Study of economic viability and energy availability of hybrid solar / wind power and cooling systems with thermal energy storage

Resumo

A large portion of the energy consumed worldwide is used for heating and cooling environments. In Brazil, the use of solar energy in homes experiences an increasing, despite the fact that not always an exclusively solar system can meet the entire energy demand, since climatic conditions significantly influence energy generation and its energy efficiency. Therefore, it is recommended to have alternatives to guarantee energy needs at consumption points throughout the year. In this context, with the intention of deepening the issues involving the complexity contained in the understanding and quantification concerning energy and budget of projects of refrigeration systems built – or to be built – based on the use of hybrid energy, the present work aims the dimensioning of an online simulator to assist the development of projects for installations of photovoltaic and wind systems in homes, businesses and industries. In addition, the study aims to deliver differentiated and personalized projects, combining good efficiency and lower operating costs. This simulator (website / application) uses API (Application Programming Interface), integrating Python programmed scripts to the platform branches, in order to offer, in a single Web platform, the complete simulation of the project of solar panels and wind turbines, budget, indications suppliers, service providers and estimated power output. Input data are: geographical position (altitude and longitude), available area (m2), roof material (ceramic, polycarbonate, glass, etc.), building height (m), historical data on solar and wind incidence (collected from INMET and INPE sites, respectively) and monthly average of the last years of power consumed (kWh). Output data are: estimation of the power produced by the system and economic analysis, number of panels and wind turbines needed to produce the necessary power, focusing on storage via TES (Thermal Energy Storage), as well as the impact of the study on economic and energy analysis of the system.