IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v121y2018icp506-518.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Influence of Operation and Maintenance expenditures in the feasibility of photovoltaic projects: The case of a tracking pv plant in Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Muñoz-Cerón, E.
  • Lomas, J.C.
  • Aguilera, J.
  • de la Casa, J.

Abstract

Operation and Maintenance (O&M) tasks are becoming increasingly important in the asset management of photovoltaic projects. However, there is insufficient evidence to analyse in depth its influence on the energy and economic performance of such systems. The wide range of O&M annual expenditures (OPEX) and the lack of standardization further complicate the proliferation of specialized studies. This paper analyses the influence of OPEX on the performance and viability of a utility-scale photovoltaic tracking plant based on real data. After a description of the O&M costs incurred to maximise photovoltaic performance, a first result shows that a percentage decrease in annual OPEX does not necessarily imply the same trend in energy losses. Although this electricity decrease may jeopardise the viability of the project, the economic outlook of this study shows that high quality O&M not always improves the Levelised Cost of Electricity or the annual liquid asset of such investment. Finally, it shows real evidence of the influence of promotion policies on the viability of photovoltaic projects, taking Spain as an example, where it is more profitable to abandon the preventive maintenance of a photovoltaic plant than to invest in O&M and only undertake corrective O&M in limit situations

Suggested Citation

  • Muñoz-Cerón, E. & Lomas, J.C. & Aguilera, J. & de la Casa, J., 2018. "Influence of Operation and Maintenance expenditures in the feasibility of photovoltaic projects: The case of a tracking pv plant in Spain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 506-518.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:121:y:2018:i:c:p:506-518
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.07.014
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421518304609
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.07.014?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mir-Artigues, Pere & Cerdá, Emilio & del Río, Pablo, 2018. "Analysing the economic impact of the new renewable electricity support scheme on solar PV plants in Spain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 323-331.
    2. Sumathi, Vijayan & Jayapragash, R. & Bakshi, Abhinav & Kumar Akella, Praveen, 2017. "Solar tracking methods to maximize PV system output – A review of the methods adopted in recent decade," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 130-138.
    3. Mir-Artigues, Pere & Cerdá, Emilio & del Río, Pablo, 2015. "Analyzing the impact of cost-containment mechanisms on the profitability of solar PV plants in Spain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 166-177.
    4. Jenner, Steffen & Groba, Felix & Indvik, Joe, 2013. "Assessing the strength and effectiveness of renewable electricity feed-in tariffs in European Union countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 385-401.
    5. Eldin, S.A. Sharaf & Abd-Elhady, M.S. & Kandil, H.A., 2016. "Feasibility of solar tracking systems for PV panels in hot and cold regions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 228-233.
    6. Talavera, D.L. & Muñoz-Cerón, E. & de la Casa, J. & Ortega, M.J. & Almonacid, G., 2011. "Energy and economic analysis for large-scale integration of small photovoltaic systems in buildings: The case of a public location in Southern Spain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4310-4319.
    7. Talavera, D.L. & Muñoz-Cerón, E. & Ferrer-Rodríguez, J.P. & Nofuentes, G., 2016. "Evolution of the cost and economic profitability of grid-connected PV investments in Spain: Long-term review according to the different regulatory frameworks approved," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 233-247.
    8. Lomas, J.C. & Muñoz-Cerón, E. & Nofuentes, G. & de la Casa, J., 2018. "Sale of profitable but unaffordable PV plants in Spain: Analysis of a real case," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 279-294.
    9. de la Hoz, Jordi & Martín, Helena & Miret, Jaume & Castilla, Miguel & Guzman, Ramon, 2016. "Evaluating the 2014 retroactive regulatory framework applied to the grid connected PV systems in Spain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 329-344.
    10. Dusonchet, L. & Telaretti, E., 2015. "Comparative economic analysis of support policies for solar PV in the most representative EU countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 986-998.
    11. de la Hoz, Jordi & Martín, Helena & Ballart, Jordi & Monjo, Lluis, 2014. "Evaluating the approach to reduce the overrun cost of grid connected PV systems for the Spanish electricity sector: Performance analysis of the period 2010–2012," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 159-173.
