Problems: Solar and Photovolatics
In question 1 containing no more than about 150 words, for me to better understand and further my knowledge of solar and photovoltaic energy and then for me to compile a report I need to understand;
Question 1:
a. If a large solar collector with an area of 9.0m² is mounted, facing south and tilted at 45° to the horizontal, on the roof of a house in the London area, where the household's annual energy requirement for hot water is 2750 kWh. The annual total radiation is 1053kWh m-² Using the relevant data show that, with an overall efficiency of 30%, this system could in principle meet that requirement.
b. Considering the contributions during the months of June 1043kWh m-² and December 29kWh m-², explain why the above reasoning could be misleading.
Question 2:
A large PV power plant will consist of 350 000 solar panels, with a total area of one square kilometer. Its rated output will be 70 MWp, and its predicted capital cost is £150 million.
a. Calculate the capital cost per peak watt for the above system.
b. The annual insolation on the panels is 1500 kWh per m² per year. Assuming that two-thirds of the panel area is occupied by active PV surfaces and that their average efficiency is 10%, show that the annual output of the plant will be 100 GWh per year.
c. Given that the capital is to be repaid over 20 years with capital costs of £102 per year at an interest rate of 8%, calculate the expected cost per kWh of output from this plant.