Assessing The Economic Feasibility of Applying Integrated Photo Voltaic (BIPV) System in Residential Buildings in Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Architecture - Faculty of Engineering - Menofia University

2 115 Misr Helwan AlZeraai Rd.,

Abstract

Nowadays, the human need for electrical energy is escalating due to the growing demand of modern life applications, however, the increasing demand for fossil fuel sources for electricity production has led to the climate changes. Thus, many countries have sought new energy sources, in particular, solar energy in which Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is considered one of its key applications to produce electricity. The research problem lies in determining the amount of electricity produced by the system in the building envelope and assessing the direct economic feasibility of using BIPV systems in Egypt. The research hypothesis suggests that residential buildings can be converted into sources of clean energy production. To verify this hypothesis, the research asks the following three research questions: (A) What are the best configurations for using BIPV systems in building envelopes to generate electrical energy in Egypt? (B) What is the amount of electrical energy generated by the system? (C) What is the direct economic feasibility of using BIPV systems in Egypt? The research aim is twofold, first is to determine the amount of electricity produced by BIPV systems on building envelopes, second, to evaluate the economic feasibility of the system and formulate a set of recommendations for its implementation in Egypt. In addition, the strength of this research lies in the potential to transform residential buildings in Egypt from energy-consuming units to clean energy producers. The result of this experimental study shows that the applied system is economically viable, and the surplus in generated electricity can cover maintenance expenses and ensure system security throughout its operational period. However, implementing BIPV system in existing residential buildings is challenging, but it can be easily applied to new residential projects.

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مجلة العمارة و الفنون و العلوم الإنسانية

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 14 May 2024

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