Technical and business economic study of photovoltaic systems

Renewable energy becomes more and more important in our power supply. The aim of this study is to perform a business economic evaluation of an investment in photovoltaic (PV) energy. Different cases of PV projects have been analyzed. In order to have a correct evaluation model, both economic parameters and technical influences have to be taken into account. This paper gives an overview and a sensitivity analysis of the influencing parameters, as well as an analysis of a practical case. A calculation tool is developed to allow private persons and companies to determine the feasibility of an investment in photovoltaic panels. It can be concluded that not only economic parameters such as discount rate but also technical parameters have a major impact on the feasibility of an investment in photovoltaic energy.