Economic Viability Analysis of Rooftop Solar and Vertically Mounted BAPV on a Multi-storied Commercial Building in Kolkata

This paper aims to study the cost–benefit analysis of a project of 883 kWP having a combination of rooftop solar plant along with vertically mounted solar modules on building façades at a multi-storied commercial building located at Newtown, Kolkata. Both operational energy consumption and renewable energy generation are simulated. The building energy consumption profile is assessed through whole building energy simulation using eQUEST as the simulation tool. PVsyst is used to design and simulate the rooftop solar plant along with vertically mounted BAPV on building walls. The study showed that 40% of the annual energy requirement for the building could be met through on-site renewable generation. Based on the different cost parameters, the economic feasibility of the study is checked for an operational tenure of 27 years. The cost–benefit analysis showed the project to be economically profitable beyond 11 years of operation.