Technical and cost comparison of selected technologies for energetic conversions of renewable energy sources

Abstract

The authors of this article were guided by the desire to show the profitability of using renewable energy sources and to facilitate decisions for future investors as to their choice. The article classifies energy sources and methods for converting renewable energy sources (RES) and presents a technical comparison of two electricity supply systems: a photovoltaic system and a household wind farm for a selected building. A residential, single-family building, inhabited by a family of three, was adopted for analysis. Photovoltaics, the use of solar radiation energy to produce electricity, is classified next to wind farms as the most dynamically developing renewable energy technology. When analysing in terms of technology renewable conversion methods that provide us with electricity, the better installation is the photovoltaic installation. By analysing the cost of renewable energy conversion technologies that provide us with electricity, the photovoltaic system becomes more beneficial, because with a similar investment price we get a much shorter payback period than in the case of a backyard wind power station.