Techno-economic assessment of grid-connected photovoltaic systems in Swedish public buildings

2020 ◽  
pp. 66-79
Author(s):  
Zahabia Gandhi ◽  
Hao Liu

Sweden aims to achieve near-zero non-renewable energy use in all the newly constructed buildings from 2020. One of the most promising methods of achieving these energy goals and reducing the net energy-use is using solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in buildings. Although some studies have demonstrated this method, the solar PV industry is growing rapidly. Therefore, the study aimed at using sources with the latest information to analyse the true potential of PV systems for the current initial cost of the PV system and tax benefits in Sweden. The study investigates the economic feasibility of a grid-connected solar PV system from a technical and economic perspective for a group of public buildings in Sweden. The hourly energy production and cost of purchasing deficit electricity was simulated for various tilts and ground coverage area to find the optimum tilt and ground coverage ratio of PV panels. The PV energy supply of four different systems – 26 kWp, 75 kWp, 80 kWp, 155 kWp – in different locations was simulated. The overproduction, own usage rate, solar fraction, investment cost, profit over its lifespan and the payback period of each system were compared for the existing as well as improved energy use. Honeybee 0.0.64 and SAM 2018.11.11 was used to simulate energy use and PV production. Results indicate that a system with a high own usage rate and specific yield was profitable when the selling price of electricity (excluding tax refund) was lower. However, a system with a higher production potential became more profitable when the selling price of electricity (including tax refund) was equal or higher than the purchasing price. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the system if the price of electricity or interest rates changed in the future. The outcome of this research demonstrates the techno-economic feasibility of implementing a solar PV system in Sweden and provides a set of benchmarks for comparison of such systems around the world.

Author(s):  
Rakesh Dalal ◽  
Kamal Bansal ◽  
Sapan Thapar

Rooftop solar photovoltaic(PV) installation in India have increased in last decade because of the flat 40 percent subsidy extended for rooftop solar PV systems (3 kWp and below) by the Indian government under the solar rooftop scheme. From the residential building owner's perspective, solar PV is competitive when it can produce electricity at a cost less than or equal grid electricity price, a condition referred as “grid parity”. For assessing grid parity of 3 kWp and 2 kWp residential solar PV system, 15 states capital and 19 major cities were considered  for the RET screen simulation by using solar isolation, utility grid tariff, system cost and other economic parameters. 3 kWp and 2 kWp rooftop solar PV with and without subsidy scenarios were considered for simulation using RETscreen software. We estimate that without subsidy no state could achieve grid parity for 2kWp rooftop solar PV plant. However with 3 kWp rooftop solar PV plant only 5 states could achieve grid parity without subsidy and with government subsidy number of states increased to 7, yet wide spread parity for residential rooftop solar PV is still not achieved. We find that high installation costs, subsidized utility grid supply to low energy consumer and financing rates are major barriers to grid parity.


2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Firdaus Muhammad Sukki ◽  
Roberto Ramirez Iniguez ◽  
Scott G. Mcmeekin ◽  
Brian G. Stewart ◽  
Barry Clive

Solar energy has become a matter of global attention in the past few years. This paper explores the use and benefit of solar concentrators in the solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. First, a short literature review of previous research on the usage of solar concentrators in improving solar PV system performance and reducing the cost of implementation is presented. This is followed by an overview of SolarBrane, an example of a Building Integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system which uses an optical concentrator in the solar PV design. An optimised design of the SolarBrane is also discussed afterwards. A financial benefit study is conducted to compare the average return of investment of using the optimised SolarBrane and traditional solar PV installed in Malaysia’s environment. SolarBrane has proven to be a good alternative to achieve costeffective solar PV system. The financial analysis simulated under the new Malaysian Feed–In Tariff scheme indicates that the optimised SolarBrane could potentially reduce the initial cost of implementation by 40% and generate higher return, close to 20%, when compared to traditional solar PV systems. Key words: Solar photovoltaic; solar concentrator; solarBrane; dielectric totally internally reflecting concentrator; financial analysis


Author(s):  
Ramzi Alahmadi ◽  
◽  
Kamel Almutairi ◽  

With the increasing global concerns about greenhouse gas emissions caused by the extensive use of fossil fuels, many countries are investing in the deployment of clean energy sources. The utilization of abundant solar energy is one of the fastest growing deployed renewable sources due its technological maturity and economic competitivity. In addition to report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), many studies have suggested that the maturity of solar energy systems will continue to develop, which will increase their economic viability. The focus of analysis in this paper is countries with hot desert climates since they are the best candidates for solar energy systems. The capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is used as the case study due to the country’s ambitious goals in this field. The main purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyze the stochastic behavior and probabilistic distribution of solar irradiance in order to accurately estimate the expected power output of solar systems. A solar Photovoltaic (PV) module is used for the analysis due to its practicality and widespread use in utility-scale projects. In addition to the use of a break-even analysis to estimate the economic viability of solar PV systems in hot desert climates, this paper estimates the indifference point at which the economic feasibility of solar PV systems is justified, compared with the fossil-based systems. The numerical results show that the break-even point of installing one KW generation capacity of a solar PV system is estimated to pay off after producing 16,827 KWh, compared to 15,422 KWh for the case of fossil-based systems. However, the increased cost of initial investment in solar PV systems deployment starts to be economically justified after producing 41,437 KWh.


