Energy Consumption Evaluation for an Experimental Supermarket Located on a University Campus

University campuses can be testing environments that emulate other realities. This promotes ideas that can be replicated in society, especially concerning sustainable development practices. A campus typology characterized by scattered buildings provides a landscape with unshaded buildings. Given the current concerns about climate change, research applied to these spaces enables studies to be further used on a large scale, such as in buildings and their energy use. This study aims to identify the potential to generate photovoltaic energy by characterizing the energy end-use in a supermarket located inside the Federal University of Viçosa’s campus. Besides its commercial purpose, the supermarket is an experimental laboratory for internships and practical lectures for courses in the areas of nutrition, economy, management, and civil engineering. The method consists in analysing the energy bills and measuring the energy use on site, enabling a calibrated energy model for building performance simulation on EnergyPlus, upon which a roof-mounted photovoltaic system simulation had been proposed. The results showed that the main end-use is 74% for refrigeration, followed by 18% for equipment, 6% for lighting, and 2% for HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) consumption. The photovoltaic system generated 31% of the supermarket’s annual energy demand, which indicated an improvement in the building’s energy performance provided by the unshaded area on the roof. It is important to emphasize solar energy is one of the most sustainable forms of renewable energy generation, avoiding carbon dioxide emissions, noise, and power grid losses since it can be generated at the site of consumption.