Evolution of patterns of specific land use by free-field photovoltaic power plants in Europe from 2006 to 2022

Optimal configuration of photovoltaic power plant using grey wolf optimizer: A comparative analysis considering CdTe and c-Si PV modules

SummaryFloating photovoltaic (FPV) plants present several benefits in comparison with ground-mounted photovoltaics (PVs) and could have major positive environmental and technical impacts globally. FPVs do not occupy habitable and productive areas and can be deployed in degraded environments and reduce land-use conflicts. Saving water through mitigating evaporation and improving water security in arid regions combined with the flexibility for deployment on different water bodies including drinking water reservoirs are other advantages of FPVs. They also have higher efficiency than ground-mounted PV solar and are compatible with the existing hydropower infrastructures, which supports diversifying the energy supply and its resilience. Despite the notable growth of FPVs on an international scale, lack of supporting policies and development roadmaps by the governments could hinder FPVs’ sustainable growth. Long-term reliability of the floating structures is also one of the existing concerns that if not answered could limit the expansion of this emerging technology.

The development of a renewable energy power plant in Indonesia will increase rapidly in the future in line with the long-term electricity policy to achieve the renewable energy target of 23% by 2025. One type of renewable energy power plant that will be highly developed is the Photovoltaic (PV) power plant, both built on the ground or floating type. Floating PV power plants do not require large amounts of land. However, the construction of a floating PV requires a floater system along with mooring and anchoring, which costs up to 20-30% of the project cost. This paper aims to optimize and simulate the critical factors so that investors and utility companies can make a decision whether to build a PV power plant on land or floating in a used mine area. Critical factors that affected the PV power plant development are analyzed using Critical Success Factor Analysis. Furthermore, the analysis is carried out using Game Theory to obtain optimal decisions. Based on the analysis, if the other critical factors are assumed to be the same, the construction of a floating PV Power Plant in a typically used mining area will provide optimal commercial value at a depth of reservoir of fewer than 60 meters. If the depth of the reservoir is more than 60 meters, the ground mounted PV will provide a more optimal commercial value.

The interconnection of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) power plants with the electric grid is a crucial factor that requires comprehensive analysis and assessment. The focus of this research article is on a specific photovoltaic (PV) power plant that is planned for construction in the X Power System located in Indonesia which has 150 MW capacity which has intermittent behavior, experiencing fluctuations in power generation based on the availability of sunlight and the cloud movement. The objective of this paper is to explore the feasibility, technical prerequisites, and potential solutions for the successful integration of the PV power plant into the existing power system. Multiple investigations will be carried out, which is Load Flow, Short-Circuit, and Transient Stability analyses, with the aim of assessing the consequences of linking the PV power plant to the existing power system. Consequently, it is vital to model the X power system conditions prior to the interconnection process. Moreover, modeling an intermittent PV power plant necessitates different approaches compared to conventional power plants. According to the research findings from load flow analysis, the voltage levels near the interconnection point, both prior to and after linking the PV Power Plant, remain within permissible bounds of +5% and -10%. Furthermore, there are no constraints on the load capacity of the transmission lines and Interbus Transformers (IBT) either prior to or following the integration of the PV Power Plant. The short-circuit current around the point of interconnection experiences a marginal increase, and it is advisable to employ circuit breakers (CB) rated at 40 kA for both the PV Power Plant and the switching station. Furthermore, the power system exhibits resilience in preserving its stability, even in scenarios involving abrupt power loss or intermittent generation from the PV Power Plant. These situations can result from unexpected outages or variations in solar radiation. The interconnection of the 150 MW PV Power Plant can be implemented without significant adverse effects on the system's voltage, loading capacity, and stability.

Performance study on a grid connected 20 kWp solar photovoltaic installation in an industry in Tiruchirappalli (India)

Solar photovoltaic program helps turn deserts green in China: Evidence from satellite monitoring

After introducing the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) system into the Korean electricity market in 2012 to promote the use of renewable energy, many MW-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants have been constructed nationwide in South Korea. In addition, the recent decrease in the cost of constructing PV plants has contributed greatly to the increase in the number of PV plants. The government of Jeju Island has a plan to make the island carbon-free by 2030. Moreover, Jeju is trying to develop electric power plants using renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Because many MW-scale PV plants will be constructed in the future on Jeju Island, reference data for the generation characteristics of the MW-scale PV plants operating in the island are needed. In this study, the Jeju Island was divided into 4 regions according to the weather similarity. In addition, the generation characteristics of MW PV plants were investigated and analyzed. The relationship between the sunshine duration and the electricity generated by the PV plant was almost linear and the sunshine duration in the 4 regions over the past 20 years were investigated. The relationship between the sunshine duration and the utilization rates of the PV plants was analyzed.

