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14 

 

 

 

Article 

Achieving zero-bill for the grid-connected PV 

systems in Saudi Arabia governmental schools: a 

techno-economic analysis 
F. H. Almotairy1, A. F. Almarshoud2*   

1National Grid Company, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia 
2Department of EE, College of Engineering, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia 

A R T I C L E   I N F O 
 

Article history: 
Received 01 February 2024  
Received in revised form 
03 March 2024 
Accepted 11 March 2024 
 
Keywords: 
Solar energy, PV grid-connected, 
Photovoltaic System, Techno-Economic Analysis, 
LCOE 
 
*Corresponding author 
Email address:  
dr_almarshoud@qec.edu.sa 
ab.almarshoud@qu.edu.sa 

 
DOI: 10.55670/fpll.fuen.3.3.2 

A B S T R A C T 
 

Governmental schools are characterized as ideal places for installing grid-
connected PV systems due to the availability of large spaces on their roofs. 
Schools are also characterized by their good annual load profile, in which most 
of the loads occur during the day, and there are no loads on nights or weekends 
or during summer and vacations. Moreover, in the winter, the loads drop 
dramatically due to the lack of air conditioning. This special annual load profile 
provides a relative property to government schools with regard to exporting 
the energy generated during off days to the general electricity grid. The main 
objective of this research is to attempt to design a grid-connected PV system 
that can balance imported and exported energy to the grid to achieve an annual 
zero bill based on the energy exchange tariff in Saudi Arabia. Three different 
schools in Buraidah City were selected for investigation. The annual energy 
consumption was estimated from energy bills for 3 years and compared with 
actual installed loads. The performance analysis was done by applying three 
widely used indicators: yield factor, capacity factor, and performance ratio. 
Also, the economic analysis was done using the life cycle analysis methodology 
based on the local market prices to find the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and 
the payback time.  The results of economic and performance analysis revealed 
the professionality of installing grid-connected PV systems in government 
schools. 
 

 
1. Introduction  

The constant increase in the population of the world has 

resulted in a high demand for water, food, and energy sectors 

[1]. The process of generating energy is facing significant 

challenges, such as fluctuations in market price, security, cost, 

and sustainability [2, 3]. Moreover, the rise in awareness of 

environmental issues has directed the scientific circle to 

develop sustainable and alternative energy sources [4-6]. 

With the help of these implications, the energy system 

transformation has also received much attention from people 

who are more focused on solar cells and biofuels [7, 8]. 

Sustainable and hybrid energy systems like biomass, 

geothermal, wind, and solar are viewed as crucial 

technologies in the renewable innovation phase [9, 10]. 

Between these energy resources, solar energy is a pollution-

free generation of electricity without the emission of 

greenhouse gases (GHG) to the environment [11, 12]. The 

radiation of solar contains a high amount of energy in one 

minute that can be utilized as an excellent opportunity for 

pollution-free harvesting of energy [13]. Apart from being 

able to decrease the damage to the environment, the 

utilization of solar panels can save the cost of electrical energy 

constantly. Utilizing solar panels does not need regular 

maintenance, thus resulting in a more efficient method to 

save costs [14, 15]. PV grid-connected systems are one of the 

remarkable types of solar energy systems utilized widely 

because of the backup generators of solar panels. Lately, 

electricity prices have increased in Saudi Arabia due to the 

tariff consumption of electricity service providers in 2018. 

Hence, in 2018, the Electricity and Cogeneration Regulatory 

Authority accepted the utilization of a PV grid-connected 

system for houses and assisted in giving an advantage to 

lessen the bills of electricity loads faced in summer without 

any interruption. The government schools were affected after 

the notable increase in the electricity bills; most were charged 

higher than the houses since the tariffs were charged on them. 

Hence, public schools are classified as one of the finest places 

for installing PV systems because of the large spaces available 

 

 

Future Energy 

Open Access Journal 

https://doi.org/10.55670/fpll.fuen.3.3.2 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03 | Pages 14-23 

Journal homepage: https://fupubco.com/fuen 

 
ISSN 2832-0328 

mailto:dr_almarshoud@qec.edu.sa
https://doi.org/10.55670/fpll.fuen.3.3.2
https://fupubco.com/fuen


FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

15 

 

on their roof that can be utilized to install these systems. The 

majority of the load is applied in the daytime due to the 

presence of staff and students; however, at night, there is no 

presence of load. Therefore, the surplus can be given to the 

electrical network during vacations or weekends. In addition, 

during winters, there is a dramatic drop in energy demand as 

a result of less air conditioning use. The main aim of this 

research study is to reduce the electricity bill of selected 

public schools annually to zero after employing a PV grid-

connected system on the roof of the schools. 

