Assessing the Potential of a Rooftop Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System for Gaziantep Islamic Science and Technology University/ Turkey

Abstract

In this paper, a grid-connected rooftop photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed to fulfill the electricity needs of Gaziantep Islamic Science and Technology University (GIBTU) in Turkey. The proposed system is to be placed on the roof of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, which is considered as the most complex and challenging roof on campus. The system production of electricity - taking into account the possible losses caused by light-induced deterioration, soiling, etc. - is determined. The obtained simulation results reveal that installing a 121 kW PV system will be sufficient for meeting the electricity needs of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences alone, since such system is capable of generating 197.7 MWh annually with an efficiency of 81.51%. However, in order to meet the needs of the whole university, a 933.1 kW PV system - with generation capability of 1524.9 MWh/year - is required. Also, the obtained results unveil that deploying the proposed system - with its relatively low payback period of 2.19 years - will prevent the release of 989.35 tons/year of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.