Commissioning and Field Validation of a PV/Diesel Hybrid Plant in Rural Burkina Faso

Abstract

Designing hybrid power plants is a crucial aspect of deploying energy sources in remote rural areas far from the power grid. Many studies have been conducted on this topic. However, there is a lack of information on the process of commissioning and evaluating the performance of these plants, specifically for photovoltaic-diesel hybrids. The suggested approach involves conducting three types of tests: “generator only”, “multi-generator”, and “hybrid”. The methodology helps investigate the behaviour and performance of generators, load distribution and current quality. It was implemented in a hybrid PV/diesel plant in Burkina Faso, where it revealed technical shortcomings that hindered optimal performance. The power output of the Diesel generators deviated from the manufacturer’s specifications, with diesel generators only producing 65 - 80% of their rated capacity during testing. Moreover, a malfunction in the voltage regulator of Diesel generator 2 prevented it from operating in parallel with the others. The photovoltaic arrays, however, operated efficiently, maintaining an average global efficiency of around 83%. In terms of protection, testing revealed that a reverse power relay is needed to protect each diesel generator, as it may be damaged by reversed power. It is crucial to mention that the EN 50,160 standard’s electrical quality requirements were fully met, with total harmonic distortion consistently below 8%. This methodology may serve as a guide for commissioning rural hybrid power plants in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions.