Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic System for Nile Tilapia Farms in Southern Mexico: Techno-Economic and Environmental Evaluation

Abstract

Tilapia farming is the predominant aquaculture activity, with 4623 aquaculture farms in Mexico alone. It is relevant to apply technological alternatives to mitigate production costs, mainly those associated with supporting energy savings for aeration and water pumping in aquaculture farms. There is limited information confirming the feasibility of implementing photovoltaic systems connected to the grid (On grid-PV) in aquaculture farms. The working hypothesis proposed for the development of the work was that On Grid PV systems in Tilapia aquaculture farms in Mexico are technically feasible, economically viable and environmentally acceptable. Therefore, the objective of this research is to design a grid-connected photovoltaic system for rural Tilapia aquaculture farms in Mexico and analyze it with a feasibility assessment through technical, economic and environmental variables, as part of the link between academia and the productive sector. Methodologically, the On Grid-PV design was carried out in an aquaculture farm in Veracruz, Mexico, as a case study. It was developed in two stages: the field phase (1), where a non-participant observation guide and a survey with open questions were applied to perform the energy diagnosis, and the cabinet phase (2) where the calculation of the economic and environmental variables was carried out with the clean energy management software Retscreen expert, the engineering design was based on the Mexican Official Standard for electrical installations, and Sunny Design 5.22.5 was used to calculate and analyze the electrical parameters of the On Grid PV. The results revealed an investment cost of USD 30,062.61, the cost per KWp was of 1.36 USD/Watt, and the economic indicators were the net present value (USD 41,517.44), internal rate of return (38.2%) and cost–benefit ratio (5.6). Thus, the capital investment is recovered in 4.7 years thanks to the savings obtained by generating 2429 kW/h per month. As for the environment, it is estimated that 11,221 kg of CO2 equivalent would be released into the atmosphere without the On Grid-PV. In conclusion, the hypothesis is accepted and it is confirmed that On Grid-PV installations for Tilapia farms are technically feasible, economically viable and environmentally acceptable; their implementation would imply the possibility for aquaculture farms to produce Tilapia at a lower production cost and minimized environmental impact in terms of energy. It is recommended that aquaculture farmers in Mexico and the world implement this eco-technology that supports the sustainable development of aquaculture.