Feasibility of a vertical photovoltaic system on a high-rise building in Malaysia: economic evaluation

Azhar Ghazali, Elias Salleh, Lim Chin Haw, Sohif Mat and Kamaruzzaman Sopian

International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies, 2017, vol. 12, issue 4, 349-357

Abstract: In order to fully assess the potential of a photovoltaic (PV) application on a building's façade, the amount of energy generated and the cost of the PV installation must be analysed during the design process to enable the designer, investor and end-user to make decisions regarding the implementation of renewable technologies. This paper focuses on the financial evaluation of a vertical PV façade system on a high-rise building in Malaysia, using the System Advisor Model developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of Malaysia, based on five possible design scenarios that all use an amorphous silicon heterojunction module with a nominal efficiency of 15.6%. According to our financial analysis, the payback period for a vertical PV system would be about 12 years, while that of a horizontal system would be 6 years. On average, a PV system on a vertical façade would be able to save 8400–17 000 USD each month compared to a PV roof installation (about 5200 USD each month). This shows that PV installations on vertical façades of high-rise buildings could be implemented in Malaysian climate conditions. With a careful design approach, this could open up a new demographic in the Malaysian built environment and Renewable Energy industries.

Keywords: building integrated photovoltaic; high-rise building; vertical façade; economic evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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