STUDY ON TESTING

FEASIBILITY OF SOLAR ENERGY

IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES


FALLING WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE EXTRAORDINARY FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC TO THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
FOLLOWING THE DECISION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
NO. 801/2008 OF 27
TH
JUNE 2008



Photovoltaic Installation 2,16kWp
Bethlehem

4th Quartal and Final Annual Report

April 2009 March 2010





Electromechanical Engineering Co. Ltd., Bethlehem, Palestine
SUNNYWATT CZ s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic
PV System Final Annual Report

1



Basic project data

Type of engineering work: Photovoltaic system 2,16kWp with meteorological sensors and datalogger

Aim of the project: - To test a grid connected photovoltaic system in the meteorological conditions of
Palestine and collect data for a precise design of grid connected and off-grid
systems in this location

- To establish cooperation between a Czech and Palestinian company in field of
renewable energy and independent local energy production

Designer and developer: Elemco Electromechanical Engineering Co. Ltd.
in partnership with SUNNYWATT CZ s.r.o. Czech Republic

Building site: Bethlehem, Palestine

Positioning: Rooftop system

Part: Final Annual Report: April 2009 March 2010

Author of the report: Ing. Petr Wolf
SUNNYWATT CZ s.r.o.


Contact: Sunnywatt CZ
Jizersk 322/35
196 00 Prague 9,
Czech Republic
www.sunnywatt.cz
info@sunnywatt.cz

Contact persons:
Ing. Petr Wolf
wolf@sunnywatt.cz
tel: 00420 733 708 782
(responsible project coordinator)

Ing. Miroslav Va
m.vasa@centrum.cz
tel: 00420 603 460 448
(head of the company)


Elemco Electromechanical Engineering Co. Ltd.
Al Madaress Str., Bethlehem
P.O. Box 912
West Bank Palestine
Tel: 00970 (02) 277 7227
info@elemco.ps
elemco_86@yahoo.com
www.elemco.ps

Contact person:
William Anton Abu Zaoulof
tel: 00972 599 25 00 29
PV System Final Annual Report

2


1. Basic description

In March 2009 Czech company Sunnywatt CZ s.r.o. in cooperation with Palestinian
Elemco Electromechanical Engineering Co. Ltd. has mounted a photovoltaic (PV) system
on the roof of the building of Elemco company. The main objective of this project was to
test how a real PV system behaves in weather conditions of Palestine, collect the data for
a precise design of grid connected and off-grid photovoltaic systems and establish
cooperation between two companies with experience in electrical engineering,
Sunnywatt CZ from Czech Republic and Elemco from Palestine. Before this project there
were no real data of such a photovoltaic system available from the Palestinian territory,
all designs and analysis had to be based on simulations, which caused problems and
uncertainty. Photovoltaic energy can play an important rule in this area in the near future
and therefore before starting big project it is important to have experience in local
conditions with these systems.

The system was designed as a small scale PV system equipped with a monitoring unit
in order to collect data for a long term observation and evaluation in local climatic
conditions.
All parts of used equipment have been mounted and tested in Prague by company
Sunnywatt on outdoor conditions before delivery to Palestine to avoid potential problems
by setting the devices into operation.

Collecting of the data started on 18.3.2009. The input data for this report are from
dates 01.04.2009 31.03.2010.
This report is the final report after one year of collecting the data and monitoring
the system. This annual report can be used as a basic reference for photovoltaic
systems that will be used in meteorological conditions of Mediterranean climate
with hot and dry summers and cold winters. For these conditions applies most
places with similar altitude in the West Bank.

Both companies will continue on running the system in order to have a long
term evaluation of meteorological conditions and PV system performance. After on
year of operation the system is working with no problems or degradation. The effect
of aging of the system, especially modules has not been detected and little
performance decrease will be probably visible after more years of operation.
PV System Final Annual Report

3


The PV system consists of:

PV generator unit

- 12pcs PV modules Sunnywatt 180W
- Inverter SMA SB 2100TL
- Construction set
- Cabling, switchboards with electrical equipment
(fuses, overvoltage protection etc.)

Monitoring unit

- SMA sensor box
- Meteorological sensors (wind speed, ambient temperature, module temperature,
irradiance sensor)
- Power injector
- Sunny WebBox (datalogger, ftp server)
- Cabling, switchboards with electrical equipment
- Colored IP camera with IR night lighting
- Notebook
PV System Final Annual Report

4


2. 4
th
quartal report

The 4
th
quartal report shows the operation of the system in the period January 2010
March 2010.


