Investigation of the technical and economic feasibility of implementing a self-consumption grid-connected photovoltaic energy system in an educational institution

In this thesis, the technical, economic, and environmental analysis of two different photovoltaic energy production facilities established to meet the electricity needs of a university building in Konya, Turkey, has been conducted. The self-consumption rate (SCR), self-sufficiency rate (SSR), array yield(YA), final yield (FY), capacity factor (CF), performance ratio (PR), module and inverter efficiencies of the PV systems were calculated, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction was examined. The economic impacts of PV systems were investigated by examining the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and net present cost (NPC), as well as the payback period (DBPB) and internal rate of return (IRR). All these calculations have been compared with the simulation results obtained using the RETScreen Expert software. As a result of the technical analysis, the module efficiency, inverter efficiency, CF, and PR values for the hybrid inverter system were approximately 14%, 85%, 17.3%, and 72%, respectively, while the same values for the microinverter system were approximately 13%, 89%, 17%, and 70%, respectively. In this region, it has been observed that PV plants with mono-crystalline module technology and hybrid inverter structure yield better results. As a result of the economic analysis, the NPC of the facility was calculated to be 1915978 TL, the IRR to be 41.2%, and the DBBP to be 3.4 years. The obtained results indicate that the investment is economically profitable and provides a quick return. A high IRR rate and an LCOE value of 6.09TL/kWh indicate that the project is quite attractive compared to alternative investment instruments and payback period indicates that the investment can be amortized in the short term. Based on these results, it has been suggested to increase the capacity of the PV plant installation according to the consumption amount for a lower LCOE and a higher self-sufficiency rate. The results of the study indicate that PV systems installed on public buildings in Turkey are financial tools that will provide positive economic and environmental benefits and can encourage investments in PV systems. Although this study focuses on a public building in the province of Konya, Turkey, it is believed that PV systems applied to rooftops, facades, ground, or parking lots of public buildings in other regions will provide various benefits to both the environment and the economy.