Economic analysis of rooftop photovoltaic systems under different shading conditions for 20 cities in China

Abstract

China is currently experiencing rapid development in solar technology, with most existing studies focusing on the PV potential of a few selected cities while lacking in-depth economic analysis. This paper seeks to bridge this gap by investigating the PV power generation of rooftop solar PV buildings in 20 representative cities in eight climate zones across China. The energy consumption simulation platform CityBES was used to evaluate the comprehensive economic indicators to determine their economic development potential. The study revealed that areas with abundant solar energy resources and higher electricity prices have a lower economic risk for rooftop PV system construction under the current subsidy price and cost. This finding provides valuable insights and serves as a reference for constructing rooftop PV systems in different regions of China.