Reducing air conditioning electrical demand in hot arid climates using PV: A case study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Reducing air conditioning electrical demand in hot arid climates using PV: A case study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the rich sunbelt countries in the world with very large potential for deploying solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies to support transitioning its dependence on fossil fuel dominated electricity sector. The hot arid climate of the country combined with its growing per capita income and cheaper electricity tariff makes KSA having the third largest electrical cooling load in the world. This research investigates how appropriately sized residential rooftop PV system can reduce such a load in KSA's residential sector addressing sustainability and emission reductions. Modelling was carried out to determine the efficacy of an optimally sized grid connected PV system to support different scenarios of the air conditioning loads of a monitored villa in Jeddah where the electrical demand was measured over a period of one year. Techno-economic suitability of the proposed system was analysed within the remit of Electricity Cogeneration and Regulatory Authority's (ECRA) current policy and regulatory framework for small scale solar PV systems. The results show that for a daytime load scenario in the range 33 to 95 kWh/d with an average of 76 kWh/d, a 15 kWp PV array can be used to displace at least 99% of all the daytime electrical loads including cooling loads. However, the economic analysis indicates that without support mechanisms, the longer payback period for the PV system may hinder the uptake of rooftop PV integration in Saudi residential sector.
displacing cooling load, net metering, payback period, return on investment, Rooftop PV
1200-1207
International Solar Energy Society
Alam, Majbaul
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Alghamdi, Abdulsalam
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Bahaj, Abu Bakr S.
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Blunden, Luke S.
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James, Patrick A.B.
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25 October 2021
Alam, Majbaul
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Alghamdi, Abdulsalam
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Bahaj, Abu Bakr S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
Blunden, Luke S.
28b4a5d4-16f8-4396-825b-4f65639d2903
James, Patrick A.B.
da0be14a-aa63-46a7-8646-a37f9a02a71b
Alam, Majbaul, Alghamdi, Abdulsalam, Bahaj, Abu Bakr S., Blunden, Luke S. and James, Patrick A.B.
(2021)
Reducing air conditioning electrical demand in hot arid climates using PV: A case study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In Proceedings - ISES Solar World Congress 2021.
International Solar Energy Society.
.
(doi:10.18086/swc.2021.45.01).
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of the rich sunbelt countries in the world with very large potential for deploying solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies to support transitioning its dependence on fossil fuel dominated electricity sector. The hot arid climate of the country combined with its growing per capita income and cheaper electricity tariff makes KSA having the third largest electrical cooling load in the world. This research investigates how appropriately sized residential rooftop PV system can reduce such a load in KSA's residential sector addressing sustainability and emission reductions. Modelling was carried out to determine the efficacy of an optimally sized grid connected PV system to support different scenarios of the air conditioning loads of a monitored villa in Jeddah where the electrical demand was measured over a period of one year. Techno-economic suitability of the proposed system was analysed within the remit of Electricity Cogeneration and Regulatory Authority's (ECRA) current policy and regulatory framework for small scale solar PV systems. The results show that for a daytime load scenario in the range 33 to 95 kWh/d with an average of 76 kWh/d, a 15 kWp PV array can be used to displace at least 99% of all the daytime electrical loads including cooling loads. However, the economic analysis indicates that without support mechanisms, the longer payback period for the PV system may hinder the uptake of rooftop PV integration in Saudi residential sector.
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Published date: 25 October 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This work is part of the activities of the Energy and Climate Change Division (ECCD) and the Sustainable Energy Research Group (SERG) in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Southampton (www.energy.soton.ac.uk), UK, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Saudi Arabia. The work is funded by the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia through project number 714, coordinated through the Deputyship for Research and Innovation, KAU.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. The Authors. Published by International Solar Energy Society Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Scientific Committee.
Venue - Dates:
ISES Solar World Congress 2021, , Virtual, Online, 2021-10-25 - 2021-10-29
Keywords:
displacing cooling load, net metering, payback period, return on investment, Rooftop PV
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Local EPrints ID: 474629
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/474629
PURE UUID: f9b8aaa2-34fe-4c76-94f8-c12aea241bfc
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Date deposited: 28 Feb 2023 17:36
Last modified: 12 Jul 2024 01:59
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Author:
Majbaul Alam
Author:
Abdulsalam Alghamdi
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