Abstract:
Energy Consumption for the residential sector in the Gulf countries is on the rise. This high demand of electricity in this sector is of course due to urbanization and growth in population. Another reason for the increase is the lack of conservative measures and regulations. The objective of this paper is to assess the use of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels in residential house in three countries in the Gulf region; namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar. A typical Villa-type house in these countries will be assessed when PV is installed and the total annual reduction as well as peak load reduction in electrical energy will be calculated for each country. The reduction is then be propagated all the way in the decrease of CO2 emission at the power station. The results are then extrapolated for all residential houses in these countries and the total CO2 saving can then be estimated. An economic analysis is presented and the payback period for the BIPV is calculated taking into account the initial cost and the maintenance cost. BIPV is the main application for solar energy in building. As the number of PV being manufactured increases, the cost of PV is becoming more competitive and appealing. Incentive programs should be provided by the government for the application of the BIPV to be successful.