Abstract:
This work presents an analysis of the insertion of distributed solar photovoltaic generation
in the National Electrical System of São Tomé and Príncipe. The study evaluates technical
and economic aspects of viability using computational tools for this. The PVsyst software
is used in the technical feasibility analysis of a 1MWp photovoltaic mini-generation system,
based on the performance coefficient PR. The projected system has a nominal capacity
to supply 882kW with a performance ratio of 80.47 %. In the economic viability analysis,
the photovoltaic mini-generation system presented a 12-year return on investment,
a calculated IRR equal to 6 % and, being greater than the defined value of MARR, the
investment was considered economically viable. The simplified analysis of the aggregation
of multiple sources of harmonic current, evaluates the insertion of three mini-generation
systems to the existing network. The modeling and simulation is related to the MATLAB/
Simulink package, returning the THD values and individual distortions, in addition
to the results of the sum methods. In the simulation, the individual distortion values are
similar to the values of the arithmetic method, except for the SE1 bus current, which
presents an unexpected cancellation of harmonic orders 5 and 7. The economic feasibility
analysis of distributed photovoltaic microgeneration systems is performed using HOMER
Pro software, with the country’s energy tariffs as sensitivity variables. The results of
this analysis show that the acquisition of photovoltaic systems is not feasible only for
residential consumers with a tariff equal to 0.08US$/kWh. The viability of distributed
microgeneration systems presents itself as an opportunity to reduce costs with thermal
generation, bringing socioeconomic development to the country.