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On the potential contribution of rooftop PV to a sustainable electricity mix: The case of Spain

This work evaluates on a large-scale basis the potential contribution of rooftop PV to the future electricity mix. First, based upon an estimation of the available urban rooftop surface, the maximum PV distributed capacity is calculated for each conurbation. Then, several sustainable scenarios are c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Renewable & sustainable energy reviews 2020-10, Vol.132, p.110074, Article 110074
Main Authors: Gomez-Exposito, Antonio, Arcos-Vargas, Angel, Gutierrez-Garcia, Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:This work evaluates on a large-scale basis the potential contribution of rooftop PV to the future electricity mix. First, based upon an estimation of the available urban rooftop surface, the maximum PV distributed capacity is calculated for each conurbation. Then, several sustainable scenarios are considered, each comprising different shares of centralized renewables, rooftop PV and storage. For each generation scenario, the storage capacity that balances the net hourly demand is determined, and the portfolio combination that minimizes the cost of supplying electricity is obtained. The analysis is applied to mainland Spain, using public information and detailed granular models, both in time (hourly resolution) and space (municipal level). For the Spanish case, when the flexibility of hydro and biomass generation is taken into account, the least-cost portfolio involves rather modest storage capacities, in the order of daily rather than seasonal values. This shows that a sustainable, almost emissions-free electricity system for Spain is possible, at a cost that can be even lower than current wholesale market prices. •Overall rooftop PV theoretical potential is evaluated, and is higher than expected.•A bottom-up, near-zero emission electricity model is proposed at the granular (municipalities & hourly) level.•The results show that optimal storage needs are close to average daily demand.•When all foreseeable sustainable generation assets are considered, the resulting LCOE is similar to current wholesale market prices.•The required distributed PV capacity is compatible with the network capacity.
ISSN:1364-0321
1879-0690
DOI:10.1016/j.rser.2020.110074