University Of Nebraska-Lincoln District Solar Photovoltaic Technical And Economic Feasibility Analysis

This research evaluates the installation of a variety of photovoltaic systems throughout the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to offset the energy consumption of the campus. These systems include roof-mount, ground-mount, carport and agrivoltaic structures. Previous studies have been performed for the feasibility of commercial solar, but they have lacked focus on campus-wide integrations that can be replicated. Using this research other universities, colleges, or campus-based businesses can follow this process to achieve their own sustainability goals. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a master plan to achieve net zero energy for the campus as well as providing educational opportunities to students, faculty, and the community. We conducted design and site analyses to determine which buildings on campus would offset the most energy while being financially enticing to investors. To accomplish this, we look to achieve an internal rate of return of at least 10% and have all the systems be completely covered by power purchase agreements to eliminate the upfront equipment investment from the university. Additionally, we evaluated the legitimacy of our system designs by performing a distribution analysis. A battery storage solution is designed and evaluated for the roof mount system proposed to be installed on the Animal Science building which will store 30% of the system’s energy production. Our results are expected to show the benefits of integrating several solar photovoltaic solutions throughout a college campus or large district. It will not only offset the energy cost of the university, but also serve as an educational opportunity for replicable solutions and inspiration within the commercial solar industry.https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/urs2021tec/1005/thumbnail.jp