PV Energy Performance in a Sustainable Campus

• Main Authors: Rosaura Castrillón-Mendoza, Paul Andrés Manrique-Castillo, Javier M. Rey-Hernández, Francisco J. Rey-Martínez, Gabriel González-Palomino
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Electronics
• Subjects: energy efficiency; smart campus; grid-connected photovoltaic systems; energy simulation; performance evaluation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/9/11/1874

The challenge of photovoltaic integration as the basis of an energy generation system has been achieved and carried out by the University Autónoma de Cali, Colombia, using an avant-garde energy technology model. This innovative sustainable campus not only fulfills its purpose as an advanced model of a renewable energy integration system, it also aims at environmental research, e-mobility, and energy efficiency. This paper describes how the university implements the technological innovation of integrating the photovoltaic system installation in a university campus, showing its relevant contribution to the electricity generation in the campus buildings by analyzing the different electrical parameters together with the system performance indicators. The implementation of technological solutions has allowed the generation of a quantity of renewable energy within the campus, supplying a sustainable energy response based on energy efficiency and carbon emissions savings. This innovation has been applied following the international standards for the evaluation of the energy performance of photovoltaic systems (IEC 61724), reaching very optimal values for this type of renewable solution. In this paper, the dynamic monitoring of several parameters has been carried out in order to analyze the energy performance, and an energy simulation has been used to achieve optimal solutions and to obtain the perfect modeling of the system. This study shows how to evaluate the performance of an integration of a photovoltaic system in a smart university campus, according to international standards. It achieves complete viability due to its economic savings, energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emission.