Energy and economic potential for photovoltaic systems installed on the rooftop of apartment buildings in Jordan

Photovoltaic systems installed on building rooftops can assist in reducing the issue of increasing electricity demand and simultaneously meeting the demand for environmentally sustainable energy systems. Despite the challenges facing Jordan's energy sector and the necessity of incorporating renewable resources to mitigate the effects of climate change and growing electricity demands, no one has yet analyzed the electricity output and economic viability of installing PV systems on the rooftops of apartment buildings in Jordan under different climate zones. Accordingly, this study aims to determine whether installing PV systems on apartment building rooftops in Jordan's various climate areas would be economically feasible and determine the potential power generation from such systems over their lifetime (25 years). Polysun simulation software is utilized to calculate electricity production, and a comparison method is used to assess the electricity consumption and production, and to compare the economic viability based on a payback period and net present value indicators under different tariff schemes. Scenarios are different in the tilt angles, azimuth angles, space between arrays, and accordingly different capacity and installation areas. The results indicated that electricity production from PV systems installed on the rooftops of apartment buildings can cover in the best scenario (Azimuth 90° and −90°, Tilt: 7°), depending on the location of the buildings, from 76% to 86% of their current electricity use and 25%–29% over 25 years. The Payback period (PBP) in the same case is between 3. 8 and 4. 6 years under different tariff schemes, which consider reasonable. While the net present value (NPV) is between 62, 000 and 77, 500 under different tariff schemes. According to the findings, residential PV systems are a practical choice for Jordan's energy management.