Análisis de sistemas híbridos de generación fotovoltaica y recolección de agua lluvia para aplicaciones agroindustriales: Diseño y evaluación energética de sistemas de captación, tratamiento y almacenamiento de agua lluvia para riego en la ciudad de Quito.

Abstract

The use of photovoltaic panels requires the utilization of large land areas, which creates competition with agricultural industries that use the land as a means of production. On one hand, one of the proposals to solve this issue is the implementation of agrivoltaic systems, in which photovoltaic arrays are integrated above crops to save space and take advantage of the shade. On the other hand, the increase in agricultural system´s yield will translate into a optimization of the land use, but this requires large amounts of water and energy. The purpose of this study is to design an agrivoltaic system that can also collect rainwater. With this, the system can potentially fulfill irrigation needs in the agricultural industry and utilize the captured solar photovoltaic energy to meet the electrical requirements of the agricultural operation. To achieve this, a rainwater collection module has been designed, utilizing photovoltaic panels as the collection surface and featuring a series of channels that direct water to a reservoir, where it is stored for use by the irrigation system. Additionally, a drip irrigation system has been developed, powered by the electrical energy produced by the panels, distributing the stored water in the reservoir to all the crops. It was found that the employed arrangement of collection modules generates a significantly higher amount of energy (70 [MWh] – 100 [MWh]) compared to the energy consumed by the water pump of the irrigation system (0.024 [MWh]), enabling continuous year-round operation. Furthermore, the system was observed to capture a sufficient volume of water (1470 m3) to meet the irrigation requirements of a potato crop in its late developmental stage (14.05 [m3/h]).