Solar Power Potential Research Articles

Exploring Solar and Wind Energy as a Power Generation Source for Solving the Electricity Crisis in Libya

The current study is focused on the economic and financial assessments of solar and wind power potential for nine selected regions in Libya for the first time. As the existing meteorological data, including wind speed and global solar radiation, are extremely limited due to the civil war in the country, it was therefore decided to use the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) database as a source of meteorological information to assess the wind and solar potential. The results showed that the country has huge solar energy potential compared to wind energy potential. Additionally, it is found that Al Kufrah is a suitable region for the future installation of the Photovoltaic (PV) power plant due to high annual solar radiation. Based on the actual wind speed analysis, Benghazi and Dernah are the best regions for large-scale wind farm installation in the future taking into account existing meteorological data limitations. The values of the wind power density in all regions are considerable and small-scale wind turbines can be used to generate electricity based on NASA average monthly wind data for 37 years (1982–2019). Moreover, this work aimed to evaluate the wind/PV systems technical and economically through RETScreen Expert (Version 6.0, CanmetENERGY Varennes Research Centre of Natural Resources Canada, Varennes, Canada). Focusing on the power supply crisis in the country, the potential of electricity production by 5 kW grid-connected residential/household rooftop PV in all regions is proposed and presented. Additionally, this paper evaluated a techno-economic analysis of the 50MW wind/PV system in suitable places. The performance of a 5 kW and 50 MW PV solar system with three PV technologies, namely mono-crystalline silicon, poly-crystalline silicon, and thin-film (CdTe), was also analyzed. The results demonstrated that the development of the wind/PV system in the selected regions is both technically and economically feasible. The outcomes of this study can help decision-makers in designing and installing PV power plants as an alternative source for the future.

Predictive model and assessment of the potential for wind and solar power in Rayak region, Lebanon

With the increasing consumption of fossil fuel, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has become a serious issue that has attracted worldwide attention. Therefore, Lebanon is currently interested in utilizing renewable energy technologies to reduce energy dependence on oil reserves and GHG emissions. The present study is focused on solar and wind power potential and the economic viability of wind/solar systems for the Rayak region in Lebanon for the first time. The input data sources for the study including the Meteorological data for wind speed and NASA database for solar energy. In the assessment of wind energy, a two-parameter Weibull distribution function was used to analyze the characteristics of wind speed. Yearly and seasonal Weibull parameters were calculated for 10 m height using the Maximum likelihood method. In addition, yearly and seasonal wind power density values were calculated. The results showed that the mean annual wind speed and wind power density values were 5.884 m/s and 124.534 W/m2, respectively, during the investigation period. It can be concluded that the value of wind power density at the region was classified as marginal wind power potential and high-scale wind turbines can be used to gather wind energy potential in the region. Furthermore, predicting wind speed depends on various atmospheric factors and random variables. Therefore, 63 ANN models are developed by varying the meteorological parameters to predict the daily wind speed in the selected region. All the models with various combinations are validated and the performances of the models are analyzed using root mean squared error. The results demonstrated that the most relevant input variables for predicting the daily wind speed were found to be temperature, pressure, and relative humidity. In the assessment of wind energy, average monthly global solar radiation data were evaluated. It is found that the annual global solar radiation was 1877.41 kWh/m2, which indicates the selected region has high solar resources and is categorized as an excellent potential class. Moreover, this study provides a comprehensive and integrated feasibility analysis of 100 MW grid-connected wind and solar projects economic projects that can be developed in the country to reduce the electricity crisis and GHG emissions. Several different economic and financial indicators were calculated. The results indicate that the wind farm is a more economical option than the solar plant because of the higher values of NPV, BCR, ALCS, and IRR as well as the lower values of EB, SB, and LCOE.

Preliminary Calculation of the Potential Solar Power from the Second-floor+ Houses in Hung Vuong Street, Hue city, Vietnam

This is the preliminary calculation about the potential of solar power from second-floor+ houses along Hung Vuong Street, Hue city. Research team organized field trips to inventory the houses and areas, number of floors, sunshine direction of the house in accordance with its adjacent houses. We calculated the number of solar panels needed to install and the potential of solar power can be generated from each house from the second floor and more. Research team has chosen photovoltaic solar cell technology (PV) to calculate the actual solar power achieved. The calculated results of solar power reserves are 3GWh/year with an investment of 57 billion VND (not including inverter). This reserves can help to reduce 4.17 million tons of CO2, 19.08 million tons of nitrogen oxide, 0.06 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 3.12 million tons dust, 1.14 million tons of ash, 9.12 million m3 of water and 2.55 million tons of coal annually, if the lifetime of the solar system is 25 years, the emissions will decrease significantly. This research shows that the potential for solar power conversion is feasible to address the green growth needs of the economy and climate protection in Thua Thien Hue province.

