Optimal system sizing of weak grid interfaced solar outdoor lighting solution

Solar street lighting has been widely perceived to provide security and safety for drivers, riders and pedestrians due to its ability in illuminating streets even during grid load shedding. However, even with falling PV panel cost, solar PV system is not popular due to high initial investment on battery and associated electronics. In this paper, analytical work has been carried out to optimize the total system cost, by suitably adjusting the battery and PV capacity in weak grid connected solar lighting system. It has been shown that, by proper sizing of PV and battery capacity, the total cost of ownership of the entire system can be brought down significantly, over the years of its use.