Abstract
Utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) parks have dominated the international market for the past few years. However, in some countries, like Sweden, utility-scale PV is on the verge to economic viability. Using existing infrastructure in a resource-efficient manner could be a crucial strategy for a successful implementation at scale. In this study, a new methodology for a utility-scale solar guide is developed by studying the hosting capacity in the local grid and identifying land appropriate for PV parks. The method is applied on a rural municipality in Sweden (512 km2) with a local distribution grid (5,000 customers). The impact on the grid, if connecting a PV park to a substation, was analyzed through power flow simulations and the geographical assessment was done using multi-criteria analysis with a Boolean approach. Three different sizes of PV parks, 1, 3, and 5 MWp, were analyzed. Results showed that 3.7% of the studied area is qualified for locating 1 MWp PV parks. However, if introducing a maximum distance threshold to the nearest substation that can host the PV generation from the park, the potential is further reduced (e.g., to 1% for a 750 m threshold). Furthermore, parts of the grid can host PV parks of 3 and 5 MWp, but only near urban areas, where qualified land is lacking. The results highlight that the proposed methodology can function as a tool in the dialog between utility companies, municipalities, PV companies, land-owners and other stakeholders in order to find resource- and system-efficient locations for PV parks.
Highlights
One of the major challenges that the electricity grid is facing is how a 100% renewable electricity system should be designed and controlled, especially in cases of high shares of variable power generation [1,2,3]
Since this study focuses on the medium voltage (MV) grid, a lower acceptance threshold must be set in order to give slack to deviations in the LV grid and the lower time resolution of the load data
In this study the impact that utility-scale PV parks have on the distribution grid are incorporated into a traditional Boolean overlaybased PV site selection methodology
Summary
One of the major challenges that the electricity grid is facing is how a 100% renewable electricity system should be designed and controlled, especially in cases of high shares of variable power generation [1,2,3]. Political goals exist on different levels, both locally and internationally, for a completely renewable energy system [1,4]. PV parks accounted for 62% of the cumulative installed PV power capacity globally by 2019 [6]. For a resource- and system-efficient expansion, it is important to find the best locations for PV parks considering a range of different aspects. Several studies have proposed methods for the site selection for mainly wind and PV, but sometimes for other renewable energy resources (RES), such as biomass [7], geothermal [8] and concentrated solar power (CSP) [9,10]. IRENA [14] gives a comprehensive guide all the way from the site selection to the decommissioning of a utility-scale PV park
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
