SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC AND WIND ENERGY ANALYSIS: A SCORING METHOD FOR SMALL ENERGY CONSUMERS

摘要

The availability and advancement of renewable energy technologies have dramatically increased in the past decade, providing energy consumers with multiple options for their power needs. Environmental concerns, tax incentives, changes in legislation, and improved manufacturing techniques are helping make renewable energy technologies increasingly attractive and affordable. This work analyzes the factors and conditions that make the two prominent renewable energy technologies, solar photovoltaic and wind, a viable option for small energy consumers. A scoring method has been developed that establishes and analyzes the specific criteria needed to evaluate each energy technology. The scoring method and corresponding worksheets are designed to measure whether a potential small energy consumer is a strong candidate for a solar photovoltaic or wind energy system.