Assessment of solar PV potential in commercial buildings

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the potential of the rooftop application of solar PV in commercial buildings. It focuses on four types of commercial buildings: shopping malls, offices, hotels, and hospitals. Besides the technical aspects of the technology, the study investigated important features of building roofs such as architectural and structural details, services, maintenance, and access requirements. It examines 105 buildings with the help of remote sensing techniques. Site visits of sample buildings are also undertaken to have a detailed assessment of the relevant roof features. The examined roof restrictions have been identified and classified into five major categories. The average utilization factor has been found to be 0.53, 0.35, 0.34, and 0.23 for shopping malls, hospitals, offices, and hotels respectively. The overall UF for the studied 105 buildings has been calculated to be 0.49. Four case study buildings, one representing each of the four types of buildings, have been investigated for their roof restrictions, utilization factor, and PV output. The PV modeling results reveal an annual output of 285 kWh/m2. The modeled PV output has also been validated with the output data of an actual PV project. Finally, PV systems have been analyzed for their economic and environmental performance.