2 research outputs found
What is the Profitability of a Photovoltaic Installation in France for an Individual?
The energy transition will require the use of renewable energy resources that will allow us to reach our decarbonization objectives. In addition to states and institutions, individuals have an important role to play in this transition, particularly with the installation of photovoltaic panels. But for individuals to use this source of energy, they must be guaranteed a financial return that encourages them to take the plunge. Several companies, in a commercial approach, guarantee returns on investment after 2–3 years for any installation. But is the financial profitability always guaranteed? In France, several types of photovoltaic installations are possible, total resale and self-consumption. For each one, the profitability will vary and depends on many parameters such as the initial and daily investment, the irradiation, the electricity buy-back price, and the consumption. This paper explains the calculation methodology for both typologies and shows that currently, in most cases, a self-consumption installation is more profitable than a full resale installation but is far from obtaining the returns on investment predicted by the commercials. If self-consumption is more profitable today, this is due to the fact that the investment (initial or annual) is less important, and that the price of electricity becomes more and more expensive while at the same time the price of resale decreases from year to year
Performance ratio of photovoltaic installations in France: Comparison between inverters and micro-inverters
The efficiency of a photovoltaic installation is determined by its performance ratio (PR). This ratio depends on many parameters including orientation, inclination, shading, losses in cables, and number and performance of panels. The topology of the installation is also of great importance. Indeed, the number and location of the converter(s) can also have a significant impact on the PR. This is why choices between a central inverter, string inverters or micro-inverters must be made so as not to degrade the PR. In the scientific literature, it is stated that a photovoltaic installation equipped with a central inverter has a PR of 70–80%. For micro-inverters in theory, it should be higher. The objective of this publication is to compare the PR of installations equipped with a central inverter and string inverters with the PR of those using micro-inverters, based on a statistical study grouping together 200 private installations spread throughout metropolitan France. For a better comparison, 100 installations will use a central inverter or string inverters and 100 other installations will use micro-inverters. For each installation, the data will be averaged over the longest possible periods