Sizing, Design and Implementation of a Low-Power Stand-Alone PV System for Remote Areas in Peru

Access to electrical energy is crucial, even more nowadays with the broad use of electronic devices. However, accessing the main electrical grid in remote areas of Peru remains a challenge due to geographic and technological reasons. The use of stand-alone photovoltaic systems is an alternative that helps filling a large part of the electricity gap through the use of a photovoltaic panel, a battery, and a solar charge controller. This work addresses the design and implementation of a portable, stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) system with a customized PWM-type solar charge controller. To verify its performance and efficiency, daytime and night-time scenarios are evaluated for both the battery charging and discharging processes with connection and disconnection events of direct current (DC) loads.