Grid Parity Analysis of Rooftop Photovoltaic in Jakarta and Surabaya

The growth of rooftop photovoltaic users in Indonesia has been very rapid since 2017, which around 85 percent of rooftop photovoltaic users in Indonesia are scattered in Jakarta, West Java and East Java regions. In order to deal with the trend of rooftop photovoltaic in Indonesia, the study related to the analysis of rooftop photovoltaic grid parity was carried out specifically for the Jakarta region, considering that the region includes the most rooftop users, while East Java represented by Surabaya is chosen because it has the highest solar power potential compared the two regions others. Grid Parity is the time when the electricity price equals the levelised cost of photovoltaic energy generation. To analyse the dynamics of the generation costs of a rooftop photovoltaic we use the Levelised Cost of Electricity (LCOE). To determine the average rooftop photovoltaic energy production in 2018, a model of 3 years Automatic Weather System (AWS) history data was used. For the same calculation in the next year, it is corrected by the derating factor of the system assuming a 13 percent decrease from the previous energy production each year. For the scenario of a battery-free rooftop photovoltaic system, the grid parity condition in Surabaya is expected to be achieved as early as 2021 for a capacity of 3,500 Wp and 5,500 Wp, while in Jakarta with the same capacity it will only be reached by 2022. For the scenario of a rooftop photovoltaic system with battery storage, the grid parity condition in Surabaya is expected to be achieved as early as 2024 for a capacity of 3,500 Wp, 4.400 Wp and 5,500 Wp, while in Jakarta with the same capacity it will only be reached by 2025. The Grid Parity in Surabaya is faster than in Jakarta because LCOE projections for Surabaya is cheaper than LCOE in Jakarta due to the average energy production in one year for the Surabaya region is higher than in Jakarta.

Optimising the Concentrating Solar Power Potential in South Africa through an Improved GIS Analysis

Renewable Energy Technologies are rapidly gaining uptake in South Africa, already having more than 3900 MW operational wind, solar PV, Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) and biogas capacity. CSP has the potential to become a leading Renewable Energy Technology, as it is the only one inherently equipped with the facility for large-scale thermal energy storage for increased dispatchability. There are many studies that aim to determine the potential for CSP development in certain regions or countries. South Africa has a high solar irradiation resource by global standards, but few studies have been carried out to determine the potential for CSP. One such study was conducted in 2009, prior to any CSP plants having been built in South Africa. As part of a broader study to determine the impact of CSP on South Africa’s water resources, a geospatial approach was used to optimise this potential based on technological changes and improved spatial data. A tiered approach, using a comprehensive set of criteria to exclude unsuitable areas, was used to allow for the identification of suitable areas, as well as the modelling of electricity generation potential. It was found that there is more than 104 billion m2 of suitable area, with a total theoretical potential of more than 11,000 TWh electricity generating capacity.

Методика оценки потенциала солнечной энергетики в Республике Таджикистан

Методика оценки потенциала солнечной энергетики в Республике Таджикистан

Assessment of rooftop solar power technical potential in Hanoi city, Vietnam

Vietnam has great solar energy potential, in which photovoltaic (PV) power technology is developing rapidly in Vietnam and the investors are very interested in constructing the PV power station. Building the rooftop PV power stations can save monthly electricity costs for the owners and can sell the excess electricity from the PV power station to the power grid to get the economic benefits. Solar radiation in the Northern area in general and in Hanoi city, in particular, is lower than other provinces and cities in the Central area and the Southern area in Vietnam. The development of the rooftop solar power business in Hanoi is also affected because there is no specific assessment of the potential of this kind of solar energy. In this paper, the technical potential of rooftop solar power in Hanoi city is evaluated by using high-resolution remote sensing images technology, it can be seen that the total annual installed capacity of rooftop PV power and the PV optimal in Hanoi city are about 13,169.72 MWp and 37,591,481.20 MWh/year, respectively. Otherwise, the annual operation data of a rooftop PV power station in Hanoi is also collected to evaluate the efficiency in the real working condition, it is found that the payback in the case of actual operations is about 1 year longer than the theoretical calculation.

