IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i12p4594-d187998.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Determination of the Optimal Size of Photovoltaic Systems by Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods

Author

Listed:
  • Guido C. Guerrero-Liquet

    (Department of Electronics, Computers Technology and Projects, Technical University of Cartagena, c/Dr. Fleming, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Santiago Oviedo-Casado

    (Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • J. M. Sánchez-Lozano

    (Centro Universitario de la Defensa de San Javier, Academia General del Aire, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), Murcia 30720, Spain)

  • M. Socorro García-Cascales

    (Department of Electronics, Computers Technology and Projects, Technical University of Cartagena, c/Dr. Fleming, 30202 Cartagena, Spain)

  • Javier Prior

    (Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
    Institute Carlos I for Theoretical and Computational Physics, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain)

  • Antonio Urbina

    (Department of Electronics, Computers Technology and Projects, Technical University of Cartagena, c/Dr. Fleming, 30202 Cartagena, Spain)

Abstract

The diverse socio-economic and environmental impacts related to the setup of a new photovoltaic installation must be weighed carefully in order to reach the best possible solution. Among the different photovoltaic systems, there are several classification criteria, depending on the technology, application, and size of the modules that define them. The size (installed nominal capacity) stands out as an impartial and critical measure in the decision-making process. In this article, we use a multi-criteria decision-making method to analyze the responses of five experts to a detailed questionnaire in which several different criteria are correlated with various photovoltaic installation sizes. The limitation associated with a low number of experts is addressed with a robustness and sensitivity analysis. With this study, we seek first to apply and demonstrate the feasibility of a methodology that combines technical information with multi-criteria decision-making methods. Second, we obtain a clear result that increases the benefits of a forthcoming photovoltaic installation of modules in distributed generation, adding up to one GW total peak power in standard conditions. We observe a consistent result in which smaller photovoltaic modules provide the ideal solution, as this format maximizes the socio-economic benefits of any installation. If a decision has to be taken about the type of photovoltaic plant to be installed, the conclusion is clear: given a certain size, small, easily scalable installations are the best solution for stakeholders, the inhabitants, and the environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Guido C. Guerrero-Liquet & Santiago Oviedo-Casado & J. M. Sánchez-Lozano & M. Socorro García-Cascales & Javier Prior & Antonio Urbina, 2018. "Determination of the Optimal Size of Photovoltaic Systems by Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4594-:d:187998
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/12/4594/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/12/4594/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McKenna, Eoghan & Pless, Jacquelyn & Darby, Sarah J., 2018. "Solar photovoltaic self-consumption in the UK residential sector: New estimates from a smart grid demonstration project," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 482-491.
    2. Luo, Lizi & Gu, Wei & Zhang, Xiao-Ping & Cao, Ge & Wang, Weijun & Zhu, Gang & You, Dingjun & Wu, Zhi, 2018. "Optimal siting and sizing of distributed generation in distribution systems with PV solar farm utilized as STATCOM (PV-STATCOM)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 1092-1100.
    3. Viral, Rajkumar & Khatod, D.K., 2012. "Optimal planning of distributed generation systems in distribution system: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 5146-5165.
    4. Ruiz-Romero, Salvador & Colmenar-Santos, Antonio & Gil-Ortego, Rosario & Molina-Bonilla, Antonio, 2013. "Distributed generation: The definitive boost for renewable energy in Spain," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 354-364.
    5. Phillips, Jason, 2013. "Determining the sustainability of large-scale photovoltaic solar power plants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 435-444.
    6. Hye-Jeong Lee & Sung-Yoon Huh & Seung-Hoon Yoo, 2018. "Social Preferences for Small-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants in South Korea: A Choice Experiment Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-15, October.
    7. Ribeiro, Alan Emanuel Duailibe & Arouca, Maurício Cardoso & Coelho, Daniel Moreira, 2016. "Electric energy generation from small-scale solar and wind power in Brazil: The influence of location, area and shape," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 554-563.
    8. Aragonés-Beltrán, Pablo & Chaparro-González, Fidel & Pastor-Ferrando, Juan-Pascual & Pla-Rubio, Andrea, 2014. "An AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process)/ANP (Analytic Network Process)-based multi-criteria decision approach for the selection of solar-thermal power plant investment projects," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 222-238.
    9. Lv, Tianguang & Ai, Qian, 2016. "Interactive energy management of networked microgrids-based active distribution system considering large-scale integration of renewable energy resources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 408-422.
    10. Wu, Cheng-Shiung & Lin, Chin-Tsai & Lee, Chuan, 2010. "Optimal marketing strategy: A decision-making with ANP and TOPSIS," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(1), pages 190-196, September.
    11. Ali, E.S. & Abd Elazim, S.M. & Abdelaziz, A.Y., 2017. "Ant Lion Optimization Algorithm for optimal location and sizing of renewable distributed generations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 1311-1324.
    12. Abdmouleh, Zeineb & Gastli, Adel & Ben-Brahim, Lazhar & Haouari, Mohamed & Al-Emadi, Nasser Ahmed, 2017. "Review of optimization techniques applied for the integration of distributed generation from renewable energy sources," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 266-280.
