Energy consumption coefficient (ECC) for optimum solar PV-diesel hybrid system design

Alternative energy technology has been used widely in Rural Electrification Programs (REPs) all over the world for many years now. Renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass, are the preferred choices given the abundant resources available on site and the sophistication of the technologies involved. Combinations of two or more of the resources, together with an energy storage system and occasionally a conventional energy generator, create a hybrid system, which is reliable and durable. In Malaysia, solar photovoltaic (PV) based systems, implemented on a large scale, can provide round-the-clock electricity services for areas that are inaccessible by the electricity grid network. One of Malaysia’s REP initiatives is a solar PV-diesel hybrid system for 160 schools in rural Sabah. An optimum system capacity is always a need so that the system can be fully utilized once operated. This paper determines the Energy Consumption Coefficient (ECC) in optimizing the design of solar PV diesel hybrid system. For this analytical approach, eleven schools with the installed solar PVdiesel hybrid system were selected. The study shows that the actual energy consumption is correlated with the Total Connected Load (TCL). For Malaysia’s rural school, the ECC was found to be in the range of 3.0 – 3.2.