Abstract
To abate the continuous rise in environmental pollution largely caused by the high dependence as well as consumption of conventional sources of energy, also known as fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, coal, propane, kerosene etc., energy enthusiasts such as researchers, energy end-users, governments (policy makers), investors, manufacturing companies etc., all have their roles to play to enable smooth, urgent transition and adoption of the existing renewable energy technologies such as wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass and solar energy sources that have been proven to be environmentally friendly with no emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the point of use. While the existing renewable energy technologies have been proven to be beneficial to the environment and existence of human and human activities, researchers on the other hand are enjoined to continue to work tirelessly to improve the existing green sources of energy supply and develop new ones with higher system efficiency. This transitioning from fossil fuel use to the production, adoption, installation, and utilization of clean energy sources have been both tasking and rewarding from the experiences of countries that have adopted them and the lessons learnt from their experiences have been recognized to be beneficial in the long run to combating global warming and improvement of system efficiency. To enable awareness creation, smooth transition and adoption of solar PV technology locally, regionally and globally, this study provides a concise approach for the selection of the most efficient solar PV module to maximize the energy yield per area of the solar PV array. Daily energy consumption data for lighting and air conditioning were gathered through an energy audit conducted on the facility of a 5-bedroom residential duplex in Lagos, Nigeria. The energy demands of the appliances were programmed into the NCEEC_e-EASZ simulation tool used for the sizing of solar PV modules needed to produce the required solar energy yield for the transition to clean energy. The variables considered are energy yield, array area, and module efficiency. Eighteen different solar PV modules with manufacturers’ specifications such as unit peak power of 280–400 W, area of 1.63–2.01 m2 and module efficiency ranging between 16.49–19.9% were compared to ascertain the suitable module for meeting the required daily energy needs. The energy yields obtained from the commercially available solar PV modules considered in this study were compared and validated with literature. The results of this study indicate that the higher the module efficiency, the lower the number of solar PV modules required to meet the energy uses. In practice, to produce the minimum energy yield to meets the daily energy requirement of buildings, solar PV modules with higher efficiencies should be installed for optimizing the energy yield and reduce the total array area in the residential building.