    13. Sánchez-Lozano, Juan M. & Teruel-Solano, Jerónimo & Soto-Elvira, Pedro L. & Socorro García-Cascales, M., 2013. "Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods for the evaluation of solar farms locations: Case study in south-eastern Spain," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 544-556.
    14. Prados, María-José, 2010. "Renewable energy policy and landscape management in Andalusia, Spain: The facts," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 6900-6909, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ghasemi-Mobtaker, Hassan & Mostashari-Rad, Fatemeh & Saber, Zahra & Chau, Kwok-wing & Nabavi-Pelesaraei, Ashkan, 2020. "Application of photovoltaic system to modify energy use, environmental damages and cumulative exergy demand of two irrigation systems-A case study: Barley production of Iran," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 1316-1334.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Amy H. I. Lee & He-Yau Kang & You-Jyun Liou, 2017. "A Hybrid Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Photovoltaic Solar Plant Location Selection," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-21, January.
    2. BumChoong Kim & Juhan Kim & Jinsoo Kim, 2019. "Evaluation Model for Investment in Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, May.
    3. Vrînceanu, Alexandra & Dumitrașcu, Monica & Kucsicsa, Gheorghe, 2022. "Site suitability for photovoltaic farms and current investment in Romania," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 320-330.
    4. Singh, Pushpendra & Meena, Nand K. & Yang, Jin & Vega-Fuentes, Eduardo & Bishnoi, Shree Krishna, 2020. "Multi-criteria decision making monarch butterfly optimization for optimal distributed energy resources mix in distribution networks," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    5. Mardani, Abbas & Zavadskas, Edmundas Kazimieras & Khalifah, Zainab & Zakuan, Norhayati & Jusoh, Ahmad & Nor, Khalil Md & Khoshnoudi, Masoumeh, 2017. "A review of multi-criteria decision-making applications to solve energy management problems: Two decades from 1995 to 2015," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 216-256.
    6. Jalil Heidary Dahooie & Ali Husseinzadeh Kashan & Zahra Shoaei Naeini & Amir Salar Vanaki & Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas & Zenonas Turskis, 2022. "A Hybrid Multi-Criteria-Decision-Making Aggregation Method and Geographic Information System for Selecting Optimal Solar Power Plants in Iran," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-20, April.
    7. Hossein Yousefi & Hamed Hafeznia & Amin Yousefi-Sahzabi, 2018. "Spatial Site Selection for Solar Power Plants Using a GIS-Based Boolean-Fuzzy Logic Model: A Case Study of Markazi Province, Iran," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, June.
    8. López-Bravo, Celia & Mora-López, Llanos & Sidrach-deCardona, Mariano & Márquez-Ballesteros, María José, 2024. "A comprehensive analysis based on GIS-AHP to minimise the social and environmental impact of the installation of large-scale photovoltaic plants in south Spain," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    9. Ehsan, Ali & Yang, Qiang, 2018. "Optimal integration and planning of renewable distributed generation in the power distribution networks: A review of analytical techniques," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 44-59.
    10. Sindhu, Sonal & Nehra, Vijay & Luthra, Sunil, 2017. "Investigation of feasibility study of solar farms deployment using hybrid AHP-TOPSIS analysis: Case study of India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 496-511.
    11. Firozjaei, Mohammad Karimi & Nematollahi, Omid & Mijani, Naeim & Shorabeh, Saman Nadizadeh & Firozjaei, Hamzeh Karimi & Toomanian, Ara, 2019. "An integrated GIS-based Ordered Weighted Averaging analysis for solar energy evaluation in Iran: Current conditions and future planning," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 1130-1146.
    12. Alicja Stoltmann, 2020. "Hybrid Multi-Criteria Method of Analyzing the Location of Distributed Renewable Energy Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-22, August.
    13. Africa Lopez-Rey & Severo Campinez-Romero & Rosario Gil-Ortego & Antonio Colmenar-Santos, 2019. "Evaluation of Supply–Demand Adaptation of Photovoltaic–Wind Hybrid Plants Integrated into an Urban Environment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-24, May.
    14. Karatepe, Engin & Ugranlı, Faruk & Hiyama, Takashi, 2015. "Comparison of single- and multiple-distributed generation concepts in terms of power loss, voltage profile, and line flows under uncertain scenarios," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 317-327.
    15. Konstantinos Ioannou & Georgios Tsantopoulos & Garyfallos Arabatzis & Zacharoula Andreopoulou & Eleni Zafeiriou, 2018. "A Spatial Decision Support System Framework for the Evaluation of Biomass Energy Production Locations: Case Study in the Regional Unit of Drama, Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-22, February.
    16. Sadeghian, Hamidreza & Wang, Zhifang, 2020. "A novel impact-assessment framework for distributed PV installations in low-voltage secondary networks," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 2179-2194.
    17. Ahmad, Salman & Nadeem, Abid & Akhanova, Gulzhanat & Houghton, Tom & Muhammad-Sukki, Firdaus, 2017. "Multi-criteria evaluation of renewable and nuclear resources for electricity generation in Kazakhstan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1880-1891.
    18. Kazak, Jan & van Hoof, Joost & Szewranski, Szymon, 2017. "Challenges in the wind turbines location process in Central Europe – The use of spatial decision support systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 425-433.
    19. Beopsoo Kim & Nikita Rusetskii & Haesung Jo & Insu Kim, 2021. "The Optimal Allocation of Distributed Generators Considering Fault Current and Levelized Cost of Energy Using the Particle Swarm Optimization Method," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-18, January.
    20. Michael J. Fell & Alexandra Schneiders & David Shipworth, 2019. "Consumer Demand for Blockchain-Enabled Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading in the United Kingdom: An Online Survey Experiment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-25, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:12:p:4594-:d:187998. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.