Design to implementation of a grid-connected solar parking lot (Case study in East Azarbaijan Electric Power Distribution Company)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 East Azarbaijan Electric Power Distribution Company, Tabriz, Iran

2 Department of Electrical Engineering, Shabestar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, Iran

Abstract
Iran has a high potential to receive solar energy by constructing solar parking lots. The initial cost of building a solar parking lot is high and requires optimal design and implementation. In this research, the optimal design and implementation of a grid-connected solar parking lot in the headquarters area of the East Azerbaijan Electricity Distribution Company with known area and conditions (the existing parking lot ceiling) to extract the maximum possible power with high efficiency, has been proposed. First, the appropriate slope and orientation of the panels are determined as 30 degrees by PVSyst software. In this way the geographical location, available parking space, size and type of the purchased panels with the requirement of observing the necessary distance between the panels for ease of maintenance and preventing the panels from casting shadow, the maximum use of the surface, final beauty of the work and maximizing the annual electricity production are important. Then, the number of panels, distance, and their optimal arrangement are determined. Simulation results show that by installing 252, 200-watt panels, the parking lot peak capacity is 50.4-kilowatt, and the amount of electricity generated by the parking lot is about 80 MWh/year. Finally, using SMA Sunny Design software, the optimal number and capacity of inverters and their compatibility with the panels and arrays are presented. From the economic analysis, the investment return period is less than 5 years, and the project is economically justified.

Keywords

Subjects


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Volume 12, Issue 2 - Serial Number 24
September 2025
Pages 73-83

  • Receive Date 11 May 2024
  • Revise Date 04 January 2025
  • Accept Date 12 March 2025