Impact of topography and earthworks in utility-scale photovoltaic projects

Abstract

[EN] In recent years, due to the increase in the number of PV projects worldwide, flat land for PV projects has become scarce. More and more projects are being built on steep terrain. The civil works associated with these topographies have a substantial weight in both the CAPEX and the schedule, and have numerous interactions with other facets of the project such as environmental impact, energy generation, irradiation on the modules, hydrology, etc. The objective of this thesis is to characterise and quantify these interactions in order to gain efficiency in the design and construction of this type of projects. Specifically, three dimensions are studied: the reduction of earth movement, the impact on energy generation and the impact on the environment. Firstly, work has been carried out on mathematical modelling at the structural level of the plant, with the aim of implementing an algorithm to optimise the position of the structures and reduce the associated earthworks in the early stages of the design. The results show that a reduction of the total amount is possible using a simple algorithm based on the mathematical model developed. In addition, work is currently underway to quantify the mismatch losses associated with different factors. For this purpose, real data from panels and structures have been taken and modelled under various conditions. It is hoped that knowledge will be gained to improve production estimates. Finally, a field study has been planned to investigate the importance of vegetation in plant hydrology, as well as methods to maintain this vegetation during dry periods. The intention is to see which methods are most suitable for preventing erosion and landslides and to see if they are feasible from a technical-economic point of view.