Harnessing Solar Power for Eco‐ and Enviro‐Friendly Water Park Heating: Case Study of Hawana Water Park

In this study, the feasibility of providing part of the hot water using 1000 flat‐plate solar collectors for the Hawana Water Park in Salalah, Oman, is studied. Dynamic analyses of energy, economic, and environmental parameters are conducted over a year using TSOL V2021 software. In this solar energy–supported hot water production system, a gas‐fired boiler is also used as a backup for emergencies. The results indicate that approximately 1181 MWh of solar heat is supplied annually to the water park, leading to a savings of 133,298 m 3 of natural gas and preventing the emission of approximately 282 tons of CO ₂ pollutants. Another significant finding is that the solar water heating system, with an efficiency of 56.6%, was able to supply 30.4% of the heat required by the water park. The cost of each kilowatt‐hour of solar heat produced is calculated to be $0.066, with a payback period of 15.2 years. Furthermore, eight sensitivity scenarios were evaluated to investigate the impact of carbon credit trading and energy price increases on the economic performance of the assessed system. The results indicate that by integrating carbon pricing mechanisms, such as the Emissions Trading System (ETS), the cost of energy (COE) can be reduced by up to $0.026 per kWh, and the payback period can be shortened to 8.4 years. Moreover, the return on assets (ROA) significantly improves under scenarios involving higher carbon credit prices and rising energy costs, highlighting the economic and environmental benefits of integrating renewable energy systems with emerging carbon markets.