Abstract
The rise of grid electricity price and a growing awareness of climate change is resulting in an increasing number of photovoltaic facilities installed in buildings. Electricity market regulation and climatic conditions, in particular solar radiation, are the main factors that determine the economic viability of a photovoltaic facility. This paper describes a method for evaluating the potential for photovoltaic (PV) production and self-consumption for the building stock of a particular city. A GIS 3D city map is used to calculate solar irradiation. Building-level electricity use is calculated based on building type, geometry and other characteristic inferred from building age, taking the cadastre GIS as main input. The methodology identifies the realistic potential for rooftop photovoltaic installations, as well as the optimum size to be installed from an economic perspective. To represent different regulations that can affect economic viability of PV installations, calculations should adapt for the specific installation conditions and regulatory situation, as for example self-consumption and net metering. The proposed methodology is applied to a case study in Irun (Spain), where results for potential of PV generation and self-consumption for the building stock are presented. The results offer public administration a realistic view of economically viable PV potential for the city and allow to analyse different mechanisms to promote their installations. It also serves for individual electricity consumers to evaluate and optimize new photovoltaic energy facilities. Finally, it serves policy makers to estimate the repercussion of electricity market regulations on the economic viability of PV systems.
Highlights
Energy consumption in cities currently represents between 60% and 80% [1] of the global energy use
As economic viability of PVs largely depends on the specific electricity market, this paper presents an evaluation for the different regulatory approaches, including economic evaluation if selfconsumption or net metering schemes are applied
The methodology allows the calculation of potential for installation of economically viable PV generation systems in buildings across a city, under different regulatory schemes such as self-consumption or net metering
Summary
Energy consumption in cities currently represents between 60% and 80% [1] of the global energy use. The expected trends for progressive electrification of heating loads and transportation, will mean that electricity use in cities is likely to rapidly increase in the coming years, and the energy supply and demand profiles in the cities will evolve. Cities will generally need to upgrade grid and infrastructures to be able to cope with these increasing electricity demands, and this infrastructure should allow to increasingly deliver renewable electricity, if climate change objectives are to be achieved. Generation of renewable electricity on-site within the city is becoming a priority in many cities, as a solution to reduce electricity transportation and distribution losses and potentially reduce investments in grid infrastructure. From all the renewable electricity generation technologies, PV has emerged in recent years as arguably the most competitive and adequate technology for urban areas, due to its good economic and environmental performance. Costs have reduced [2] and levelized costs of PV electricity has reached grid parity in many countries [3]
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