Economic and environmental solutions for the PV solar energy potential in Spain

Abstract

Solar photovoltaic plants have become one of the most widely used installations for generating electricity in a sustainable manner. However, their optimization in terms of production and economics depends on various factors, such as meteorological phenomena specific to the selected site. Selecting the right location is fundamental, and therefore in this work we developed a geographical map for choosing the optimal sites on the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands (Spain) where build photovoltaic plants, considering the photovoltaic potential, the orography of the terrain and the losses caused by dust deposition on the modules, which can reach up to 10%. To calculate the losses due to dust deposition, the HSU model was used, which estimates the losses using variables such as accumulated precipitation or the concentration of particles. Consequently, economic profitability maps and amortization times were developed for a sized photovoltaic plant, obtaining figures of 806 M€ and amortizing the installation within 9 years in the worst case scenario. For this economic study, the investment cost (CAPEX) and the maintenance cost (OPEX), as well as the economic losses due to dust accumulation, were taken into account. As a complement, the savings in terms of tonnes of CO2 that would result from the construction of a dimensioned photovoltaic plant have been studied, arriving at a total annual saving figure of 3000M metric tonnes of CO2.