Assessment of Rooftop Solar Power Generation to Meet Residential Loads in the City of Neom, Saudi Arabia

Nasser Alqahtani and Nazmiye Balta-Ozkan
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Nasser Alqahtani: Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, P.O. Box 3437, Riyadh 11471, Saudi Arabia
Nazmiye Balta-Ozkan: School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: The economic and social development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has led to a rapid increase in the consumption of electricity, with the residential sector consuming approximately 50% of total electricity production. The KSA depends largely on non-renewable energy resources, and the government has produced Saudi Vision 2030. This plan aims to lessen the country’s reliance on fossil fuels and reduce associated problems such as air pollution. Saudi Vision 2030 combines renewable energy and new building designs so that, for example, the planned city of Neom will be net zero energy. This study addresses how best to reduce Neom’s reliance on the national grid through rooftop photovoltaic generation in residential buildings. The study develops a techno-economic model of rooftop PV with battery storage suitable for existing residential building types likely to be built in Neom city (villas, traditional houses, and apartments), and assesses the optimal PV size, battery storage capacity, and optimal orientation of the PV panels. The study used HOMER Pro to compute the Net Present Cost, Levelized Cost of Energy, orientation of PV panels, and optimum PV system size. The optimal size of PV system is 14.0 kW for the villa, 11.1 kW for the traditional dwelling, and 10.3 kW for the apartment, each with a single battery of capacity 12 kWh.

Keywords: solar photovoltaic panel; domestic PV; solar rooftop energy; Neom city; net zero energy building; Homer Pro (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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