Energy output of the system:

0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
D
a
i
l
y

e
n
e
r
g
y

(
k
W
h
)

Daily energy yield (kWh)




100,00
120,00
140,00
160,00
180,00
200,00
220,00
240,00
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
October November December
W
/
m
2
k
W
h
Energy yield per month (kWh) Mean irradiance (W/m2)
;

Energy yield and mean irradiance in observed months
PV System Final Annual Report

5





Energy yield per month
Energy yield per
month (kWh)
Mean irradiance
(W/m2)
Mean wind speed
(km/h)
Mean module
temperature (C)
Mean ambient
temperature (C)
January 2010 233,57 179,41 6,20 18,60 14,17
February 2010 242,99 195,39 7,85 16,80 12,66
March 2010 306,86 228,36 8,69 16,49 11,36




In January we obtained a similar energy yield as in February, in March we already
realized increased energy output.

Mean temperature increase on solar panels due to irradiation is cca. 5C.
On sunny days in this period the typical ambient air temperatures were 17C and module
temperature 30C. The low ambient air temperatures result in high efficiency of PV
panels in this period.
PV System Final Annual Report

6

3. Annual evaluation

Comparison of annual obtained energy (April 2009 March 2010)
and the estimation using PVGIS
Bethlehem - real production (kWh) Bethlehem - PV GIS estimation (kWh)
Apr 2009 348,91 309
May 2009 363,07 345
Jun 2009 367,71 358
Jul 2009 385,22 368
Aug 2009 383,09 358
Sep 2009 345,06 326
Oct 2009 308,21 276
Nov 2009 253,02 216
Dec 2009 213,18 191
Jan 2010 233,57 183
Feb 2010 242,99 197
Mar 2010 306,86 277
Annual yield
(April 2009 - March 2010) 3750,89 3404


0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Apr
2009
May
2009
Jun
2009
Jul 2009 Aug
2009
Sep
2009
Oct
2009
Nov
2009
Dec
2009
Jan
2010
Feb
2010
Mar
2010
E
n
e
r
g
y

y
i
e
l
d

p
e
r

m
o
n
t
h

(
k
W
h
)
Bethlehem - real production (kWh) Bethlehem - PV GIS estimation (kWh)

Energy yield and mean irradiance in observed months

The really obtained energy from the PV system in Palestine is in all observed
months slightly higher than the estimated values using PVGIS. During the observer
period (April 2009 March 2010) the real production was 10,2% above the
estimation (3751kWh real, 3404kWh estimated).

Calculated on 1kWp of installed power we can expect with a PV installation with
a high efficiency inverter and small losses in cables etc. the annual yield
1737kWh/kWp.
PV System Final Annual Report

7

Wind speed

0,0
5,0
10,0
15,0
20,0
25,0
30,0
35,0
W
i
n
d

s
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
)

Mean daily wind speed during one year of monitoring

5,0
6,0
7,0
8,0
9,0
10,0
11,0
12,0
Apr
2009
May
2009
Jun
2009
Jul
2009
Aug
2009
Sep
2009
Oct
2009
Nov
2009
Dec
2009
Jan
2010
Feb
2010
Mar
2010
W
i
n
d

s
p
e
e
d

(
k
m
/
h
)

Mean monthly wind speed during one year of monitoring

Mean monthly wind speed varies from cca. 5,6km/h to 10,7km/h. In the summer period
the wind blow seem to be more constant, with no big variations.
PV System Final Annual Report

8


Temperature


0,0
5,0
10,0
15,0
20,0
25,0
30,0
35,0
40,0
M
o
d
u
l
e

t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)

Mean daily module temperature during one year of monitoring (C)

0,0
5,0
10,0
15,0
20,0
25,0
30,0
35,0
A
m
b
i
e
n
t
t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)

Mean daily ambient air temperature during one year of monitoring (C)

PV System Final Annual Report

9


-2,0
0,0
2,0
4,0
6,0
8,0
10,0
12,0
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
d
i
f
f
e
r
e
n
c
e
(

C
)

Mean daily temperature difference between modules and ambient air (C)

Figure of temperature difference between modules and ambient air shows the temperature
increase caused by irradiation. During summer period the mean daily increase is cca. 8C and is
almost constant because the irradiation is stable. In winter time there are more days with cloudy
weather and the temperature increase varies more.


