Sustainable integration of photovoltaic systems in different climatic conditions—A financial and environmental assessment

The current paper investigates a 6 MW grid-connected photovoltaic system model in two different countries: Canada and Egypt. The analysis was conducted in the frame of a sustainable development feasibility assessment. The two countries were chosen as they have significantly different irradiation levels. Two cities within each country were considered for comparison. The proposed system is simulated under realistic conditions in RETScreen. The weather conditions were imported from the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) website. The project viability has been assessed using different financial indicators. Amongst them is the payback. Payback of projects located in Egypt is considerably lower than in Canada. The payback in Kharga Oasis in Egypt is 7.3 years. It yields a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 62.7 tons of CO2. The payback in a low-irradiation city like Victoria in Canada is 13.3 years. The project installed in Victoria mitigates greenhouse gas emissions by 53.2 tons of CO2. The study also shows the detrimental effect of increasing the initial cost and debt term on the project’s financial viability. The outcome of the study concludes that PV projects are very promising in moderate weather like Egypt. It can be viable in northern countries like Canada but under certain conditions of operation and financing.