Optimal load scheduling for off-grid photovoltaic installations with fixed energy requirements and intrinsic constraints

Navarro-González, Francisco J.; Villacampa, Yolanda; Picazo, Miguel Ángel Pardo; Cortés-Molina, Mónica

doi:10.1016/j.psep.2020.11.011

Cited by 9 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 42 publications

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“…Changes in land use and the loss of vegetation cover as a consequence of anthropogenic activities as well as the progressive desertification of the soil, especially on the Mediterranean coast [11,12], are factors that contribute to the increasing effects of climate variability and thus the frequency of extreme precipitation events. There are two possible approaches to mitigate the resulting problems: optimize the use of resources directly or indirectly [13,14] or improve the predictive capability for the phenomena under consideration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Rainfall Time Series with Application to Calculation of Return Periods

Pérez¹,

Cortés-Molina

Navarro-González

2021

Sustainability

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This paper presents a study of the characteristics of rainfall in a typical Mediterranean climate, characterized by infrequent and irregular rain in the territorial area and its intensity. One of the main components of this type of climate is short-duration and high-intensity rain events that cause a large amount of damage to property and human lives, seriously affecting the operation of infrastructure and the activity of society in general. The objective of this study was to design a methodology based on peak over threshold (POT) analysis. This methodology allows us to establish reference precipitation values and more approximate return periods in the absence of sufficiently extensive historical precipitation series. In addition, the frequency of these extreme events or return periods is established. The characteristics of the precipitation regime make direct analysis difficult. Thus, the functions of the probability distributions underlying the described phenomena are improved.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Rainfall Time Series with Application to Calculation of Return Periods

Pérez¹,

Cortés-Molina

Navarro-González

2021

Sustainability

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Economic assessment of converting a pressurised water distribution network into an off-grid system supplied with solar photovoltaic energy

Chabour

Picazo

Riquelme

2022

Clean Techn Environ Policy

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Converting a water pressurised distribution network into an off-grid pumping station supplied by solar photovoltaics represents a challenge for utility managers, user demand assessments evaluate the energy generated in a solar-powered systems to establish energy consumption. This work includes quantifying potential investments and economic savings that could be achieved, as well as the payback period which results as an indicator of the suitability of adapting to a power supply utilising solar panels. A tool (UAsolar) to aid practitioners has been developed, it requires a calibrated hydraulic model to account for the energy requirements in the water delivery process of pressurised networks. The authors encourage students, professionals, and decision-makers to use this tool to identify potential efficiency gains (e.g., delivery schedule, reduction of water use) and to synchronise energy production and consumption. Users can get results with low computational time using the software on six pressurised distribution networks. Practitioners should note that the irrigation networks have sized installations with a few photovoltaic modules, while in urban pressurised networks the results show larger installations are required. In addition, irrigation network managers can match energy demand with energy production by changing consumption over time, this could reduce the quantity of modules required and remove the need for energy storage. The payback period ranges from 6.08 to 13 years for the cases where the investment is recovered—(values that show that this investment yields a high return as the lifetime of the PV modules is 25 years). However, one municipality among those studied shows that in some scenarios it is not viable to convert networks into a standalone system. Graphical abstract

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An irrigation scheduling algorithm for sustainable energy consumption in pressurised irrigation networks supplied by photovoltaic modules

Navarro-González

Pardo

Chabour

et al. 2023

Clean Techn Environ Policy

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To meet water demands, pressurised irrigation networks often need pumping devices, whose power demand varies with the pump head, the flow rate delivered and the pump efficiency. To satisfy the energy demand of pumps, solar photovoltaic panels can be used as a renewable energy source. Since the electricity supply of a solar photovoltaics plant depends on irradiance, the energy that powers the pump varies with the time of the day. This study presents a strategy for scheduling water delivery by irrigation pumps, synchronising energy production in solar photovoltaic modules and minimising the installation size. An optimisation algorithm is proposed, which changes the energy required by pumping devices and adjusts them to the available solar energy supply, minimising the number of panels required. This problem applies to a pressurised irrigation network, where the utility manager may irrigate crops at all hours of the day. By adopting the proposed algorithm, irrigation will follow a rigid rotation schedule to follow the new irrigation plan. This approach improves earlier studies by employing a least-square scheduling algorithm with little computing time. This results in a tool for managers and decision-makers when evaluating the possibility of converting their irrigation network into a stand-alone system supplied by photovoltaic panels. A case study handling this issue in the University of Alicante’s pressurised irrigation network in Spain is proposed to find potential energy savings by connecting the recommended scheduling irrigating plan to the present operation. Graphical abstract

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Optimal load scheduling for off-grid photovoltaic installations with fixed energy requirements and intrinsic constraints

Cited by 9 publications

References 42 publications

Analysis of Rainfall Time Series with Application to Calculation of Return Periods

Analysis of Rainfall Time Series with Application to Calculation of Return Periods

Economic assessment of converting a pressurised water distribution network into an off-grid system supplied with solar photovoltaic energy

An irrigation scheduling algorithm for sustainable energy consumption in pressurised irrigation networks supplied by photovoltaic modules

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