Design strategies for building rooftop photovoltaic systems: Efficiency and grid integration

In response to global environmental concerns and rising energy demands, this study evaluates photovoltaic (PV) technologies for designing efficient building rooftop PV systems and promoting sustainable energy integration. The research combines weather data from NREL and NASA to enhance the precision of performance analysis using PVsyst software, adhering to IEC-61724 standards. This dual-source approach ensures a robust assessment of PV system reliability across diverse climates. Building rooftop installation capacities are evaluated with PVSOL software, while HOMER Pro performs system configuration analyses. Results indicate that monocrystalline silicon (m-Si) outperforms polycrystalline silicon (p-Si) and thin-film technologies, Specifically, m-Si achieves an annual array yield of 5.61 kWh/kWp/day and 5.37 kWh/kWp/day, final yields of 5.47 kWh/kWp/day and 5.24 kWh/kWp/day, capacity factors of 17.9 % and 17.2 %, and performance ratios of 84.3 % and 86.7 %, respectively. Strategic building rooftop PV planning, taking into account roof area, tilt angle, and spacing, identifies an optimal capacity of 0.05 kW/m2. HOMER Pro recommends a grid-connected 5.03 kW PV system with a 4-kWh battery and 3.54 kW inverter, achieving a cost of energy (COE) of USD 0.0465/kWh. Sensitivity analysis reveals that higher solar irradiance reduces energy costs, while increased electric loads raise them. This study introduces a novel methodology for integrating dual-source weather data and advanced software tools to evaluate and optimize PV systems, providing practical insights for sustainable building rooftop PV installations and advancing renewable energy solutions.