Performance evaluation and cost-benefit analysis of a large solar PV installation at a mine site in Western Australia

摘要

A performance evaluation and a cost-benefit analysis was performed for a photovoltaic array designed for dwelling units of a mine site in Western Australia. In the first proposal, modules were mounted flat, with no solar tracking, on roof-tops of dwelling units. In the second proposal, the same number of modules was mounted on 1-axis trackers with polar mounting on ground. The insolation received, dc and ac power generated and the ac energy supplied to the grid were calculated by considering the weather data available for the site. The array configuration, the number of trackers and power converters were determined to assess the system costs. The desired carbon price to deliver a given payback period was calculated for both methods of mounting in a cost-benefit analysis. The study clearly shows the significant economic benefits of employing solar trackers in large-scale development of solar farms in Western Australia and an approximate price for avoided carbon emissions.