Economic analysis and impact on national grid by domestic photovoltaic system installations in Pakistan

Pakistan is facing an increasing energy crisis with every passing year due to a growing population and increased industrial zones. Moreover, the energy cost is very high as it is mostly generated from conventional energy sources. Conversely, Pakistan has excellent potential for solar power generation as it lies near the equator. Due to the recent decrease in solar Photovoltaic (PV) costs, Pakistan is moving towards these solutions for both on-grid and off-grid systems. Therefore, this article focuses on the solar irradiance behavior and computation of the PV panel's optimum angle for maximum energy harvesting in Pakistan. Moreover, the domestic economic analysis of rooftop solar PV systems is conducted based on investment cost, payback period, electricity bills reduction, and optimal metering scheme selection. Furthermore, the impact of domestic PV systems on the power grid is evaluated based on a reduction in the electrical load. This study has the potential to encourage consumers to gain monetary benefits from the investments in domestic PV systems by selling excess energy to the local distribution company. All simulations are performed in sol-metric sun-eye software. These simulations results are more versatile and meaningful under the ground conditions and actualities of Pakistan. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.