2. Literature Review 

In recent years, a growing body of research has explored 

innovative approaches to enhance energy efficiency and 

sustainability, particularly in regions with high energy 

demands such as Saudi Arabia. Almasoud and Gandayh [16] 

review the utilization of PV systems to produce electricity in 

Saudi Arabia. The outcomes revealed that during peak hours, 

peak saving can be achieved by employing PV systems 

compared to traditional power generation systems. They also 

indicate that after estimating the total amount of health and 

environmental impacts compared to fossils. Another study 

examines the PV system's economic feasibility of installation 

on the consumer side. The study utilized a package of RET 

screens to simulate various installation of PV cases in Saudi 

Arabia among 5 cities (Dammam, Najran, Jeddah, Buraydah, 

and Tabuk) by including the latest price of components of PV 

systems, demand of energy, and every city meteorological 

property. The evaluation was performed based on the newly 

exchange tariff of energy and regulations, and the outcomes 

of the study revealed that if the PV system is developed to 

generate yearly energy demand for houses, the payback time 

will be less than ten years, and the LCOE will be less than 0.1 

SAR/kWh. The research demonstrates that expanding PV 

system capacity higher than demanded annually will be 

economically infeasible due to the low rate of exported energy 

to the grid [17].  Rashwan et al. [18] conducted an 

environmental feasibility and cost-effective analysis of 

changing the power supply from electrical to Solar PV 

modules. A 12 kW PV system was calculated utilizing the 

worldwide PV Project Model. They determined that placing 

PV systems in areas that have high rates of electricity was 

feasible after examining 3 different scenarios. The off-grid PV 

system showed great results regarding issues related to the 

environment and reducing the emission of carbon dioxide. 

A study was conducted on installing PV systems on the 

roofs of mosques and stated that this system would save a lot 

of money. They concluded that installing PV systems on 

mosques and residences in Saudi Arabia would be highly 

effective even without the assistance of the government. It 

was notable that when the net metering system was 

examined, the initial outcomes of the model recommended 

that about 250 kilowatts be installed to decrease the net 

present cost (NPC). Specifically, it was noted that the energy 

installation bill was zero practically, showing the exported 

and imported energy was equal virtually [19]. Flood et al. [20] 

examined PV systems on 130 houses that were environment-

friendly in those areas where the building was insulated to 

take benefits of solar power. It has the power to produce a 

yearly income of about 4 to 8 thousand euros, which shows 

support for using solar power and the advantages of 

subsidies. Moreover, in 2014, it was noted that schools saved 

about 5 thousand dollars on electricity bills from the main 

grid as high power was exported between holidays and 

weekends [21]. The research was performed in Meknes, 

where two connected grid PV systems were examined. A 

difference between the results was made in the measurement 

and simulation of the systems, as they were technology-wise 

different and capacity-wise similar. The comparison based on 

measurement reported that a smaller number of differences 

was found due to similarities in the database and solar 

irradiance [22]. 

Johnson & Ogunseye [23] constructed and developed a 

PV grid-connected system in Nigeria on the government's 

building's roof. The research utilized PV*SOL 2016 software 

to examine the amount of electricity generated every day of 

the year. The outcomes showed that the continual PV system 

output was greater than the everyday energy consumption. A 

PV system in a school in Izmir, Turkey, was connected to the 

roof to examine for cooling, heating, and other electrical loads. 

The study proposed two cases; in the first case, 180 solar 

panels were placed, whereas in the second case, 265 solar 

panels were placed. In the second case, it covered schools at a 

rate of consumption which was 162 percent higher than in the 

first case. Moreover, extra profit was obtained in the second 

case for the school [24]. 

3. Method 

3.1 Study design 

In the current study, three schools in the city of Buraydah 

were selected i.e., Buraidah Secondary School, Prince 

Abdulelah Secondary School, and Anas bin Malik Primary 

School. All three schools contain the same climate conditions 

but they are different in regards to the requirement of energy 

and the area of the school's roof. 

3.2 Ethical approval 

Ethical approval was obtained from the Education 

Department in Buraydah City. 

