Techno-economic feasibility analysis of 1 MW photovoltaic grid connected system in Oman

• Main Authors: Hussein A. Kazem, M.H. Albadi, Ali H.A. Al-Waeli, Ahmed H. Al-Busaidi, Miqdam T. Chaichan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2017-09-01
• Series: Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
• Subjects: Techno-economic; Cost of energy; Photovoltaic; Grid-connected; Numerical simulation
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X17301132

Solar photovoltaic panels (PV) face many challenges in the Sultanate of Oman. These challenges include costs, policy and technical development. With the growing needs of the Sultanate in the energy sector, Grid Connected PV (GCPV) system could help in reducing peak load demand and offer an alternative energy source. This study aims to numerically discover the optimal configuration for a 1 MW GCPV plant in Adam city. Real time data, on hour-by-hour basis, from the location are used to ensure highest accuracy. The simulation not only is set for technical evaluation but economic as well. Investment in GCPV technology needs a bigger push both by research, development and policy. The assessment results show that the PV technology investment is very promising in this site whereas the annual yield factor of the system is 1875.1 kW h/kW p. Meanwhile, the capacity factor of the proposed system is 21.7%. The cost of energy found for the plant is around 0.2258 USD/kW h which is economically feasible and shows great promise.