Energy Efficiency Analysis of East-West Oriented Photovoltaic Systems for Buildings: A Technical-Economic-Environmental Approach
Luis Angel Iturralde Carrera, Ernesto Molina-Santana, José M. Álvarez-Alvarado, José R. García‐Martínez, Juvenal Rodríguez‐Reséndiz
Abstract
This research is based on achieving modular solutions for photovoltaic solar systems ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PVSS</i> ) in buildings. Several studies tend to inadequately address the analysis of photovoltaic ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PV</i> ) module orientation, often relying on the conventional south-facing orientation. The objective is to analyze and compare the influence of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PV</i> module orientation. Therefore, two proposed PVSS were analyzed, incorporating module orientation and inclination variations. A hotel electrical consumption study was conducted in 2018-2019. The incidence of shadows over the roofed surfaces of the building was analyzed from a three-dimensional model using Sketchup software. The annual and monthly generation, as well as the performance of the installation, were estimated using PVsyst software for each projected arrangement. An economic and environmental study was carried out for these proposals to remark on their feasibility and influence on environmental protection. As a result, the east-west oriented <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PV</i> system is the most efficient and feasible with a peak power of 113.24 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">kW<sub>p</sub></i> and a Performance Ratio ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PR</i> ) of 0.80. The east-west oriented proposal allows avoiding emissions of 301 421 <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">TCO</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> into the atmosphere. These promising results were due to both <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">PV</i> modules physical orientation and their lower daily working temperature. Also, an increase in electrical production per module and an optimization of the surface are achieved. These results highlight the significance of this research as they encourage the adoption of these systems, leading to improved investment recovery periods and enhanced environmental conservation efforts.