A hydro PV hybrid system as a new concept for an abandoned dam in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The search for alternatives to traditional sources of electric energy opens the way for a new market in the world, and for Brazil in particular. Still in its first steps, but with immense potential, the generation of energy from solar irradiation and hydroelectric plants in hybrid systems is an important alternative. On the other hand, single source power systems, when designed to meet a particular demand without fail, lead to low market acceptance due to the availability of resources and low efficiency in performance that rewards high initial investment costs. One solution to balance and optimize energy supply is the use of more than one energy resource when sources can be complementary. Among several possible combinations reported in several studies, the hybrid photovoltaic hydroelectric system is considered to be an optimal and interesting combination. In this context, the present article makes a technical and economic pre-feasibility analysis of a hydroelectric photovoltaic hybrid system, operating photovoltaic panels on floating structures on the water surface to allow the use of the Laranjeiras dam. The study was conducted based on simulations with HOMER. The solution indicated as optimal was the installation of a hybrid energy system, implementing a hydroelectric power plant at the base of the dam, with 1497 kW of installed capacity, operating simultaneously with a set of photovoltaic modules, on the water surface of the dam, with 180 kW of installed capacity, and a power limit for the purchase and sale to the grid equal to 400 kW, to supply the demand of consumer loads up to 40 MWh per day. This combination would result in an initial cost of US$3984.885 per kW and an energy cost of US$0.026 per kWh.