A Cost-Benefit Study of A PV Rooftop System In Comparison To Energy Sources Including The National Grid And A Diesel Generator In Erbil City

Abstract

Prolonged power outages significantly affect the development of all economic sectors in the Kurdistan Region. On-site energy generation utilizing diesel generators is twice as costly as prevailing fuel rates for the residential, industrial, and commercial sectors when compared to the price. The Iraqi Kurdistan area has significant solar energy capacity; however, its energy supply predominantly relies on conventional fossil fuels. This study aims to compare energy consumption cost from various sources, assess the feasibility and propose adoption strategies for rooftop solar photovoltaic systems in the Raparin neighborhood of Erbil and residential homes. Using Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER Pro) software, the study analyzes and compares identical energy consumption based on local diesel generators (DG) and national electrical sources, including the Public national grid, the Prepaid national power grid, and the Runaki national grid (Runaki project) system for projects with a 25-year lifespan. The study examines the electrical load profiles of 704 watts and 1408 watts, with an overall energy consumption of 16.9 kWh/day and 33.79 kWh/day, respectively, across seven scenarios of electrical power sources. The comparison of net present cost (NPC) and cost of energy (COE) revealed that the optimum scenarios are a combination of photovoltaic (PV) rooftop systems. The energy consumption through Prepaid metering of national grid power sources incurs an enormous NPC, while the diesel generator exhibits a high COE.