Design and simulation of ON-GRID PV system on a mosque building using PVsyst: Case study of Masjid Tablighiyah, Indonesia

Abstract

Solar energy is a renewable energy source that can be used in the long term as an alternative energy source. Globally, the use of rooftop PV is currently being promoted in both public and private buildings. Mosques are suitable for rooftop PV installations because of the relatively large roof area available. On the other hand, mosques also have unique occupancy schedules and electricity load profiles. However, there has been no research conducted on designing PV utilization for mosque buildings. In this study, we design and simulate the PV performance of a mosque building, with a case study of Masjid Tablighiyah in Indonesia, using PVsyst. We compare 3 scenarios to analyze which placement will give a better performance of PV for an on-grid system: i) the main building’s rooftop, ii) the mosque’s walkway, and iii) the combination of both places. The simulation results include design details, array losses, near-shading losses, annual generated energy, and losses diagram. Based on the 3 scenarios that have been simulated for rooftop PV installation at the mosque, the most efficient installation is scenario 2, where the PV rooftop is installed on top of the mosque's walkway with a total performance ratio of 80.41% and annual energy generation of 50.63 MWh/year.