Geographic based Analysis of a Photovoltaic System in a Residential Setup

Pollution, increased government regulations, and energy dependency are causing both governments and private entities to search for less polluting energy generating solutions. CO2 emissions can be greatly reduced by using renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power. Pollution can also be reduced if the transportation sector focuses more on electric and plugin electric vehicles. Furthermore, charging such vehicles from energy that was generated from a renewable source is a huge environmental advantage. In this paper, we present a complete residential photovoltaic system that consists of a grid connected photovoltaic array. The system furthermore includes a charging station that supports the charging of a plugin electric vehicle and possibly a battery bank. The system is analyzed in various geographic locations within the United States. This analysis will help engineers and system designers to do cost analysis on whether battery banks are beneficial to be installed based on the specific residential location. Results show that based on the location and house loads it might make more sense to not install any battery bank to the system.