Environmental impacts of building integrated PV applications in the state public buildings sector

摘要

If the U.S. is to meet its commitments for CO{sub}2 and SO{sub}2 emission reductions, as anticipated by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, it almost certainly must implement policies to increase the use of renewable energy. This paper evaluates the potential of photovoltaic (PV) technologies to deliver high-value electrical services while offsetting SO{sub}2 and CO{sub}2 emissions. Our study focuses on PV applications in the public buildings sector because of its potential for speeding the commercialization of the technology in a market conducive to long-term return on investment. The study investigates the economic and environmental implications of PV meeting 2% of the energy demand of public buildings. The specific application investigated is a roof-mounted dispatchable peak-shaving system with uninterruptible power supply (UPS) capability. Several previous studies have shown that such a system is cost-effective on the basis of the energy services it provides. The present analysis indicates that this application can play an important role in helping the U.S. meet its CO{sub}2 and SO{sub}2 emissions targets.