Case Study: Optimization of Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Self-Consumption Systems for The Commercial Sector in Honduras

Abstract

It is common to see how the installation of photovoltaic systems is being used in the commercial sector to minimize costs on the electric bill, so if the aim is to obtain the greatest benefits from the photovoltaic system, it is necessary to carry out a correct sizing of its nominal DC capacity prior to installation. To achieve this in a more reliable way, the initiative was taken to develop a program with LabVIEW where it is possible to find the most profitable sizing based on the selection of the best scenario from a variety of simulations that it will carry out, this choice is based on the Net Present Cost (NPC) resulting from simulations. For the correct operation of the program, meteorological data of the hourly annual global irradiance were included. The data for the consumption analysis for each case was obtained from the load profiles of 8 selected banks. This research was carried out in the county of Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras. The program developed in this research was able to determine the optimal result for each banking agency according to each scenario analyzed. The cases were categorized depending on their annual energy consumption, which are between 30 and 200 (MWh/year). Each bank was analyzed in 3 scenarios: no surplus compensation, net billing, and net metering. The development of this research determined the average nominal DC capacity required by an installation located in the proposed consumption categories and that with the current scheme that is managed in the country (without compensation of surpluses), it is economically attractive to optimize a grid-connected photovoltaic system for self-consumption, due to the significant amount of economic benefits it represents for the user, which in this research are between 28,000 and 165,000 (USD).