Electricity generation cost between proposed photovoltaic station and conventional units in Kuwait

A full analysis is shown in this paper for the cost of kWh generated from a photovoltaic station located in Kuwait. By using 21 years of weather data for Kuwait, the yearly generated energy was found by proposing the PV station capacity with known panel tilt angle. The cost of kWh generated from the PV station was compared with the kWh generated from conventional units in the country. A sensitivity analysis was done to some factors: capital cost per installed PV peak watt, discount rate, and operating peak hours, which affect the cost of kWh production from both PV and conventional units. If the PV station is proposed to be installed in Kuwait, the capital cost per PV installed peak watt must be less than today's prices.     

Feasibility study of photovoltaic technology in Qatar

This study presents a comparative economic analysis of electricity generation using photovoltaic (PV) cells and conventional gas turbines. The generation cost per kWh was estimated for the two systems. The energy generated by PV cells was estimated using weather data for Qatar. A sensitivity analysis was carried out on some factors: installation capital cost, conversion efficiency and discount rate. The study indicates that, at the present time, PV stations are not economically feasible in Qatar compared with conventional gas turbine stations.     

The cost benefit analysis of implementing photovoltaic solar system in the state of Kuwait

In addition to the high financial cost of energy resources required to meet the rising demand for electricity consumption in Kuwait, the negative environmental impact of fossil fuel is increasing. Hence, the objective of this paper is to determine the economic feasibility and viability of implementing PV solar energy in the State of Kuwait. It was found that the positive characteristics of solar radiation in Kuwait play a critical role in enhancing the feasibility of implementing solar systems. Under the present price of 5$/W and 15% efficiency, the LCOE of a 1 MW station is estimated to be around $0.20/kWh. This LCOE can be feasible only when the cost of oil is around 100$/barrel. The Cost Benefit Analysis showed that when the value of saved energy resources used in producing traditional electricity, and the cost of lowering CO₂ emissions are accounted for, the true economic cost of LCOE of a PV system will decline significantly. The preliminary economic analysis recommends the implementation of PV technology in Kuwait.     

Introducing very large scale PV systems in Israel

The paper introduces the discussion about possible application of very large scale PV systems in Israel. An application of very large scale PV production units of 100 and 500 MW, similar to the unit size of a conventional power station is proposed. A comparative evaluation between conventional power stations and PV stations is carried out in relation to the issues of: geographical location, fuel, pollution, sustainability, availability, watt construction cost and operational characteristics. Calculated payback shows that it decreases from 19 years in 2003 to about 4 years in 2020. Based on worldwide experience of the western countries it is recommended that the country should establish a national program to support the development of PV production and applications.     

Projected costs of a grid-connected domestic PV system under different scenarios in Ireland,using measured data from a trial installation

This paper presents results of a study of projected costs for a grid-connected PV system for domestic application in Ireland. The study is based on results from a 1.72 kWp PV system installed on a flat rooftop in Dublin, Ireland. During its first year of operation a total of 885.1 kWh/kWp of electricity was generated with a performance ratio of 81.5%. The scenarios employed in this study consider: a range of capital costs; cost dynamics based on a PV module learning rate of 20±5%; projections for global annual installed PV capacity under an advanced and moderate market growth conditions; domestic electricity cost growth of 4.5% based on historic data; and a reduction of 25% or 50% in the CO₂ intensity of national electricity production by 2055. These scenarios are used to predict when system life cycle production costs fall to grid prices (grid parity).     

An economic analysis comparison of stationary and dual-axis tracking grid-connected photovoltaic systems in the US Upper Midwest

This paper presents an economic analysis of stationary and dual-axis tracking photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in the US Upper Midwest in terms of life-cycle costs, payback period, internal rate of return, and the incremental cost of solar energy. The first-year performance and energy savings were experimentally found along with documented initial cost. Future PV performance, savings, and operating and maintenance costs were estimated over 25-year assumed life. Under the given assumptions and discount rates, the life-cycle savings were found to be negative. Neither system was found to have payback periods less than the assumed system life. The lifetime average incremental costs of energy generated by the stationary and dual-axis tracking systems were estimated to be $0.31 and $0.37 per kWh generated, respectively. Economic analyses of different scenarios, each having a unique set of assumptions for costs and metering, showed a potential for economic feasibility under certain conditions when compared to alternative investments with assumed yields.     

