Distributed generation and photovoltaic selfconsumption. Energy potential for the olive mill industries in Spain

Abstract

The industrial sector faces a new paradigm of energy offshoring, where distributed generation can play a leading role in reducing energy costs in industries, as well as in its C02 emissions. This work shows the potential that photovoltaic self-consumption systems can present to face part of the consumption in the industries of the agri-food sector, specifically the oil mills. The electrical consumption of this type of industry for an oil mill is analyzed, as well as the level of coupling between the actual consumption profiles and the estimated photovoltaic generation profiles for a given range of powers of the photovoltaic generator. The analysis method is easily extrapolated to any mill located in Spain. Likewise, and given that this type of industry has a very characteristic consumption profile, the results obtained are easily transferable to other oil mills. For the mill analyzed, and from an annual perspective, a level of use of the generated photovoltaic energy of 75% with a self-sufficiency index of 20% has been estimated, highlighting the great potential of this technology, as an energy option in this type of industry, as well as in any other that presents a consumption with little variability.