Analysis of the Solar Resource, Photocurrent, Electricity Production and Greenhouse Gases Emission Reduction of an Experimental Photovoltaic Power Plant to be Placed in a University Campus
Abstract
Solar photovoltaic power plants are expanding rapidly all over the world. We analyzed in detail the solar radiation resource at the Urcuquí region, near 0° latitude in Ecuador, the photovoltaic merit factor, the photocurrent generated by solar radiation in typical solar cells of (mono and poly) Si, Germanium and perovskite, the mean annual electric energy produced and the corresponding avoided greenhouse gases emissions. Urcuquí has an annual averaged cloud coverage of (75.7 ± 3.5) % and an annual averaged global irradiance for 2015 equal to (984 ± 57) Wm-2 in horizontal surface and with clear sky conditions. The photocurrent intensities calculated were: (34.9 ± 2.0) mAcm-2, (26.5 ± 1.5) mAcm-2, (23.4 ± 1.5) mAcm-2 and (16.8 ± 1.2) mAcm-2, for mono-Si, poly-Si, perovskite and Ge solar cells, respectively. Finally, the installation of an experimental photovoltaic power plant of 1 MWpeak, can provide 1,349 kWh/year of electricity and reduce greenhouse gases emission by 398 TnCO2eq/year.