Abstract
The aim of this paper is to describe the use of SOLAR 1.1 software to de¬sign an illumination system for a chicken farm. This software version also helps carry out the economic analysis for grid-connected or stand-alone photovoltaic systems for choosing practical values of the investment rate and annuity factor and calculates the payback period of investment in the photovoltaic plant.
Highlights
The fast increase of population in the world and the continuous improvement in living standards, even if in a restricted number of countries, are the causes which have raised, since the beginning of 20th century to the present, the demand for energy.Today, the energy demand has reached a non-sustainable level with a consequent decrease in environmental quality and energy resources of the planet. notably, environmental pollution is increasing along with energy production
The mechanical and thermal energies used are in great part produced by burning fossil fuels, namely petroleum, coal, and natural gas
A small part of energy demand is satisfied by non-emitting or low-emission sources. These are the renewable sources of energy, sources which are alternatives to petroleum and to other fossil fuels (EPE, 2008)
Summary
The fast increase of population in the world and the continuous improvement in living standards, even if in a restricted number of countries, are the causes which have raised, since the beginning of 20th century to the present, the demand for energy. A small part of energy demand is satisfied by non-emitting or low-emission sources These are the renewable sources of energy, sources which are alternatives to petroleum and to other fossil fuels (EPE, 2008). World reserves of fossil fuels are finite and are being depleted They are referred to as non-renewable energy sources (EPE, 2008). A kind of renewable source is studied: the sun, and the technologies (photovoltaic systems) to convert solar radiation energy into electrical energy. In the economic remarks relative to the use of energetic sources, the caused environmental damages are not considered If they were, the energy produced by photovoltaic as well as by other renewable sources would be more competitive in comparison with traditional non-renewable sources (NREL, 2009). Hybrid options based on sustainable sources, mainly photovoltaic, have been studied as a solution for small rural villages’ energy demand, such as in Chendo; Salawu, 1989; Dhere, 1989; Bailey et al, 1991; Song, 1994; Leitch; Van Der Linde, 1995; De Groot, 1997; Harford, 1998 and Valente; Almeida, 1998
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