Performance Evaluation of Solar PV Power Plants in Taiwan Using Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract

Due to the worldwide impact of industrialization, renewable sources of energy from solar play a huge role in supplying the domestic demand in Taiwan. This paper aims to impart an unbiased performance evaluation of different solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants around Taiwan. This study utilized data envelopment analysis (DEA) using the epsilon-based measure (EBM) model to compute the performance efficiency and ranking of the solar PV power plants. Additionally, the model is used for its advantage of combined radial and non-radial measures to achieve a more precise measure of efficiency. The results show that among nine selected solar PV plants, the top-performing DMU was I (8200051) from the southern part of Taiwan. Therefore, this study recommends that EBM can be a useful tool to evaluate the performance of solar PV power plants using multiple inputs and outputs. Additionally, this study will contribute to sustaining and developing the existing solar PV power capacity while achieving the installation of 20GW of solar energy as part of Taiwan’s goal. Even though the study has achieved the set goals, various restrictions remain present. Future studies could address micro and macro-level factors that influence the performance of solar PV power plants, which are not included in this study.