Evaluating the renewable energy potential, such as that of solar photovoltaics (PV), is important for developing renewable energy policies. This study investigated rooftop solar PV potential in Thailand based on open-source geographic information system (GIS) building footprints, solar PV power output, and the most recent land use data (2022). GIS-based overlay analysis, buffering, fishnet modeling, and spatial join operations were applied to assess rooftop availability across various building types, taking into account PV module installation parameters and optimal panel orientation. Economic feasibility and sensitivity analyses were conducted using standard economic metrics, including net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), payback period, and benefit–cost ratio (BCR). The findings showed a total rooftop solar PV power generation potential of 50.32 TWh/year, equivalent to 25.5% of Thailand’s total electricity demand in 2022. The Central region contributed the highest potential (19.59 TWh/year, 38.94%), followed by the Northeastern (10.49 TWh/year, 20.84%), Eastern (8.16 TWh/year, 16.22%), Northern (8.09 TWh/year, 16.09%), and Southern regions (3.99 TWh/year, 7.92%). Both commercial and industrial sectors reflect the financial viability of rooftop PV installations and significantly contribute to the overall energy output. These results demonstrate the importance of incorporating rooftop solar PV in renewable energy policy development in regions with similar data infrastructure, particularly the availability of detailed and standardized land use data for building type classification.

India's rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations are experiencing rapid growth due to favorable regulations. As climate change becomes a growing concern, researchers are turning their attention to the effects of weather patterns on the performance of rooftop solar panels, and also to optimize their efficiency in a changing environment. Consequently, industry players in the solar sector have been conducting performance validation and feasibility assessments of these plants. A 375 kWp rooftop PV plant is studied as a case example from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, generating 543,666 kWh annually for the grid. The NMBE and MBE were assessed using simulation tools like PVGIS and PV Watts. In addition, a cost–benefit analysis of carbon credits was conducted with and without their inclusion. The energy payback time is calculated at 4.5 years post‐inclusion. Over a 25‐year lifespan, the embodied energy of the PV plant amounts to 2,552,265 kWh. This plant can mitigate CO2 emissions annually by 10,173.57 tons which is equivalent to INR 5,464,925. The current study highlights both environmental and economic benefits by incorporating carbon credits into the project. Further advancement in simulation tools, PV technologies, climate change adaptations are expected which will improve the rooftop system efficiency with shorten pay pabck periods and maximum reductions in CO2 emissions.

This pioneering work employs the attributional and comparative life cycle assessment methodology to evaluate India's ambitious target of installing 100 GW of solar energy by 2022 and the FRELP method to study the circular economy prospects of the substantial PV waste it is expected to generate. Business as usual projections suggest that the intended target will be achieved no sooner than 2029. The lower lifetime of polycrystalline PV modules combined with their lower efficiency is found to severely downgrade their environmental performance vis-à-vis monocrystalline PV modules. The end-of-life treatment of the projected 6,576 tonnes of solar PV waste, expected to be accumulated between 2034-59, indicates a recovery rate of 90.7% entailing electricity consumption, GHG emissions, and monetary cost of 678.6 MWh, 648 tonnes of CO2 eq., and USD 11.8 billion, respectively. Simultaneously, the recovery of aluminum and glass alone leads to a direct saving of 70.3 GWh of energy by eliminating raw material extraction and processing. Further, the economic value of the recovered material at USD 11.74 billion is found to have the potential to generate additional solar capacity worth 19 GW. However, making the end-of-life treatment of PV waste financially feasible would require government subsidization. A minimum amount that would equate the costs to the benefits is USD 690/MW. The study, therefore, intends to inform potential stakeholders about the environmental burden as well as the economic potential of the impending PV waste and concludes with important policy prescriptions for enabling a sustainable energy transition through the circular economy approach.

South Africa has an abundance of coal reserves and about 85.7% of energy is generated from coal. However, the requirements of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, National Climate Change Response White Paper, Clean Development Mechanism, Integrated Resource Plan and National Electricity Plan emphasise the need for the use of renewable energy sources. The purpose of this research is to study and identify the potential to save energy through the installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at Rand Water buildings. The rooftop solar PV installation at Rand Wate's head office is used as a case study and the information gathered from the case study is then used to analyse the potential for similar installations in other Rand Water buildings. Solar PV potential is described as physical, geographical, technical, and economic potential. The characteristics of the location provide both physical and geographical potential, the type of equipment and controls selected for the PV system provide technical potential, economic potential provides financial benefits in terms of net present value, internal rate of return, levelised cost of energy and simple payback period. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is discussed extensively in literature but it is not included as environmental potential or greenhouse payback time. This research proposes a methodology to analyse potential of a rooftop solar PV system installation with focus on the p