The need to electrify all rural areas in India is quite compelling. However, the focus has now shifted from traditional fuel-based systems to generate electricity to renewable sources for energy generation. Though there are subsidies and policies that encourage the use of solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems, there is a need for an appropriate framework. This framework could not only offer substantial directions but it would also act as grounds to enhance rural electrification in India using solar PVs. From this perspective, the current research attempts to structure an innovative framework for solar PV system that could facilitate rural electrification in India. In particular, the district of Damoh in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as there are many villages without electricity in this district. PVsyst software was utilized to simulate the outcomes that included mathematical models and diverse components based on PV, for simulation. Three designs were developed to facilitate the simulation. These included; PVs linked with microgrid devoid of battery, individual PV systems without microgrid link and solar PVs linked to microgrid with battey. The framework for rural electrification using solar PVs will offer policy makers with insights with regards to implementing PV systems. It will also offer inputs as to the feasibility of implementing a specific system on several parameters. These would comprise of; number of households within a village, detached households etc. Nonetheless, research in future is also warranted to explore the scope for other sources of renewable energy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9516
Author(s):  
Razzaqul Ahshan

Hydrogen production using renewable power is becoming an essential pillar for future sustainable energy sector development worldwide. The Sultanate of Oman is presently integrating renewable power generations with a large share of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The possibility of using the solar potential of the Sultanate can increase energy security and contribute to the development of the sustainable energy sector not only for the country but also for the international community. This study presents the hydrogen production potential using solar resources available in the Sultanate. About 15 locations throughout the Sultanate are considered to assess the hydrogen production opportunity using a solar PV system. A rank of merit order of the locations for producing hydrogen is identified. It reveals that Thumrait and Marmul are the most suitable locations, whereas Sur is the least qualified. This study also assesses the economic feasibility of hydrogen production, which shows that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in the most suitable site, Thumrait, is 6.31 USD/kg. The LCOH in the least convenient location, Sur, is 7.32 USD/kg. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to reveal the most significant influential factor affecting the future’s green hydrogen production cost. The findings indicate that green hydrogen production using solar power in the Sultanate is promising, and the LCOH is consistent with other studies worldwide.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hamed ◽  
Adnan AlMasri ◽  
Zakariya Dalala ◽  
Raed Alsaleh

Abstract This paper addresses two key decisions by households to adopt rooftop solar PV systems and the length of time until the adoption. It is hypothesized that these decisions are controlled by different mechanisms and should be modelled independently. This is the first attempt to formally estimate the length of time until the adoption to the authors' knowledge. Two models are presented in this paper. The first is a mixed logit to model the respondents' intention to adopt a solar PV system, and the second is a random parameters ordered probit to estimate the length of time until the adoption. Estimation results show that the number of electrical appliances, the households' interest to harness economic benefits, and the type and characteristics of the dwelling motivate households to select a shorter duration until the adoption. Results also show that the majority (77.80%) of respondents with EVs are highly likely to adopt a rooftop system and select a shorter time duration until adoption. In addition, a significant proportion (83.23%) of respondents with high monthly electricity bills are more likely to adopt a rooftop PV system and select a shorter time duration. Results show that the average monthly electricity bill for households with a PV system has decreased by 74.04%. Reducing monthly electricity bills is a key instigator for adopting a rooftop PV system. Our results confirm the hypothesis that even if there is an intent to adopt a rooftop solar PV system, the length of time until the adoption is controlled by another mechanism.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Tamba Dellosa

The Renewable Energy Act of 2008 in the Philippines provided an impetus for residential owners to explore solar PV installations at their own rooftops through the Net-Metering policy. The Net-Metering implementation through the law however presented some concerns with inexperienced electric DU on the potential effect of high residential solar PV system installations. It was not known how a high degree of solar integration to the grid can possibly affect the operations of the electric DU in terms of energy load management. The primary objective of this study was to help the local electric DU in the analysis of the potential effect of high residential solar PV system penetration to the supply and demand load profile in an electric distribution utility (DU) grid in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. The energy consumption profiles in the year 2015 were obtained from the electric DU operating in the area. An average daily energy demand load profile was obtained from 0-hr to the 24th hour of the day based from the figures provided by the electric DU. The assessment part of the potential effect of high solar PV system integration assumed four potential total capacities from 10 Mega Watts (MW) to 40 MW generated by all subscribers in the area under study at a 10 MW interval. The effect of these capacities were measured and analyzed with respect to the average daily load profile of the DU. Results of this study showed that a combined installations beyond 20 MWp coming from all subscribers is not viable for the local electric DU based on their current energy demand or load profile. Based from the results obtained, the electric DU can make better decisions in the management of high capacity penetration of solar PV systems in the future, including investment in storage systems when extra capacities are generated.Article History: Received July 15th 2016; Received in revised form Sept 23rd 2016; Accepted Oct 1st 2016; Available onlineHow to Cite This Article: Dellosa, J. (2016) Potential Effect and Analysis of High Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Penetration to an Electric Distribution Utility (DU). Int. Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 5(3), 179-185.http://dx.doi.org/10.14710/ijred.5.3.179-185


Rekayasa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 168-174
Author(s):  
Nizar Amir

Indonesia has enormous solar radiation potential, and it can be converted to electrical energy by utilizing solar PV systems. Mainly the irrigation of paddy rice fields in Indonesia dependent on a diesel-powered water pumping system. A solar PV system can replace this method, and it generates several benefits. The present study proposed the utilization of a solar PV system to drive the water pump based on a 100% renewable power supply. The technological and economic viability assessment of solar PV water pumping system to irrigate paddy rice filed at Telang village, Bangkalan, Indonesia, is investigated. The HOMER software has been used to generate the optimal configuration of a renewable system. Initial capital, net present cost, and cost of energy will evaluate as economic assessment criteria. The solar PV and diesel generator water pumping system also compared. The results showed that for water pumping systems, a solar PV system is more cost-effective than a diesel generator. It has lower annual operational and maintenance costs, 100% renewable energy penetration, and free energy cost.


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