# Assessment of Energy Use and Photovoltaic Energy Potential in Saudi Arabian Governmental Schools
## 5 Conclusions and Recommendations  
This study investigated the energy consumption and feasibility of installing grid-connected PV systems in Saudi Arabian government schools to achieve zero energy and zero costs after the system's life cycle. Three schools in Buraidah City were selected for the inquiry. An optimization process was then conducted to ensure each system could fulfill the yearly zero-energy and bill criteria at the end of the 25 years of the PV system's life cycle. The impact of temperature and other variables on the PV systems' production were considered, as was the assumption of the 1% annual load of the schools' increase. According to the study, values for EUI and CPC ranged from 22 to 48 and 337 to 630, respectively. The corresponding end-use electricity values for air conditioning, lighting, and others were 80%, 11%, and 9%. The capacity factor was more than 22%, the schools' yearly yield was between 1950 and 1994 kWh/kW\({}_{\text{P}}\), and the PR was between 86.81 and 88.84% under the energy-zero scenario. Under the energy-zero scenario, the SPBP was about seven and a half years if the undiscounted condition was considered and less than 12 years if the discounted condition was considered. An LCOE ranging between $0.0229 and 0.0252 per kWh was obtained. The indicators in the zero-billing case were similar to the energy-zero scenario except for the SPBP, which was longer and, in some cases, not economically feasible. Lowering import duties and eliminating or lowering value-added taxes can reduce the initial cost of PV systems to improve competitiveness through government support. Moreover, the results show that economic evaluation must be revisited by reviewing the tariff value for selling surplus energy to the distribution network. Reducing the energy bill paid annually will be reflected in the education ministry's annual budget. Deploying grid-connected PV systems in schools may be considered as small distributed generation units, which will benefit the utility grid. From a financial point of view, deploying grid-connected PV systems in schools will delay significant investments in building new power plants, upgrading substations, or building new transmission lines. From an environmental standpoint, installing grid-connected PV systems in schools will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide. Although the KSA has enormous potential for solar energy sources, the solar energy market for small systems loses government support through subsidies and incentives. These systems are more cost-effective than other systems and will significantly help expand sustainable solar energy in the country. Evaporative coolers should be studied as an alternative to conventional AC units in school buildings, especially in the central area of the KSA. It is proposed that the Ministry of Education and Energy agree to implement a national project in which PV systems will be installed on school roofs. Conceptualization, R.A.A., A.E. and A.F.A. ; methodology, A.E., A.F.A. and F.H.A. ; software, A.E. and A.F.A. ; formal analysis, R.A.A., A.F.A. and A.E. ; investigation, A.F.A. and R.A.A. ; data curation, F.H.A. ; writing--original draft preparation, R.A.A., A.F.A. and A.E. ; writing--review and editing, A.F.A. and F.H.A. ; visualization, A.E. and R.A.A. ; project administration, R.A.A. and A.F.A. ; funding acquisition, R.A.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Zero-Energy Scenario**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Zero-Bill Scenario**} \\ \hline  & **PV-Generated** & **Reduction of CO\({}_{2}\) (Tonne)** &
\begin{tabular}{c} **PV-Generated** \\ **Electricity (MWh)** \\ \end{tabular} & **Reduction of CO\({}_{2}\) (Tonne)** \\ \hline Average per school & 5951.0 & 3386.1 & 10,236.6 & 5824.6 \\ \hline Total in KSA & 143,270,325 & 81,520,358 & 246,446,145 & 140,227,245 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}