Utilizing unused urban spaces to produce solar electricity under uncertainty (using simulation with PVsyst software)

اقتصاد و توسعه منطقه ای

Volume 31, Autumn&Winter2025 - Serial Number 28, February 2025

Document Type: Original Article

DOI: 10.22067/erd.2024.80484.1163

Authors

Seyyed mohammad Seyyed hosseini¹; Arash Dourandish²; Seyyed Mahdi Mostafavi^{* 3}

¹ferdowsi mashhad

²Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Tehran university, Karaj, Iran

³department of economics, ferdowsi university of mashhad

Abstract

One of the current challenges of the world is climate change and environmental pollution, which is one of the major consequences of fossil fuel consumption all over the world. To tackle this challenge, the use of renewable energies such as solar energy, especially in urban areas that have a significant portion of energy consumption, can be a remarkable solution. Considering the challenges of electricity supply in Iran's mega cities and emphasizing the existence of unused spaces such as rooftops of the buildings in urban aria, in this article, a solar photovoltaic power plant is simulated on a hypothetical building using PVsyst software in Mashhad city. By using criteria such as net present value, internal rate of return and payback period based on fuzzy approach, financial feasibility of the system will be calculated. The results of this study showed that a 5.5 kW photovoltaic system with grid connection type on a rooftops with area of 70 square meters without shading in Mashhad city with annual production of 9070 kWh per year has a fuzzy net present value between 1/371 to 1/776 billion Rials, the internal rate of return between 29 and 32 percent and payback period between 3.5 to 3.5 years. Therefore, the project is financially acceptable. Considering the high cost for the construction of this system, the suggestion is that the policy-makers should provide suitable credit facilities for the applicants and reduce the cost of the production of required equipment, by supporting the manufacturers and knowledge-based companies in this field.

Keywords

photovoltaic; feasibility; fuzzy; city; building

References