Case study on the return on investment (ROI) for using renewable energy to power-up typical house in Saudi Arabia

Powering up a typical house in Medina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) using hybrid solar and hydrogen fuel-cell energy systems is investigated. The return on investment (ROI) of the proposed hybrid system has been estimated as well. It is found that the payback period for the proposed system is about 3.5 years based on a price of $0.06 for each kW h sold to the grid. The price of kW h sold to the grid is assumed because currently there are no rules that regulate renewable energy production in the Kingdom. After the payback period, a yearly profit of about $7754 is achieved for the proposed system. The price of electricity in Saudi Arabia is too low compared to non-oil producing neighboring countries like Jordan, in which the monthly price for over than 500 kW h is $0.16. As it is known, the government of Saudi Arabia subsidizes prices of oil and electricity.