This study evaluates the financial viability of grid-connected rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems across seven Indonesian residential types (2.75-19.8 kWp) under current market conditions. Using a discounted cash flow model with 8% discount rate and a 20-year project lifetime, key metrics including Net Present Value (NPV), Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and payback period have been analysed. Results demonstrate that system economics improve significantly with scale: while small systems (2.75 kWp) yield negative NPV (-Rp 9.71 million) and 12.4-year payback, larger installations (>7.7 kWp) achieve positive NPV (up to Rp 89.95 million for 19.8 kWp systems) and sub-10-year payback periods. The LCOE ranges from Rp 1,082-1,205/kWh, representing 11-36% cost savings compared to PLN's tiered tariffs (Rp 1,352-1,699.53/kWh). Monthly savings scale proportionally with system size, from Rp 323,378 (2.75 kWp) to Rp 2.84 million (19.8 kWp). A critical 7.7 kWp capacity threshold emerges for self-sustaining viability without subsidies, with 3500+ VA customers benefiting most due to higher avoided tariffs. These findings provide policymakers with evidence to design tiered incentive programs targeting underperforming market segments (<6 kWp systems), while confirming the commercial readiness of larger residential-commercial hybrid systems in Indonesia's solar transition.

One of the goals of Oman vision 2040 is to attain a 30 % of renewable energy mix, mainly from solar and wind energy projects for electricity generation by 2030, in alignment with the net zero emissions commitment by 2050. The adoption of residential rooftop solar PV installations supports achieving this target. This paper aims to assess the feasibility and performance of the rooftop solar PV projects at various locations in Oman and to suggest the strategies for promoting rooftop solar PV projects in Oman. In the Middle East countries like Oman, dust from sandstorms and temperature are significantly affects the performance of PV systems and is an important derating factor to consider when evaluating their performance as discussed in this paper. This paper starts by qualitatively assess the suitable regions in Oman for solar PV projects based on temperature levels, dust accumulation, humidity and population density and then proceeds to find the best locations in the selected region. A rooftop solar PV system is designed, analysed its performance, Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and environmental benefit were calculated for smart bus stop load located in the selected region's university of technology and applied sciences (UTAS) campus using analytical method. The results obtained through analytical method were compared with System Advisor Model (SAM) software. Key findings from the study: The northern part regions of Oman were identified as the most suitable region to inst

The adoption of rooftop solar will be vitally important for the renewable energy transition, decarbonizing the US grid, and combating climate change. Additionally, rooftop solar will play an increasingly important role in reducing strain on distribution infrastructure as electric vehicle (EV) adoption grows. However, rooftop solar installations currently lag behind the pace needed to rapidly achieve a decarbonized grid. The extent to which rooftop solar provides economic benefits to the distribution grid by mitigating strain on transformers could serve as an additional imperative for rooftop solar adoption. In this thesis, I ask: to what extent does EV charging increase transformer loss-of-life, can rooftop solar mitigate this strain, and what economic benefits does it provide? I conducted a power-flow analysis on a synthetic distribution network to determine the impact of EV charging and rooftop solar on transformer loss-of-life. I then conducted net present value (NPV) calculations to determine the economic benefits and the impact on utility profits. I found that EV charging increases transformer loss-of-life, while rooftop solar reduces this aging. Additionally, the utility’s profits decrease as rooftop solar installations increase, since it earns a profit margin from upgrading its distribution infrastructure.

