Solar PV on mosque rooftops: Results from a pilot study in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Muslims congregate for prayers in mosques five times daily: at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening. Because these times are governed by the sun, they change within the year but are perpetual. As such, mosque load profiles are highly predictable and witness little variation year over year. The relatively large size of mosque rooftops and their ubiquity in the Muslim world make them ideal candidates for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. We perform a technoeconomic analysis on a 124 kW PV system commissioned in 2017 on a mosque rooftop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under a net metering mechanism. At a capital cost of 1.18 US$/watt, it was found that net metering reduces the annual energy bill by more than 50%. If some prior planning were incorporated in the early stages of the mosque’s construction, PV can bring down the electricity bill to zero. We compare our theoretical modeling results with an actual commissioned system, serving as a pilot-project, and the field results confirm our a priori theoretical expectations. The capacity factor obtained from the physical system was 18.2%. The results of this study can be extended to other houses of worship and community halls with appropriate modifications.