Break‐even analysis for the storage of PV in power distribution grids

The integration of renewable energy systems poses major challenges on distribution grid operators. Because of the strong growth rates of the installation of photovoltaic (PV) and wind generators, huge needs for reinforcements in grids are expected. Next to conventional reinforcements (with additional and/or bigger dimensioned cables and transformers) also the introduction of decentralized storage systems seems to be promising. In this paper, an economical approach is presented enabling the calculation of break‐even points for storage systems as a substitute to conventional grid reinforcements. The dynamic profitability calculation considers main influencing cost drivers for both alternatives, including operational and capital expenditures. Furthermore, the calculation of benefits of decentralized storage systems for upstream grid levels is also integrated. To enable these calculations, a storage model is derived oriented on battery characteristics to determine main requirements of a storage system to be able to integrate renewable energy systems. These elaborations are reflected on a real‐world distribution grid faced with reinforcement needs due to the integration of PV. For this, measured data for the PV generator are integrated as well. The analysis reveal break‐even points for the storage asset ranging between 100 and 500 € per kWh of installed capacity, depending on the lifetime of the storage asset and the costs for the substitute. Furthermore, main influencing parameters are evaluated using a sensitivity analysis. It is shown that the profitability can be increased significantly if not all peaks of PV generation need to be stored. Furthermore, the analysis of the operation for 1 year indicates that a combined operation of the storage asset (not only oriented on grid objectives such as peak shaving, but considering also the objectives of further stakeholders such as energy traders) seems to be reasonable for increasing the profitability and incentivizing a larger market penetration of storage assets. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Economics of Wind turbine as an energy fuel saver – A case study for remote application in oman

This paper presents a study carried out to investigate the economics of wind turbine as an energy fuel saver. The load and the wind data is taken from a remote agricultural research station in Oman. Presently, the station is provided with electricity from diesel-engine generating units. The annual peak load and minimum load recorded at the site is 130 kW and 28 kW respectively. The annual average wind speed at the site is 5.7 m/s. A 50-kW wind turbine is selected to demonstrate the economic feasibility of the turbine as a fuel saver. The results show that wind energy utilization is an attractive option with total specific cost of the selected wind turbine ranges between 7.4 and 8.45 ¢/kWh at 7.55% discount rate comparing to diesel generation operating cost of 14.3 ¢/kWh, considering the capital cost of diesel units as sunk. The simple payback period of the turbine is between 5.1 and 5.4 years and discounted payback between 6.7 and 8.0 years.     

Photovoltaic module-site matching based on the capacity factors

In this paper, a methodology for the selection of the optimum photovoltaic module for a specific power plant site is developed. The selection is based on the capacity factors (CF) of the available PV modules. Long term irradiance data recorded for every hour of the day for 30 years are used. These data are used to calculate the probability density function of the irradiance for different hours of a typical day in a month. The irradiance probability density function and the manufacturer's specifications on PV modules are used to calculate the capacity factors for the PV modules. The PV module with the highest average capacity factor for the specific site is the optimal and recommended PV module. In this paper, the price per installed maximum peak watt is approximately the same for different modules and hence the cost is not an issue     

Solar photovoltaic electricity: Current status and future prospects

We review the technical progress made in the past several years in the area of mono- and polycrystalline thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies based on Si, III-V, II-VI, and I-III-VI₂ semiconductors, as well as nano-PV. PV electricity is one of the best options for sustainable future energy requirements of the world. At present, the PV market is growing rapidly at an annual rate of 35-40%, with PV production around 10.66 GW in 2009. Si and GaAs monocrystalline solar cell efficiencies are very close to the theoretically predicted maximum values. Mono- and polycrystalline wafer Si solar cells remain the predominant PV technology with module production cost around $1.50 per peak watt. Thin-film PV was developed as a means of substantially reducing the cost of solar cells. Remarkable progress has been achieved in this field in recent years. CdTe and Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin-film solar cells demonstrated record efficiencies of 16.5% and almost 20%, respectively. These values are the highest achieved for thin-film solar cells. Production cost of CdTe thin-film modules is presently around $0.76 per peak watt.     

Economic evaluation of a stand-alone residential photovoltaic power system in Bangladesh

The economics of stand-alone photovoltaic power system is studied to test its feasibility in remote and rural areas of Bangladesh and to compare renewable generators with non-renewable generators. The life cycle cost of these generators are determined using the method of net present value analysis. It is found that the life cycle cost of this experimental PV system is Tk. 43.40/kWh for one family (US $1.00 = Bangladeshi taka Tk.50.00). The life cycle cost for grid electricity is Tk. 20.00/kWh and Tk. 7.75/kWh for generation of fuel costs of Tk. 6.80/kWh and Tk. 0.47/kWh respectively. For a village 1 km away from the distribution line, this cost becomes Tk. 125.00/kWh for a family. For petrol generator life cycle cost is Tk. 50.00/kWh at fuel price of Tk. 22.00 per litre. For diesel generator life cycle cost is found to be Tk. 46.10/kWh at fuel cost of Tk. 15.00 per litre. It is observed that the life cycle cost of one unit of energy from grids that are 1 km away from a village is much higher than the cost of energy from a PV system. Thus, the use of PV system is economically feasible in rural villages and remote areas of Bangladesh, where grid electricity is not available.     

