Analysis of Solar Power Plant Design Using RETScreen and PVSyst in Pekanbaru- Indonesia

Renewable energy is an important source to maintain the availability of energy for the future, due to the depletion of current energy sources based on oil and gas, coal, and other non-renewable energy sources. The energy emitted by the sun can be used as a form of renewable energy, namely solar energy. One of its implementations is to use a series of photovoltaic (PV) cells that can convert solar energy into electrical energy for everyday life. Indonesia is one of the countries located on the equator, which causes an overall temperature that is relatively higher than the world’s average temperature. This high temperature brings the high potential for Indonesia to cultivate solar radiation (solar energy) as a renewable energy source. The construction of solar power plants in Indonesia can help in the distribution of electrical power to meet the country’s power needs. In this study, the examiner will solve a problem in the use of energy in the surrounding environment, by building solar power plants in Indonesia. This research will conduct analysis based on simulations using RETScreen and PVSyst software. The result obtained from PVSyst is that in the selected location, around 42,500 units of Longi Solar monosilicone 415 Wp 34 V type LR4-72-HIBD 415 M Bifacial modules with 7 inverters installed on above 97,234 $\mathrm{m}^{2}$ modules area can export 23,877 MWh whereas using RETScreen, the cost needed to build the solar power plant is about ${\$}$ 28,998,750 with 47,500 units of Longi Solar monosilicone type LR6-72PH-370W modules on 92,055 $\mathrm{m}^{2}$ modules area that can export 23,094 MWh.