Determination of Environmental and Economic Benefits of Graphene-Coated PV Modules Through the School Building

Merve Tuna Kayili,Caner Yetis

doi:10.3311/ppar.16736

Abstract

Graphene coatings, which have many applications in electronics and biomedical, show high performance even when applied at a few nanometers thickness, and have also been applied in solar systems. When graphene is applied to the glass surface of photovoltaic (PV) modules, they result in more energy recovery and lower cleaning service fees due to their features such as high permeability, hydrophobic self-cleaning, and low dust retention. In this study, it was determined how much energy gain and CO2 emission reduction could be achieved as a result of graphene-coating on PV modules compared to standard modules, and if PV modules are applied under Turkish conditions, the investment costs, payback period, and return on investment to the user after the payback period was determined. As a result of the calculations, although the initial investment cost of graphene coating is 0.78 %, more than the standard modules, it is concluded that it offers a lower payback period and high return on investment due to the amount of energy it produces, its ability to self-clean, and low dust retention.

Highlights

Today, more than 40 % of total energy use is due to the building sector in the European Union member states (European Commission Energy Department, 2020)
In the system established with graphene-coated PV modules (PV-G), approximately 1 % more energy production and CO2 emission reductions were determined compared to the system established with nongraphene coated PV modules (PV-NG)
If the payback period is calculated by investment costs and maintenance and cleaning services required for its life cycle, the payback period increased to 6.8 years due to high cleaning fees in non-graphene-coated modules (PV-NG)

Summary

Introduction

More than 40 % of total energy use is due to the building sector in the European Union member states (European Commission Energy Department, 2020). Because of this consumption, which occurs above the level of sustainability, high energy consumption and the provision of this energy from fossil fuels are among the factors affecting the environmental problems arising from the built environment. Depending on the developments in technology, industrialisation in production and increased demand, they have been used in watches and calculators, street lighting, and since 1981, integrated into buildings (Çelebi, 2002)

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Results

Conclusion