Evaluating the PV system expansion potential of existing integrated energy parks: A case study in North China

Abstract

Industrial parks, distributed widely and with high energy consumption, show the demand for and provide favorable conditions of application of photovoltaic(PV) systems in a large-scale. Innovative PV technology allows more building integration options, bringing new opportunities for energy conservation.In the study, an evaluation framework was constructed in order to evaluate the expansion potential of PV systems. Taking the green integrated energy park in North China as an example, the construction and energy supply–demand data were reviewed.The scalable area of PV, the application effect of varied PV technologies and the impact on pollutant emission reduction were quantitatively analyzed. The roofs, facades and sites in the park were divided into seven types, These are then simulated to deploy mono c-Si modules, poly c-Si modules, CdTe film modules and CIGS film modules to obtain the best solutions by comparison. The results shows that the PV expansion of the park has significantly increased the power generation. The proportion of the energy supply meeting the overall energy demand increased from 4.3 % to 25.9 %. The wall of the production area where CdTe standard film modules were deployed is the place with the highest PV potential, followed by the parking shed and other sites. The deployment of diverse PV modules controlled the economic cost. The power generation trend also would better matches the hourly load of the park's power consumption, which can cover the sub item power consumption of the park. After the PV expansion, CO2 emissions would be reduced by 4757.8 t per year. Based on the results, the correlation change characteristics and the influences of PV available area, PV capacity and power generation index are discussed. Considering the declining PV cost and the demonstrative nature of the case Park, the above results can guide the industrial parks to improve the utilization level of renewable energy and promote the realization of carbon emission reduction targets.