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.