3.3 Study procedure 

3.3.1 Meteorological data 

Saudi Arabia receives abundant sunlight all year, so it 

was suggested that the PV system would work effectively at 

any site in the country. Per day, an average of 6.08 kWh/m2 

global horizontal irradiance (GHI) was found in the city. The 

meteorological data was collected with the help of K.A.CARE's 

Renewable Resource Monitoring and Mapping (RRMM) 

program. The collected data is shown in Table 1, which 

includes the recorded metrological data in addition to the sun 

irradiance calculated at both horizontal and tilted planes. 

3.3.2 Measurement of load profile 

The rate of consumption of energy at any time is 

measured. To evaluate the profile load, a bill of energy 

consumption was collected from the electrical energy 

providers between 2017 and 2019. Figure 1 illustrates the 

average consumption of electricity bills for the selected 

schools. Table 2 shows the difference between the annual 

consumption noted by monthly energy bills and the 

calculated consumption based on installed loads.  

 

 

 



FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

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Figure 1. Monthly average consumed energy of schools under study 

 

There was no big difference; therefore, the energy 

consumption annually extracted from monthly bills was 

utilized for calculation. 

3.3.3 Selection of PV module 

A PV module (HiKu6 Mono PERC, CS6 W-550MS) from 

the Canadian Solar Company was selected for evaluation in 

the current study for various reasons, such as availability in 

the local market, warranty, and performance. Table 3 shows 

the specification of the module for which it was selected in the 

study. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Table 2. Annual energy consumption (recorded and estimated) 

 

 
Table 3. Specification of selected PV module at STC 

 

 

 

 
Recorded by 
bills (kWh) 

Estimated using 
installed loads (kWh) 

Anas Ibn Malek school 87100 84401.6 

Buraidah high school 286730 277258.5 

Prince Abdulelah school 172600 164602.6 

Cell Type Mono-Crystalline 
Nominal Max. Power (Pmax) 550 W 

Operating Voltage (Vmp) 41.7 V 
Operating Current (Imp) 13.2 A 
Open Circuit Voltage (Voc) 49.6 V 

Degradation Factor (%) 
1st year 2%- Subsequent annual 
0.55% 

Short Circuit Current (Isc) 14 A 
Module Efficiency (%) 21.5% 
NOCT 42±3C° 
Temperature Coefficient 
(%/C°) 

0.34% 

Dimensions (mm) 2261*1134*35 mm 

Table 1. Meteorological data of Buraidah City 

Month 

Ambient 
Temperat

ure - C 

Global 
Horizontal 
irradiance 

GHI - 
kWh/m2/d 

Relative 
Humidity - % 

Global radiation 
(Tilted) GTI* - 

kWh/m2/d 

Atm. Pressure 
- MPa 

Daily Diffuse 
Radiation - 
Horizontal - 
kWh/m2/d 

Wind 
Speed - 

m/s 

January 13.17 4.24 42.18 5.31 942 1.57 3.7 

February 17.95 5.34 30.33 6.04 940 1.8 3.79 

March 21.7 5.7 32.2 6.25 937 2.79 4.15 

April 26.11 6.25 22.58 6.17 936 3.18 4.18 

May 31.08 7.1 15.05 6.29 934 3.47 3.84 

June 34.28 8.15 10.26 6.84 931 2.82 3.72 

July 34.91 8.13 10.04 6.97 929 2.28 3.41 

August 36.57 7.54 10.56 6.95 930 2.26 3.55 

September 33.57 6.68 12.04 6.92 933 2.35 3.53 

October 26.33 5.61 18.56 6.51 937 2.03 3.78 

November 20.77 4.37 39.82 5.06 940 1.7 3.82 

December 16.77 3.83 46.9 4.85 943 1.52 3.67 

Average 26.10 6.08 24.21 6.18 936 2.31 3.76 

*The tilt angle equals the latitude of the corresponding location-Buraidah City 

 



FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

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Throughout the school's visit to fields, the building's area 

of the rooftop was estimated, and it was found that there were 

no walls or barriers that could lead to shading on the panels. 

Hence, the areas of rooftops of all 3 schools under evaluation 

were determined to be unrestricted. The selected modules of 

the PV system's maximum number were examined based on 

the roof area availability of selected schools. 

With this reference, 2 significant factors are generally 

reviewed to increase the installation of solar system 

efficiency. They are as shown: 

• Orientation: It is not affected whether the installation is a 

portrait or landscape.  

