TradVoltUse Cases › Library Solar 120 kWp — MEA

Library Solar 120 kWp in MEA — 25-Year TCO & Landed Cost

Scope: Rooftop PV system, 120 kWp DC (STC), public library site, Middle East & Africa region. All financial figures on this page are authoritative outputs of an audited model run on 2026-01-15; replace reference inputs with vendor quotes and site measurements before procurement.

Verdict (read first)

NPV = +71,141.87 USD; LCOE = 0.0445 USD/kWh; simple payback 6.70 yr; discounted payback 8.87 yr; IRR 14.14%. Equipment: 120 kWp DC rooftop PV (candidate stack: LONGi Hi-MO 5m LR5-54HTH 410–420 W modules, Sungrow SG3.0–20RT string inverters). Location: MEA (representative). Horizon: 25 years. Discount rate: 6.00%. Evidence date: 2026-01-15. Limitation: tariff and self-consumption are reference values; site-specific override required for procurement.

Decision table — authoritative audited outputs
MetricValueInterpretation
NPV @ 6.00% (USD)71,141.87Project creates value at reference inputs.
LCOE (USD/kWh)0.0445Below the blended value captured (≈0.078 USD/kWh); asset recovers cost.
Simple payback (year)6.70Cumulative net crosses zero between years 6 and 7.
Discounted payback (year)8.87Discounted cumulative net crosses zero during year 9.
IRR14.14%Above the 6.00% discount rate.
25-yr undiscounted net (USD)214,701.37Total benefit exceeds total cost over horizon.

Procurement note: The verdict is conditional on the audited inputs in §3 holding. Replace tariff, self-consumption, yield, and capex with site- and vendor-specific values, then re-run before issuing a PO.

1. TCO summary (audited)

TCO summary
MetricValue
CurrencyUSD
Horizon (years)25
Discount rate6.00 %
Total undiscounted cost (USD)105,000.00
Total discounted cost / PV of costs (USD)94,738.02
Total undiscounted benefit (USD)319,701.37
Total discounted benefit (USD)165,879.88
NPV (USD)71,141.87
IRR0.1414
Simple payback (year)6.70
Discounted payback (year)8.87
LCOE (USD/kWh)0.0445

2. Year-by-year cash flow (audited)

Year-by-year cash flow
YearCost (USD)Benefit (USD)Net (USD)Discount factorDiscounted net (USD)Energy (kWh)
084,000.000.0000-84,000.001.00-84,000.000.0000
1840.0013,572.0012,732.000.943412,011.32174,000.00
2840.0013,504.1412,664.140.890011,271.04173,130.00
3840.0013,436.6212,596.620.839610,576.36172,264.35
4840.0013,369.4412,529.440.79219,924.49171,403.03
5840.0013,302.5912,462.590.74739,312.77170,546.01
6840.0013,236.0812,396.080.70508,738.74169,693.28
7840.0013,169.9012,329.900.66518,200.08168,844.82
8840.0013,104.0512,264.050.62747,694.61168,000.59
9840.0013,038.5312,198.530.59197,220.29167,160.59
10840.0012,973.3312,133.330.55846,775.19166,324.79
11840.0012,908.4712,068.470.52686,357.52165,493.16
12840.0012,843.9212,003.920.49705,965.58164,665.70
13840.0012,779.7011,939.700.46885,597.80163,842.37
14840.0012,715.8111,875.810.44235,252.68163,023.16
15840.0012,652.2311,812.230.41734,928.83162,208.04
16840.0012,588.9711,748.970.39364,624.94161,397.00
17840.0012,526.0211,686.020.37144,339.77160,590.02
18840.0012,463.3911,623.390.35034,072.18159,787.07
19840.0012,401.0711,561.070.33053,821.09158,988.13
20840.0012,339.0711,499.070.31183,585.46158,193.19
21840.0012,277.3711,437.370.29423,364.37157,402.22
22840.0012,215.9911,375.990.27753,156.89156,615.21
23840.0012,154.9111,314.910.26182,962.21155,832.14
24840.0012,094.1311,254.130.24702,779.53155,052.98
25840.0012,033.6611,193.660.23302,608.11154,277.71

3. Inputs (cited)

Every input below is taken from a named public source. Rows without a traceable source are presented as bounded model assumptions and labelled (model assumption).

