Techno-economic comparison between photovoltaic systems with solar trackers and fixed structure in “El Valle de Sula”, Honduras

Abstract

Solar energy has the greatest energy potential among all types of renewable energies. In 2018, the annual demand for electricity worldwide was 22,964 TWh. Daily, earth receives about 174 PW in the form of solar irradiance. This means that, if all this radiation could be harnessed, in approximately 8 minutes the electricity needed to meet the global annual electricity demand could be generated. Therefore, the need arises to implement photovoltaic systems that take better advantage of the solar resource, but in turn provide greater economic profitability. This article aims to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of photovoltaic systems with solar trackers and compare them with fixed structure systems in “El Valle de Sula”, Honduras, Central America. The research was able to determine the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of each type of photovoltaic system from the generation of electricity in municipalities comprising the study area and the costs associated with initial investment, and operation and maintenance of each photovoltaic system. This research was carried out by implementing a methodology with a quantitative approach, using data collection to test hypotheses, based on numerical measurement and statistical analysis. Considering the value of the land, the photovoltaic system with a horizontal axis tracker has the lowest LCOE in 14 of the 18 municipalities of “El Valle de Sula”. Without taking into account the value of the land, the system with the lowest LCOE in all municipalities of this region is the system with a horizontal axis tracker, then the system with a dual-axis tracker and finally the system with fixed structure.

Spatial distribution of Honduran electricity demand

“…In San Pedro Sula (municipality of the department of Corté s), more than 40 different shops have photovoltaic systems to meet a part of their electricity demand. In 2018, the installed power of photovoltaic systems in San Pedro Sula was 8.493 MW, representing an increase in installed capacity of 100% compared to 2017 [6]. San Pedro Sula is establishing a model for the rest of the municipalities.…”

“…The installation of photovoltaic systems is not just a great option for the commercial sector, they are an alternative to help alleviate the future demands of the residential sector that each year reflect a 20% growth [6]. The capacity of distributed generation needed near the demand for each municipality could be estimated with the assistance of the geographical tool developed through this research in Tableau because it allows to explore the electricity consumption for each municipality and the consumption for each sector within the municipality.…”

Estimation of the Photovoltaic Potential on Rooftops in the City of San Pedro Sula, Cortés, Honduras

“…[6] Photovoltaic generators are already being used in the country, in generation plants, in companies to satisfy their own energy needs and in autonomous systems in households that use transfers to connect to the network. [7] According to [8], more than 40 different shops in San Pedro Sula currently have photovoltaic systems to meet a part of their electricity demand. In 2018, the installed power of photovoltaic systems in San Pedro Sula was 8.493 MW.…”

Energy gains at daily periodic changes of the azimuths of PV modules in north-east Bulgaria

“…The applications of the photovoltaic (PV) systems is globally increasing, following the development of the PV technologies and the fuels crises during the last years [1][2][3]. This progress provokes the applications of techniques for increasing the electricity productions as tracking PV installations equipped with advanced automation systems [1,2].…”