Greenhouse gas emissions associated with photovoltaic electricity from crystalline silicon modules under various energy supply options

The direct and indirect emissions associated with photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation are evaluated, focussing on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to crystalline silicon (c‐Si) solar module production. Electricity supply technologies used in the entire PV production chain are found to be most influential. Emissions associated with only the electricity‐input in the production of PV vary as much as 0–200 g CO₂‐eq per kWh electricity generated by PV. This wide range results because of specific supply technologies one may assume to provide the electricity‐input in PV production, i.e., whether coal‐, gas‐, wind‐, or PV‐power facilities in the “background” provide the electricity supply for powering the entire PV production chain. The heat input in the entire PV production chain, for which mainly the combustion of natural gas is assumed, adds another ∼16 CO₂‐eq/kWh. The GHG emissions directly attributed to c‐Si PV technology alone constitute only ∼1–2 g CO₂‐eq/kWh. The difference in scale indicates the relevance of reporting “indirect” emissions due to energy input in PV production separately from “direct” emissions particular to PV technology. In this article, we also demonstrate the utilization of “direct” and “indirect” shares of emissions for the calculation of GHG emissions in simplified world electricity‐ and PV‐market development scenarios. Results underscore very large GHG mitigation realized by solar PV toward increasingly significant PV market shares. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Control strategies of energy storage limiting intermittent output of solar power generation: Planning and evaluation for participation in electricity market

Renewable energy generation cannot be consistently predicted or controlled. Therefore, it is currently not widely used in the electricity market, which requires dependable production. In this study, reliability- and variance-based controls of energy storage strategies are proposed to utilize renewable energy as a steady contributor to the electricity market. For reliability-based control, photovoltaic (PV) generation is assumed to be registered in the power generation plan. PV generation yields a reliable output using energy storage units to compensate for PV prediction errors. We also propose a runtime state-of-charge management method for sustainable operations. With variance-based controls, changes in rapid power generation are limited through ramp rate control. This study introduces new reliability and variance indices as indicators for evaluating these strategies. The reliability index quantifies the degree to which the actual generation realizes the plan, and the variance index quantifies the degree of power change. The two strategies are verified based on simulations and experiments. The reliability index improved by 3.1 times on average over 21 days at a real power plant.     

Interaction between photovoltaic distributed generation and electricity networks

Electricity power systems worldwide have traditionally been designed to a vertically connected scheme characterised by centralised generation. Over the last few decades, several factors have dictated a gradual shift from the central‐control approach to a more distributed layout where distributed generation (DG) technologies are effectively integrated and not just connected (appended) to the networks; amongst others liberalisation of electricity markets, security and quality of supply and environmental issues. Photovoltaic powered distributed generation (PV‐DG), although still having a much lesser impact than other DG technologies, is increasingly being embedded into electricity distribution networks worldwide within the framework of successful regulatory state and marketing programmes. PV‐DG has added values (benefits) for the electricity systems that extend from peak power and load reduction (when deployed close to electricity consumption points) to participation in grid‐supporting or grid‐forming modes of operation. The question arises as to what the present situation of PV technology is for its optimal integration in distribution networks, whether there are still technical barriers to overcome as well as new opportunities for PV in future renewably supplied electricity systems. This paper presents the current state of knowledge concerning these topics from a European perspective with regard to different grid structures. It also discusses existing standards, new opportunities to provide grid services and research and development needs identified to fully exploit the added‐value—and still developing—benefits of PV‐DG. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Value of net‐FiT PV policies for different electricity industry participants considering demand‐side response

Net‐metering feed‐in‐tariffs (net‐FiT) policies for residential photovoltaics (PV) have financial implications not only for PV customers but also for all other electricity industry participants. They may also incentivise households to adjust their daily load patterns to either minimise or maximise PV export depending on the FiT design and wider retail electricity arrangements. In this paper, we study the financial implications of both residential PV systems and such demand‐side response (DSR) on the financial returns of PV for households, their retailers and their distribution network service providers (DNSPs). We use half‐hourly PV generation and household consumption data for 61 houses in the Australian city of Sydney and consider two net‐FiT designs offering tariffs either significantly higher or lower than retail electricity rates. We use a simple model of DSR that allows households to increase PV exports or self‐consumption by moving load between daylight hours and the evening. We find that such DSR modestly improve household revenue but has potentially greater implications for retailers and DNSPs. DSR to increase exports reduces the adverse impacts of PV on retailer and DNSP revenues, while increased self‐consumption worsens them. Conversely, increased exports might drive DNSP expenditures in constrained network areas while increased self‐consumption might help reduce them. The study highlights the importance of designing PV policies with regard to their implications for retailers and DNSPs as well as PV households. Furthermore, the broader policy settings of retail electricity markets will become increasingly important as PV deployment grows, opportunities for DSR expand and current inadequacies in retail electricity markets become more marked. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solar based large scale power plants: what is the best option?

