ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PUMPING SYSTEMS WITH V TYPE CONCENTRATORS IN PRODUCTIVE HORTICULTURAL CHAINS

摘要

This work deals with the technical and economic possibilities for the implantation of photovoltaic pumping systems with V concentrator technology in remote places in the interior of the Northeast, in comparison with other available technologies, such as the conventional energy network distribution, a diesel combustion engine pumping system. Besides this there is a detailed financial-economic viability analysis for the implantation of a photovoltaic pumping project with V concentrator for irrigating grape culture in the Northeast of Brazil. The grape vine culture has been showing great economic importance in the region, being commercialized for consumption in natural or in industrialized products (wine).Through research into prices, services and equipment a composition and analysis of costs was made for the implantation and operation of pumping systems operated by the electricity network, generator group or photovoltaic systems with concentrators, with the purpose of evaluating the economic viability of each one of them, in determined local conditions, and in the operation of pumps in irrigated areas. For this evaluation, commercial potential motor pumps were used, up to 7.5 cv, the distance from the electrical energy to the local of use and the number of working hours per year were calculated. For the implantation of each range of potency of the motor pump, the fixed costs (for implantation of the energy network, motor pump, operation and protection system) and variable annual (costs with the energy consumed, in function of working time and maintenance costs) were obtained. For each of these ranges of potency, the annual costs ofimplantation, operation and maintenance of the groups of diesel generators and photovoltaic systems for supplying the same potency demand were also obtained.Regarding the total annual costs of the three types of energy (electric, diesel and photovoltaic) indicative indexes of the viability of implantation of the PVP in the electric network and the diesel generator group, in function of each of the variables studied, were also obtained. It was verified, in a general way, that photovoltaic systems with concentrator V-trough present economical advantages for low potency ( < 1 cv) pumping system installation conditions or for long distance electrical networks ( > 1 km).An economic engineering theory was used to analyze the best investment among the alternative cultures. The principal methods of analysis were applied: Actual Value, Annual Cost and the Internal Tax Returns, which are based on the principle of project equivalence. The value of 10% was taken as an attractive minimum tax. It was observed that the smallest internal tax obtained was 10.9% for the production of grapes with seed in a crystalline region, for a period of three years, applying the same attractive tax, in the production of grapes without seed gives an investment return in the first year of production.