A feasibility study of roof-mounted grid-connected PV solar system under Abu Dhabi net metering scheme using HOMER

The electric power consumption per capita in UAE is very high with almost 11,264 kWh per person in 2014. The country mainly relies on oil and gas for producing electricity. Abu Dhabi emirate consumed 62,979,070 Mega-Watt hour (MWh) of electricity in 2016 with only 30,867 MWh produced from renewable resources. The carbon footprint of electricity generated from fossil fuels was estimated to be almost 26.5 million tons of Co
₂
equivalent in 2014. Therefore, the need to expand the power generation from clean renewable resources is of high importance. This study measures the feasibility of utilizing PV panels on the roof top of a mixed-use building while connected to the power grid of Abu Dhabi emirate under the net metering scheme. The building electric energy consumption was studied using Carrier HAP software, then HOMER software was used to design and simulate the grid connected PV system. The results showed that a 25 kW PV panels and a 25 kW invertor with an initial cost of $41,250 (150,000 AED) can produce 48,864 kWh/year and can feed the grid with 18,421 kWh/year. The net present cost (NPC) was found to be $98,544 (362,000 AED) and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) was found to be $0.107 per kWh (39 fils/kWh). The attractive power generation numbers and costs associated with this PV system can confirm that its application is justified both economically and technically at Abu Dhabi emirate under net metering scheme.