Potential of integrating industrial waste heat and solar thermal energy into district heating networks in Germany

The German Federal Government identifies the integration of industrial waste heat and solar thermal energy into district heating systems as two measures to decarbonize the heating and cooling market in The Climate Action Plan 2050. This work determines the theoretical potential of industrial waste heat and solar thermal power within the cities’ boundaries and in relation to the cities’ district heating systems. A prognosis for the year 2030 and 2050 will be given. Poor information about industrial waste heat is bypassed by taking industrial emission from the dehst and by calculating the overall installed energy by stoichiometry. 10 %, 20 %, 30 % of the so calculated primary energy input is assumed to be meaningful integrable waste heat. The potential of solar thermal power is estimated by the solar fraction that is given with 1 %, 5 % and 15 %. The results show a high, currently unused potential of industrial waste heat sources and solar thermal power for the integration into district heating. In some cities, these energy sources can supply the heat demand of the city’s district heating system completely.

Evaluation of Work Efficiency of the Solar Power Plant Installed on the Roof of a House in Hanoi City

Vietnam is a country of a great solar potential; solar technology is growing rapidly in Vietnam and investors are very interested in building solar power plants. Construction of the rooftop solar power stations can help owners reduce monthly electricity costs and even get economic benefits by selling excess electricity coming from a solar power plant (PV) to the utility grid. In this study, the design results of a rooftop grid-tied solar power station with the capacity of 26 kWp for a commercial building were introduced to have a basis to assess the operation ability of solar power station under solar radiation conditions in Hanoi city, Vietnam. The simulation results using the PVsyst program have made it possible to calculate the solar energy potential in Hanoi city, the power generation and efficiency of the grid-tied solar power station. Solar power has been applied in Vietnam since the 1990s but is mainly used for areas that were far from national power grid such as mountainous areas, islands. Small scale grid-tied solar power has been developed since 2010 and mainly is used for residential applications or small and medium scale consumers. The total capacity of electricity produced by solar power plants in Vietnam by 2017 was only about 8 MW; this value is very low as compared to the potential of solar power in Vietnam. This is due to the absence of the government support for the policy of developing solar power. In accordance with the current roadmap of raising electricity prices in Vietnam, construction investment of rooftop solar power stations is economically feasible while contributing to environmental protection and counteracting climate change phenomenon by reducing the amount of CO2 emitted into the environment.

Development of a Grid Connected Solar-Wind Hybrid System With Reduction in Levelized Tariff for a Remote Island in India

Abstract Sagar Island which is located in the world's largest delta, the Sunderban, in the eastern coast of India faces severe power crunch. Due to its isolated location, the power infrastructure is underdeveloped. This has led to very unreliable power supply and frequent power cuts. The island being economically weak, power is inaccessible to most of its residents. Thus, the per unit energy consumption of the area is low and it has led to the lowering of the human development index of the area. However, Sagar Island, owing to its location, has huge solar and wind power potential. This paper discusses the prospect of developing a solar-wind hybrid power plant to supply power to the area. The developed hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) power plant will provide uninterrupted power to the island. Results show that the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) from the proposed power plant is 0.03707 $/kWh, which is lower than the LCOE from the available grid. Lowering the cost of electricity will make electricity accessible to most of the inhabitants of the island. This will, in turn, increase the per unit energy consumption and hence the human development index. The proposed power plant will also help the environment by reducing CO2 emissions by 1894.08 tonnes annually. It will also save 587.39 tonnes of coal in its lifetime. Hence, the HRES power plant will make power accessible and also help Sagar Island to become a renewable fed “Green Island.”

Planning of Hybrid Micro-Hydro and Solar Photovoltaic Systems for Rural Areas of Central Java, Indonesia

This paper proposes the planning of hybrid micro-hydro and solar photovoltaic system for rural areas of Central Java, Indonesia. The Indonesian government has paid great attention to the development of renewable energy sources, especially solar and hydropower. One area that has a high potential for both types of energy is the province of Central Java, located on the island of Java, Indonesia. In this research, we conduct field research to determine the ideal capacity of solar and micro-hydro hybrid power plants, electricity load analysis, and optimal design of hybrid power plants. Data on the potential of micro-hydro plants are obtained by direct measurement on the Ancol Bligo irrigation channel located in Bligo village, Ngluwar district, Magelang regency, Central Java province, Indonesia. Data on solar power potential were obtained from NASA’s database for solar radiation in the Central Java region. Hydropower potential data include channel length, debit, heads, and power potential in irrigation channels originating from rivers. These data are used to design an optimal hybrid power plant. The method used to obtain the optimal design of a hybrid power plant system is based on the analysis of capital costs, grid sales, cost of energy, and net present cost. Based on the parameters of the analysis, the composition of the optimal generator for the on-grid scheme to the distribution network can be determined. The results showed that hybrid power plants were able to meet the needs of electrical energy in the villages around the power plant and that the excess energy could be sold to national electricity providers.

