Análise técnica e financeira do projeto de uma usina fotovoltaica com diferentes tecnologias de inversores

Abstract

With the signing of treaties between countries to reduce global warming and the consequent increase in investments in renewable energy generation sources, such as photovoltaic solar, there is a greater need to understand the equipment and best solutions for a centralized photovoltaic generation plant. To achieve this, studies must be conducted. Within this context, this paper aims to present the financial and technical analysis of a photovoltaic plant project with different inverter technologies, consisting of 5 photovoltaic generation plants with a total capacity of 212.5 MWp, located in the state of Ceará. The study compares the use of two different inverter technologies in this PV plant: one with string inverters and the other with modular central inverters. For this, voltage drops, electrical losses, and cable sections in the low voltage DC, low voltage AC, and medium voltage AC circuits are calculated, following the NBR 5410 and NBR 14039 standards. To carry out the mentioned activity, it was necessary to design the electrical network using AutoCAD software to gather all the involved lengths. Additionally, a financial study is conducted to analyze the project's feasibility with parameters such as IRR, NPV, LCOE, and Payback. For the financial analysis, it is necessary to simulate the energy generation via PVSyst. The intention of the work is to analyze the financial feasibility of a photovoltaic plant with this scale of capacity and to assess, using technical data, which inverter is most suitable for the study in question. The conclusion is that the use of modular central inverters is more efficient, as they have lower losses and lower associated cable costs. In addition to this perspective, the financial study positively indicated the financial feasibility of a photovoltaic project of the same size as the one studied, with NPV, IRR, LCOE, and Payback values of R$195,370,000, 12.06%, R$275.54/MWh, and 7 years, respectively.