Title :
PVUSA utility-scale system capital and maintenance costs
Author :
Jennings, Christina ; Reyes, Antonio B. ; O´Brien, K.P.
Author_Institution :
Pacific Gas & Electr. Co., San Ramon, CA, USA
Abstract :
PVUSA utility-scale systems are based on innovative, supplier-optimized turnkey photovoltaic designs, selected for their potential to produce low-cost energy for utility applications. Capital and maintenance costs of PVUSA utility-scale systems at Davis and Kerman, California, were analyzed as part of PVUSA´s ongoing assessment of PV costs. Available data from the system suppliers indicate that actual capital costs were as low as $10/W. Preventive maintenance costs range from 0.1c/kWh to 0.5c/kWh. Failure-related maintenance costs have been about 1c/kWh for the fixed and tracking systems at Davis and 0.6c/kWh for the tracking system at Kerman. Power conditioning units are the key driver for failure-related maintenance costs
Keywords :
economics; maintenance engineering; photovoltaic power systems; power conversion; California; Davis; Kerman; PV costs; PVUSA utility-scale systems; capital costs; failure-related maintenance costs; fixed systems; maintenance costs; photovoltaic systems; power conditioning; preventive maintenance costs; tracking systems; utility applications; Contracts; Costs; National electric code; Photovoltaic systems; Power conditioning; Preventive maintenance; Research and development; Silicon; Solar power generation; Timing;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1460-3
DOI :
10.1109/WCPEC.1994.520069