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems represent a key distributed generation technology for sustainable energy integration, enabling buildings to meet their own demand or export surplus electricity to the grid. In Malaysia, adoption is supported by the Self-Consumption (SELCO) and Net Energy Metering (NEM) schemes, with this study focusing on commercial and industrial (C&I) PV installations under the NEM framework. The research pursues three objectives to enhance rooftop PV performance. First, the technical performance of n-type monocrystalline mono-facial and bi-facial panels is assessed on two common roofing types; metal deck and reinforced concrete slab, considering the effect of roof colours on albedo and system efficiency. Simulations are conducted using PVsyst to evaluate energy generation under these scenarios. Second, the influence of ambient temperature on system performance is analysed to establish correlations between temperature variations and PV efficiency. Finally, this paper optimizes the output of solar PV panel considering variation in tilt angle using metaheuristic technique. The outcomes provide practical insights for improving the performance of rooftop PV installations, supporting Malaysia’s renewable energy targets, and advancing sustainable grid integration.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Rooftop solar photovoltaics have crossed cost-competitiveness thresholds in many markets, yet the financial return any given installation actually delivers hinges less on sunlight than on regulation. Compensation mechanisms — net energy metering, net billing, and export-tariff rules — are designed and periodically renegotiated by regulators, and their parameters can swing total system value by thirty to forty percent across otherwise identical installations. Meanwhile, the corporate sustainability landscape has shifted toward demanding that renewable electricity and emissions-reduction claims carry documentary support sufficient to withstand formal assurance. Frameworks such as the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, IFRS S2, GRI Standards, and the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA 5000) set an evidentiary bar that many companies currently fall short of. These two pressures — policy-mediated financial value and evidence-grade disclosure — are almost always treated as separate operational problems. This paper argues they are structurally the same problem and proposes an integrated, reproducible framework and open dataset that makes the connection operational.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The paper proceeds in three connected moves. First, a policy-coding schema is introduced, grounded in established definitions of distributed generation compensation mechanisms and decomposing each regime into its metering/billing arrangement, export-cap rules, sell-rate design, and settlement logic. A pilot dataset is then built from official policy documents across a small set of jurisdictions chosen specifically because their data are openly available and verifiable. PVWatts-based production modelling is applied alongside publicly available tariff and emissions-factor sources to simulate standardised commercial rooftop PV scenarios under each compensation regime. Second, a claims-and-evidence rubric is developed and anchored to GHG Protocol Scope 2 quality criteria, IFRS S2 climate disclosure requirements, and ISSA 5000 assurance expectations — identifying six minimum documentation elements that any credible renewable electricity claim must satisfy. Third, a sample of publicly available corporate sustainability disclosures is scored against that rubric.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;What emerges is striking. Compensation policy parameters exert a material influence on the modelled economic value split between self-consumption and export, and the metering architecture those policies mandate also shapes which documentation a company naturally possesses as a billing by-product. Concurrently, prevailing corporate disclosures systematically omit the minimum evidence elements required for credible renewable electricity claims — and the gaps are worst precisely where compensation rules are most restrictive. The framework and dataset are released as open research artefacts so that: policymakers can anticipate how compensation-rule changes translate into both economic and reporting outcomes; firms and ESG advisors can close documentation gaps ahead of assurance engagements; and researchers can replicate and extend the analysis across jurisdictions without additional cost.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Background: While Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) are central to global climate strategies, their actual effectiveness in reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions is often complicated by lifecycle carbon costs, geographical differences, and varying levels of technological integration. Understanding the specific conditions under which these technologies perform best is critical for meeting international climate targets. Objective: This systematic review aims to consolidate recent empirical evidence on the effectiveness of different renewable energy technologies in mitigating GHG emissions, identify the primary factors that enhance or hinder their performance, and explore the implications for global energy policy. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2017 and 2026. Inclusion criteria focused on original peer-reviewed research and high-quality reports that utilized econometric modeling or technical simulations to measure the impact of RETs on carbon intensity, CO2 emissions, or temperature anomalies. A total of 11 high-quality studies representing diverse economic regions (G7, BRICS, and developing nations) were selected for final synthesis. Findings: The review identified Solar and wind technologies appeared frequently among studies reporting substantial emission reductions; however, the relative effectiveness of renewable technologies varied according to geographical setting, technological integration, policy context, and study design. Several included studies reported that an increase in renewable energy consumption was associated with a reduction in CO₂ emissions, with effectiveness jumping significantly, up to 77% at the building scale—when hybrid systems are used. Key "multipliers" for success include institutional quality (governance and stable regulations) and digital integration (smart grids and AI). However, the review also highlights a "lifecycle paradox," where the fossil fuels used to manufacture and transport green hardware create an initial carbon debt. Furthermore, bioenergy and hydropower were found to have specific environmental trade-offs, such as land-use changes and methane leakage, which can offset their mitigation benefits if not managed carefully. Conclusion: Renewable energy is highly effective at reducing emissions, but its success is not automatic. The most significant gains occur when green hardware is supported by smart software and strong government institutions. To achieve true Net Zero, energy policy must move beyond simple installation targets and focus on system-level integration and the decarbonization of the renewable energy supply chain itself.