Efficient spatial allocation of solar photovoltaic electric energy generation in different regions of Brazil: a portfolio approach

ABSTRACT

Several countries face the challenge of reducing the intermittency of solar photovoltaic generation due to changes in climatic conditions. Considering that Brazil has continental-scale dimensions and diverse geography, an alternative that allows the smoothing of the intermittency of solar photovoltaic generation is needed. The novelty of this study is the proposal to efficiently allocate the production of photovoltaic solar energy between the interconnected regions of the country, forming an optimal portfolio with the highest productivity and the least intermittency. Thus, the regional allocation process for solar generation is formulated through an optimization problem with two objective functions: to increase the country’s productivity and simultaneously control the variability of the supply of solar energy. This study concludes that the current models of planning for the expansion of Brazil do not consider the variability of solar irradiation incident in the five regions of Brazil.

KEYWORDS:

• Photovoltaic solar energy
• geographic diversification
• portfolio theory
• efficient spatial allocation
• geographical smoothing

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Ministry of Science and Technology, Brazil, to which we would greatly appreciate.

We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their efforts in evaluating this article. Based on your suggestions, the article has improved substantially.