Direct and indirect benefits of grid connected photovoltaics in low energy social housing
Direct and indirect benefits of grid connected photovoltaics in low energy social housing
The direct benefits of a photovoltaic system to a homeowner or tenant are easy to predict in terms of a reduction in electricity bills. There is an additional indirect benefit of the PV system in that it can change people’s attitude towards energy usage and conservation. This paper reports on a study of the direct and indirect benefits of PV applied to nine low energy Eco-homes in Hampshire, UK. The three bedroom houses incorporate a range of energy features including photovoltaics, solar thermal, passive solar design, high insulation construction, energy efficient appliances and grey water recycling. In addition to detailed monitoring of the PV system in each house the environmental parameters and the electricity import and export is also recorded. The diverse range of tenant type (age, social background, family size) has resulted in a broad spectrum of energy requirements despite the relatively small size of the development. The selection of green electricity tariffs by some tenants; which credit the tenant for every unit of electricity generated; were seen to raise energy awareness, resulting in a further reduction in electricity demand. In the case of some of the high energy consumption tenants, the PV system raised energy awareness to such a level that energy savings in excess of that generated by the PV system itself could be realised. In these cases, the financial and energy payback times for the PV systems are, in reality, half the traditionally calculated figure.
0080444709
Bahaj, A.S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
James, P.A.B.
da0be14a-aa63-46a7-8646-a37f9a02a71b
16 November 2004
Bahaj, A.S.
a64074cc-2b6e-43df-adac-a8437e7f1b37
James, P.A.B.
da0be14a-aa63-46a7-8646-a37f9a02a71b
Bahaj, A.S. and James, P.A.B.
(2004)
Direct and indirect benefits of grid connected photovoltaics in low energy social housing.
In Proceedings of the 8th World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC VIII).
Elsevier Science.
3000 pp
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
The direct benefits of a photovoltaic system to a homeowner or tenant are easy to predict in terms of a reduction in electricity bills. There is an additional indirect benefit of the PV system in that it can change people’s attitude towards energy usage and conservation. This paper reports on a study of the direct and indirect benefits of PV applied to nine low energy Eco-homes in Hampshire, UK. The three bedroom houses incorporate a range of energy features including photovoltaics, solar thermal, passive solar design, high insulation construction, energy efficient appliances and grey water recycling. In addition to detailed monitoring of the PV system in each house the environmental parameters and the electricity import and export is also recorded. The diverse range of tenant type (age, social background, family size) has resulted in a broad spectrum of energy requirements despite the relatively small size of the development. The selection of green electricity tariffs by some tenants; which credit the tenant for every unit of electricity generated; were seen to raise energy awareness, resulting in a further reduction in electricity demand. In the case of some of the high energy consumption tenants, the PV system raised energy awareness to such a level that energy savings in excess of that generated by the PV system itself could be realised. In these cases, the financial and energy payback times for the PV systems are, in reality, half the traditionally calculated figure.
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Published date: 16 November 2004
Venue - Dates:
World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC-VIII), Denver, United States, 2004-08-29 - 2004-09-03
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Local EPrints ID: 53473
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/53473
ISBN: 0080444709
PURE UUID: c2f269b1-aad8-48ce-9041-b56e3eb8ba52
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Date deposited: 28 Jul 2008
Last modified: 23 Jul 2022 01:37
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