Design and performance investigation of a solar photovoltaic installation on a university building

As the fraction of global energy consumption derived from renewable energy sources continues to increase, solar energy is the one among the others with the largest growth in usage. Despite its advantages, which include cost-effectiveness and the ability to be used in a wide range of applications, there are some factors that play a significant role in the total energy production of a photovoltaic system. Some of them are the tilt and orientation of the solar panels and the shadows generated. This work aims to conduct simulations of photovoltaic systems to be installed on a building of the laboratories of Mechanical Engineering at the Polytechnic Campus of the National Technical University of Athens. The building is characterized by a gross rooftop area of about 2000 m2. In this study, the Skelion software, a plugin in the environment of Sketchup, is used. Initially, using the dimensions of the building based on the calculation from three-dimensional rendering maps from Google Earth, as well as observation and measurement of dimensions on-site, the design of the building and the surrounding area is completed. Subsequently, an analysis of certain parameters is carried out, such as the type of photovoltaic panel, the shading on the surfaces, and the optimal tilt and orientation of the panels, aiming at the optimal utilization of solar energy potential. In addition to the above, certain scenarios for the placement of photovoltaic panels both on the roof of the building and on its sides are examined. Lastly, based on the results, an economic analysis and comparison are carried out to find the system with the optimal energy performance that will be as profitable as possible. As a result, the maximum annual energy production, in accordance with the acceptable energy efficiency of the solar panels, was found to be 247 MWh, with the maximum rate of losses due to shading being equal to 10%. Furthermore, the net present value of the specific scenario rises to 20 k€ and the payback period was calculated to be 10 years.