Mean monthly temperatures during one year of monitoring
Mean monthly temperatures of modules and ambient air reach maximum in June, July and
August. The reach minimum values in December, January, February and March, in these months
they are almost constant.
PV System Final Annual Report

10


0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0
:
1
5
1
:
1
5
2
:
1
5
3
:
1
5
4
:
1
5
5
:
1
5
6
:
1
5
7
:
1
5
8
:
1
5
9
:
1
5
1
0
:
1
5
1
1
:
1
5
1
2
:
1
5
1
3
:
1
5
1
4
:
1
5
1
5
:
1
5
1
6
:
1
5
1
7
:
1
5
1
8
:
1
5
1
9
:
1
5
2
0
:
1
5
2
1
:
1
5
2
2
:
1
5
2
3
:
1
5
I
r
r
a
d
i
a
t
i
o
n

(
W
/
m
^
2
)
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)
Module temperature (C) Ambient temperature (C) Irradiation (W/m^2)

One day temperature and irradiation on a clear sunny day in winter (29.01.2010)


One day temperature and irradiation on a cloudy day in winter (29.01.2010)
PV System Final Annual Report

11



One day temperature and irradiation on a clear sunny day in summer (21.07.2010)

0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0
:
1
5
1
:
1
5
2
:
1
5
3
:
1
5
4
:
1
5
5
:
1
5
6
:
1
5
7
:
1
5
8
:
1
5
9
:
1
5
1
0
:
1
5
1
1
:
1
5
1
2
:
1
5
1
3
:
1
5
1
4
:
1
5
1
5
:
1
5
1
6
:
1
5
1
7
:
1
5
1
8
:
1
5
1
9
:
1
5
2
0
:
1
5
2
1
:
1
5
2
2
:
1
5
2
3
:
1
5
I
r
r
a
d
i
a
t
i
o
n

(
W
/
m
^
2
)
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
)
Module temperature (C) Ambient temperature (C) Irradiation (W/m^2)

One day temperature and irradiation on a cloudy day in summer (11.08.2010)

PV System Final Annual Report

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Energy yield

0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
E
n
e
r
g
y

y
i
e
l
d

p
e
r

d
a
y

(
k
W
h
)

Energy yield per day during one year of monitoring (kWh)


0
100
200
300
400
0
100
200
300
400
Apr
2009
May
2009
Jun
2009
Jul
2009
Aug
2009
Sep
2009
Oct
2009
Nov
2009
Dec
2009
Jan
2010
Feb
2010
Mar
2010
M
e
a
n

i
r
r
a
d
i
a
n
c
e

(
W
/
m
2
)
E
n
e
r
g
y

y
i
e
l
d

p
e
r

m
o
n
t
h

(
k
W
h
)
Energy production (kWh) Mean irradiance (W/m2)

Monthly energy yield and irradiance during one year of monitoring
PV System Final Annual Report

13


0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
(
d
a
y
s

p
e
r

y
e
a
r
)
kWh/day

Daily energy distribution during one year - histogram
It is most likely that the energy on a chosen day will exceed 10kWh or more (296 out
of 365 days). The most probable case is between 12-13kWh (32% of cases).


Energy yield per day versus the mean daily irradiation
Daily energy yield corresponds with the daily mean irradiation with little variations
caused by temperature and wind.
PV System Final Annual Report

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Performance factor
Performance factor indicates the relation between the power generated by the system
and solar irradiance. It shows how much the system is affected by the temperature,
reflectance, losses in cables, inverter etc.

0,740
0,760
0,780
0,800
0,820
0,840
0,860
0,880
Apr
2009
May
2009
Jun
2009
Jul
2009
Aug
2009
Sep
2009
Oct
2009
Nov
2009
Dec
2009
Jan
2010
Feb
2010
Mar
2010
P
e
r
f
o
r
m
a
n
c
e

f
a
c
t
o
r

(

-
)

Energy yield per day versus the mean daily irradiation

The performance factor achieves relatively high values comparing to other PV
installations worldwide. The main reasons are high efficient modules, transformless PV
inverter with high efficiency and small distances in cables. Also the cooling of modules is
very good because it is a rooftop installation on flat roof, so the wind has a high speed and
the panels can be effectively cooled.
PV System Final Annual Report

15


4. Conclusion

The PV system in Palestine together with the monitoring unit is working without any
problems. The obtained data show that the rough estimation of annual energy is close to
the really obtained values. The really obtained energy in the period of April-December
is cca. 11% above the expected value.

