Cost benefit analysis for ZEB: optimal capacity based on reliability, economy and diversification

• Published in: IET Conference Proceedings
• Main Authors: Kosai, S, Tan, S ChiaKwang
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Stevenage The Institution of Engineering & Technology 05.09.2018
• Subjects: Cost benefit analysis; Cost effectiveness; Electric appliances; Electricity; Electricity consumption; Electricity pricing; Environmental impact; Fossil fuels; Green buildings; Installation costs; Reliability analysis
• ISBN: 1839530030; 9781839530036
• DOI: 10.1049/cp.2018.1347

A zero energy building (ZEB) has been envisioned to bring upon promising potential to address the issue of fuel crisis and environmental impacts from the use of fossil fuels. Presently, the off-grid ZEB has not gained significant international attention. However, the importance of the off-grid ZEB in providing local support during contingencies cannot be simply ignored. The main challenge of off-grid ZEB is in ensuring continuous electricity supply to end appliances on a basis of appropriate design of installation capacity size. As such, this paper firstly identifies the optimal capacity size for the renewable energy installation in the fictitious off-grid ZEB from the three perspectives including power reliability, economic importance and diversification of power configuration. And then, on a basis of identified optimal capacity size, the analysis of cost effectiveness of the off-grid ZEB is conducted by projecting the installation cost and electricity consumption in the building and by proposing the several scenarios for electricity tariff, and finally the return of investment of the proposed off-grid ZEB is evaluated.