    12. Koussa, M. & Cheknane, A. & Hadji, S. & Haddadi, M. & Noureddine, S., 2011. "Measured and modelled improvement in solar energy yield from flat plate photovoltaic systems utilizing different tracking systems and under a range of environmental conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(5), pages 1756-1771, May.
    13. de la Hoz, Jordi & Boix, Oriol & Martín, Helena & Martins, Blanca & Graells, Moisès, 2010. "Promotion of grid-connected photovoltaic systems in Spain: Performance analysis of the period 1998-2008," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2547-2563, December.
    14. Bahrami, Arian & Okoye, Chiemeka Onyeka & Atikol, Ugur, 2016. "The effect of latitude on the performance of different solar trackers in Europe and Africa," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 896-906.
    15. Bazilian, Morgan & Onyeji, Ijeoma & Liebreich, Michael & MacGill, Ian & Chase, Jennifer & Shah, Jigar & Gielen, Dolf & Arent, Doug & Landfear, Doug & Zhengrong, Shi, 2013. "Re-considering the economics of photovoltaic power," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 329-338.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Talavera, D.L. & Muñoz-Cerón, Emilio & Ferrer-Rodríguez, J.P. & Pérez-Higueras, Pedro J., 2019. "Assessment of cost-competitiveness and profitability of fixed and tracking photovoltaic systems: The case of five specific sites," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 902-913.
    2. D'Agostino, D. & Minelli, F. & D'Urso, M. & Minichiello, F., 2022. "Fixed and tracking PV systems for Net Zero Energy Buildings: Comparison between yearly and monthly energy balance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 809-824.
    3. Willockx, Brecht & Lavaert, Cas & Cappelle, Jan, 2023. "Performance evaluation of vertical bifacial and single-axis tracked agrivoltaic systems on arable land," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    4. Hui Zhao & Jing Gao & Xian Cheng, 2023. "Electric Vehicle Solar Charging Station Siting Study Based on GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making: A Case Study of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-23, July.
    5. D. L. Talavera & E. Muñoz-Cerón & J. de la Casa & D. Lozano-Arjona & M. Theristis & P. J. Pérez-Higueras, 2019. "Complete Procedure for the Economic, Financial and Cost-Competitiveness of Photovoltaic Systems with Self-Consumption," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, January.
    6. Jesus Javier Losada-Maseda & Laura Castro-Santos & Manuel Ángel Graña-López & Ana Isabel García-Diez & Almudena Filgueira-Vizoso, 2020. "Analysis of Contracts to Build Energy Infrastructures to Optimize the OPEX," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-17, September.
    7. Zhang, Zumeng & Ding, Liping & Wang, Chaofan & Dai, Qiyao & Shi, Yin & Zhao, Yujia & Zhu, Yuxuan, 2022. "Do operation and maintenance contracts help photovoltaic poverty alleviation power stations perform better?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    8. Espinoza, R. & Muñoz-Cerón, E. & Aguilera, J. & de la Casa, J., 2019. "Feasibility evaluation of residential photovoltaic self-consumption projects in Peru," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 414-427.
    9. Abdulla, Hind & Sleptchenko, Andrei & Nayfeh, Ammar, 2024. "Photovoltaic systems operation and maintenance: A review and future directions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    10. Federico Minelli & Diana D’Agostino & Maria Migliozzi & Francesco Minichiello & Pierpaolo D’Agostino, 2023. "PhloVer: A Modular and Integrated Tracking Photovoltaic Shading Device for Sustainable Large Urban Spaces—Preliminary Study and Prototyping," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-35, August.
    11. Reher, Thomas & Lavaert, Cas & Willockx, Brecht & Huyghe, Yasmin & Bisschop, Jolien & Martens, Johan A. & Diels, Jan & Cappelle, Jan & Van de Poel, Bram, 2024. "Potential of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) and wheat (Triticum aestivum) production in vertical bifacial, tracked, or elevated agrivoltaic systems in Belgium," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 359(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Espinoza, R. & Muñoz-Cerón, E. & Aguilera, J. & de la Casa, J., 2019. "Feasibility evaluation of residential photovoltaic self-consumption projects in Peru," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 414-427.
    2. Lomas, J.C. & Muñoz-Cerón, E. & Nofuentes, G. & de la Casa, J., 2018. "Sale of profitable but unaffordable PV plants in Spain: Analysis of a real case," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 279-294.