A comparative study of the effects of photovoltaic power plants in desert and lake on the microclimate

Drone infrared camera monitoring of photovoltaic (PV) power plants allows us to quickly see a large area and to find the worst defects in PV panels, namely cracked PV cells with broken contacts. Roofs are suitable for the integration of PV power plants into buildings. The power plant at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, which was monitored by this method, does not show any significant defects, and the produced electric energy exceeds the expected values. On the contrary, the PV power plant in Ladná has visible defects, and the data monitoring system Solarmon-2.0 also indicates defects. Our newly developed data monitoring system Solarmon-2.0 has been successfully used in 65 PV power plants in the Czech Republic and in many PV power plants throughout the world. Data are archived and interpreted in our dispatch area at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. The monitoring system can report possible failure(s) if the measured amount of energy differs from the expected value(s). The relation of the measured values of PV power to the PV panel temperature is justified, which is consistent with the physical theory of semiconductors.

Existing megawatt-scale photovoltaic (PV) power plant producers must understand that simple and low-cost Operation and Maintenance (O&M) practices, even executed by their own personal and supported by a comparison of field data with simulated ones, play a key role in improving the energy outputs of the plant. Based on a currently operating 18 MW PV plant located in an under-developing South-Asia country, we show in this paper that comparing real field data collected with simulated results allows a central vision concerning plant underperformance and valuable indications about the most important predictive maintenances actions for the plant in analysis. Simulations using the globally recognized software PVSyst were first performed to attest to the overall power plant performance. Then, its energy output was predicted using existing ground weather data located at the power plant. Compared with the actual plant’s annual energy output, it was found that it was underperforming by −4.13%, leading to a potential monetary loss of almost 175,000 (EUR)/year. Besides, an analysis of the O&M power plant reports was performed and compared to the best global practices. It was assessed that the tracker systems’ major issues are the forerunner of the most significant PV power plant underperformance. In addition, issues in inverters and combiner boxes were also reported, leading to internal shutdowns. In this case, predictive maintenance and automated plant diagnosis with a bottom-up approach using low-cost data acquisition and processing systems, starting from the strings level, were recommended.

This paper presents the comparison between air terminal lightning Pole and Early Streamer Emitter lightning Pole in a Photovoltaic (PV) Power Plants. The installation of an external lightning protection system is crucial for power plants to minimize PV system damages. Two different lightning systems were installed to two different PV technology Power Plant systems. The respective system performances were compared in terms of total energy generated and energy yield. The key findings suggest that the air termination lightning pole is suitable for a solar power plant particularly a Thin Film or Crystalline PV power plant system that will result in lower losses compared to the Early Streamer Emitter lightning pole for the PV Power Plant system. This is caused by the shadow of lightning poles that drops on the PV modules to increase solar cell temperature and reduce power generation. Malaysia has one of highest occurrences of lightning activities in the world. Thus, it is essential for PV power plants to have adequate protection from damage and power generation losses.

Automatic detection, classification and localization of defects in large photovoltaic plants using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) based infrared (IR) and RGB imaging

Western China has good conditions for constructing large-scale photovoltaic (PV) power stations; however, such power plants with large fluctuations and strong randomness suffer from the long-distance power transmission problem, which needs to be solved. For large-scale PV power stations that do not have the conditions for simultaneous hydropower and PV power, this study examined long-distance delivery mode and energy storage optimization. The objective was to realize the long-distance transmission of electrical energy and maximize the economic value of the energy storage and PV power storage. For a large-scale PV power station, the energy storage optimization was modelled under a given long-distance delivery mode, and the economic evaluation system quantified using the net present value (NPV) of the battery was based on the energy dispatch optimization model. By contrast, a lithium battery performance model was developed. Therefore, further analysis of the economics of the energy storage and obtaining the best capacity of the energy storage battery and corresponding replacement cycle considered battery degradation. The case study of Qinghai Gonghe 100 MWp demonstration base PV power station showed that the optimal energy storage capacity was 5 MWh, and the optimal replacement period was 2 years. Therefore, the annual abandoned electricity was reduced by 3.051 × 10 4 MWh compared with no energy storage. The utilization rate of both the PV power station and quality of the delivered electricity were modelled to realize a long-distance transmission to the grid net. This will have an important guiding significance to develop and construct large-scale single PV power stations.

Photovoltaic power stations in Germany and the United States: A comparative study by data envelopment analysis

The grid integration of large scale photovoltaic (PV) power plants represents many challenging tasks for system stability, reliability and power quality due to the intermittent nature of solar radiation and the site accessibility issues where most PV power plants are located over a wide area. In order to enable real-time monitoring and control of large scale PV power plants, reliable two-way communications with low latency are required which provide accurate information for the electrical and environmental parameters as well as enabling the system operator to evaluate the overall performance and identify any abnormal conditions and faults. This work aims to design a communication network architecture for the remote monitoring of large-scale PV power plants based on the IEC 61850 Standard. The proposed architecture consists of three layers: the PV power system layer, the communication network layer, and the application layer. The PV power system layer consists of solar arrays, inverters, feeders, buses, a substation, and a control center. Monitoring parameters are classified into different categories including electrical measurements, status information, and meteorological data. This work considers the future plan of PV power plants in Saudi Arabia. In order to evaluate the performance of the communication network for local and remote monitoring, the OPNET Modeler is used for network modeling and simulation, and critical parameters such as network topology, link capacity, and latency are investigated and discussed. This work contributes to the design of reliable monitoring and communication of large-scale PV power plants.