ParameterValueUnitSource / URL
System size120kWp (DC, STC)TradVolt brief (this use case) — (model assumption)
Specific yield — MEA (general range)1,450kWh/kWp/yrIEA PVPS Task reports — MENA / Sub-Saharan Africa mid band, country-statistic pages — (model assumption, order of magnitude)
Module annual degradation0.5%/yr (linear)(model assumption) consistent with industry datasheet band
Capex (turnkey, MEA reference)700USD/kWpIEA PVPS country cost benchmarks, MEA mid band (2022 USD); confirm in RFQ
Opex (annual)1.0% of capex/yrIEA PVPS O&M band; confirm in RFQ
Retail tariff (library, public-sector)0.09USD/kWh(model assumption, order of magnitude) — confirm against destination national tariff schedule
Export tariff (net-billing/PPA equivalent)0.05USD/kWh(model assumption) — PENDING confirmation per jurisdiction
Self-consumption ratio (library)0.70fraction(model assumption) — PENDING site audit
Discount rate6.00%/yr(model assumption) — commercial WACC band for MEA public-sector projects
Project horizon25yearsTradVolt brief — (model assumption)
Residual value — amount0.00USD(model assumption, bounded) — conservatively zeroed at end of horizon
Residual value — year25year(model assumption, bounded) — applied at horizon end
Sea freight (CFR MEA port)≈ 4%of ex-works(model assumption) — confirm with freight forwarder per Incoterms 2020 — see ICC Incoterms 2020
Cargo insurance≈ 0.25%of ex-works + freight(model assumption)
EPC install + commissioning≈ 6.5%of ex-works(model assumption)
Clearing & forwarding400USD(model assumption)
Inland transport + lifting to roof1,200USD(model assumption)

4. Equipment candidates (real, marketed models)

The candidate stack below is composed of publicly marketed brands and model families. Specific datasheet PDFs and per-model product pages are JS-rendered on the OEM sites; confirm the exact model variant, revision, and certification copy in the RFQ response.

ItemModel family (real, marketed)Source / URL
Modules (mono TOPCon, 410–420 W)LONGi Hi-MO 5m LR5-54HTH 410–420 WLONGi — datasheet confirmed at RFQ
Modules (alternate, Tier-1)JinkoSolar Tiger Neo JKM-N-54HL4R-V 410–430 WJinkoSolar — datasheet confirmed at RFQ
Modules (alternate, Tier-1)Trina Solar Vertex S+ TSM-NEG9RC.27 410–425 WTrina Solar — datasheet confirmed at RFQ
String inverter (3-phase)Sungrow SG3.0RT / SG5.0RT / SG10RT / SG15RT / SG20RTSungrow — manual revision supplied with RFQ response
String inverter (alternate)Huawei SUN2000-12/15/17/20KTL-M2Huawei FusionSolar — manual revision supplied with RFQ response
String inverter (alternate)Growatt MID 15–25KTL3-XGrowatt — manual revision supplied with RFQ response
Mounting structure (rail-based)K2 Systems aluminium rail + stainless clamps (e.g. K2 SingleRail / SolidRail family), designed per IEC 62548K2 Systems — kit datasheet + manual revision confirmed at RFQ
Battery (optional, BESS stack if hybrid)CATL EnerC 215 kWh cabinet (if hybrid) — NOT in PV-only TCOCATL energy storage (out of scope for this PV-only page)
Battery cells (cell-level reference)EVE Energy LF280K 3.2 V 280 Ah LiFePO4 (cell reference only)EVE Energy (out of scope for this PV-only page)
Battery (rack-mount, BESS reference)BYD Battery-Box Premium HVS/HVM (hybrid stack reference)BYD Battery-Box (out of scope for this PV-only page)

The TCO is PV-only (no BESS); the battery lines above are listed for reference if the buyer adds a hybrid layer later. Any torque / SOC / voltage limits for inverters must be confirmed against the OEM installation manual at procurement; for the Sungrow SG3.0–20RT family, consult the OEM manual revision supplied with the RFQ response. For modules, confirm the model-specific IEC 61215-1/-2 and IEC 61730-1/-2 certificate (see §8) at vendor RFQ.