    3. Sergio Coronas & Jordi de la Hoz & Àlex Alonso & Helena Martín, 2022. "23 Years of Development of the Solar Power Generation Sector in Spain: A Comprehensive Review of the Period 1998–2020 from a Regulatory Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-53, February.
    4. Castro-Rodríguez, Fidel & Miles-Touya, Daniel, 2023. "Impact of Spanish renewable support scheme reforms on the revenues of photovoltaic power plants," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    5. Patricia Blanco-Díez & Montserrat Díez-Mediavilla & Cristina Alonso-Tristán, 2020. "Review of the Legislative Framework for the Remuneration of Photovoltaic Production in Spain: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, February.
    6. de la Hoz, Jordi & Martín, Helena & Miret, Jaume & Castilla, Miguel & Guzman, Ramon, 2016. "Evaluating the 2014 retroactive regulatory framework applied to the grid connected PV systems in Spain," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 329-344.
    7. López Prol, Javier, 2018. "Regulation, profitability and diffusion of photovoltaic grid-connected systems: A comparative analysis of Germany and Spain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1170-1181.
    8. Sommerfeldt, Nelson & Madani, Hatef, 2017. "Revisiting the techno-economic analysis process for building-mounted, grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems: Part one – Review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1379-1393.
    9. Talavera, D.L. & Muñoz-Cerón, Emilio & Ferrer-Rodríguez, J.P. & Pérez-Higueras, Pedro J., 2019. "Assessment of cost-competitiveness and profitability of fixed and tracking photovoltaic systems: The case of five specific sites," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 902-913.
    10. Hammad, Bashar & Al-Sardeah, Ali & Al-Abed, Mohammad & Nijmeh, Salem & Al-Ghandoor, Ahmed, 2017. "Performance and economic comparison of fixed and tracking photovoltaic systems in Jordan," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 827-839.
    11. Burtt, D. & Dargusch, P., 2015. "The cost-effectiveness of household photovoltaic systems in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Australia: Linking subsidies with emission reductions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 439-448.
    12. Raquel Fernández-González & Andrés Suárez-García & Miguel Ángel Álvarez Feijoo & Elena Arce & Montserrat Díez-Mediavilla, 2020. "Spanish Photovoltaic Solar Energy: Institutional Change, Financial Effects, and the Business Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-18, March.
    13. Zhu, Yongqiang & Liu, Jiahao & Yang, Xiaohua, 2020. "Design and performance analysis of a solar tracking system with a novel single-axis tracking structure to maximize energy collection," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    14. Ibanez-Lopez, A.S. & Moratilla-Soria, B.Y., 2017. "An assessment of Spain's new alternative energy support framework and its long-term impact on wind power development and system costs through behavioral dynamic simulation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 629-646.
    15. D. L. Talavera & E. Muñoz-Cerón & J. de la Casa & D. Lozano-Arjona & M. Theristis & P. J. Pérez-Higueras, 2019. "Complete Procedure for the Economic, Financial and Cost-Competitiveness of Photovoltaic Systems with Self-Consumption," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, January.
    16. Mir-Artigues, Pere & Cerdá, Emilio & del Río, Pablo, 2018. "Analysing the economic impact of the new renewable electricity support scheme on solar PV plants in Spain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 323-331.
    17. Shabani, Masoume & Mahmoudimehr, Javad, 2018. "Techno-economic role of PV tracking technology in a hybrid PV-hydroelectric standalone power system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 84-108.
    18. Singh, Rajesh & Kumar, Suresh & Gehlot, Anita & Pachauri, Rupendra, 2018. "An imperative role of sun trackers in photovoltaic technology: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3263-3278.
    19. Panagiotis Anagnostopoulos & Niki-Artemis Spyridaki & Alexandros Flamos, 2017. "A “New-Deal” for the Development of Photovoltaic Investments in Greece? A Parametric Techno-Economic Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-25, August.
    20. López Prol, Javier & Steininger, Karl W., 2020. "Photovoltaic self-consumption is now profitable in Spain: Effects of the new regulation on prosumers’ internal rate of return," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:121:y:2018:i:c:p:506-518. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.