Analysis of Failure and Degradation Modes of Small-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plants in Rural Communities of the Atacama Desert

The use of solar energy is an obvious choice; the energy of the sun is not only indispensable for most processes in nature but it is also a clean, abundant, sustainable, and—most importantly—universally available resource. Although the further spread of photovoltaic systems, which make use of this source of energy, is expected in the future all around the world, no comprehensive investigation has been conducted into the current situation of the small-scale photovoltaic power plants in Hungary, where this type of photovoltaic system is the most popular. By means of a case study, whose novelty lies in its focus on small-scale power plants and their complex examination, including economic and geographic indicators, this paper analyzes their status in Hungary. The study endeavors to establish the reasons for the popularity of this type of power plant and to identify some typical geographical locations with well-illustrated photovoltaic density. Residential, as well as business prosumers, were examined with the aim of learning more about the density of the small-scale photovoltaic systems and their geographical locations. Another goal was to calculate the average size of small-scale photovoltaic power plants and to gain more understanding of their economic aspects. The outcomes of this research include maps displaying the density of the small-scale photovoltaic power plants in Hungary and the results of the economic calculations for such investments.

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Relationships between the Number and Power of Hungarian Household-Sized Photovoltaic Power Plants and Selected Indicators of the Settlements: A Case Study

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr9010004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 4

Author(s):

Nóra Hegedűsné Baranyai ◽

Henrik Zsiborács ◽

András Vincze ◽

Nóra Rodek ◽

Martina Makai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Power Plants ◽

Small Scale ◽

Significant Relationships ◽

Photovoltaic Power ◽

Almost Everywhere ◽

Pairwise Correlations ◽

Service Areas ◽

Complex Indicators ◽

The Relationship

In the global transformation of energy systems, solar energy plays a prominent role, since the energy from our star is a limitless and clean resource, which is available practically almost everywhere. In spite of the immense advancements of photovoltaic systems, which utilize this source of energy, no in-depth research has been carried out regarding the present Hungarian status of the small-scale photovoltaic power plants, the most common type of solar power plant in Hungary. The novelty of this study is that it examines the number and power of these small-scale power plants at the settlement level within the service areas of the various distribution companies, by also considering the economic and infrastructural dimensions of the settlements. The paper seeks answers to the questions whether there are any significant relationships between the number and the power of power plants of this type and the indicators of the settlements, and if so, how strong they are. Besides pairwise correlations, the study also involved the analysis of the relationship between the ranking of the settlements based on the settlements’ complex indicators that were created from the settlements’ indicators and the ranking of the settlements according to the number and power of household-sized photovoltaic power plants per 1000 people. In the course of exploring the relationships, a regression model was also devised concerning the number of household-sized photovoltaic power plants and the settlement indicators.

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Photovoltaic Farms—Economic Efficiency of Investments in North-East Poland

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14082087 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (8) ◽

pp. 2087

Author(s):

Zbigniew Brodziński ◽

Katarzyna Brodzińska ◽

Mikołaj Szadziun

Keyword(s):

Economic Efficiency ◽

Power Plants ◽

Solar Power ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Rate Of Return ◽

Small Scale ◽

Photovoltaic Power ◽

Group I ◽

Northeastern Poland ◽

Solar Power Plants

The abandonment of conventional sources in favor of energy from renewable energy sources (RES) has a global dimension, and the dynamic increase in the share of energy from photovoltaic systems in the energy mix of many countries results from the possibility of obtaining it both on a small scale (micro-installations) and as part of economic investments (photovoltaic power plants). The study aimed to assess the economic efficiency of 22 photovoltaic farms located in northeastern Poland. The research covered 5 solar power plants with a capacity of up to 799 kWp (I), 13 between 800 and 1100 kWp (II), and 4 installations of 1.98 MWp (III). The evaluation was based on net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback period (PP), profitability index (PI), accounting rate of return (ARR). Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out regarding the value of economic indicators. The analysis shows that all studied PV farms are economically justified investments (NPV > 0) regardless of the adopted scenario. Solar power plants of the largest analyzed capacity (group III) resulted in being the most profitable ones, but no linear relationship between the level of productivity and profitability was established. Due to the large variation in terrain shape in northeastern Poland, landscape value and social benefits, which are difficult to assess, the support system for investments regarding the construction of photovoltaic power plants proved to be the most effective in group I.

