Optimization and feasibility of solar electricity generation in mauritania; case study for the cities of Nuakchott, Nema, and Wadan

In this study, the energy outlook of Mauritania and the general situation of renewable energy sources were discussed and the solar energy potential for three provinces of Maritanya was examined in detail. In this context, a grid-connected photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 1 MW for selected provinces in Mauritania was designed with PVsyst 7.2 software. The equipment and equipment required for the power plant installation were selected, and the solar energy data of the determined location were obtained from the Atmospheric Science Data Center of NASA. At the end of the design created for the provinces in the region, the monthly electrical energy production amounts and the different energy production and user needs values were calculated. A cost analysis has been made by considering the annual revenues of the power plant from electrical energy production and the initial investment costs. In addition, payback period (PPP) and Net Present Value (NPV) and payback period were calculated. As a result of the cost analysis, it was calculated whether the investment was appropriate for the provinces determined in Mauritania. According to this study, annual electrical energy production for the provinces determined in Mauritania was calculated as 1802 MWh/year for Nuakchott, 1694 MWh/year for Nema and 1734 MWh/year for Wadan. The province with the highest performance rate was Wadan 80.53%, Nuakchott 80.15% and the lowest performance rate Nema 79.78%. It has been determined that payback periods take values between 4.1 and 4.3 years. In addition, the net present values of all the provinces in the region have positive values, while their NPV values have changed between 585,900 and 744,163 US Dollars.