A Feasibility Assessment of Photovoltaic Power Systems in Ireland; a Case Study for the Dublin Region

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) power generation is one of the cleanest sources for producing renewable energy; however uptake on the Irish renewable energy market to date has been low. There is a lack of support for solar PV systems in Ireland; there is currently no solar PV energy feed-in-tariff as there are for other renewable energy systems in Ireland. Despite the current lack of support, the Government has indicated that support for the uptake of solar PV installations will be provided through the provision of a feed-in tariff in the future. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of installing PV systems under Irish climatic conditions at a location based in Dublin, Ireland, from a technical, environmental and economic point of view. This was achieved by carrying out a life cycle assessment of potential environmental impacts, and analysis of energy and economic payback times relating to the proposed PV system. Four possible renewable feed-in-tariffs (based on existing feed-in-tariffs for other renewable energy systems) were considered to determine the effect of such tariffs on the overall economics of the proposed PV system. Results show that life cycle GHG emissions are 69 g CO 2 -eq per kWh generated by the system, significantly lower than the current electricity grid mix emissions of 469 g CO 2 -eq per kWh. It will take 5.23 years of operation of the solar plant to generate the same amount of energy (in terms of primary energy equivalent) that was used to produce the system itself. The economic payback time varies from 19.3 and 34.4 years depending on the rate of renewable energy feed-in-tariff applied. The costs for the production of PV electricity in this study are higher than is usual in countries where the solar PV market is more developed, e.g., Germany, due to constraints with building integration and lack of experienced PV installers. As more PV is deployed, the Irish PV installer base will increase and 'learning by doing' effects will allow installers to install projects more efficiently and quickly under Irish conditions, leading to significantly reduced costs.

Microgeneration of Electricity Using a Solar Photovoltaic System in Ireland

“…Calculated solar PV system emissions ranged between 50 g to 120 g CO 2 eq. kWh −1 which agreed with the findings of [4] (69 g CO 2 eq kWh −1 , or 0.000069 tonne CO 2 eq. kWh −1 .…”

“…The roof area available on each unit for mounting of solar PV panels is 10.042 m 2 . Solar PV system details are listed in Table 1 [4]. The total solar PV installed effect of each unit W pi [31] is calculated using Equation 1:…”

“…The solar PV power generation is one of the cleanest sources of renewable energy [4]. In 2017, natural gas accounted for 51% of the fuel used for electricity generation in Ireland and the CO 2 intensity of electricity is 437 g CO 2 kWh −1 or 0.000437 t CO 2 kWh −1 [40].…”

“…With limited indigenous fossil energy resources, Ireland is significantly dependent on fossil fuel imports which accounted for over 90% of the primary electricity demand in 2017 [2]. The Irish Government is committed to decrease GHG emissions and advance alternative energy sources to reduce the national dependence on fossil fuels (2009/28/EC Renewable Energy Directive (RED)) [3] and has committed to a target of 40% electricity use from renewables by the year 2020 [4]. In Ireland in 2017 only 10.6% energy supply came from renewable sources and the country was ranked 26th out of the European Union (EU)-28 for progress toward meeting 2020 renewable energy target [5].…”

“…Ireland is not on track to meet 2020 renewable energy targets which has cost implications of €100 to €150 million for each percentage point shortfall [4]. The Irish Government has agreed to the binding renewable energy target for 2030 of 32% in line with EU recast RED 2 [6].…”