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Impact of the fixed and variable component of electricity price on the economic viability of a small-scale photovoltaic power plant

Journal of Electrical Engineering ◽

10.2478/jee-2021-0020 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 72 (2) ◽

pp. 140-147

Author(s):

František Janíček ◽

Ján Poničan ◽

Matej Sadloň

Keyword(s):

Distribution System ◽

Power Plants ◽

Electricity Price ◽

Small Scale ◽

Variable Component ◽

Photovoltaic Power ◽

Payback Time ◽

Fixed Part ◽

System Operator ◽

Simple Change

Abstract The article analyzes electricity prices in Slovakia, their distribution tari component, and their significant impact on small-scale photovoltaic power plants (PVPs). Fixed part of the distribution tari component in Slovakia varies considerably, given the region of operation of the distribution system operator as well as the allocated tari rate. Profitability of the small-scale PVP in Slovakia is widely discussed, with differing opinions of the lay and professional public. The article will explain under what circumstances all the opinions may be true. Profitability predictions available online or done by PVP installers are extremely simplified and lead to misleading results. The existence of fixed and variable components of the price plays a significant role and a simple change of the electricity tari may bring significant savings and shorten the payback time of the PVP investment. However, this is a complex issue and requires several other factors to be considered, too. The most important ones are the fixed component of the electricity price, household consumption diagram and the distribution system to which the household is connected.

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Modular Trough Power Plants

Solar Engineering 2001: (FORUM 2001: Solar Energy — The Power to Choose) ◽

10.1115/sed2001-156 ◽

2001 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Vahab Hassani ◽

Henry W. Price

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Power Systems ◽

Power Plants ◽

Organic Rankine Cycle ◽

Rankine Cycle ◽

Market Potential ◽

Small Scale ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Electrical Generation ◽

The Cost

Abstract A number of factors are creating an increased market potential for small trough power technology. These include the need for distributed power systems for rural communities worldwide, the need to generate more electricity by non-combustion renewable processes, the need for sustainable power for economic growth in developing countries, and the deregulation and privatization of the electrical generation sector worldwide. Parabolic trough collector technology has been used in large central station power plants. Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) air-cooled modular power units have been successfully applied for large and small-scale geothermal power plants, with over 600 MW of capacity, during the same period. The merging of these two technologies to produce distributed modular power plants in the 200 kW to 10 MW range offers a new application for both technologies. It is our objective in this paper to introduce a modular trough power plant (MTPP) and discuss its performance and the cost of electricity generation from such system.

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Optimization of Water Falling Points in Micro Hydro Power Plants

Buletin Ilmiah Sarjana Teknik Elektro ◽

10.12928/biste.v3i1.1477 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 93

Author(s):

Heru Hermawan ◽

Sunardi Sunardi

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Power Plant ◽

Power Plants ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Water Drop ◽

Water Discharge ◽

Tangential Force ◽

Small Scale ◽

Alternative Source ◽

Hydro Power

Micro Hydro Power Plant (PLTMH) is an alternative source of electrical energy for the community. PLTMH provides many benefits, especially for rural communities throughout Indonesia. When other energy sources start to run low and have a negative impact, water becomes a very important source of energy because it can be used as an energy source. PLTMH is a small-scale power plant that uses hydropower as its driving force such as irrigation channels, rivers, or natural waterfalls by utilizing the waterfall height (head) and the amount of water discharge. In rivers, there is the potential for sufficient water availability throughout the year, reliable discharge, suitable contours, and has been used for MHP. However, this river has decreased the electrical power it produces. Therefore, in this PLTMH river, it is necessary to analyze and recalculate the electric power generated by optimizing the water drop point, using an 8-inch pipe to produce a tangential force of 814.28 N, then using a 3-inch pipe to produce a tangential force of 100, 62 N and using a 2-inch pipe produces a tangential force of 25.37 N.

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