Feasibility studies of photovoltaic system of power 60 kW with storage in Riyadh and Hofuf region of Saudi Arabia

The focus on renewable and alternative energy for electricity generation has been increasing considerably since recent past. Nowadays, renewable energy systems are being looked at as the alternative solution for conventional electricity generation especially solar energy. Even though it is essential to study the energy and environmental impact of such systems prior to large scale implementation, most of the gulf countries have ambitious targets to go from almost no renewable energy plants to high penetration number of renewables. For instance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has an ambitious targets of renewable energy plants for 27 GW in 2024 and 58 GW in 2030 as per the 2030 Vision. This report focuses on the solar photovoltaics (PV) technologies and developing a feasibility study for two PV system projects of power 60 kW with battery storage in two location(Riyadh and Hofuf) in Saudi Arabia Riyadh. Various parameters were calculated for both regions and comparison have been made for selecting and optimizing the most ideal location. The overall efficiency of the two systems including capacity factor, performance ratio, capacity factor, levelized cost, and net savings of the system were discussed. In addition, batteries were also integrated with the system so as to find out the storage capacity of the two systems. It was observed that both locations gives the positive net present value and a payback period of less than 5 years. The objective of the study is to perform the feasibility studies of PV driven energy storage system in eastern provinces of Saudi Arabia. The study will be extended to find the other promises locations in the region for PV systems.