Design and Validation of a Techno-Economic-Regulatory Model to Optimize the Profitability of Bifacial Solar Farms in Southern Perú

Chacchi Gabriel H.A.; Obispo Cochachin M.D.; Ventocilla Adolfo Jorge P. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2026) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2026.1.1.2398

Resumen

This research develops and applies a techno-economic-regulatory (TER) model to evaluate and optimize the profitability (NPV and IRR) of a Clemesí-type bifacial solar power plant in Moquegua, Perú. The approach integrates into a single calculation structure: (i) technical variables (irradiance, albedo, temperature, and bifacial gain), (ii) economic-financial variables (CAPEX, OPEX, cash flows, NPV, IRR, and LCOE), and (iii) regulatory variables (RER bonus and annual transmission tariff, in addition to assumptions regarding operational recognition/certification). The study follows an applied modeling and simulation design with an instrumental case, using operational information from the 2024-2025 period to parameterize and verify the consistency of the model. The technical module takes as a reference an annual generation of 282 GWh/year (~2452 kWh/kWp) and a base albedo of 0.25 associated with a reported bifacial gain of 11.4%, incorporating the thermal effect. This energy feeds into the economic-regulatory module, parameterized with a price of $0.05/kWh, CAPEX of $81.00 million, OPEX of $1.61 million/year, transmission of $2.07 million/year, RER bonus of 10%, discount rate of 11%, and a 25-year horizon. With these assumptions, the base case establishes a consistent reference of NPV ≈ $18.63 million, IRR ≈ 14.06%, and LCOE ≈ $0.0398/kWh. Two fronts are evaluated: (1) optimization by installation height (0.5-2.5 m), where NPV and IRR improve within the analyzed range; and (2) regulatory/technical-regulatory scenarios (recognition of back-end gains, transmission reduction, and revenue increase), showing that the levers associated with revenue shift NPV/IRR more than proportional reductions in transmission costs under the same discount and horizon.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú