Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic in Saudi Arabia to Supply Electricity Demand in Localised Urban Areas: A Study of the City of Abha

Abdullah Shaher (), Saad Alqahtani, Ali Garada and Liana Cipcigan
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Abdullah Shaher: School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
Saad Alqahtani: School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
Ali Garada: School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
Liana Cipcigan: School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-24

Abstract: This paper explores the potential of rooftop solar PV to meet the electricity demand in the urban areas of Abha city, Saudi Arabia (KSA), minimising imports from the grid. A localised energy system for Abha is proposed that considers two types of loads: (i) residential loads with a monthly aggregated energy consumption of 172,440 MWh and an electric demand of 239.5 MW, and (ii) commercial loads with a monthly aggregated energy consumption of 179,280 MWh and an electric demand of 249 MW. The grid currently supplies this load. This paper proposes a PV development planning tool for residential and commercial areas to calculate the total PV production for each type of load to achieve a balanced energy area, considering (i) the number of buildings, (ii) the type of load, (iii) the peak load, and (iv) the total PV array area in m 2 per building. The results of the modelling study using real data demonstrate that the anticipated total PV production in residential and commercial areas is sufficient to meet local peak demand, and there is an excess of power that can either be stored locally or exported to the grid.

Keywords: solar energy (PV); rooftop PV; buildings; planning tool; KSA; residential and commercial communities (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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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