A Cost-Effective and Transferable Methodology for Rooftop PV Potential Assessment in Developing Countries

Abstract

The efficient uptake of decentralized solar rooftop photovoltaics (PV) is in some cases hindered by ineffective energy and political framework conditions. These may be based on inaccurate and uncertain potential assessments in the early development stage of the solar market. This paper develops a more accurate, cost-effective, and robust potential assessment for emerging and developing economies. Adjusting the module efficiency corresponding to regional and household conditions improves the output accuracy. The rooftop PV market changes are simulated regarding different input changes and policy designs, including changing the Feed-In Tariff (FIT), grid tariff, and technology development. In the case study, the market potential in Vietnam is estimated at 260–280 TWh/a and is clustered into six groups in priority order, in which Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh need the most policy focus. Changing the FIT from 8.83 to 9 Euro cent/kWh and using different regional FITs can activate an additional 16% of the market and lead to a possible 28 million Euro benefit. Increasing the grid tariff to 8.7 cents/kWh could activate the self-consumption model, and the self-sufficient market can be guaranteed in the case of CAPEX and OPEX being lower than 650 Euro/kWp. Future developments of the method should focus on combining this top-down method with detailed bottom-up approaches.

Feasibility Analysis of the Power Supply Model Using Solar PV for the Public Lighting System in Hanoi

“…The total initial investment cost includes installation costs and equipment such as PMT, battery, DC/DC converter, DC/AC inverter, controller, etc. In order to ensure adequate power supply for the selected load [20], the models are calculated and designed with the parameters shown in Table 1.…”

Experimental Analysis of Residential Photovoltaic (PV) and Electric Vehicle (EV) Systems in Terms of Annual Energy Utilization

“…Rising demand for RES energy led to fast photovoltaic infrastructure development, which became competitive in terms of low cost and high efficiency. The flexibility of the design of PV systems allows energy production in a wide range of voltage, from systems with power above 100 MWp to household applications, most often below 15 kWp [16,17]. Integration of household PV systems and electric vehicle use are a promising solution for global GHG reduction and locally lower fuel costs [17,18].…”

“…The flexibility of the design of PV systems allows energy production in a wide range of voltage, from systems with power above 100 MWp to household applications, most often below 15 kWp [16,17]. Integration of household PV systems and electric vehicle use are a promising solution for global GHG reduction and locally lower fuel costs [17,18]. Energy analysis from Kyoto, with limited areas intended for RES, indicated 74% CO2 emission and 37% cost reduction from the power and transport sectors by applying photovoltaic rooftop systems and electric vehicles [19].…”

Optimal PV Parameter Estimation via Double Exponential Function-Based Dynamic Inertia Weight Particle Swarm Optimization

“…Environmental concerns, inflating fossil fuel prices and the depletion of conventional energy resources, compel researchers to retain their efforts towards sustainable, reliable, and economical sources for electric power generation. In this aspect, renewable energy sources (RES) like biomass, solar, hydro, and wind are gaining the interest of researchers [1,2]. Among these RES, solar energy is a widely and freely available energy source, which can be easily captured directly through a photovoltaic (PV) system [3,4].…”

“…The I-V characteristics of the double-diode model are depicted in Equation (2) [14]: The second most utilized PV model is a double-diode model, presented in Figure 2. The I-V characteristics of the double-diode model are depicted in Equation (2) [14]:…”