Determination of Panel Generation Factor for Ugbokolo, Benue State in Nigeria Using Experimental Method

Abstract

The study is to determine the panel generation factor for Ugbokolo, Benue state, in Nigeria using experimental method. This has become necessary due to lack of such within the radius of three hundred kilometers. As a varying factor for solar energy installation, it is expected to be determined at the specific site of installation or within a short distance for design accuracy. The analytical values usually used during solar system designs may not be actual values hence reducing the sizing accuracies. The study measures the average daily energy generated in Ugbokolo by 600w solar panels from March to June 2024. The energy generated was measured at the time interval of 20 minutes from 6.00am to 6.00pm daily. The average energy generated was used to determine the experimental value of panel generation factor for Ugbokolo to be 3.965. On the other hand, the analytical value was found to be 3.938 representing a deviation of 0.68%. The small deviation of the experimental value and analytical value validate the experiment.