Q2 [45 marks] Consider Ibra region where the installed solar panels cost on average 2 OMR /W.
[10 marks] What is the cost to install a 5kW PV system for a residence?

[10 marks] If the solar irradiance in Ibra is on average 800W/m2 and the installed panels have efficiency of 18%. How many panels are required if the panel’s area is 2m2?


[15 marks] Assume Ibra has an average of 10 day-hours, dusty environment which causes the efficiency of the solar system to drop by 10% on average, and 30 cloudy days/year which cause the efficiency of the solar panels drops by 50%. If electrical power cost per kWh is 0.05 OMR determine the break-even time for the 5kW PV system.

[10 marks] If the system to be off-grid, what would be the backup time if three 12-V batteries were selected each with a capacity of 200Ah. Assume that you can discharge the batteries up to 80% of their capacities.​