Techno-economic assessment of photovoltaic (PV) and building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPV/T) system retrofits in the Canadian housing stock

Techno-economic impact of retrofitting houses in the Canadian housing stock with PV and BIPV/T systems is evaluated using the Canadian Hybrid End-use Energy and Emission Model. Houses with south, south-east and south-west facing roofs are considered eligible for the retrofit since solar irradiation is maximum on south facing surfaces in the northern hemisphere. The PV system is used to produce electricity and supply the electrical demand of the house, with the excess electricity sold to the grid in a net-metering arrangement. The BIPV/T system produces electricity as well as thermal energy to supply the electrical as well as the thermal demands for space and domestic hot water heating. The PV system consists of PV panels installed on the available roof surface while the BIPV/T system adds a heat pump, thermal storage tank, auxiliary heater, domestic hot water heating equipment and hydronic heat delivery system, and replaces the existing heating system in eligible houses. The study predicts the energy savings, GHG emission reductions and tolerable capital costs for regions across Canada. Results indicate that the PV system retrofit yields 3% energy savings and 5% GHG emission reduction, while the BIPV/T system yields 18% energy savings and 17% GHG emission reduction in the Canadian housing stock. While the annual electricity use slightly increases, the fossil fuel use of the eligible houses substan

Techno-economic assessment of the impact of phase change material thermal storage on the energy consumption and GHG emissions of the Canadian Housing Stock

Responsible for 17% of all energy consumption and 16% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada, the residential sector presents substantial opportunities for reducing both energy consumption and GHG emissions. Being one of the highest per capita energy consumers in the world, there is increasing pressure on Canada to reduce both. Amongst the numerous options to reduce energy consumption in the residential sector is the large-scale adoption of active and passive solar technologies in the Canadian housing stock (CHS). In earlier publications, the authors have investigated the techno-economic feasibility of large-scale adoption of window and glazing modifications, window shading devices and solar domestic hot water systems in the CHS as retrofit measures. In this paper, the focus is on the adoption of thermal storage using phase change material (PCM) in the CHS as a retrofit measure. The results indicate that applying PCMs with melting temperature of 23°C to the eligible houses reduce energy consumption GHG emissions of the Canadian housing stock by about 2.5%. The economic feasibility results demonstrate the impact of fuel costs, as well as interest and energy price escalation rates on payback period. The economic results indicate that upgrading houses to incorporate PCM storage in the province of New Brunswick is more feasible than other provinces

Technoeconomic assessment of the impact of window shading retrofits on the heating and cooling energy consumption and GHG emissions of the Canadian housing stock

This study evaluates the economic feasibility and the effect of window shading retrofits on the heating and cooling energy requirement of the Canadian housing stock based on detailed energy simulations conducted using the Canadian Hybrid Residential End-Use Energy and GHG Emissions Model (CHREM). The study found that adding 1/2 in. light aluminum VB on the indoor side of windows with automatic control based on zone temperature would result in substantial reduction in energy and GHG emissions in the Canadian housing stock. Other types of window shading devices may be effective in reducing the cooling energy consumption, but they result in an increase in overall energy consumption when both heating and cooling season performance is taken into consideration. The economic feasibility of VB depends largely on the fuel mix and cost of fuels used as well as the tolerable payback period and expected fuel cost escalation rate. Thus, the economic feasibility is different for each province

An investigation of the technoeconomic feasibility of solar domestic hot water heating for the Canadian housing stock

This study evaluates the impact on energy consumption and GHG emissions as well as the technoeconomic feasibility of retrofitting solar domestic hot water (DHW) heating systems to all houses in the Canadian housing stock (CHS). The study was conducted using the Canadian Hybrid Residential End-Use Energy and GHG Emissions Model (CHREM). It was assumed that all houses that have a DHW system with a tank, and a roof facing south, south-west or south-east could be retrofitted with a solar DHW system. As to be expected, the energy and GHG emissions impact of retrofitting SDHW systems into the CHS is substantial. If all eligible existing DHW systems (30% of those existing in the CHS) were to be retrofitted with SDHW systems, the energy consumption and GHG emissions of the Canadian residential sector would be reduced by about 2%. This is equivalent to 22.7 PJ of end-use energy savings and 1 Mt of GHG emissions reduction, or 11.8% and 11.9%, respectively, of the current amounts associated with domestic hot water heating. The energy savings potential with SDHW systems in all provinces are similar, while the GHG emission reductions vary significantly due to the substantially different fuel mix used in different provinces. The economic feasibility results demonstrate the impact of installation and fuel costs, as well as interest and energy price escalation rates on payback period

Economic analysis of energy upgrades based on tolerable capital cost

To evaluate the economic feasibility of energy efficiency or renewable energy upgrades, a variety of tests are used such as payback period, cost-benefit ratio, and return on investment. All of these tests require an estimate of the capital cost of the upgrade. However, it is not always possible to reliably estimate the capital cost of a potential energy upgrade. To deal with such situations, an alternative approach is proposed that involves the calculation of the tolerable capital cost (TCC) of the upgrade. The use of the TCC approach to evaluate economic feasibility is demonstrated with a case study involving photovoltaic panel installations in Canadian houses

Technoeconomic assessment of the impact of window improvements on the heating and cooling energy requirement and greenhouse gas emissions of the canadian housing stock

This study evaluates the economic feasibility as well as the effect of window modifications on the heating and cooling energy requirement of the Canadian housing stock based on detailed energy simulations conducted using the Canadian hybrid residential end-use energy model (CHREM) and green house gas emissions model (GEM). It is found that thermally improved windows can substantially reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the Canadian residential sector. The magnitude of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions depend largely on the size of the housing stock, existing window type characteristics, climate, and fuel mix used. Thus, there are variations from province to province. Similarly, economic feasibility depends on the magnitude of savings available as well as the price of energy in each province