Transforming Tarlac State University (TSU) Gymnasium to a Nearly Zero-Energy Building through Integration of a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System

International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

© 2025 by SSRG - IJEEE Journal

Volume 12 Issue 9

Year of Publication : 2025

Authors : Rafael R. Yumul, Enalyn T. Domingo

10.14445/23488379/IJEEE-V12I9P105

How to Cite?

Rafael R. Yumul, Enalyn T. Domingo, "Transforming Tarlac State University (TSU) Gymnasium to a Nearly Zero-Energy Building through Integration of a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System," SSRG International Journal of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, vol. 12,  no. 9, pp. 38-48, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23488379/IJEEE-V12I9P105

Abstract:

The study is anchored to the principles of Nearly-Zero Energy Building (NZEB). It aimed to transform the Tarlac State University Gymnasium into a facility with energy-efficient equipment to contribute to reducing carbon footprints by integrating a solar PV system as its renewable energy source. The researchers found out that the electrical infrastructure of the Gym was outdated, and the lighting was not energy efficient, and there were too few convenience or power outlets. There was also insufficient cooling equipment to maintain a comfortable temperature. Analysis shows that the payback period is within the average range, making it a cost-effective investment for the University. Aside from the cost of the PV System, adherence to engineering design standards will mean additional costs to replace the metal halides with LED high bay lamps, installation of additional air conditioning units, and provision of additional convenience outlets. These additional costs should be considered when evaluating the feasibility of the project. It is recommended that the integrity of the existing roof system of the Gymnasium be considered. The total cost of putting up the whole electrical system, including new lighting, cooling, and convenience loads, must be calculated to determine the total cost of implementing the whole NZEB project. Other factors in the economic evaluation may be considered to determine a more stringent result.

Keywords:

Nearly-Zero Energy Building, PV investment analysis, Solar PV system, Energy efficiency, Carbon footprint.

References:

[1] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “Impacts of 1.5°C Global Warming on Natural and Human Systems,” Cambridge University Press, pp. 175-312, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[2] UN Environment Programme, Annual Report 2022, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.unep.org/resources/annual-report-2022
[3] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), “Summary for Policymakers In: Global Warming of 1.5°C,” Cambridge University Press, pp. 1-24, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[4] Official Gazette, RA 9513 Renewable Energy Act of 2008, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2008/12/16/republic-act-no-9513/
[5] Department of Energy Philippines, 2020 Energy Supply and Demand Situationer, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://legacy.doe.gov.ph/energy-statistics/2020-philippine-energy-situationer
[6] Reurasia, The Current State of Renewable Energy in The Philippines, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://reurasia.com/the-current-state-of-renewable-energy-in-the-philippines/
[7] Mashail S. Arif, “Residential Solar Panels and Their Impact on the Reduction of Carbon Emissions,” Reduction of Carbon Emissions using Residential Solar Panels, 2013.
[Google Scholar]
[8] Maher Shehadi, “Net-Zero Energy Buildings: Principles and Applications,” Zero-Energy Buildings - New Approaches and Technologies, 2020.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[9] Agnieszka Zalejska‐Jonsson, Hans Lind, and Staffan Hintze, “Low-Energy Versus Conventional Residential Buildings: Cost and Profit,” Journal of European Real Estate Research, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 211-228, 2012.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[10] European Union, Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the Energy Performance of Buildings, 2023. [Online]. Available:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010L0031&qid=1757567016243
[11] United Nations ESCAP, Low-Carbon Green Growth Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific : Turning Resource Constraints and the Climate Crisis into Economic Growth Opportunities, 2012. [Online]. Available: https://repository.unescap.org/items/edd367d2-eb80-4da2-adea-13e629835d15
[12] K. Peterson et al., A Common Definition for Zero Energy Buildings, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/09/f26/A%20Common%20Definition%20for%20Zero%20Energy%20Buildings.pdf
[13] Thomas Boermans et al., Principles for Nearly Zero-Energy Building: Executive Summary, Executive Summary, 2011. [Online]. Available: https://www.bpie.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_executive-summary_nZEB.pdf
[14] H.M. Al-Hamadi, and S.A. Soliman, “Long-Term/Mid-Term Electric Load Forecasting based on Short-Term Correlation and Annual Growth,” Electric Power Systems Research, vol. 74, no. 3, pp. 353-361, 2005.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[15] Vincenc Butala, and Peter Novak, “Energy Consumption and Potential Energy Savings in Old School Buildings,” Energy Build, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 241-246, 1999.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[16] Paolo Zancanella, Paolo Bertoldi, and Benigna Boza-Kiss, Energy Efficiency, The Value of Buildings and the Payment Default Risk, Energy and Buildings, 2018.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[17] Lars Sønderby Nielsen, “Heating and Cooling Challenge in nZEB,” REVA Journal, 2011.
[Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[18] Arnulf Dinkel et al., Energy Efficient Buildings as Central Part of Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus II, Freiburg, 2017. [Online]. Available:
https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/TH_170823_Final%20Report_Energy%20Efficiency%20Building_ISE_sm.pdf
[19] European Commission, A Roadmap for Moving to a Competitive Low Carbon Economy in 2050, 2011. [Online]. Available: https://www.eea.europa.eu/policy-documents/com-2011-112-a-roadmap#:~:text=With%20its%20%22Roadmap%20for%20moving,Heads%20of%20State%20and%20governments
[20] Jenny Nelson, Ajay Gambhir, and Ned Ekins-Daukes, Solar Power for CO2 Mitigation, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/grantham-institute/public/publications/briefing-papers/Solar-power-for-CO2-mitigation---Grantham-BP-11.pdf
[21] ADB, Solar Power Development Project: Investment Facility Report - Pacific Renewable Energy Investment Facility, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.adb.org/projects/documents/nau-49450-009-ifr
[22] Department of Energy, Awarded Solar Power Projects as of 30 September 2023, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.doe.gov.ph/sites/default/files/pdf/renewable_energy/awarded_solar_2023-09-30.pdf
[23] Statista Research Department, “Approved Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) Rates in the Philippines as of February 2025, by Energy Source, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1381667/philippines-approved-fit-rates-by-source/
[24] Eric Romich, and F. John Hay, Solar Electric Investment Analysis Series, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://energizeohio.osu.edu/sites/energizeohio/files/imce/SARE%20Solar%20Bulletin%20%28v4.0%29.pdf
[25] Fredrik Ege Abrahamsen, Sturla Grina Ruud, and Alemayehu Gebremedhin, “Assessing Efficiency and Environmental Performance of a Nearly Zero-Energy University Building’s Energy System in Norway,” Buildings, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 1-19, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[26] Cihan Turhan et al., “Feasibility of Nearly-Zero Energy Building Retrofits by using Renewable Energy Sources in an Educational Building,” Health Sciences Quarterly, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 311-318, 2019.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[27] Ryoichi Kuwahara, Hyuntae Kim, and Hideki Sato, “Evaluation of Zero-Energy Building and Use of Renewable Energy in Renovated Buildings: A Case Study in Japan,” Buildings, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 1-15, 2022.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[28] Ibtisam Razzaq et al., “Reduction in Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions by Retrofitting an Existing Building to a Net Zero Energy Building for the Implementation of SDGs 7 and 13,” Frontiers in Environmental Science, vol. 10, pp. 1-11, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[29] Yu Dong et al., “Influence of Different Forms on BIPV Gymnasium Carbon-Saving Potential Based on Energy Consumption and Solar Energy in Multi-Climate Zones,” Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 1-20, 2024.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[30] ASICS, How Climate Change Impacts the Future of Sports, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.asics.com/au/en-au/blog/how-climate-change-impacts-the-future-of-sports.html
[31] Lin Taylor, Cancelled Races, Fainting Players: How Climate Change Affects Sports, World Economic Forum, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/climate-change-effects-turns-up-heat-on-sports
[32] sportanddev, Cambodia Pledges Green Initiatives during SEA Games to Fight Climate Change, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/cambodia-pledges-green-initiatives-during-sea-games-fight-climate-change
[33] vmaps.com, Tarlac State University Gymnasium Global Coordinates, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://vymaps.com/PH/TARLAC-STATE-UNIVERSITY-GYMNASIUM-131823/
[34] pvsyst.com, PVSyst Software Features, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.pvsyst.com/features/
[35] Tafadzwa Gurupira, and Arnold Johan Rix, “PV Simulation Software Comparisons: PVSYST, NREL SAM and PVLIB,” Conference Saupec, 2017. [Google Scholar]
[36] Edison Tech Centre, Metal Halide Lamps: An HID Light Source with Great Color Rendering Commercial History (1960 - Today), 2023. [Online]. Available: https://edisontechcenter.org/metalhalide.html
[37] Yoshihisa Takei, “Energy Saving Lighting Efficiency Technologies,” NISTEP Science & Technology Foresight Center, pp. 59-71, 2009.
[Google Scholar]
[38] Josh Kegley, LEDs Prove More Efficient Than Metal Halide Lamps for Factory Lighting, Assembly, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/93107-leds-prove-more-efficient-than-metal-halide-lamps-for-factory-lighting
[39] Atanas Tanushevski, and Stojan Rendevski, “Energy Efficiency Comparison between Compact Fluorescent Lamp and Common Light Bulb,” European Journal of Physics Education, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 21-27, 2016.
[Google Scholar]
[40] Mohd Farhan Mat Rosdi et al., “Energy and Economic Sustainable Illumination Design for a Gymnasium: A Case Study,” 18th International Engineering Research Conference 2022 (Eureca 2022), Subang Jaya, Malaysia, 2023.
[CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Publisher Link]
[41] Sam Wigness, What Is the Average Payback Period for Solar Panels?, Solar, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.solar.com/learn/what-is-the-average-payback-period-for-solar-panels/#good