ABSTRACT

The solar power installation for the department of mechanical engineering is faulty and does not function before this project was embarked upon. It was also necessary to determine the solar power yield per solar panel around the Faculty of Engineering, University of Benin. This project work is to help resolve these two issues.

The solar power installation of mechanical engineering department was inspected and analyzed to determine the fault in the system preventing it from functioning properly. It was finally determined that the batteries were badly depleted and after they were restored, it was discovered that the inverters motherboard had to be replaced due to a fault developed in its circuit. After these repairs were done the system was left to recharge the batteries for a period of 10 days during which battery recharging data were collected. This data was analyzed to determine the energy yield for each solar panel. The value was 845Kw per day during the month of December 2022.

The solar panel yield per day determined using the solar power installation of Mechanical Engineering department can be used to design and install a solar power system for any given load with the vicinity of the faculty of engineering of the University of Benin. This information is more accurate compared to the general value which might be slightly lower or higher than what was discovered here. This can be of economic value to any installer or owner of a solar power system in the area.