IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON PV SYSTEM OPTIMZATION: A CASE STUDY IN QATAR

Abstract

A global transition towards more sustainable production and consumption systems is underway. This transition process is particularly visible in energy systems, where modern renewables, majorly solar PV and wind power, accounted for around 10% of global power production in 2020. Among different pathways for the transitions to low carbon economy, energy efficiency of the buildings is recognized as one of the priorities. Owing to the hot and humid climate, residential buildings in Qatar are among the highest energy consuming in the world (around three times higher than the world average). Recently the State of Qatar announced its 25% carbon emissions target by 2030 as part of Qatar National Vision 2030’s environment objectives. To achieve this long term stated emissions target of the State, renewable energy will be an essential component for action, and the building sector is one of the areas where efforts must be ramped up. Qatar depends heavily on the grid power for its energy generation, and measures to reduce the carbon footprint and how they can be integrated into the building design in early stages are still under study. Since the residential sector in Qatar is the main consumer of energy, the aim of this study was to evaluate if the integration of renewable energy into residential buildings in Qatar would be a viable solution to reduce the carbon emissions. To achieve the aim of this study, a villa was modeled on DesignBuilder and its energy profile was examined for different climatic conditions. Then the integration of PV modules was tested on HOMER GRID and the optimum system design was obtained. The results concluded that the main load came from cooling loads, and that summer months had a significantly higher energy consumption compared to winter months. In addition, the results show that PV integration is suitable for Qatar, and the optimum rooftop PV system design included a converter and PV modules without an energy storage system can be selected, considering the net present cost, the renewable energy fraction, and the savings and payback period for the PV system. The outcome iv of the study can bring economic and environmental benefits by reducing the carbon footprint while increasing the resident’s profit.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Science and Engineering