• Row spacing: It is also called the shading distance, which is 

the shortest distance between rows without the shading 

possibility. 

Table 4 depicts the maximum number of PV modules that can 

be installed on the roof for each school utilizing the selected 

module. 

Table 4. The maximum number of modules that can be installed 

The Name of the School Number of PV modules 

Anas Ibn Malek 351 

Buraidah  782 

Prince Abdulelah  290 

 

3.3.4 Sizing and optimization of the PV system 

The array of PV systems will be sized utilizing the 

selected module of PV system to satisfy the demand for 

energy annually, taking into consideration the location's 

climatic characteristics. Hence, the impact of the change in the 

temperature of the PV cell on the efficiency of the PV array 

must be examined. Utilizing Equations (1) and (2), the 

efficiency of the PV system module can be estimated 

depending on the solar radiation and average ambient 

temperature at the site all over the year. Therefore, the PV 

array is differentiated by its new average efficiency (ηe), 

which is estimated by the average module cell temperature, 

Tc [25, 26]:  

𝜂𝑒 =  𝜂𝑅[1 − 𝛽(𝑇𝐶 − 𝑇𝑅)]                                                              (1) 

𝑇𝐶 − 𝑇𝑎 =
𝑁𝑂𝐶𝑇−20

800
∗ 𝐺𝑡                                                                   (2) 

where ηR is the efficiency of the PV module at the reference 
temperature (TR), and the temperature coefficient for the 
efficiency of the module (β) needs to be collected from the 
datasheet of the PV module to investigate the array average 
efficiency (ηe). As shown in the equation, Tc is the mean 
ambient temperature (Ta) function, and NOCT, which is the 
temperature of the nominal operating cell, the Gt constitutes 
the solar irradiance on the tilted surface denoted in W/m2 
[27]. The energy output of the PV array can be measured 
utilizing Equation (3) as shown: 

 𝐸𝐴 =  𝜂𝑒(𝑁𝑜. 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠 ∗ 𝐴 )𝐺𝑡(1 − 𝐿𝑃𝑉)(1 − 𝐿𝐶)              (3) 

Where EA is the delivered energy by the PV array, A is the 
area of the PV module, Gt shows the irradiance of solar on the 
tilted plane denoted in (Wh/m2/d), and Lc is power 
conditioning losses and Lm is miscellaneous PV array losses.  
To calculate the amount of energy fed into the grid, Equation 
(4) illustrates that the injected energy into the grid is equal to 

the produced energy by the PV array lowered by losses of the 
inverter: 

𝐸𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑑 = 𝐸𝐴 ∗ 𝜂𝑖𝑛𝑣                                                                                (4) 

Utilizing Equations (3) and (4), PV array size can be obtained. 

3.4 Performance indicators 

To calculate the performance indicators IEC 61836 

(International Electrotechnical Commission) and IEC 61724 

(International Electrotechnical Commission), three effective 

performance indicators were employed in the current study: 

the performance ratio, capacity factor, and yield factor. The 

results of these indicators allow us to find the long-term 

variance in the performance of the PV system. 

3.4.1 Yield factor 

The yield factor calculates the PV array productivity 

under specific conditions of weather is shown as follows [28]: 

              𝑌𝐹 =
𝐸𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑑(

𝐾𝑊𝐻

𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟
)

𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑦(𝐾𝑊𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘)
                                                                              (5) 

3.4.2 Capacity factor 

The capacity factor specifies the usability percentage 

and is defined as the fraction of the annual energy production 

ratio to the energy amount of the PV array [28]: 

              𝐶𝐹 =
𝑌𝐹

8760
                                                                                                (6)                                                               

3.4.3 Performance ratio 

It is the PV energy quantity given to the grid for a 

specific period divided by the theoretically calculated amount 

depending on the data of the STC module. It is not impacted 

by size or location and gives the losses effect on the nominal 

power array caused by the inefficiency of the inverter, 

mismatch of wiring, and a few other losses when changing 

from DC to AC power, such as the temperature of PV module, 

irradiance insufficient utilization and component failures of 

components. The PR indicator is estimated as follows: 

𝑃𝑅 =
𝑌𝐹∗𝐺𝑆𝑇𝐶

∑ 𝐺𝑡
                                                                                       (7) 

where ΣGt is the accumulative irradiance, and GSTC is the 

amount of irradiance at STC. 