The monthly energy yield is in the region of Palestine much better balanced than
in middle Europe. This means that in Palestine for example autonomous
photovoltaic systems for rural areas can work more balanced and more efficient in
the whole year.







PV System Final Annual Report

16

5. Economical aspects

This article briefly describes the economical aspects of photovoltaic energy usage in
the territories of Palestine.

Until now there has been no implementation of a feed in tariff in Palestine. The Israel
government has recently introduced fixed feed in tariffs with annual decrease of 4%.
The feed in tariff depends on the installed power and for the year 2010 is set
1,97 0,73 NIS / kWh. For renewable energy one can get premium green payment of
0,44NIS/kWh. The photovoltaic system can be therefore simply connected to the grid and
deliver all energy to the grid. With the local energy yield of cca. 1730kWh / kWp and
photovoltaic system costs of cca. 15,5 NIS / Wp we can assume the investment payback
time of 4years for middle scale systems.

In Palestine, the photovoltaic can be at present time used for own use, to reduce the
energy costs for buying electricity. In such conditions, the owner of a PV plant reduces
only his own electricity bill, but can not get any extra money for selling the energy to the
grid. With the estimated energy costs of about 0,13 / kWh the investment payback time
is 14years. This is only in case that connection to electrical grid is already available.

For areas situated far from electrical grids, the situation is completely different and
solar energy is fully competitive with other sources of energy.
One must decide if to use diesel generator with expensive operation costs or make a
connection to the nearest electrical grid or build his own solar photovoltaic system.
The photovoltaic energy offers in this case the best option- compared to
a typical small diesel generator (1 5kW) the payback time of photovoltaic system
is about 3 years. Photovoltaic system is almost maintenance free and running with
no exhaust or noise.
The Palestinian Territories have practically no energy resources and are nowadays
fully dependant on energy source imports. The Palestinian electricity sector suffers from
many problems, such as high transmission losses and high electricity prices per kWh.
The Palestinian Territories are dependent on the Israel Electric Co. for nearly all of their
electrical needs. Seven percent of the Palestinian population is still without access to an
uninterrupted electricity service. These problems can be solved with help of new energy
sources, such as solar power and wind power.

The electricity consumption in Palestinian territories is divided by sectors as follows:
Residential 61%
Commercial 22%
Industrial 9%
Others (water pumping, street lighting,.) 8%
PV System Final Annual Report

17




Conclusion

On many places in Palestine the photovoltaic energy can be effectively
implemented and become local main energy source.
With no feed in tariff photovoltaic energy can nowadays be economical efficient only for places
far away from electrical grid. On such places off grid (autonomous) photovoltaic systems can be
installed. New residential areas or houses using now diesel generators can be equipped with
photovoltaic systems that will be economically effective. It will help to the energy
independence of the area and protection of the nature. The financial payback time of
small photovoltaic autonomous systems is about 3years.
To make grid connected photovoltaic systems economically effective, financial support
must be implemented. One important reason for this is the effort of reducing the energy
dependence on Israel and other countries. For a payback time of 8years and typical prices of
electricity 0,13 / kWh, the feed in tariff of about 0,22 / kWh should be implemented for selling
the energy to the grid.
If the producer will use the energy for his own use, the produced energy by photovoltaic system
should be awarded by cca. 0,10 / kWh.
Assuming the prices for components for photovoltaic systems and the prices for
designing and installation, a grid connected PV system can cost cca. 3 000 / kWp.
An offgrid system will cost about 4000 5000 / kWp.
A typical household can be fully supplied by electrical energy from a 1 3kWp
system according to the loads needed.
The main advantage is the energy independence, maintenance free operation and
high lifetime of the most expensive components (PV panels, more than 25years).

Concerning the technology for photovoltaic systems we can recommend using
panels with 0mono or polycrystalline silicon cells. Monocrystalline cell panels have been
tested in the 2,16kWp project and have very good annual energy yield. Mono- and
polycrystalline technologies are generally considered for having similar behavior. Thin film cells
have better temperature behavior but are not a good solution for using in climates with high
intensities of direct solar irradiation (Palestine).