GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province

This paper presents a technical and economic feasibility assessment of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in the West Kalimantan Province of Borneo, which is essential for boosting the development of solar PV plants in Indonesia. The assessment was performed based on a previously developed...

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Main Authors: Alfeus Sunarso, K. Ibrahim-Bathis, Sakti A. Murti, Irwan Budiarto, H. S. Ruiz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
GIS
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/6283
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spelling doaj-ebc53c78c06147608d63d0da7c6504f02020-11-25T03:40:37ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502020-08-01126283628310.3390/su12156283GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan ProvinceAlfeus Sunarso0K. Ibrahim-Bathis1Sakti A. Murti2Irwan Budiarto3H. S. Ruiz4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, Pontianak-78124, IndonesiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, Pontianak-78124, IndonesiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, Pontianak-78124, IndonesiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, Pontianak-78124, IndonesiaAerospace and Computational Engineering Group & Space Park Leicester, School of Engineering, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UKThis paper presents a technical and economic feasibility assessment of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in the West Kalimantan Province of Borneo, which is essential for boosting the development of solar PV plants in Indonesia. The assessment was performed based on a previously developed geographical information systems (GIS) package that integrates satellite-derived data of solar irradiation with locally obtained data such as land usage, topography, road lines, and an electrical network. For the evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility, annual energy production and electrical cost were calculated using an analysis tool that was integrated into a GIS package. The results show that more than 96% of the exploitable land that covers the area of 49,859 km<sup>2</sup> is available for the development of solar PV plants, with an annual energy production higher than 180 GWh/km<sup>2</sup> and an electricity cost lower than 0.05 USD/kWh, indicating the attractiveness of utility-scale solar PV plant development in West Kalimantan Province. A further detailed assessment of optimal sites shows that the selected sites are technically and economically feasible for the development of utility-scale solar PV plants. The approaches and results of this research should be valuable for energy planners, developers, and policy makers to set the strategies for promoting the development of utility-scale solar PV plants in pro of the sustainable development of Indonesia.https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/6283technical feasibilityeconomic feasibilityutility-scale solar PV plantGISsolar energy resources
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Alfeus Sunarso
K. Ibrahim-Bathis
Sakti A. Murti
Irwan Budiarto
H. S. Ruiz
spellingShingle Alfeus Sunarso
K. Ibrahim-Bathis
Sakti A. Murti
Irwan Budiarto
H. S. Ruiz
GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province
Sustainability
technical feasibility
economic feasibility
utility-scale solar PV plant
GIS
solar energy resources
author_facet Alfeus Sunarso
K. Ibrahim-Bathis
Sakti A. Murti
Irwan Budiarto
H. S. Ruiz
author_sort Alfeus Sunarso
title GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province
title_short GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province
title_full GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province
title_fullStr GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province
title_full_unstemmed GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province
title_sort gis-based assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of utility-scale solar pv plants: case study in west kalimantan province
publisher MDPI AG
series Sustainability
issn 2071-1050
publishDate 2020-08-01
description This paper presents a technical and economic feasibility assessment of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in the West Kalimantan Province of Borneo, which is essential for boosting the development of solar PV plants in Indonesia. The assessment was performed based on a previously developed geographical information systems (GIS) package that integrates satellite-derived data of solar irradiation with locally obtained data such as land usage, topography, road lines, and an electrical network. For the evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility, annual energy production and electrical cost were calculated using an analysis tool that was integrated into a GIS package. The results show that more than 96% of the exploitable land that covers the area of 49,859 km<sup>2</sup> is available for the development of solar PV plants, with an annual energy production higher than 180 GWh/km<sup>2</sup> and an electricity cost lower than 0.05 USD/kWh, indicating the attractiveness of utility-scale solar PV plant development in West Kalimantan Province. A further detailed assessment of optimal sites shows that the selected sites are technically and economically feasible for the development of utility-scale solar PV plants. The approaches and results of this research should be valuable for energy planners, developers, and policy makers to set the strategies for promoting the development of utility-scale solar PV plants in pro of the sustainable development of Indonesia.
topic technical feasibility
economic feasibility
utility-scale solar PV plant
GIS
solar energy resources
url https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/6283
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