Multi-criteria analysis of the Energy wall

Abstract

The rapid growth of the PV industry has meant that prices have been falling steeply, making them more accessible for a wider range of applications. The combined use of noise barriers as energy generating facilities, usually coined as PVNBs has been occurring since the late 80’s. It has not realised wide spread implementation, remaining mostly in the research domain. These structures are predominantly built in urban areas with high populations and energy consumption. In an attempt to shine light on the economic potential of these projects, an engineering design study has been carried out. By focusing on the retrofitting of current infrastructure it is hoped to stimulate investment for Energy wall projects.

The initial concept was coined as the Energy wall, which differed from PVNBs in that it consisted of a hybrid wind and solar system. However, in this thesis the focus remains on the solar aspect but the name Energy wall remains. An initial investigation of the infrastructure in the Netherlands was carried out using GIS, to determine what lengths of suitable noise barriers are currently available for conversion. A dataset gained from the Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Dutch ministry of infrastructure and the environment, was the base of this analysis. Calculations were made to add relevant attributes for determining the infrastructures suitability for conversion considering nearby spatially relevant data. The output of this, was used to develop a model that would perform a multi-criteria analysis, exploring PV types, configurations and PV systems costs. The focus was around the Rotterdam ring road to allow the methodology to be developed but with the hopes that the same process could be applied to a nationwide or multinational level. System costs were implemented based on interviews and research, which allowed for comparisons to be made and costs of energy to be found. A stakeholder analysis was also used to find the relevant parties for different system sizes, from here subsidies could be applied.

The model offers a guide for pricing of major components, highlighting critical parameters that could affect the success of the project. The main methodology for system comparisons is the LCOE. The application of subsidies can make project much more attractive to cooperation’s or nearby companies for tax refunds or self-consumption. While on a large scale, economies of scale make the project competitive with conventional PV systems. Installations of this scale are rarely seen in the built environment and could have a major contribution to grid balancing.