Modelling cooling loads and impact of PV deployment in middle income domestic buildings in Saudi Arabia

Energy efficiency and conservation are important areas of consideration in many developed and developing countries. Over the last 5 years, electricity consumption in Saudi Arabia has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 6%; due to population growth and industrial activities. Such growth is predicted to be sustained at a similar rate over the next decade. The residential sector alone is responsible for over 50% of the total national electricity consumption. Recently, electricity prices rose by 35% to 253% depending on consumption levels. Around 65% of Saudi residents, mainly of middle-income families, live in either modern villas or traditional houses. This type of housing is the target of the research presented here, which aims to understand the effect of residents’ behaviour and its impact on internal temperatures and electricity use. A selection of residences in the Khobar city in Saudi Arabia is used as a case study. TRNSYS modelling estimated the annual cooling loads in the case study based on detailed characteristics of the buildings including architectural form, envelope, occupancy profile and local weather data. The results indicate 20,350 kWh annual electrical loads are expected of which 52% are associated with cooling. Deploying solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to displace some of such loads is considered effective due to the 6 kWh/m² average daily solar irradiance in Khobar city. A 4-kWp solar PV system, which could be deployed in such homes, was also modelled. These results show that such a system would generate around 7000 kWh/year which could displace approximately 34% of such a load. The estimated payback period for the solar system is 21 years for the 0.048 $/kWh tariff rate without any additional subsidies. Further technical and economic assessment are also included in the paper.