Optimal design, field performance and impact of energy legislation on the cost effectiveness of a domestic on-grid photovoltaic system in Morocco

Solar PV is an important part of the Moroccan national energy strategy which helped the recent development of this sector. In the present work, we developed a computerized methodology to optimize the design of on-grid solar PV systems which is adapted to local power billing, feeding restrictions and legislation in Morocco. It is based on a 3-phase process: (1) Determining the customer´s power load profile using his monthly electric bills and the "typical load curve" developed by the national power utility company (ONEE); (2) Determining the optimal PV peak capacity which yields minimum total updated costs over a specified project lifetime; and (3) Sizing all PV system components and updating the cost-benefit analysis based on quoted project cost. This methodology is applied to a household in Rabat (34° 00´ N, 6° 50´ W). We found an optimal power of 2.1 kWp and a payback period between 7 and 13.2 years. The system was installed and its performance monitored for more than two years. The results show that power production and energy cost savings are close to the design values. The household energy consumption/cost and its corresponding CO₂ emissions are reduced on average by 56%. The impact of energy policy can affect the cost effectiveness and the competiveness of economic operators.