Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs
Online 800-hour Postgraduate Diploma in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs. 8 modules covering Law 24/2013 on the Electricity Sector, Royal Decree 413/2014 (renewable generation) and PVsyst. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Estimate the solar resource and production with P50 and P90 percentiles.
Analyse the investment and operating costs of photovoltaic plants.
Project market revenues considering price cannibalisation.
Structure solar PPAs and analyse their key clauses.
Build a financial model of a solar project.
Identify project risks and mitigation measures.
Assess the impact of hybridisation with storage on profitability.
Who it's for
- Solar investment analyst wishing to specialise in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs.
- Energy financial analyst wishing to specialise in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs.
- PPA originator wishing to specialise in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs.
- Photovoltaic project developer wishing to specialise in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs.
- Energy M&A advisor wishing to specialise in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs.
- Electricity market analyst wishing to specialise in Economic Evaluation and Solar PPAs.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter solar photovoltaics.
What you'll work with
- Law 24/2013 on the Electricity Sector
- Royal Decree 413/2014 (renewable generation)
- IEC 61724-1 (PV plant monitoring)
- Regulation (EU) 1227/2011 (REMIT)
- IFRS 9 (financial instruments)
- Equator Principles
- Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (guarantees of origin)
8 modules · 800 h
1.1Components of solar radiation1.2Databases: PVGIS, Meteonorm and Solargis1.3Typical meteorological years1.4Interannual variability of the resource1.5Production modelling with PVsyst1.6System losses and performance ratio1.7Module degradation1.8P50, P90 and P99 production1.9Bankable resource reports1.10Workshop: P50/P90 estimate for a 100 MW PV plant
2.1CAPEX breakdown: modules, inverters and structure2.2Trackers versus fixed structures2.3Balance of plant and civil works2.4Grid connection costs2.5Development and permitting costs2.6OPEX: O&M, insurance and land2.7Repowering costs2.8Module price trends2.9Cost benchmarking2.10Practice: parametric budget for a PV plant
3.1Solar capture price3.2Cannibalisation and solar discount3.3Zero and negative prices3.4Intraday markets and imbalances3.5Guarantees of origin3.6Auctions under the renewables support scheme3.7Revenues from balancing services3.8Long-term price curve forecasting3.9Market price scenarios3.10Laboratory: calculating the historical capture price on OMIE
4.1Particularities of solar PPAs4.2Pay-as-produced versus baseload4.3PPAs with solar profile plus storage4.4Profile coverage in hours without sun4.5Solar PPA price and discount4.6Cannibalisation risk in the contract4.7Typical corporate buyers4.8Multi-buyer contracts4.9Term and price escalation4.10Case study: comparison of PPA offers for a PV plant
5.1Structure of the financial model5.2Project and shareholder cash flows5.3LCOE of the solar plant5.4NPV, IRR and sensitivities5.5Debt modelling and DSCR5.6Taxes and depreciation5.7Merchant versus contracted scenarios5.8Monte Carlo simulation5.9Modelling best practice5.10Laboratory: financial model of a PV plant with PPA
6.1Resource and production risk6.2Price and profile risk6.3Curtailment and constraint risk6.4PPA counterparty risk6.5Construction risk6.6Component technology risk6.7Regulatory risk6.8Insurance and guarantees6.9Project risk matrix6.10Practice: project stress scenario analysis
7.1Photovoltaics with storage7.2Agrivoltaics and dual land use7.3Repowering older plants7.4Value of flexibility7.5Associated hydrogen production7.6Large-scale industrial self-consumption7.7Project due diligence7.8Asset transactions and valuation7.9Iberian market trends7.10Case study: valuing the addition of batteries to an existing plant
8.1Definition of the plant and site8.2P50/P90 production estimate8.3Cost estimate8.4Revenue scenarios8.5Proposed PPA structure8.6Financial model8.7Risk analysis and sensitivities8.8Investment recommendation8.9Report and presentation8.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine study with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is PVsyst, advanced Excel (financial models), SAM (System Advisor Model), Python (pandas), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are worked through using real procedures for P50/P90 production estimation, construction of financial models and analysis of solar PPAs. Assessment is continuous per module, plus the final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Estimate the solar resource and production with P50 and P90 percentiles.
Analyse the investment and operating costs of photovoltaic plants.
Project market revenues considering price cannibalisation.
Structure solar PPAs and analyse their key clauses.
Build a financial model of a solar project.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow technical regulatory texts.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme comprises 800 hours in total, spread over 6 to 8 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours a week on average, compatible with full-time employment.
The programme uses PVsyst, advanced Excel (financial models), SAM (System Advisor Model) and Python (pandas). Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the open-source alternative where one exists.
An own diploma from SEIUM upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrative project. This is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area can be credited towards the higher-level programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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