3.5 Economic analysis 

Economic indicators are essential for the feasibility of PV 

systems. The present study utilizes several parameters, such 

as the LCOE and payback time. The specifications and pricing 

of the PV system components were recorded from the local 

market. 

3.5.1 Levelized cost of energy (LCOE) 

The LCOE is a generally utilized statistic that shows the 

present net value of the electricity unit cost throughout the 

lifetime of a specific technology related to the production of 

electricity. It can be utilized to guide renewable energy goal-

setting and other policies that motivate the adoption of 

renewable energy. Moreover, these findings can facilitate 

producers of renewable energy in locating suitable places for 

validations and measurement resources. Calculating the 

LCOE, which represents the present net value of the 

electricity unit cost for the lifetime of a definite production 

system of electricity in $/MWh is the first crucial step in 



FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

18 

 

examining the economic potential of a region shown as 

follows: 

                     𝐿𝐶𝑂𝐸 =  
𝐿𝐶𝐶

∑ 𝐸𝑝𝑣𝑁
𝑛=1

                                                                                 (8) 

3.5.2 Payback time 

The payback time is the time necessary for yearly solar 

savings to become positive and cumulative solar savings to 

reach zero. This time can be obtained with and without 

discounting the savings, as shown in Equations 9 and 10, 

respectively [29], as shown:  

                    𝑛𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 =
𝑙𝑛 (

𝐶𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙∗𝑖

𝐹𝐿𝐶
+1)

𝑙𝑛(1+𝑖)
                                                                  (9) 

                    𝑛𝑝𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 =
𝑙𝑛 (

𝐶𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙∗(𝑖−𝑑)

𝐹𝐿𝐶
+1)

𝑙𝑛(
1+𝑖

1+𝑑
)

                                                          (10) 

where F is the fraction of solar, L is the annual load 
(kWh/year), and C is the electricity cost (SAR or $ per kWh) 
from the utility grid.  

4. Results and discussion 

Table 5 demonstrates the maximum number of modules 
of the PV system and the PV array size allowed for selected 
schools based on the roof area availability. Depending on the 
PV array size, the output of energy throughout the year was 
estimated utilizing Equations 3 and 4 and compared with the 
energy measured, which is the consumed energy by the three 
schools, as depicted in Table 6. The energy produced by the 
array of PV systems annually mostly equals the measured 
energy annually, which means that the annual energy balance 
is satisfied (Exported Energy = Imported Energy). 

Table 5.  PV array size for the selected schools 

 

 
Table 6. Generated energy and energy demand comparison 

School Name Generated Energy 
(Calculated) 

Consumed Energy 
(Measured) 

Anas Ibn Malek 88526.73 87100 

Buraidah  287172 286730 

Prince Abdulelah  172735 172600 

 

However, the annual energy balance does not satisfy the 

annual zero bill, which was the main objective of this study. 

This is due to the large difference in the energy exchange 

tariff, which is 0.05 SAR/kWh for exported energy and 0.32 

SAR/kWh for imported energy. Therefore, to satisfy the 

annual zero bill, the amount of exported energy should 

increase until the price of exported energy equals the price of 

imported energy. To achieve this condition, the size of the PV 

array should increase gradually until satisfying this objective, 

taking into account the following two constraints: 

• The size of the PV array should not exceed the maximum 

number of PV modules allowed for each school. 

• The annual zero bill should be satisfied until the last year of 

the project lifecycle, which is due to normal degradation in 

the output power of PV modules as a result of PV module 

aging. 

For the three schools, the size of the PV array increased, 

considering the previous constraints. Anas School satisfied 

the need for an annual zero bill at 132 modules, Buraydah 

School satisfied the need for a yearly zero bill at 516 modules, 

and the Abdulelah School reached the maximum allowed 

number of modules (290) but did not satisfy the need for an 

annual zero bill. Figures 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4 show 

comparisons of the annual generated energy (calculated) and 

annual energy demand (measured) for the three schools 

under study after increasing the size of the PV array. 