Space-time high-resolution data of the potential insolation and solar duration for Montenegro

The assessment of the potential use of renewable energy resources requires reliable and precise data inputs for sustainable energy planning on a regional, national and local scale. In this study, we examine high spatial resolution grids of potential insolation and solar duration in order to determine the location of potential solar power plants in Montenegro. Grids with a 25-m spatial resolution of potential solar radiation and duration were produced based on observational records and publicly available high-resolution digital elevation model provided by the European Environment Agency. These results could be further used for the estimation and selection of a specific location for solar panels. With an average annual potential insolation of 1800 kWh/m? and solar duration of over 2000 h per year for most of its territory, Montenegro is one of the European countries with the highest potential for the development, production, and consumption of solar energy.

Energy-Efficient Buildings, a step towards Sustainability in Pakistan

With every passing year, energy consumption in the world is increasing drastically. Most of the energy comes from fossil fuels which are also depleting in a fast manner. Buildings consume a significant amount of energy all over the world and the demand for energy is also increasing unremittingly in buildings. Developed countries are taking profound measures in order to make buildings energy efficient and sustainable by achieving nearly zero energy stage. Pakistan is facing a serious energy crisis from the past few decades. The building sector in Pakistan deserves special attention in this regard since the energy consumption in buildings in Pakistan is feverishly high. Many types of research have been carried out in Pakistan by the United Nations and Energy Department of Pakistan in order to devise applicable methods that not only provide thermal comfort to the occupants but also make a building energy efficient. Renewable energy also plays an important role in compensating building energy demands. It is easy to achieve nearly zero energy state in a good energy efficient building if it is coupled with renewable energy sources then it will make it self-sufficient in energy demand. A survey is also carried out to determine the thermal comfort of the occupants in different types of areas. Also, solar energy analysis is also taken into account to highlight the solar power potential in Pakistan. Several recommendations have also been suggested to implement energy efficiency measures in Pakistan.

Energy-Efficient Buildings, a step towards Sustainability in Pakistan

With every passing year, energy consumption in the world is increasing drastically. Most of the energy comes from fossil fuels which are also depleting in a fast manner. Buildings consume a significant amount of energy all over the world and the demand for energy is also increasing unremittingly in buildings. Developed countries are taking profound measures in order to make buildings energy efficient and sustainable by achieving nearly zero energy stage. Pakistan is facing a serious energy crisis from the past few decades. The building sector in Pakistan deserves special attention in this regard since the energy consumption in buildings in Pakistan is feverishly high. Many types of research have been carried out in Pakistan by the United Nations and Energy Department of Pakistan in order to devise applicable methods that not only provide thermal comfort to the occupants but also make a building energy efficient. Renewable energy also plays an important role in compensating building energy demands. It is easy to achieve nearly zero energy state in a good energy efficient building if it is coupled with renewable energy sources then it will make it self-sufficient in energy demand. A survey is also carried out to determine the thermal comfort of the occupants in different types of areas. Also, solar energy analysis is also taken into account to highlight the solar power potential in Pakistan. Several recommendations have also been suggested to implement energy efficiency measures in Pakistan.

Persistence of the high solar potential in Africa in a changing climate

The African continent faces several challenges and threats: high vulnerability to climate change, the fastest population increase, the lowest degree of electrification and the need for an energy transition towards renewable energies. Solar energy constitutes a viable option for addressing these issues. In a changing climate the efficient implementation of solar capacity should rely on comprehensive information about the solar resource. Here, the newest and highest resolution regional climate simulation results are used to project the future photovoltaic and concentrated solar power potentials for Africa. We show that the high potentials for solar energy will not be reduced much throughout Africa with climate change. However, the PV solar potential is projected to decrease up to about −10% in limited areas of eastern central Africa; increases are also projected to the northwest and southern Africa (up to about +5%). These changes are mostly determined by changes in solar irradiance but in certain areas the warming is a critical factor limiting PV potential.

