Technical and Economic Analysis of the Use of Electricity Generated by a BIPV System for an Educational Establishment in Poland

Abstract

In the face of ongoing climate changes and the current geopolitical situation, Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are continuously gaining popularity in many countries. Objectives related to environmental protection and the use of RES set by different countries all over the world, as well as by the European Union (EU), are becoming priorities for many. The increase in the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems has been growing steadily for several years, leading to the creation of new systems accompanying PV installations; this phenomenon has also been observed in Poland. This paper presents a photovoltaic system in the form of a bicycle shed next to a school building as an example of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) without connection to the power grid. It was shown that the energy consumption profile should be properly correlated with the production profile, otherwise significant losses occur. Alternative methods to improve the correlation of production and energy consumption by using SCADA systems or building automation to properly manage the electricity generation and consumption installation were also proposed. Furthermore, it was shown that adopting a fixed discount rate in financial analyses can distort the picture of real profits. An analysis of the changes in the NPV ratio using variable discount rates was carried out when analyzing the entire life of the solar plant.

A 4E Comparative Study between BIPV and BIPVT Systems in Order to Achieve Zero-Energy Building in Cold Climate

“…This tool offered architects and planning authorities a means to quantitatively assess solar planning decisions for buildings and urban areas. Kurz et al [22] discussed the implementation of a photovoltaic system as a bicycle shed near a school building, serving as an example of a BIPV system that operated independently from the power grid. The study emphasized the importance of aligning energy consumption with production to avoid significant losses.…”