| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中央大學 === 國際環境永續發展碩士在職專班國際專班 === 99 === The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the pre-feasibility of a grid-connected PV power plant in Honduras, by considering the well-being of the technical, economical and environmental aspects of the project. This thesis utilizes monthly average daily global solar radiation and sunshine-hour data from NASA Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) through the Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment Programme (SWERA) in Honduras. Evaluation of PV systems as an electricity generation source for Honduras was assessed utilizing a proposed 1.13 MW grid-connected PV power plant.
It is proposed to locate the PV power plant within the region with the best solar energy potential in Honduras (13°18'' North and 87°12'' West). This region has an average global solar radiation value of 5.62 kWh/day/m2, and average sunshine-hour value of 7.6 hours/day. It is estimated that the potential PV power plant would require 4,810 PV modules, covering an approximate area of 0.96 hectares. Methodology described in Maruoka (2008) is adopted in this study to select the most cost-effective PV module from those available on the market.
The pre-feasibility assessment of the proposed PV power plant is evaluated using RETScreen simulation software, through the performance of an energy production analysis, financial analysis and GHG emissions analysis. Initial results showed an annual electricity generation of 2,329 MWh, with a capacity factor of 23.5%. Financial indicators calculated, such as internal rate of return, simple payback period, net present value, benefit-cost ratio and energy production cost, indicated favorable conditions for the development of a PV power plant in Honduras. The sensitivity analysis shows that electricity export rate is the most sensitive variable which affects the profitability of the project. A feed in tariff rate of US$ 0.242/kWh is recommended to make the project economically and financially attractive. From the environmental point of view, it was found that a minimum of 1,855 tons of CO2, equivalent to 4,314 barrels of not consumed crude oil, can be avoided annually in Honduras by commissioning of the proposed PV power plant.
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