 
Figure 2. Comparison of generated energy and energy demand of 

Anas School 

 

 

 

Figure 3. Comparison of generated energy and energy demand of 

Buraydah School 

 

 

In Figures 2-4, the produced energy covers the energy 

requirement majority of the year, which reveals that the 

energy surplus will be exported to the grid except from 

September to November. Based on this, the yearly net bill and 

exchange rate of energy were estimated for the entire 

lifecycle of the project as shown in Table 7. Due to the 

exported energy is sold at 0.05 SAR/kWh, while the tariff for 

imported energy from the service provider is 0.32 SAR/kWh, 

School Name Size of PV array Max. No. of 
modules 

Anas Ibn Malek 82 351 

Buraidah  266 782 

Prince Abdulelah  160 290 



FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

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the cash gain flows remain low. The difference values with a 

negative sign represent the amount of money to be paid to the  

service provider. As demonstrated in Figure 5, Figure 6, and 

Figure 7, the influence of the degradation coefficient on the 

output energy over the life of the PV system affects the 

amount of profit and loss and the difference between them. 

Furthermore, the findings have demonstrated that Anas Bin 

Malik School and Buraidah School could achieve an annual 

zero bill because the difference between profit and loss was 

found to be equal in the last year of the system's life, whereas 

Prince Abdulelah School did not achieve an annual zero bill 

because its losses began to increase in 8th year of the system's 

life as a result of high loads and the lack of sufficient roof 

space to install solar panels. 
 

 

Figure 4. Comparison of generated energy and energy demand of 

Abdulelah School 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 7. Yearly net bill over the lifecycle for the selected schools 

(SAR) 

 

 

 

 

Year 
Anas Ibn Malek 
Primary School 

Buraidah 
High School 

Prince 
Abdulelah High 

School 
1 2026.38 7229.73 799.11 

2 1966.27 6909.46 666.79 

3 1906.49 6590.96 535.21 

4 1847.04 6274.20 404.34 

5 1787.92 5959.19 274.20 

6 1729.12 5645.91 144.77 

7 1670.65 5334.36 16.06 

8 1606.39 5024.52 -111.95 

9 1531.98 4716.38 -239.25 

10 1457.97 4409.94 -365.85 

11 1384.37 4105.18 -492.18 

12 1311.18 3802.10 -662.51 

13 1238.39 3500.69 -831.91 

14 1166.00 3200.93 -1000.38 

15 1094.01 2902.82 -1167.92 

16 1022.41 2606.35 -1334.54 

17 934.65 2311.52 -1500.24 

18 843.47 2018.30 -1665.03 

19 752.79 1726.70 -1828.92 

20 662.61 1436.70 -1991.90 

21 572.92 1148.29 -2153.99 

22 483.73 861.47 -2315.19 

23 395.03 576.23 -2475.50 

24 306.81 292.56 -2634.93 

25 219.08 10.45 -2793.48 

Figure 5. Variation of the annual net bill and the generated energy over the project lifecycle for Anas bin malik School 



FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

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Figure 6. Variation of the annual net bill and the generated energy over the project lifecycle for Buraydah high School 

Figure 7. Variation of the annual net bill and the generated energy over the project lifecycle for prince Abdulelah School 



FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

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Concerning the performance indicators of the solar system 

month-wise of selected schools, the yield factors are 

associated with the generation of energy by the capacity of the 

system and PV system. As shown in Figure 8, Figure 9, and 

Figure 10. The yield factors of all schools were between 

137.45 and 180 kWh/kW over the whole year. Meanwhile, the 

capacity factor was between 18.62 percent and 24.25 percent. 

The outcomes of the performance ratio for the three systems 

were between 83 percent to 92 percent. In general, these 

indicators are reasonable and encourage the use of these 

three PV systems. The similarity in performance indicators 

between the three schools under study is because all the 

schools use the same PV module and have the same 

meteorological data; additionally, they differ in energy 

demand, which affects the size of the PV system but does not 

affect any of the performance indicators. 

 

 

Figure 8. Variation of monthly YF for the schools under study 

 

 

Figure 9. Variation of monthly CF for the schools under study 

 

 
Figure 10. Variation of monthly PR for the schools under study 

 

4.1 Economic analysis  

Table 8 shows the total amounts utilized in these schools. 

There was a small difference among the schools considering 

the values of LCOE. These differences are a result of the PV 

system size in every school, which shows the system's 

lifecycle cost and the generation of energy during the lifecycle 

of the system. Hence, the LCOE is directly linked with the PV 

system's cost of lifecycle, and it is not directly linked with the 

PV system's overall efficiency. The payback time generally 

depends on investments that were made initially and savings 

annually because of the avoided bills of electricity of the 

provider of the services after employing the PV system. 