Assessment of centralized grid connected wind power cost in coastal area of Pakistan

This work presents an assessment of per unit cost of electricity generated from 15 MW wind farm at 40 locations in the coastal areas of Pakistan using the method of net present value analysis. The Nordex N43/600 wind turbine has been selected and used as reference wind turbine. Wind duration curves were developed and utilized to calculate per unit cost of electricity generated from chosen wind turbine. In Sindh province, the minimum cost of electricity generated was found to be 4.2 ¢/kWh at Jamshoro, while the corresponding maximum was 7.4 ¢/kWh at Kadhan site. In Balochistan, the minimum cost of electricity generated was found to be 6.3 ¢/kWh at Aghore, while the corresponding maximum was 21.0 ¢/kWh at Mand site. The study concludes that at most of the locations especially in Sindh province, wind power is competitive to conventional grid connected thermal power even without considering the externalities.     

Assesment of grid-connected photovoltaic systems in the Kuwaiti climate

Grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) systems is one of the most promising applications of PV systems. Till now, no detailed studies have been carried out to assess the potential of grid-connected systems in Kuwait. This work investigates the feasibility of implementing grid-connected PV systems in the Kuwaiti climate. The proposed system consists of crystalline solar modules mounted on the building roof and an inverter to convert PV dc output to ac voltage. The building receives electricity from both the PV array and the utility grid. In this system, the load is the total electrical energy consumption in the building.The objective of this work is to examine the performance as well as the economic feasibility of grid-connected PV systems in the Kuwaiti climate. A program is written to evaluate the performance as well as the economic feasibility of such systems in Kuwait. The input to the program is the weather data for Kuwait, time dependent building loads, as well as the utility rates for Kuwait. Weather data generator subroutine included in the program is used to generate hourly weather conditions from the monthly average values of daily radiation on horizontal surface, and ambient temperature available for Kuwait. The five-parameter PV model, which is applicable to both crystalline and amorphous PV modules, is used to determine the performance of the solar modules used in this study.The transient simulation program ( ) is used to link the components of the grid-connected PV system together. The inverter efficiency is represented as a linear function of input power. In this case, it is assumed that the AC output from the system will never be greater than the building load. Electricity tariffs will have an important impact on the cost-effectiveness of the system studied. The tariff used for electric utility is a flat rate per unit kWh of electrical energy. Simulations of the proposed system were carried out over the academic year.The building examined in this study is a flat roof building with a single story. The building roof area is large enough so that the PV arrays can be spaced widely to minimize shading losses. Different array slopes, and azimuth angles were studied to maximize the annual energy generated by the PV modules. Finally, the economic feasibility of grid-connected PV systems in Kuwait are examined.     

大型地面光伏电站中光伏方阵容量的优化设计

随着光伏组件光电转换效率的提高,以及逆变器单机功率的增大,大型地面光伏电站中光伏方阵容量也从1 MW、1.6 MW、2.5 MW逐渐增大到3.125 MW。以新疆维吾尔自治区吐鲁番地区的气候条件为例,对在该地区建设的大型地面光伏电站中光伏方阵容量分别选择3.125 MW和6.25 MW时的经济性及可行性进行了分析。结果显示:光伏方阵容量为6.25 MW时,其单瓦造价与光伏方阵容量为3.125 MW时的单瓦造价基本持平,因此在该地区选择6.25 MW光伏方阵容量的优势不明显。     

Case studies of large-scale PV systems distributed around desert area of the world

To show the huge potential of PV systems, the authors have been studying the feasibility of large-scale PV plants. If a PV module cost is assumed to be 100¥/W, it gives the electricity at a cost of 7.70−13.12 ¥/kWh for a 100 MW plant size located at 6 desert sites around the world, considering the site irradiation,local labor cost, etc. for each site. In spite of the fixed, flat plate, the cost can reach a fairly low level. The station will be composed of 20 sub-units × 10 units of 500 kW optimum size sub-units.     

Economical evaluation of electricity generation considering externalities

The economics of renewable energy are the largest barrier to renewable penetration. Nevertheless, the strong desire to reduce environmental emissions is considered a great support for renewable energy sources. In this paper, a full analysis for the cost of the kWh of electricity generated from different systems actually used in Egypt is presented. Also renewable energy systems are proposed and their costs are analyzed. The analysis considers the external cost of emissions from different generating systems. A proposed large scale PV plant of 3.3 MW, and a wind farm 11.25 MW grid connected at different sites are investigated. A life cycle cost analysis for each system was performed using the present value criterion. The comparison results showed that wind energy generation has the lowest cost, followed by a combined cycle–natural gas fired system. A photovoltaic system still uses comparatively expensive technology for electricity generation; even when external costs are considered the capital cost of photovoltaic needs to be reduced by about 60% in order to be economically competitive.     

