A comprehensive analysis of small-scale building integrated photovoltaic system for residential buildings: Techno-economic benefits and greenhouse gas mitigation potential

The present paper aims to highlight the techno-economic and greenhouse mitigation potential of the small-scale building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) of 10 kW suitable for residential as well as small commercial agglomerations. To carry out this investigation a mathematical model has been developed utilizing the RetScreen simulation tool. The model has been implemented by choosing various cities across India that are major residential hubs such as Delhi, Lucknow, Indore, Jodhpur, Pune, and Coimbatore. The result showed that the energy production remained highest at Jodhpur i.e. 15678 kWh amounting to Rs. 94107/year of energy savings. The energy payback period (ENPP) for a 10 kW system has been obtained between 6 and 7 years. The highest capacity utilization factor (CUF) was obtained during March but the performance ratio (PR) and efficiency remained highest during December-January (Winter). Jodhpur had the highest net present value (NPV) and profitability index (PI) which indicated that Jodhpur was the most lucrative site among all locations. The simple and the equity payback (SPP and EPP) obtained were between 7.1 and 9.3 years. The Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) was between Rs. 5.81/kWh-Rs. 6.95/kWh. The result also revealed that the 10 kW BIPV system was capable of reducing 15 tonnes/year of carbon and more than 400 tonnes of carbon in 25 years. The carbon credit earned by a single installation was more than Rs. 70 thousand in a year. If the current model is applied to 3000 households in a locality, there can be 40-50 GWh of energy savings amounting to Rs. 230-280 million.