There are very few published data comparing performance and cost of thermal and photovoltaic (PV) based solar power generations. With recent intense technology and business developments there is a need to establish a comparison between these two solar energy options. We have developed a simple model to compare electricity cost using these two options without any additional fuel source of hybridization. Capital along with operation and maintenance (O&M) costs and other parameters from existing large scale solar farms are used to reflect actual project costs. To compete with traditional sources of power generation, solar technologies need to provide dispatchable electric power to respond to demand during peak hours. Different solutions for energy storage are available. In spite of their high capital cost, adding energy storage is considered a better long term solution than hybrid solar systems for large scale power plants. For this reason, a comparison between the two solar options is also provided that include energy storage. Although electricity storage is more expensive than thermal storage, PV power remains a competitive option. Expenses related to O&M in solar thermal plant are about ten times higher than PV, an important factor resulting in higher energy cost. Based on data from proven commercial technologies, this study showed that PV holds a slight advantage even when energy storage is included. Copyright © 2010 Crown in the right of Canada. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

PV thermal systems: PV panels supplying renewable electricity and heat

With PV Thermal panels sunlight is converted into electricity and heat simultaneously. Per unit area the total efficiency of a PVT panel is higher than the sum of the efficiencies of separate PV panels and solar thermal collectors. During the last 20 years research into PVT techniques and concepts has been widespread, but rather scattered. This reflects the number of possible PVT concepts and the accompanying research and development problems, for which it is the general goal to optimise both electrical and thermal efficiency of a device simultaneously. The aspects that can be optimised are, amongst others, the spectral characteristics of the PV cell, its solar absorption and the internal heat transfer between cells and heat‐collecting system. Another important level of optimisation is for the PVT device geometry and the integration into a system. The electricity and heat demand and the temperature level of the heat determine the choice for a certain system set‐up. With an optimal design, PVT systems can supply buildings with 100% renewable electricity and heat in a more cost‐effective manner than separate PV and solar thermal systems and thus contribute to the long‐term international targets on implementation of renewable energy in the built environment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intelligent PV Module for Grid-Connected PV Systems

Most issues carried out about building integrated photovoltaic (PV) system performance show average losses of about 20%–25% in electricity production. The causes are varied, e.g., mismatching losses, partial shadows, variations in current–voltage$(I$–$V)$characteristics of PV modules due to manufacturing processes, differences in the orientations and inclinations of solar surfaces, and temperature effects. These losses can be decreased by means of suitable electronics. This paper presents the intelligent PV module concept, a low-cost high-efficiency dc–dc converter with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) functions, control, and power line communications (PLC). In addition, this paper analyses the alternatives for the architecture of grid-connected PV systems: centralized, string, and modular topologies. The proposed system, i.e., the intelligent PV module, fits within this last group. Its principles of operation, as well as the topology of boost dc–dc converter, are analyzed. Besides, a comparison of MPPT methods is performed, which shows the best results for the incremental conductance method. Regarding communications, PLC in every PV module and its feasibility for grid-connected PV plants are considered and analyzed in this paper. After developing an intelligent PV module (with dc–dc converter) prototype, its optimal performance has been experimentally confirmed by means of the PV system test platform. This paper describes this powerful tool especially designed to evaluate all kinds of PV systems.     

Future Trends in European PV Power Generation

An overview of photovoltaic (PV) power generation activities in Europe is presented, drawing on recent experiences from the European Commission's THERMIE PV demonstration programme, and including some European PV market data and a summary of ways that photovoltaics contributes to the policy objectives of the European Union (EU). The importance of further cost reductions is emphasized with reference to the THERMIE objective of 10–15% reductions in overall projects costs per Wp over the next 4 years. Noting that PV power generation in Europe is moving from being mainly an R&D activity to being one that needs promotion in the market, the market development process is explored, and it is emphasized that project and market organization ‘orgware’ issues are as important as technical hardware and software issues in PV demonstrations and promotional activities. Finally, some European ‘success stories’ are presented and priorities for future PV demonstrations are proposed. It is concluded that one of the most promising areas for PV power generation in Europe is in distributed grid-connected PV power generation, and that greater emphasis should be given to ‘orgware’ issues such as building confidence in PV technologies, links with utilities, meeting the needs of the users (citizens) and reducing costs by exploiting economies of scale in project implementation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of electricity tariffs on optimal orientation of photovoltaic modules

