Exploring the Benefits of Photovoltaic Non-Optimal Orientations in Buildings

Featured ApplicationThis work is intended to be used as a reference for designing photovoltaic installations in buildings which do not have architectural surfaces with optimal orientations or when it is required the use of several surfaces for maximizing total energy production.As solar photovoltaics in buildings reaches maturity, grid integration and economic yield are topics of greater interest. The traditional design of photovoltaic installations has considered the optimal orientation of photovoltaic modules to be that which yields the maximum annual energy production. The influence of the consumption patterns and the hourly variable electricity prices implies that this traditional optimal design might not be the most profitable. Using a full-year dataset for a residential installation, alternative installations using canopies and modules attached to the facades are simulated. By evaluating the energy balances for different annual consumptions, it is found that the canopy and facade installations offer better self-consumption of the PV produced energy, reflected in a 9% higher self-consumption degree using modules on facades and a 5% higher self-consumption degree using canopies. The economic evaluation under the new electricity tariffs in Spain shows a better profit for PV self-consumption, reducing the time of return on investment by more than 2 years. The analysis of different alternatives for an industrial PV allowed us to identify several benefits for these orientations which are confirmed after a full year of operation, such as an increase of up to 59% in annual energy production over the optimal-producing orientation.