Development potential for rooftop solar photovoltaic: case studies in commercial and industrial sectors of Hue City

Abstract

A growing interest in solar energy development to ensure national power security and slow the onset of the current climate crisis has spurred the deployment of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) in cities in Vietnam. This paper aims to examine the technical and financial potential for rooftop solar PV development of two enterprises in Hue City, namely Truong Tien Plaza Commercial Center and Huetronics Joint Stock Company. The Google Earth Pro, the Roof Pitch Factor, and the on-site survey were employed to determine the rooftop characteristics of the two facilities. The technical potentials of Huetronics Company and Truong Tien Plaza were estimated at 1,256 kWh/day and 1,437 kWh/day, respectively. The financial analysis with Cost-Benefit Analysis reveals that both reference cases proved to be financially viable: the Discounted Payback Period is 5.8 years in the case of Huetronics and five years for Truong Tien Plaza; the Net Present Values are greater than zero, and the Internal Rate of Return is higher than the Cost of Capital. Such results are expected to assist in making informed policy decisions on the commercial and industrial rooftop solar PV development in Hue City.