The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city

In this paper, using Lebanon's capital, Beirut, as a case study, a methodology is proposed to assess the potential for solar photovoltaics (PV) in urban areas incorporating both economic and non-economic factors. Utilizing a rich spatial dataset of solar irradiation augmented with electricity b...

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Main Author: Eslami, Hossein (author)
Other Authors: Najem, Sara (author), Abi Ghanem, Dana (author), Ahmad, Ali (author)
Format: article
Published: 2021
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16039
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112121
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721001833
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author Eslami, Hossein
author2 Najem, Sara
Abi Ghanem, Dana
Ahmad, Ali
author2_role author
author
author
author_facet Eslami, Hossein
Najem, Sara
Abi Ghanem, Dana
Ahmad, Ali
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Eslami, Hossein
Najem, Sara
Abi Ghanem, Dana
Ahmad, Ali
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021
2021-02-10
2024-08-27T10:29:05Z
2024-08-27T10:29:05Z
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 0301-4797
http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16039
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112121
Eslami, H., Najem, S., Abi Ghanem, D., & Ahmad, A. (2021). The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city. Journal of Environmental Management, 285, 112121.
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721001833
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Journal of Environmental Management
dc.rights.*.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
description In this paper, using Lebanon's capital, Beirut, as a case study, a methodology is proposed to assess the potential for solar photovoltaics (PV) in urban areas incorporating both economic and non-economic factors. Utilizing a rich spatial dataset of solar irradiation augmented with electricity bills at the building level, the cost and benefit of installing rooftop PV systems for each building is estimated. Additionally, incentives and barriers for adopting those systems are investigated using a probabilistic choice model. The results show that Beirut city has a potential for distributed rooftop solar PV to be between 195 and 295 MWp. However, adoption rates are low at 0.49% and 1.23% for residential and commercial buildings, respectively, reflecting the limitation of financial incentives alone to promote the deployment of distributed renewable energy systems in transition economies. The impact of different incentive policy instruments and the role of solar PV in today's economic crisis in Lebanon is analyzed. The biggest impact was achieved through removing (or lowering) electricity tariff subsidy, although this option remains highly constrained by political calculus. We argue that the Lebanese government should fast-track and implement the required legal framework to facilitate and incentivize distributed power generation from renewable sources to promote both green energy and its financial resilience. The proposed modeling framework together with the results obtained in this study will have important implications for energy policy makers in Lebanon and other transition economies.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
format article
id LAURepo_5bdabef1f2e8027f2b25e3f467ce4c06
identifier_str_mv 0301-4797
Eslami, H., Najem, S., Abi Ghanem, D., & Ahmad, A. (2021). The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city. Journal of Environmental Management, 285, 112121.
language_invalid_str_mv en
network_acronym_str LAURepo
network_name_str Lebanese American University repository
oai_identifier_str oai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/16039
publishDate 2021
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spelling The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut cityEslami, HosseinNajem, SaraAbi Ghanem, DanaAhmad, AliIn this paper, using Lebanon's capital, Beirut, as a case study, a methodology is proposed to assess the potential for solar photovoltaics (PV) in urban areas incorporating both economic and non-economic factors. Utilizing a rich spatial dataset of solar irradiation augmented with electricity bills at the building level, the cost and benefit of installing rooftop PV systems for each building is estimated. Additionally, incentives and barriers for adopting those systems are investigated using a probabilistic choice model. The results show that Beirut city has a potential for distributed rooftop solar PV to be between 195 and 295 MWp. However, adoption rates are low at 0.49% and 1.23% for residential and commercial buildings, respectively, reflecting the limitation of financial incentives alone to promote the deployment of distributed renewable energy systems in transition economies. The impact of different incentive policy instruments and the role of solar PV in today's economic crisis in Lebanon is analyzed. The biggest impact was achieved through removing (or lowering) electricity tariff subsidy, although this option remains highly constrained by political calculus. We argue that the Lebanese government should fast-track and implement the required legal framework to facilitate and incentivize distributed power generation from renewable sources to promote both green energy and its financial resilience. The proposed modeling framework together with the results obtained in this study will have important implications for energy policy makers in Lebanon and other transition economies.Published2024-08-27T10:29:05Z2024-08-27T10:29:05Z20212021-02-10Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/article0301-4797http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16039https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112121Eslami, H., Najem, S., Abi Ghanem, D., & Ahmad, A. (2021). The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city. Journal of Environmental Management, 285, 112121.http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.phphttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721001833enJournal of Environmental Managementinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/160392024-08-27T10:31:47Z
spellingShingle The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
Eslami, Hossein
status_str publishedVersion
title The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
title_full The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
title_fullStr The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
title_full_unstemmed The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
title_short The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
title_sort The potential of urban distributed solar energy in transition economies: The case of Beirut city
url http://hdl.handle.net/10725/16039
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112121
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/articles.php
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721001833