Storage sizing procedure and experimental verification of stand-alone photovoltaic systems

Although Photovoltaic (PV) plants are already economically viable in off grid sites (mountains, islands and rural areas), technical problems are still present. The simulation of battery behavior is a usual topic in PV systems and several mathematical models have been developed with different degrees of complexity. The paper deals with both the simulation and the experimental verification of a stand-alone PV system for supplying an outdoor refrigerator with a suitable reliability index. In particular, after the sizing of PV generator in conventional irradiation and ambient temperature conditions, the proper battery capacity has been estimated with iterative simulations. The PV system has been tested in two different locations with opposite meteorological inputs.