A Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Mono-Si and Poly-Si Photovoltaic Systems in the Rooftop Area of Commercial Building under the Feed-In Tariff Scheme

Ke Shi, Chuangyi Li and Choongwan Koo
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Ke Shi: National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy, Beijing 102211, China
Chuangyi Li: The Country Garden, Guangzhou 510000, China
Choongwan Koo: Division of Architecture & Urban Design, Incheon National University, Incheon 22012, Korea

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: Hong Kong’s government has recently introduced the feed-in tariff scheme to promote the photovoltaic (PV) system as a promising way to address global warming. The feed-in tariff scheme depends on the type of the PV system and its installed capacity. This study aimed to investigate the techno-economic feasibility of mono-Si and poly-Si PV systems in the rooftop area of a commercial building, Pao Yue-Kong Library of Hong Kong, under the feed-in tariff scheme. The analysis was carried out in two phases: (i) technical analysis of the rooftop PV systems by considering the shading effect and solar radiation and (ii) economic feasibility of the rooftop PV systems under the feed-in tariff scheme from the life cycle perspective. The main findings of the case study can be summarized: (i) the rooftop area of the target building would not be significantly affected by surrounding buildings; (ii) the highest amount of solar radiation was estimated at 136.96 kWh/m 2 in October, while the lowest value was 55.64 kWh/m 2 in February; (iii) the total amount of module energy yield from the mono-Si PV system was estimated at 917.58 kWh/kW, indicating that it was very similar but a little bit lower (i.e., 0.48%) than that for the poly-Si PV system (i.e., 921.98 kWh/kW); and (iv) payback periods for mono-Si and poly-Si PV systems were estimated at 8.67 and 8.31 years, respectively. The feasibility study can contribute to providing facility managers with a practical guideline to determine the appropriate strategy in implementing the PV systems in buildings under the feed-in tariff scheme.

Keywords: mono-Si photovoltaic system; poly-Si photovoltaic system; shading effect; energy generation; techno-economic feasibility; feed-in tariff (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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