss was 1.02 kWh/kWp/day, whereas the 255 W PV module obtained 1.13 kWh/kWp/day. In comparison to solar power plants with lower normalized energy production, those with higher normalized energy output will produce more energy per kilowatt of installed capacity. Therefore, more normalized energy generation in a solar power plant indicates higher operational productivity and cost-effectiveness.

Figure 5 shows the relationship between the amount of solar energy accessible (measured in kWh/day) and the worldwide incident insolation on the collector plane (measured in kWh/m²/day). Daily input/output diagrams are another name for these drawings. The relationship between the electrical energy generated by a solar power plant and the daily incident insolation is graphically depicted in the daily input/output diagram of the PVsyst software. This tool is quite helpful for comprehending the plant’s performance and pinpointing specific areas that could use improvement. The daily input/output diagram should ideally show a nearly linear trend, with a slight variance at higher irradiance levels because of temperature effects. Any deviation from this pattern could be a sign of overload, particularly at higher radiation levels.

The system output power distribution diagram in Figure 6 illustrates the relationship between the solar energy available in kWh/Bin and the solar power available in kW. The energy buildup for each simulation time step where the power falls between the two values is called a bin or class. The class in this project is held at 2500 kW. This indicates that the amount of energy injected in the y-axis is equal to each power injected value in the x-axis. The PVsyst software’s system output power distribution graph shows how the power output from a solar power plant is distributed over a specified period.

To assess the performance and viability of photovoltaic (PV) systems,

Table 5. Balances and main results of 580 W module.

	GlobHor kWh/m2	DiffHor kWh/m2	T_Amb °C	GlobInc kWh/m2	GlobEff kWh/m	EArray kWh	E_Grid kWh	PR Ratio
January	147.1	25.97	14.72	213.9	209.2	78,737,094	77,611,333	0.907
February	153.2	50.18	18.06	193.7	189.4	70,301,716	69,269,864	0.894
March	194.8	62.75	22.87	219.1	214.1	78,512,137	77,326,017	0.882
April	212.1	76.05	27.70	211.8	206.7	74,881,637	73,738,271	0.870
May	216.5	88.31	34.20	196.5	191.6	68,381,624	67,326,190	0.857
June	227.8	90.84	36.28	198.7	193.7	68,619,344	67,537,257	0.850
July	226.1	85.98	37.86	200.4	195.3	68,939,645	67,862,665	0.847
August	210.8	85.78	38.01	202.2	197.3	69,451,800	68,365,633	0.845
September	192.6	60.96	34.14	207.3	202.5	71,686,322	70,566,093	0.851
October	175.4	46.83	29.52	215.6	210.7	75,670,029	74,505,277	0.864
November	141.8	34.91	21.32	196.7	192.3	71,162,693	70,108,422	0.891
December	136.9	26.58	16.57	205.5	201.0	75,418,358	74,331,135	0.904
Year	2235.2	735.14	27.66	2461.3	2403.9	871,762,400	858,548,156	0.872

presents comprehensive balances and results for every month of a given year. A comprehensive overview of some traits and outputs related to the solar energy system is given by the balances and results.

According to Table 5, the horizontal diffuse irradiation (DiffHor) is 735.14 kWh/m², and the global horizontal irradiation (GlobHor) is 2235.2 kWh/m²/year. The total global incident energy of the collection plane is 2461.3 kWh/m². However, the performance analysis also considers the loss brought on by internal networks, power electronic converters, and rising temperatures.

4.3. Loss Diagram

A system loss flowchart is represented graphically by the loss diagram, which is shown in Figure 7. This helps to break down and graphically depict the various components that lead to energy losses in a solar array. To give customers a clear picture of how each feature affects energy output, this figure graphically depicts each component, including shade, temperature, module quality, and inverter efficiency. Users can construct a personalized loss diagram by inputting specific data such as the system architecture, module specifications, and geographic location. For solar specialists and engineers, the diagram is a vital tool that helps them make informed decisions to improve system performance and design. Optimizing energy generation and efficiency is the main goal.

Using a 580 W PV module, Figure 7 provides the detailed annual system average losses in MWh for the solar plant. The following are the specific system losses: First, the solar modules obtain approximately 2235 kWh/m² of incident solar radiation. The largest losses were caused by the conversion of the PV system’s electric generation. At the STC, the monocrystalline-580 module’s efficiency is 22.46%. This means that the PV plant will generate 961,799 MWh of electricity annually. Then, PV module losses, solar energy use, inverter losses, and cable losses result in the grid having access to roughly 858,548 MWh of electricity per year.

5. Conclusions

This paper presented the model and simulation in PVsyst for a 400 MW grid-connected photovoltaic system solar energy plant located at the Riyadh site. The results show that maximum solar insolation at a tilt angle of 30° was achieved at a value of 961.8 GWh. The photovoltaic plant also consists of (689,650) 580 WP solar modules and 1119 Huawei 275 kW inverters. This confirms that Riyadh has great potential for utilizing solar energy due to the huge amount of solar radiation in this strategic location. This shows that most of the photovoltaic energy projects in Saudi Arabia should be allocated to areas like Riyadh City. Of the 858,548 MWh of electricity accessible to the grid, 872,166.5 MWh will be generated by the grid-connected system. In this application, the system’s performance ratio is 0.872, translating to an 87.21% efficiency, and the collection loss is 0.77 kWh/kWP/day. The solar plant is designed using other different PV module types, the 330 W and 255 W modules, with performance ratios of 0.83 and 0.82, respectively. Also, the system’s collection loss is 1.02 and 1.13 kWh/kWP/day. The performance ratio using large panels is 6% higher than the small panels used in the study, and the collection loss is 32% smaller than that of the small panels. These results show that the design of solar plants with high-power PV modules is better than that of small modules.