Data and performance evaluation of a PV hybrid system in Gambia

The possible solution for electrifying rural areas of developing countries, where is far away from national grids, are off grid small hybrid systems using renewable energy. The photovoltaic(PV) hybrid system was installed in the village of Darsilami in Gambia and since December 2004 functions as a stand alone system that is used to supply electricity for a rural health clinic. All the generators are coupled on the AC side using innovative inverter technology, which will allow the capacity of the power system to be easily expanded according to the future needs of the village population. This paper presents the data evaluation and performance study of the hybrid system. The monthly global radiation, system performance ratio(PR) and performance factor(PF) were analyzed and investigated. The PR and PF were introduced to characterize the system operation and shows how the potential energy of a PV system is used.