Site-specific serial improvement selection process of a utility scale photovoltaic power plant at the Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico

Site-specific Serial Improvement Selection Process of a utility-scale photovoltaic power system is significant to sustainable systems for environmental and financial purposes. With respect to tribal renewable energy development, many federal agencies have a particular interest in advancing the competitiveness of the photovoltaic (PV) industry, reaching a goal of producing a larger fraction of U.S. energy from renewable sources, and helping tribes gain avenues of economic income from renewable energy resources. Northern Arizona University participated in a case study to help the Pueblo of Jemez, in New Mexico, USA, determine if a utility-scale solar PV power plant development on Jemez tribal lands is economically feasible, and if so, what would be the best configuration(s). For example, this includes considering configuration parameters such as the size, layout, PV technology, transmission interconnection, etc. for such a development. The purpose of this thesis was to devise and implement a methodology, presented in Chapter 3, using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) System Advisor Model (SAM) to address these questions. The real-world case study presented in Chapters 4 and 5 is considered the Jemez Case Study 2015 applies the developed methodology successfully.;The first questions to address in determining the economic feasibility of a PV power plant were the economic figure of merit and basic financial parameters (project life, etc.). Discussions with tribal officials led to the conclusion that the best figure of merit was the internal rate of return (IRR). This was due in large part to the tribe not having a set discount rate (e.g. for use with the net present value), and the ease of interpreting the results in terms of the IRR. Thus, when PV power plant configurations were analyzed, the objective was to determine the IRR for each configuration, then compare IRR's with the intention of maximizing its value while keeping the associated risk of investment low. Project life was set at 25 years and the maximum project size was 140 MW; taxes, depreciation, inflation, and other essential financial parameters were accounted for in the IRR calculations performed by SAM. With thousands of possible combinations of PV panel technologies, manufacturers, and prices; inverter and transformer options, Time of Delivery (TOD) buyer possibilities, interconnection possibilities, array tilt and rotation options, etc., it was necessary to devise a logical and practical algorithm to select a configuration, or set of configurations, that would lead to the best outcome for IRR, and allow the tribe to determine if it is wise to pursue development. An algorithm with a series of six steps was created that employed exhaustive optimization within some of the steps, and SAM's Lk scripting capability.;The results of the analysis showed that the selection method converged to one best configuration that proved to be in the best financial interest of the tribe. This was done by running several iterations for several different real options within the algorithms to ensure the values converged to one best result. The results of the serial improvement selection process of a utility-scale photovoltaic power system are shown in Table 11 - Best Case Scenario for the Jemez Pueblo PV Power Plant.;The financial scenarios and financial programs available to the tribe were determined and applied to the SAM model to understand how the economic performance values were influenced. After comparing all possible scenarios the tribe would possibly experience the financial option of using grants forming a partnership with a business entity, that would have a tax obligation countered by using tax credits, would be most beneficial. This is in comparison to the less attractive option of only using grants with complete tribal ownership.;The option of using grants was beneficial, since it automatically increased the IRR value by 2.1% to 2.3%. While researching the focus behind the grants, the next steps forward the tribe should take became predominant. The tribes could increase their chances of obtaining a partnership to get the PV power plant from the development phase and into the construction. These grants focus on educating the tribes by providing technical assistant for the PV configuration, as well as, financial expertise for the business side of developing the PV power plant.;The successive steps of determining feasibility, determining the best design, and understanding the economic performance of the system aid in understanding the future steps in the process to getting a project developed. The results for this specific case study could be used as a resource for future site-specific serial improvement selection processes of a utility-scale photovoltaic power plant for other tribes interested in developing their own utility-scale PV fields.