Influence of Solar Irradiation in the Analysis of the Economic Viability of Photovoltaic Systems

Abstract

The installation of photovoltaic systems is a promising alternative for the sustainable generation of electricity. Carrying out feasibility studies for photovoltaic installations is extremely important to verify the availability of the solar resource at the installation site. This research aims to compare the results of the economic analysis of a photovoltaic system with different estimates of electricity generation, using different databases of solar irradiation. Having as object of study the photovoltaic system of the Floriano campus of the IFPI, solar irradiation data were obtained from different banks and dedicated software, and estimated the production of electricity. This was compared with the actual generation data, obtained through the monitoring software of the system's inverters, and submitted to statistical tests. For each sample, an economic study was carried out, using the concepts of economic engineering. The results show that the choice of methodology for calculating generation estimates can directly influence the results of the feasibility analyses, which can lead to wrong choices. Depending on the size of the error, problems can arise when using the system in the short, medium and long term.