Title:	First Economic Benchmark of PV Technologies for ATAMOSTEC in the Atacama Desert, Chile
Author(s):	N. Gazbour, P.-J. Ribeyron, D. Muñoz, E. Urrejola, M.J. Riquelme, C. Gonzalez, A.M. Ruz
Topic:	Finance, Markets and Policies
Subtopic:	Costs, Economics, Finance and Markets
Event:	37th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition
Session:	7EO.3.5
ISBN:	3-936338-73-6
Price:	0,00 EUR
Document(s):	presentation

Abstract/Summary:

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The profitability of a photovoltaic (PV) system does not only depend on the selected technology but also on the environment and financial issues. External environmental factors such as ultra violet solar radiation, temperature, humidity and dust can strongly affect the energy, which PV modules can produce. Likewise, financial factors such as interest rates, debt conditions, and taxes benefits can also strongly affect the profitability. Those factors will affect in the Net Present Value of PV project, which will have important effects in the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) results. For this, it is necessary to perform a cash flow model in order to incorporate suitably every financial aspect. LCOE is a financial indicator for investment decisions, thus every financial aspect must be include in the LCOE methodology. ATAMOSTEC is a private-public initiative that seeks to develop technologies for the photovoltaic solar energy industry, specifically designed for high radiation and desert conditions. We carry out indoor and outdoor testings in order to develop disruptive PV modules technologies, advanced balance of systems and operation and maintenance applications, all with the aim to decrease the LCOE of PV technologies for the Chilean market. The main goal is to reach 25% LCOE decrease in the first 3 years of the consortium. The Chilean Atacama Desert is considered one of the most attractive one for the deployment of solar energy due to its solar irradiance but has also the harshest operation conditions. The main objectives of this work are to establish an economic benchmark of the ATAMOSTEC version 1 technologies (Mc-Si, PERC, PERC+, PERT, SHJ) installed in the desert using the (LCOE) approach.