A Techno-Economic Analysis of a Photovoltaic Plant: An Albanian Case Study

This paper presents a techno-economic analysis of a 168 kWp photovoltaic (PV) plant installed on the rooftop of the Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania. The goal is to determine the optimal design and sizing of the PV plant, considering energy cost, PV power generation, and the regulatory framework, among others. The case study shows that the amortization period for the monthly net-metering compensation scheme (currently in place) is 3.9 years. However, if a yearly compensation method is used, this period decreases to 3.5 years. These figures are significantly lower compared to, for example, hydropower plants (around 7 years). Furthermore, it is shown that PV production is higher than consumption for three months in summer, and there is a significant energy surplus. Thus, we conclude that the main barriers to the PV market’s large-scale deployment in Albania are regulatory barriers and not technical and/or economic.