A Comparative Assessment for the Potential Energy Production from PV Installation on Residential Buildings

Abstract

This paper targets the future energy sustainability and aims to estimate the potential energy production from installing photovoltaic (PV) systems on the rooftop of apartment’s residential buildings, which represent the largest building sector. Analysis of the residential building typologies was carried out to select the most used residential building types in terms of building roof area, number of floors, and the number of apartments on each floor. A computer simulation tool has been used to calculate the electricity production for each building type, for three different tilt angles to estimate the electricity production. Tilt angle, spacing between the arrays, the building shape, shading from PV arrays, and other roof elements were analyzed for optimum and maximum electricity production. The electricity production for each household has been compared to typical household electricity consumption and its future consumption in 2030. The results show that installing PV systems on residential buildings can speed the transition to renewable energy and energy sustainability. The electricity production for building types with 2–4 residential units can surplus their estimated future consumption. Building types with 4–8 residential units can produce their electricity consumption in 2030. Building types of 12–24 residential units can produce more than half of their 2030 future consumption.

Potential Electricity Production by Installing Photovoltaic Systems on the Rooftops of Residential Buildings in Jordan: An Approach to Climate Change Mitigation

“…However, climate change is now one of the world's most pressing environmental issues [6][7][8][9]. As outdoor temperatures rise, building energy demands will also increase [10][11][12]. Climate change is causing more frequent heatwaves in the Middle East, which will lead to a substantial increase in energy consumption, particularly electricity consumption [13][14][15].…”

“…Climate change is causing more frequent heatwaves in the Middle East, which will lead to a substantial increase in energy consumption, particularly electricity consumption [13][14][15]. Installing PV systems on the rooftops of residential buildings can provide a mitigation strategy for the increase in future energy consumption and may play a crucial role in the development of clean and sustainable energy sources [11]. Jordan's population is expected to rise to 12.9 million by 2030.…”

“…The cost of energy in Jordan has a 20% share of the total GDP [27]. Installing PV on the rooftops of apartment buildings can provide household owners with a range from approximately 50% to over 100% of the electricity needed to operate the residential unit; this range depends on the available rooftop which depends on apartment building type, particularly the number of floors and number of units on each floor [11].…”

The Effects of Soiling and Frequency of Optimal Cleaning of PV Panels in Palestine

“…Thermal panels are used for converting sunlight to heat while PV solar panels are used to receive sunlight and convert it into electricity. The solar PV panels are installed on the rooftops of buildings and also in the open wide places on the ground [18][19][20]. Solar energy as an investment is very efficient but it is not possible everywhere since the productivity of energy depends on the number of sunshine hours and the number of rainy days in a particular location, and because of this, the Middle East and North Africa have high productivity in the sector of solar energy [4,13].…”

Towards Sustainable Energy Retrofitting, a Simulation for Potential Energy Use Reduction in Residential Buildings in Palestine

“…Residential energy retrofitting is a strategy for lowering global energy demand [6]. Building energy usage has surpassed transportation as the primary source of global energy demand and CO 2 pollution [6,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]. Retrofitting not only reduces energy consumption and costs, but it also improves indoor air quality and decreases unwanted noise, improving the business value [33].…”