Regional generation characteristics of MW photovoltaic power plants in Jeju Island

Abstract

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.