5. Assumptions

6. Landed cost (duties, freight, BoS)

Landed-cost build-up for the equipment stack in §4 (PV-only), order-of-magnitude, before RFQ exact procurement:

LineValue (USD)Notes / source
Ex-works equipment (modules + inverters + mounting)84,000.00Capex input above (§3)
Sea freight (CFR MEA port)3,600.00(model assumption) — ≈ 4% of ex-works for 120 kWp rooftop BoS in a 40 HC; terms per ICC Incoterms 2020
Insurance (cargo)200.00(model assumption) — ≈ 0.25% of ex-works + freight
Import dutyPENDINGLookup at EU TARIC consultation for non-EU destinations; SARS for South Africa; GRA for Ghana; URA for Uganda; Australian Border Force for AU; Japan Customs for JP; for US reference see USITC HTS; UK reference UK Global Tariff
Clearing & forwarding400.00(model assumption)
Inland transport + lifting to roof1,200.00(model assumption)
EPC install + commissioning5,500.00(model assumption) (≈ 6.5% of ex-works)
Total landed (excl. import duty)94,900.00Sum of fixed lines

Import duty varies by destination and is intentionally PENDING. Any positive ad-valorem duty narrows the NPV headroom in §1. If a preferential origin certificate applies (e.g., AfCFTA, GAFTA, EU-Algeria/Tunisia/Morocco AA), it must be obtained pre-shipment; otherwise MFN applies. Freight terms per ICC Incoterms 2020. Forwarding documentation per FIATA. Dangerous goods (BESS variants) per IATA DGR. Wood packaging per IPPC ISPM 15.

7. Cert block

ItemStandardSourceNotes
Modules — design qualificationIEC 61215-1/-2 (2021)IEC 61215-1:2021 — webstore pageConfirm model-specific certificate in vendor RFQ
Modules — safetyIEC 61730-1/-2 (2016)IEC 61730-1:2016 — webstore pageConfirm model-specific certificate in vendor RFQ
Inverters — safetyIEC 62109-1/-2 (2010)IEC 62109-1:2010 — webstore pageConfirm grid-code compliance for MEA jurisdiction
System designIEC 62548 (2023)IEC 62548:2023 — webstore pagePV array design
Documentation / commissioningIEC 62446-1 (2016)IEC 62446-1:2016 — webstore pageRequired deliverables at handover
EU battery rules (if BESS added later)Regulation (EU) 2023/1542Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 — EUR-LexOut of scope for PV-only case; required for BESS variants
Transport of lithium cells (if BESS added later)UN Manual of Tests, 38.3IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (UN 38.3 reference) — confirm against the latest UN Rev.6 / Amend 1 edition at RFQOut of scope for PV-only case; required for BESS variants

8. HS code block

HS code (WCO HS 2022, 6-digit)DescriptionMFN duty (destination)Lookup
8541.43Photovoltaic cells — assembled in modules or made up into panelsPENDINGEU TARIC for non-EU MEA; SARS for ZA; GRA for GH; URA for UG; Australian Border Force for AU; Japan Customs for JP
8541.40Photosensitive semiconductor devices (incl. PV cells not assembled into modules)PENDINGSame lookup path as 8541.43
8504.40Static converters — invertersPENDINGUSITC HTS for US reference; UK Global Tariff for UK reference; EU TARIC; destination national portal
7308.30Structures of iron/steel — mounting frames (or 7610.90 for aluminium)PENDINGEU TARIC → destination national portal

Duty-rate disclaimer: MFN duty rates above are marked PENDING. Do not rely on this table for customs valuation. TradVolt does not assert duty rates as fact. To obtain a binding rate, query the official national customs tariff database for the destination country (links above), request a Binding Ruling / Advance Ruling from the competent authority, and consult a licensed customs broker. Where a free-trade agreement (e.g., AfCFTA, GAFTA, EU AA) applies, preferential rates may be available with proper origin documentation.

Lookup instructions (worked): (1) Identify the destination country → (2) open that country's national customs tariff portal via the link above → (3) search the 6-digit HS subheading → (4) expand to the national 8/10-digit line for the binding duty → (5) cross-check any FTA preferential schedule → (6) request a Binding Ruling if the line is ambiguous.

9. Call to action

Conditional verdict: NPV +71,141.87 USD at reference inputs. Replace order-of-magnitude values for tariff, self-consumption, yield, and capex with site measurements and vendor quotes, then re-run. Submit RFQ — Library Solar 120 kWp, MEA with your audited inputs.