Benchmarking Analysis of the Panorama of Grid-Connected PV Installations in Spain

• Published in: Technologies (Basel) 2022-12, Vol.10 (6), p.131
• Main Authors: Gómez-Uceda, F. J., Varo-Martínez, M., Ramírez-Faz, J. C., López-Luque, R., Fernández-Ahumada, L. M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Analysis; benchmarking; Benchmarks; Climate change; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Design and construction; Design criteria; Design parameters; Electricity; Electricity distribution; Emissions; Energy consumption; Energy economics; Energy industry; Fossil fuels; grid-connected photovoltaics installations; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic power generation; photovoltaics; Policies; renewable energies; Renewable energy; Renewable resources; Statistical analysis; Testing; Trends
• ISSN: 2227-7080; 2227-7080
• DOI: 10.3390/technologies10060131

Renewable energies play an important role as a solution to the challenge of satisfying the growing global energy demand without jeopardizing the achievements in the fight against climate change. Given this panorama, different countries, including Spain, have developed policies to promote renewable energies. One of the technologies that benefit from these policies is photovoltaics. In Spain, the number of grid-connected photovoltaic installations has increased significantly in recent years. It is interesting to analyze the panorama of these facilities and identify the trends in their design criteria. In this line, in this work, the projects of 70 grid-connected photovoltaic installations distributed across Spain were analyzed. For that purpose, benchmarking techniques were applied, facilitating the systematization of information, the intercomparison of plants and the identification of trends and efficient solutions. A set of characteristic indicators of each installation was defined, and a statistical analysis of them was developed. Likewise, a tool was developed that allows the designers of this type of photovoltaic plant to compare the design parameters chosen for their installations with those of the surrounding area. Therefore, this work provides knowledge about the current panorama of photovoltaic implementation applicable to its future advance.