Reducing Air Conditioning Electrical Demand in Hot Arid Climates Using PV: A Case Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Measurements of electrical power demand and temperature were made over a period of a year in a villa in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as part of a wider study investigating the potential of PV to displace domestic loads in the country. Simulations were carried out using the HOMER® software to determine the ability of different combinations of PV systems to support (a) the air-conditioning loads only, and (b) how much this PV would contribute to other loads. Monitored electrical demand data were fed into HOMER® software electrical load component. Daytime loads of the main living area varied between 38kWh/d and 85kWh/d with an average of 75kWh/d. The study villa has a roof space of 227m2, of which 200m2 can be used for installing PV panels. the results indicate that, with sufficient capital expenditure, a 15 kWp PV array can be used to displace a large part of electrical load within the villa, but that energy storage (whether chemical or thermal) would be required to meet nighttime cooling demands.