TY - GEN
T1 - Impact of Robotic Cleaning on the LCOE of Utility Scale PV Power Plants
T2 - 52nd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2024
AU - Pillai, Dhanup S.
AU - Lopez Garcia, Juan
AU - Figgis, Ben
AU - Jain, Sachin
AU - Benito, Veronica Bermudez
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 IEEE.
PY - 2024/11/15
Y1 - 2024/11/15
N2 - According to International Energy Agency (IEA), soiling stands out as a key factor affecting the yield of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. It is projected to result in an annual loss of PV energy production ranging from 3-5%, leading to an economic impact of 3-5 billion euros due to increased operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. However, it is commonly misunderstood that robotic cleaning is only a viable measure in desert climates, that are mostly impacted by the accumulation of dust. On the other hand, several studies report soiling as a global issue. In this context, this work performs a global techno-economic modelling considering LCOE as the key impact factor to assess the financial benefits of robotic cleaning across various diverse climates around the world, classified as per the Koppen Geiger (KG) classification. First, 392 strategic locations are selected based on: a) 22 KG climatic zones, b) O&M cost and c) mean global horizontal irradiance (GHI), and the standard LCOE is calculated for a benchmark 100 MWp utility-scale power plant using the LCOE model. Then, for each location with robotic cleaning as an additional O&M measure, the financial benefits pertinent to percentage LCOE, $ kWP' and $/100 MWp/Yr improvement is determined. Several cases incorporating the regional capital cost variations associated with robot costs have been studied. The findings indicate that, in most instances, the improvement of LCOE through robotic cleaning is significant, provided that the additional Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) does not surpass 35/ kW p' which is a realistic number considering the emerging solar robot market. Moreover, this improvement is consistent across climatic zones, even when factoring in the minimum global average annual soiling loss of 3%. To be specific, the global average benefit is in the range of 1.56 - 2.81 $ kWp and 0.173 - 0.356 million US $/100 MWp/Yr by virtue of robotic cleaning.
AB - According to International Energy Agency (IEA), soiling stands out as a key factor affecting the yield of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. It is projected to result in an annual loss of PV energy production ranging from 3-5%, leading to an economic impact of 3-5 billion euros due to increased operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. However, it is commonly misunderstood that robotic cleaning is only a viable measure in desert climates, that are mostly impacted by the accumulation of dust. On the other hand, several studies report soiling as a global issue. In this context, this work performs a global techno-economic modelling considering LCOE as the key impact factor to assess the financial benefits of robotic cleaning across various diverse climates around the world, classified as per the Koppen Geiger (KG) classification. First, 392 strategic locations are selected based on: a) 22 KG climatic zones, b) O&M cost and c) mean global horizontal irradiance (GHI), and the standard LCOE is calculated for a benchmark 100 MWp utility-scale power plant using the LCOE model. Then, for each location with robotic cleaning as an additional O&M measure, the financial benefits pertinent to percentage LCOE, $ kWP' and $/100 MWp/Yr improvement is determined. Several cases incorporating the regional capital cost variations associated with robot costs have been studied. The findings indicate that, in most instances, the improvement of LCOE through robotic cleaning is significant, provided that the additional Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) does not surpass 35/ kW p' which is a realistic number considering the emerging solar robot market. Moreover, this improvement is consistent across climatic zones, even when factoring in the minimum global average annual soiling loss of 3%. To be specific, the global average benefit is in the range of 1.56 - 2.81 $ kWp and 0.173 - 0.356 million US $/100 MWp/Yr by virtue of robotic cleaning.
KW - Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE)
KW - PV performance
KW - PV systems
KW - Robotic cleaning
KW - Techno-economic assessment
KW - Utility-scale PV
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85211626186&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/PVSC57443.2024.10749017
DO - 10.1109/PVSC57443.2024.10749017
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85211626186
T3 - Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
SP - 435
EP - 437
BT - 2024 IEEE 52nd Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2024
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Y2 - 9 June 2024 through 14 June 2024
ER -