Design and Simulation of a Rooftop Solar PV System for Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh

Renewable energy sources, especially solar PV has become a prominent source of electricity. Installation of rooftop solar PV has gained interest nowadays to reduce electricity bills, dependence on grid electricity, and carbon emissions. Considering the load pattern, solar PV is a very attractive energy source for academic institutions. This research explored the electricity consumption of Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology (AUST) academic campus and a plausible design for rooftop solar PV installation. An economic analysis is also presented to determine the LCOE, the payback period and to check the project's financial viability. According to the previous consumption, location-based weather data, available total rooftop space, and the cost of solar PV systems, the analysis revealed that the campus consumes 1632 MWh annually and the available rooftop area of 2950 square meters can house an on-grid photovoltaic system with a capacity of 330 kWp to fulfill partial electricity demand. The electricity production of the system will be 466.36 MWh per year, covering different percentages of the total demand in different months of the year with a capital cost of $330,000. The optimized system designed in this research would save around $50,000 in electricity bills annually and could operate as a smart option to address sustainable energy goals.