An economic analysis of grid-tied residential photovoltaic systems: A case study of Saudi Arabia

Author

Mutwali, Bandar Hamdi A. ; El-Hawary, M.E.

Author_Institution

Electr. & Comput. Eng. Dept., Dalhousie Univ., Halifax, NS, Canada

fYear

2013

fDate

5-8 May 2013

Firstpage

1

Lastpage

4

Abstract

The demand for and utilization of electricity is increasing even as known oil reserves are decreasing. Consequently, governments around the world are seeking alternative and sustainable sources of energy such as solar-powered systems. A residential-size hybrid system consisting of grid power and solar-based source has been developed. This paper examines the economic feasibility of using grid-tied residential photovoltaic (GRPV) systems in Saudi Arabia employing HOMER software. The study shows that Saudi Arabia has the potential to utilize a GRPV system as a viable alternative source of energy.

Keywords

hybrid power systems; optimisation; photovoltaic power systems; power generation economics; power grids; GRPV systems; HOMER software; Saudi Arabia; economic feasibility; grid power; grid tied residential photovoltaic; residential size hybrid system; solar based source; solar powered systems; Economics; Electricity; Inverters; Optimization; Photovoltaic systems; Renewable energy sources; Solar energy;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Electrical and Computer Engineering (CCECE), 2013 26th Annual IEEE Canadian Conference on

Conference_Location

Regina, SK

ISSN

0840-7789

Print_ISBN

978-1-4799-0031-2

Electronic_ISBN

0840-7789

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/CCECE.2013.6567675

Filename

6567675