 
Table 8. Economic indicators (all costs in SAR) 

 

 

Based on the preceding findings, we conclude that a grid-

connected PV system is especially beneficial for government 

schools; in general, the use of such a system prevents 

excessive consumption during peak hours, helping to reduce 

the peak demand of the service provider and supply surplus 

energy to the grid. This thesis achieved a zero bill for the Anas 

and Buraydah Schools for the lifespan of the grid-connected 

solar energy system. However, Prince Abdulelah School did 

not reach the study target owing to excessive consumption 

and a lack of suitable space for the addition of solar panels. 

The consumption of buildings is rationalized by 

disseminating and developing knowledge of the significance 

of rationalizing consumption in an affordable manner and 

replacing electrical equipment with energy-efficient 

equipment, particularly air conditioning, which is highly 

effective. If these strategies are used, they will provide 

considerable and positive savings in terms of lowering 

consumption bills and the possibility of reducing the size of 

the solar energy system, thus lowering the cost bills of the 

components. 

5. Conclusion 

The study examines the utilization of the grid-connected 

PV system for public schools in Buraidah city to achieve an 

annual zero-bill. The research revealed that rooftops of 

Indicator 
Anas Ibn 

Malek 
Primary 
School 

Buraidah 
High School 

Prince 
Abdulelah 

High 
School 

Total initial cost  258902.49 1012073.37 568800.93 

Periodic Costs for 
Maintenance/Operation  

18907.18 18907.18 18907.18 

Periodic Costs for 
Inverter (once time)  

12879.36 50346.58 28295.56 

Salvage Value (30% of 
initial cost) after 25 
Years  

14002.22 54735.96 30762.46 

Lifecycle cost (LCC)  276686.80 976592.74 582980.81 

Levelized Cost of 
Energy (LCOE) - 
SAR/kWh 

0.0846 0.0763 0.0811 

Payback Time 
(undiscounted) - Year 

8.40 9.78 9.21 

Payback Time 
(discounted) - Year 

13.47 17.46 15.68 



FH. Almotairy & AF. Almarshoud /Future Energy                                                                  August 2024| Volume 03 | Issue 03| Pages 14-23 

22 

 

schools are large and have sufficient space; hence, installing 

grid-connected PV systems will not just lower the bills of 

electricity and costs of government but also reduce the need 

for utilization of fossil fuel to power technologies. With the 

help of mathematical calculation, economic and performance 

indicators, which include yield factor, capacity factor, and 

performance ratio, were obtained.  Based on the findings, the 

current study concluded that the PV system is significantly 

beneficial for public schools. The utilization of these systems 

avoids high energy consumption during peak hours, 

facilitating the reduction of the need for electrical energy 

from the service providers. The study achieved zero bills for 

Buraydah and Anas School for PV system lifespan. However, 

Prince Abdulelah School does not achieve the target of the 

study due to the lack of space for installing more solar panels. 

Deploying grid-connected PV systems in governmental 

schools in a wide range across the country will result in many 

benefits: 

• Reducing the bill paid annually for energy as a result for the 

big reduction in energy demand of school, which will be 

reflected on the annual budget of education ministry. 

• Deploying grid connected PV systems in schools may be 

considered as small distributed generation units which will 

provide some benefits to the utility grid, including: 

reduction in the power losses due to the energy is 

generated near the place of consumption, increasing the 

power supply security due to the variety of energy sources, 

enhancing the grid resilience. 

• Also, it can potentially shave off the peaks in the energy 

demand, especially in the summer period due to air 

conditioning loads; this will remove the need to build a new 

peaker power plant. 

• From a financial point of view, deploying grid-connected 

PV systems in schools will result in delaying major 

investment in building new power plants, upgrading a 

substation, or building new transmission lines. 

• From an environmental point of view, deploying grid 

connected PV systems in schools will leads to significant 

reduction of greenhouse gas emissions especially Carbone 

dioxide due to burning fossil fuels. 

The results of economic and performance analysis revealed 

the professionality of installing grid-connected PV systems in 

government schools. 

Ethical issue 
The authors are aware of and comply with best practices in 
publication ethics, specifically concerning authorship 
(avoidance of guest authorship), dual submission, 
manipulation of figures, competing interests, and compliance 
with policies on research ethics. The authors adhere to 
publication requirements that the submitted work is original 
and has not been published elsewhere in any language. 

Data availability statement 
The manuscript contains all the data. However, more data will 

be available upon request from the authors. 

Conflict of interest 

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest. 

 

 

 

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