Feasibility study of installation photovoltaic system at a university in Indonesia: A case study

Universitas Samudra (UNSAM) is one of the new state universities in Indonesia, located in Langsa City, Aceh Province. The masterplan for developing UNSAM projected to expanding access to higher education for secondary school graduates in the province by increasing the capacity through the construction of new buildings. The plan to construct green buildings inside the campus complex is simply an effort to achieve the UNSAM mission, which is, to become a green campus. There are nine buildings on the UNSAM campus with a total roof area reaching 11,232 m2, which is structurally suitable for solar photovoltaic installation. In Langsa City, for one year, the average exposure to sunlight is equivalent to about 7,860 hours. The average annual insulation at this location is around 5.0 to 6.5 kWh/m2/day. This study focuses on the economic feasibility of solar photovoltaic systems on the UNSAM campus. Electricity production costs, which might have economic benefits, are obtained for Rp. 1, 990 /kWh. The results of the analysis concluded that the economic potential of installing a PV system is very dependent on the geography of the building and the direction of PV installation.