Evaluation of solar photovoltaics on university buildings: A case study toward campus sustainability

Renewable energy leads Brazil's energy mix at about 82% of its total, with solar photovoltaics (PV) now the second largest contribution to the electric power sector. The country's target to eliminate carbon emissions provides a significant role for higher-education institutions that shape and influence future societies through energy and education leadership. This paper focuses on the improvement of the sustainability level of the PUC Minas university campus in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, through the assessment and design of a PV system into the existing engineering building structures. The student-led case study provides an implementation roadmap that includes a coordinated methodology of evaluating the campus power and energy consumption, documenting the seasonal solar irradiance, evaluating the solar-available rooftop areas, simulating the daily and seasonal shadowing effects from existing surrounding structures, determining the panel placements following Brazil's codes and standards, and calculating the contributions of the PV to displacing grid-supplied electricity and potential lowering of the University's energy bills. The result is a realistic PV system design that meets the emission and electricity-cost reduction objectives, with a value-added aspect is that the lead team interfaced with ongoing Energy-Engineering course participants for real-time exposure to the research and photovoltaics technology. Additionally, the value analysis of the project is aimed at improving the University's Times Higher Education Ranking by addressing the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) that correlate with the clean energy solar installation.