A cost-benefit analysis of implementing a 54 MW solar PV plant in a South African platinum mining company: A case study

Barnard, Sam; Smit, Anet; Middelberg, Susanna Levina; Botha, Martin

doi:10.17159/2413-3051/2021/v32i3a11604

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…For the optimistic case scenario, a 25% wind and 75% solar-based energy generation capacity system results in a slightly lower LCOE (∼0.14 USD/kWh). Notably, this indicates that the reduction in the costs of the PV system from 961 USD/kW in the conservative scenario to 618 USD/kWh in the optimistic has nearly no impact in the final LCOE. For both cases, a battolyzer + AE-HB design capacity of 20–30% of the theoretically assumed realistic maximum is found to be the optimum between battolyzer + AE-HB CapEx and wind/solar PV-based energy generation CapEx.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For wind turbines, an installed cost of 1877 USD/kW has been estimated . For solar energy, installed costs of 961 and 618 USD/kW for base case and good case scenarios have been estimated, respectively. , The effect of solar CapEx on LCOE has been illustrated in the Supporting Information. Further readings into the utilized cost estimation method including bare erected cost (BEC) estimation methods can be found in the Supporting Information of the previous work from our group …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Leveraging Green Ammonia for Resilient and Cost-Competitive Islanded Electricity Generation from Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic–Wind Farms: A Case Study in South Africa

Sagel,

Rouwenhorst,

Faria

2023

Energy Fuels

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Hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind generation in combination with green ammonia as a seasonal energy storage vector offers an excellent opportunity to decrease the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). In this work, an analysis is performed to find the most cost-effective configuration of powerto-ammonia-to-power (P2A2P). In P2A2P, wind and solar resources are combined with energy storage to design a resilient electricity grid. For daily generation, batteries are utilized for energy storage, whereas ammonia is employed to cope with seasonal fluctuations. The costs of energy storage capacity have a significant influence on the LCOE. Therefore, this work studies the effect of solar/wind hybrid generation systems and energy storage capacity on the LCOE. A base case of the region of De Aar in South Africa was selected because this inland location has excellent wind and solar resources. The optimized battolyzer and Haber−Bosch design capacity led to an overall load factor of 20− 30%. At a 30% load factor, a hybrid system with 37% wind-based and 63% solar-based energy generation capacity was the most costeffective configuration, resulting in a LCOE of 0.15 USD/kWh at a 5% annual discount rate. In an optimistic scenario for PV costs, the LCOE achieved is essentially unaltered (0.14 USD/kWh), while the contribution of wind and PV changes to 25 and 75%, respectively. This analysis indicates that appropriate designing of hybrid energy solutions will play a key role in determining the final energy storage capacities needed to reduce the LCOE. While these costs for LCOE are above those reported for coal-powered electricity in South Africa (e.g., 0.072 USD/kWh for businesses and 0.151 USD/kWh for households), a carbon tax of 50 USD/ton of CO 2 can increase these costs to 0.102 and 0.191 USD/kWh, rendering a more promising outlook for the P2A2P concept.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging Green Ammonia for Resilient and Cost-Competitive Islanded Electricity Generation from Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic–Wind Farms: A Case Study in South Africa

Sagel,

Rouwenhorst,

Faria

2023

Energy Fuels

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“…It can be obtained from the official website of the Bureau of Energy in Taiwan. Carbon emission factors vary slightly for each country, so the calculation uses the local factor [40,41]. Table 2 shows the carbon emission factor from 2015 to 2021, which is obtained from the Bureau of Energy.…”

Section: Carbon Reduction Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A cost-benefit analysis informs investment decision-making for renewable energy and environmental systems and has been used for solar photovoltaic systems [40], renewable energy systems [41], tidal energy production [42], river restoration [43], and wastewater reuse [44]. The decision indicators for a cost-benefit analysis include net present value (NPV), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period (PR).…”

Section: Cost and Benefit Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

An Economic Analysis of Energy Saving and Carbon Mitigation by the Use of Phase Change Materials for Cool Energy Storage for an Air Conditioning System—A Case Study

Peng,

2024

Energies

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Phase change materials are increasingly used because they can be used for cold energy storage in air conditioning systems to increase system efficiency and achieve energy savings. However, many potential adopters of phase change cold storage systems fail to consider environmental and economic factors, so feasibility assessments are difficult and significant gaps between expected benefits and actual outcomes become apparent. This study establishes an economic analysis model using a technology company in Taiwan as an example. The model determines the costs and energy-saving carbon reduction benefits of implementing phase change materials to allow businesses to achieve energy-saving, carbon reduction, and sustainable development objectives. The results of this study demonstrate that companies can achieve a 32% reduction in electricity costs, reduce energy consumption by 118,411 kWh per year, and reduce carbon emissions by 60,272 tons per year by adopting phase change materials. The dynamic payback period is as little as 2.9 years for low-load conditions. A cost–benefit analysis also shows that the use of phase change materials for energy storage, coupled with the prior construction of energy storage areas, provides the maximum economic benefits and is the optimal choice.

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A cost-benefit analysis of implementing a 54 MW solar PV plant in a South African platinum mining company: A case study

Cited by 2 publications

References 11 publications

Leveraging Green Ammonia for Resilient and Cost-Competitive Islanded Electricity Generation from Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic–Wind Farms: A Case Study in South Africa

Leveraging Green Ammonia for Resilient and Cost-Competitive Islanded Electricity Generation from Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic–Wind Farms: A Case Study in South Africa

An Economic Analysis of Energy Saving and Carbon Mitigation by the Use of Phase Change Materials for Cool Energy Storage for an Air Conditioning System—A Case Study

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