Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of grid-connected photovoltaic solar energy in wineries

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy in wineries. The factors analysed were solar radiation, cost of PV installation, prices in the public electricity grid, size of the winery, power of installed panels, influence of the decreased consumption during weekends, and seasonality in the consumption. The study has been based on the European TESLA project, in which 39 energy audits were carried out in wineries in four European countries. A winery of 30,000 hL/year was characterized as a representative winery. The results showed that seasonality was key in the profitability of the system for self-consumption, related to the optimum power to be installed of PV. It was recommended to install, as an optimal PV power, the stable electrical power that is demanded in the daytime period. Optimizing the installed power of PV panels in the representative winery, the percentage of electrical energy consumption covered by photovoltaic energy varied between 16% and 22%. The percentage of the cost of electric energy covered varied between 18% and 24%, with payback values between 18 years (3.1 peak sun hours of solar radiation -PSH) and 10 years (5.6 peak sun hours of solar radiation - PSH). All the factors involved were analyzed.