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EE535: Renewable Energy: Systems, Technology & Economics: Solar Plant Engineering
EE535: Renewable Energy: Systems, Technology & Economics: Solar Plant Engineering
Nature, quality and availability of input energy to a SPP differs significantly from a conventional power plant
Site Requirements
Engineering (mining) and supply functions must
be carried out at the site of a SPP
Power rating of the plant is directly proportional
to the effective collector surface area
Consequently SPPs require more on-site land
area than conventional power plants
No off-site land is needed for energy raw
materials mining, processing, handling and
transport, disposal of (sometimes hazardous)
residues
Design Point:
Provides basis for sizing of SPP, in combination with specification of
output power capacity under rated conditions.
Conventional power plant facility usually sized based on nominal
(nameplate) output conditions. Operation at these conditions may be
maintained for extended time periods (base load supply)
Solar energy is fluctuating need to specify conditions on a certain day,
time, etc design point
Rated power capacity of a SPP is usually stated in terms of Design
Point.
Performance:
Actual performance will differ from design point and must be calculated
be calculated temporally.
Key factors impacting performance include meteorological conditions
(irradiation), plant parasitics and losses.
Performance can often be enhanced by use of an auxillary energy
source.
Solar Multiple:
ratio of collector subsystem output power at design point conditions to
that needed by the Power Control Unit for generating nominal output.
Necessary to obtain better performance on average irradiation days
With SM > 1, excess energy can be stored (e.g. charge thermal storage)
Capacity Factor:
Plants never operate at rated capacity over a full year due to
maintenance, service or costs, etc.
Main factors affecting CP are: location-specific irradiation conditions, the
SPP type and configuration, operating reliability
Field-receiver ratio:
to increase number of hours at which receiver can operate at its design
point rating, the converter may be oversized at the design point by 10
15%
First generation solar cells are the larger, silicon-based, photovoltaic cells that have,
and still do, dominate the solar panel market. These solar cells, using silicon wafers,
account for 86% of the solar cell market. They are dominant due to their high efficiency.
This despite their high manufacturing costs; a problem that second generation cells
hope to remedy.
Second generation cells, also called thin-film solar cells, are significantly cheaper to
produce than first generation cells but have lower efficiencies. The great advantage of
second generation, thin-film solar cells, along with low cost, is their flexibility. Thin-film
technology has spurred lightweight, aesthetically pleasing solar innovations such as
solar shingles and solar panels that can be rolled out onto a roof or other surface. It
has been predicted that second generation cells will dominate the residential solar
market as new, higher-efficiency cells are researched and produced.
Third generation solar cells are the cutting edge of solar technology. Still in the
research phase, third generation cells have moved well beyond silicon-based cells.
Generally, third generation cells include solar cells that do not need the p-n junction
necessary in traditional semiconductor, silicon-based cells. Third generation contains a
wide range of potential solar innovations including polymer solar cells, nanocrystalline
cells, and dye-sensitized solar cells. If and when these technologies are developed and
produced, the third generation seems likely to be divided into separate categories.
http://solar.calfinder.com/blog/solar-information/solar-genealogy-on-three-generations-of-solar-cells/
Costs
cent/kWh
Coal
4 -9
1200
Gas
3-5
550
Wind
3 - 10
750 - 1000
Hydro
3 - 14
900
Biomass
7 - 20
1100
Solar PV
25 - 30
5000 - 9000
Scenario:
Module Price
= 3/Wp
Infrastructure Price = 2/Wp
System Price
= 5/Wp
Table showing average cost in cents/kWh over 20 years for solar power panels
Insolation
Cost
2400
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
kWh/kWpy
200 $/kWp
0.8
0.9
1.1
1.3
1.4
1.7
2.5
600 $/kWp
2.5
2.7
3.3
3.8
4.3
7.5
1000 $/kWp
4.2
4.5
5.6
6.3
7.1
8.3
10
12.5
1400 $/kWp
5.8
6.4
7.8
8.8
10
11.7
14
17.5
1800 $/kWp
7.5
8.2
10
11.3
12.9
15
18
22.5
2200 $/kWp
9.2
10
11
12.2
13.8
15.7
18.3
22
27.5
2600 $/kWp
10.8
11.8
13
14.4
16.3
18.6
21.7
26
32.5
3000 $/kWp
12.5
13.6
15
16.7
18.8
21.4
25
30
37.5
3400 $/kWp
14.2
15.5
17
18.9
21.3
24.3
28.3
34
42.5
3800 $/kWp
15.8
17.3
19
21.1
23.8
27.1
31.7
38
47.5
4200 $/kWp
17.5
19.1
21
23.3
26.3
30
35
42
52.5
4600 $/kWp
19.2
20.9
23
25.6
28.8
32.9
38.3
46
57.5
5000 $/kWp
20.8
22.7
25
27.8
31.3
35.7
41.7
50
62.5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics
Economics
Cost of solar PV has reduced dramatically over
the past number of years but is still relatively
uncompetitive
Reduction in cost due to improvements in
manufacturing technology and high volume
manufacturing & better conversion efficiency
Insolation is a major variable determining the
economic value of a solar project
For remote locations (far from the grid) the
economics of solar can be much more attractive
Economics
In grid-connected systems, the excess
energy generated during the day can be
exported to the grid, or stored
Equally, in grid-connected systems, any
shortfall can be imported from the grid or a
storage device
Government subsidies an tariffs and have
a major impact on solar PV economics
(e.g. Germany)
PV Panels
DC/AC
user
PV Panels
Regulator
user
Storage
Stand-alone PV System
Mass production of PV
components
Reduction of balance of
system costs (e.g.
multifunctional use of PV
functional area)
No hazardous or scarce
materials
Long term stability
(>40years)
Question
The capital cost of installing an array of solar
panels that will produce 1kWp is 8000.
The annual solar energy density in the location
where the panels are to be installed is 2000
kWh/m2.
The lifetime of the solar panels is estimated to
be 50 years.
Assuming a discount rate of 6%, calculate the
cost of electricity per kWh.
Solution
Loan repayment factor: A = (1 1/(1+r)n) / r
NPV = EAC x A = Capital Cost = 8000
A = (1 - 1/(1 + 0.06)30) / 0.06 = 13.764
EAC = NPV/ A = 8000 / 13.764 = 581
Cost of Electricity = Celec = Net Present Value of Costs
(cent) / Net Present Value of Output (kWh)
Celec = 581 / 2000 = 0.29 / kWh
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
ab process, working fluid absorbs heat and raise temperature with constant volume;
bc process, working fluid absorbs heat and expands at constant temperature;
cd process, working fluid cools and lower temperature with constant volume;
da process, working fluid cools and contracts at constant temperature.
http://www.localpower.org/deb_tech_se.ht
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