Assessment and prospects for energy resources in kuwait

Kuwait's only resources of primary energy are oil and natural gas. The country produces 1 million barrels of oil per day of which 15% are used locally. The surplus of oil is exported. Due to rapid development, the per capita consumption of electricity increased from 1473 kWh in 1960 to 9255 kWh in 1985. If this situation continues, Kuwait will be forced either to increase oil production or reduce exports. Reduction of exports will affect the standard of living in Kuwait. We assess the energy in Kuwait and discuss other alternative resources that are available, e.g., nuclear, wind, and solar energy. We also introduce the concept of coupling a large solar pond to a 150 MWe power plant as a measure to reduce dependence on oil. A detailed economic analysis is carried out comparing hybrid, conventional, and ORC engine power plants.     

Analysis of systems for the generation of electricity from solar radiation

The analysis developed here relates the annual electrical output of any type of solar-electric facility directly to the effective annual insolation received on its solar collectors per unit collector area. A general expression for the capacity factor of such a facility is derived through which the ratio of the actual annual electrical output to the maximum mean annual output without demand, generating and downtime reductions, and storage losses can be determined. A general expression for a solar availability factor is also obtained which measures the ratio of the maximum mean annual output of the solar facility to that of a conventional fuel-fired plant of the same installed capacity generating at full capacity continuously for a year. An expression for the fraction of the total electrical output supplied by the solar facility is also derived. The analysis takes full account of the daily and seasonal cycles of solar radiation and its intermittent stochastic character. All results are given for a unit area of solar collector and are thus independent of the size of the facility.The capital cost of solar-electric facilities is expressed in dollars for each kWh per yr of electrical output rather than dollars per kW of installed capacity as is customary for conventional electric generating plants. This cost in turn is divided among three components: for solar-electric generation, for nonsolar auxiliary power, and for storage. A general expression is derived in terms of actual or estimated component costs, and the results for solar generation and storage are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The choice of solar collector area and of the relative dependence on storage and auxiliary nonsolar power is also discussed.     

Optimal design and development of PV-wind-battery based nano-grid system: A field-on-laboratory demonstration

The present paper has disseminated the design approach, project implementation, and economics of a nano-grid system. The deployment of the system is envisioned to acculturate the renewable technology into Indian society by field-on-laboratory demonstration (FOLD) and “bridge the gaps between research, development, and implementation.” The system consists of a solar photovoltaic (PV) (2.4 kWp), a wind turbine (3.2 kWp), and a battery bank (400 Ah). Initially, a prefeasibility study is conducted using the well-established HOMER (hybrid optimization model for electric renewable) software developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA. The feasibility study indicates that the optimal capacity for the nano-grid system consists of a 2.16 kWp solar PV, a 3 kWp wind turbine, a 1.44 kW inverter, and a 24 kWh battery bank. The total net present cost (TNPC) and cost of energy (COE) of the system are US$20789.85 and US$0.673/kWh, respectively. However, the hybrid system consisting of a 2.4 kWp of solar PV, a 3.2 kWp of wind turbine, a 3 kVA of inverter, and a 400 Ah of battery bank has been installed due to unavailability of system components of desired values and to enhance the reliability of the system. The TNPC and COE of the system installed are found to be US$20073.63 and US$0.635/kWh, respectively and both costs are largely influenced by battery cost. Besides, this paper has illustrated the installation details of each component as well as of the system. Moreover, it has discussed the detailed cost breakup of the system. Furthermore, the performance of the system has been investigated and validated with the simulation results. It is observed that the power generated from the PV system is quite significant and is almost uniform over the year. Contrary to this, a trivial wind velocity prevails over the year apart from the month of April, May, and June, so does the power yield. This research demonstration provides a pathway for future planning of scaled-up hybrid energy systems or microgrid in this region of India or regions of similar topography.     

Sustainability of photovoltaics: The case for thin-film solar cells

To ensure photovoltaics become a major sustainable player in a competitive power-generation market, they must provide abundant, affordable electricity, with environmental impacts drastically lower than those from conventional power generation. The recent reduction in the cost of 2nd generation thin-film PV is remarkable, meeting the production milestone of $1 per watt in the fourth quarter of 2008. This achievement holds great promise for the future. However, the questions remaining are whether the expense of PV modules can be lowered further, and if there are resource- and environmental-impact constraints to growth. I examine the potential of thin-films in a prospective life-cycle analysis, focusing on direct costs, resource availability, and environmental impacts. These three aspects are closely related; developing thinner solar cells and recycling spent modules will become increasingly important in resolving cost, resource, and environmental constraints to large scales of sustainable growth.