A Comparative Performance Analysis of a 1 MW CIS PV System and a 5 kW Crystalline-Si PV System under the Tropical Climate of Indonesia

Despite being a tropical country with great potential for solar power, knowledge about the actual performance of photovoltaic (PV) systems in Indonesia remains limited. In this paper, using 5-minute resolution data from 2016 to 2018 obtained from a 1 MW Copper Indium Selenide (CIS) and a 5 kW crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV plant in West Java, we aim to answer the question of how a CIS PV plant performs and degrades in Indonesia's tropical climate and how it compares to a PV system that contains c-Si technology. The methodological approach used includes performance analyses of these PV systems according to IEC standard 61724 and an investigation of the degradation rate using NREL/RdTools. The following results were derived from the analyses: the total annual Hi was 1500 kWh/m2 or around 4.2 kWh/m2/day. The daily-averaged performance ratio, PR, was 91.7 % ± 4 % and 87.4 % ± 7 % for the CIS system with string inverters and a central inverter, respectively. The mean PR of the CIS systems was 12 % higher than that of the c-Si system, which was 79.8 %. Concerning the final yield, Yf, the CIS system with a mean Yf of 3.85 kWh/kWp outperformed the c-Si system by 14 %. The CIS system degraded by 1.53 % per year, which is less than the c-Si system with a degradation rate (Rd) of 3.72 % per year. From these results, it can be concluded that, in this case, CIS technology performs better than c-Si in Indonesia's tropical climate. Uncertainties in the calculation and high values of Rd could be areas for further investigation.

Assessing Evidence for Weather Regimes Governing Solar Power Generation in Kuwait

With electricity representing around 20% of the global energy demand, and increasing support for renewable sources of electricity, there is also an escalating need to improve solar forecasts to support power management. While considerable research has been directed to statistical methods to improve solar power forecasting, few have employed finite mixture distributions. A statistically-objective classification of the overall sky condition may lead to improved forecasts. Combining information from the synoptic driving conditions for daily variability with local processes controlling subdaily fluctuations could assist with forecast validation and enhancement where few observations are available. Gaussian mixture models provide a statistical learning approach to automatically identify prevalent sky conditions (clear, semi-cloudy, and cloudy) and explore associated weather patterns. Here a first stage in the development of such a model is presented: examining whether there is sufficient information in the large-scale environment to identify days with clear, semi-cloudy, or cloudy conditions. A three-component Gaussian distribution is developed that reproduces the observed multimodal peaks in sky clearness indices, and their temporal distribution. Posterior probabilities from the fitted mixture distributions are used to identify periods of clear, partially-cloudy, and cloudy skies. Composites of low-level (850 hPa) humidity and winds for each of the mixture components reveal three patterns associated with the typical synoptic conditions governing the sky clarity, and hence, potential solar power.

Solar Power Potential in Rajasthan

Solar Power Potential in Rajasthan

Assessing the solar PV power project site selection in Pakistan: based on AHP-fuzzy VIKOR approach.

Pakistan has an abundant solar power potential which can be effectively utilized for the electricity generation. There are various sites across the country which have sufficient solar irradiation across the year, and thus, suitable for the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) power projects. This study, therefore, aims to undertake research on the establishment of solar power project site selection in Pakistan. In this context, 14 promising cities of Pakistan are considered as alternatives and studied in terms of economic, environmental, social, location, climate, and orography criteria and further supplemented with 20 sub-criteria. Initially, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method has been used to prioritize each of the main criteria and sub-criteria. Later, fuzzy VlseKriterijuska Optimizacija I Komoromisno Resenje (F-VIKOR) method has been employed to prioritize the 14 alternatives. The present investigation reveals that Khuzdar (C2), Badin (C3), and Mastung (C7) are the most suitable cities for the installation of solar PV power projects in Pakistan. Finally, the outcome of the sensitivity analysis revealed that obtained results are reliable and robust for the installation of solar PV power projects in Pakistan. This study shall assist government, energy planners, and policymakers in making cities sustainable by establishing solar power projects in Pakistan.

Solar PV Power Potential is Greatest Over Croplands

Solar energy has the potential to offset a significant fraction of non-renewable electricity demands globally, yet it may occupy extensive areas when deployed at this level. There is growing concern that large renewable energy installations will displace other land uses. Where should future solar power installations be placed to achieve the highest energy production and best use the limited land resource? The premise of this work is that the solar panel efficiency is a function of the location’s microclimate within which it is immersed. Current studies largely ignore many of the environmental factors that influence Photovoltaic (PV) panel function. A model for solar panel efficiency that incorporates the influence of the panel’s microclimate was derived from first principles and validated with field observations. Results confirm that the PV panel efficiency is influenced by the insolation, air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity. The model was applied globally using bias-corrected reanalysis datasets to map solar panel efficiency and the potential for solar power production given local conditions. Solar power production potential was classified based on local land cover classification, with croplands having the greatest median solar potential of approximately 28 W/m2. The potential for dual-use, agrivoltaic systems may alleviate land competition or other spatial constraints for solar power development, creating a significant opportunity for future energy sustainability. Global energy demand would be offset by solar production if even less than 1% of cropland were converted to an agrivoltaic system.