Techno-Economic Assessment of a 1 MW Solar PV Rooftop System at Thaksin University (Phatthalung Campus), Thailand

Abstract

This study presents a techno-economic assessment of a 1 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop system at Thaksin University (Phatthalung Campus) in Thailand.  A detailed analysis of the solar PV rooftop system is performed with particular attention to the performance of different PV technologies and the effects of different tilt angles and orientations of the PV panels on the annual energy production, the specific production, and the performance ratio.  The economic analysis was performed for four scenarios: (1) self-investment and self-consumption scheme, (2) bankable and self-consumption scheme, (3) bankable and feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme, and (4) energy service company (ESCO) scheme.  The results show that the amorphous silicon/micro-crystalline silicon (a-Si/µc-Si) technology shows the lowest annual energy production and performance ratio (PR), while the copper indium disulfide (CIS) technology records the largest annual energy production and PR.  The largest annual energy production and specific production were obtained with the PV panels installed at a 10° tilt angle and with the PV modules facing South (S), while the lowest annual energy production and specific production were observed with the PV panels installed at a 45° tilt angle and the PV modules facing North (N).  The economic analysis results show that the best scenarios are Scenario 3 (bankable and FiT scheme) and Scenario 1 (self-investment and self-consumption scheme).  The findings of this research provide valuable information for regional stakeholders and policymakers regarding investments in solar PV rooftop systems.