Techno-economic analysis of real-world photovoltaic systems: a case study of two Italian PV plants

This paper presents a techno-economic analysis of two separate non-residential photovoltaic (PV) plants located at the same site in Italy. In this real-world case study, the grid-connected PV systems are rooftop installations, with each plant having slightly different generation capacities. One plant is already constructed and operational, while the other is still under construction. The study aims to evaluate and compare the costs, technical performance, and economic feasibility of the two plants, with particular focus on the potential benefits of integrating energy storage systems under two different scenarios. Two scenarios are considered in this study. In Scenario One, an energy storage device (battery) is added to the existing plant, which originally has no storage. In Scenario Two, both plants are assumed to include batteries. A comparison is then performed using key metrics such as productivity, net present cost, levelized cost of electricity, and technical performance indicators. The results highlight differences in economic feasibility between the two plants and identify the conditions under which integrating storage technologies is advantageous, as well as potential alternatives to PV systems. Site-specific solar resource data and energy production estimates are obtained using PVGIS, while HOMER Pro is employed to simulate system behavior, optimize configurations, and assess economic performance under various scenarios. The analysis incorporates Italy’s market-based electricity prices for both grid purchases and energy sales, enabling a realistic evaluation of cash flows and revenue opportunities. This study, which includes configurations, layouts, equations, charts, and other technical information related to the design, optimization, and financial planning of PV systems, was conducted in Riese Pio X (PD), Italy, where the two plants are located. All technical data, layouts, plant designs, and PV system sizing were provided by ESPE S.p.A.