Assessment of the potential of solar energy to power municipal utilities

Abstract

The use of alternative energy sources in the housing and utilities sector of Ukraine is a pressing issue today. Powering household consumers or life-support facilities from a photovoltaic power plant allows achieving energy autonomy, reducing electricity costs, and reducing the negative impact on the environment. Over the past ten years, there has been a significant reduction in the cost of solar power plant elements while improving the quality characteristics of the equipment. This affects the speed of transition of various consumer groups, from households to industry, to alternative energy sources or the use of a hybrid energy system. The efficiency and productivity of photovoltaic power plants are affected by the type of technology used and environmental factors. In the process of converting solar energy, losses may occur that are related to the efficiency of solar panels, inverters, and other system components. When designing a photovoltaic power plant, it is necessary to take into account the latitude of the area where it is planned to install it and possible changes in weather conditions that may reduce solar energy production. To increase the reliability of power supply to equipment in the housing and communal sector, it is proposed to equip the pumping station for increasing the pressure in the water supply network of a nine-story residential building with solar panels. The calculation of the amount of energy generated by the solar power plant is based on angle of panel installation, chosen in accordance with the latitude of the region. To calculate the required number of panels, a method was chosen that takes into account the amount of direct and scattered solar radiation received by the solar panel surface. Based on the results of the calculations, the potential amount of hourly generated power during the year and the consumed hourly power were compared. It was found that the potentially high productivity of the station is in the spring-summer and summer-autumn periods, but it is not able to meet the growing demand for electricity in the evening. In the spring and summer, the morning peak in energy consumption can be met by a photovoltaic plant. Under favorable weather conditions, the amount of generated power will be greater than the power consumption, and the excess energy can be accumulated in the battery and used in the evening. The payback period of the investment in the solar station was calculated using the discounted cash flow method and is 1,6 year