Maximum revenue (or cost saving) from non‐tracking photovoltaic (PV) modules used for distributed generation can be achieved by a module orientation that depends on how the electricity tariff varies with time of day and time of year. Many jurisdictions have real‐time market prices of electricity for large customers, time‐dependent tariffs or tariffs that depend on peak demand. This paper quantifies the impact of such tariffs on the optimal orientation of non‐tracking PV modules using example tariffs from California, Nevada and Ontario, and concludes that modules should be oriented to the west of south by 28°, 46° and 54° respectively. In order to focus on the impact of tariff, the results are based on simulations of a constant‐efficiency PV system operating under year‐round clear‐sky conditions. A generalized relationship between optimal azimuth and the on‐ to off‐peak ratio of time‐dependent tariffs is also presented. The paper quantifies the sensitivity of the dollar value of the power generated to non‐optimal orientation of the modules. Compared to conventional south facing modules tilted at an angle just under the latitude, the paper demonstrates that optimal orientation adds 4–19% to the revenue/cost savings, potentially affecting the economic viability of a PV installation. The peak demand components of the Ontario tariff have a much more substantial effect on the optimization and resultant revenues (cost savings) than variations in the real‐time market price of electricity. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Smoothing of PV power fluctuations by geographical dispersion

The quality and the reliability of the power generated by large grid‐connected photovoltaic (PV) plants are negatively affected by the source characteristic variability. This paper deals with the smoothing of power fluctuations because of geographical dispersion of PV systems. The fluctuation frequency and the maximum fluctuation registered at a PV plant ensemble are analyzed to study these effects. We propose an empirical expression to compare the fluctuation attenuation because of both the size and the number of PV plants grouped. The convolution of single PV plants frequency distribution functions has turned out to be a successful tool to statistically describe the behavior of an ensemble of PV plants and determine their maximum output fluctuation. Our work is based on experimental 1‐s data collected throughout 2009 from seven PV plants, 20 MWp in total, separated between 6 and 360 km. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

风光互补发电系统的能量管理研究

风光互补发电系统可充分利用本地太阳能和风能资源,具有无污染、供电质量好的优点,是解决偏远地区供电问题的最佳选择之一。为了提高风光互补发电系统的能量利用率和经济性,满足负荷的供电要求,必需对系统能量进行有效的管理。本文提出了一种简洁适用的基于储能环节控制的能量管理策略,并进行了相关的仿真和实验验证。     

Simulating the variability of dispersed large PV plants

A model to simulate the fluctuations generated by a fleet of dispersed photovoltaic (PV) plants solely based on irradiance data measured at one single location is proposed. This simple model has been satisfactorily tested to quantify the power variability of a generic PV fleet, simply by defining two parameters: mean PV plant size and the number of plants in the PV fleet. Specifically, the model provides series of simulated power outputs that may be used in the grid operator simulation programmes, reproducing critical parameters, such as daily maximum fluctuation or the reserves required to offset these fluctuations. The model is created and validated against experimental 1‐s data collected throughout 2013 at six PV plants in Spain dispersed over 1100 km², totaling 17 MWp. Likewise, the model has been succesfully tested against another irradiance dataset, four sites across the state of Colorado, USA, and spread over 2400 km². Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

铁路5G-R基站太阳能供电架构及应用

针对铁路5G专用移动通信(5G-R)系统基站布置密集、单体功耗高的特点,结合铁路无线通信的需求,研究采用太阳能(PV)为5G-R系统基站的射频拉远单元(RRU)设备供电的方案。对比分析5G-R系统RRU设备日用电规律及太阳能电池日发电规律,确定了采用太阳能结合储能与外电源的供电体系,通过比较几种太阳能电池与外电源组合供电架构的经济性与可靠性,推荐采用直流侧切换的供电架构,并进一步提出了采用直流侧智能配电的太阳能供电方案。本研究在保证5G-R系统运行安全可靠的同时,通过采用太阳能供电方式降低了铁路5G-R系统对外电源的需求。     

Life cycle assessment and cost analysis of very large‐scale PV systems and suitable locations in the world

Although the Sahara region has a high potential for solar power plants, the amount of installed photovoltaic (PV) system remains relatively low. This paper aims to evaluate these potentials of PV system installation in terms of environmental and economic viewpoints with indices of cost, energy, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Two 1‐GW very large‐scale PV systems are simulated at Ouarzazate in Morocco and at Carpentras in France. The evaluation was performed using life cycle assessment. The lowest energy consumption and GHG emission are obtained while assuming cadmium telluride module. The result of our simulation shows that energy payback time is 0.9 years and CO₂ emission rate is 27.4 g‐CO_2‐eq/kWh in the Ouarzazate case. In cost estimation, generation costs are 0.06 USD/kWh in Ouarzazate and 0.09 USD/kWh in Carpentras in the case of 3% interest rate and 0.5 USD/W for multicrystalline silicon PV module price. In addition, by adapting 15% internal rate of return for 20% of budget, the generation costs become 0.09 USD/kWh in Ouarzazate and 0.13 USD/kWh in Carpentras under the same condition. Furthermore, the selection for suitable locations to install solar power plants in term of GHG emission is identified using geographical information system. Very high‐potential locations (lower than 38 g‐CO_2‐eq/kWh) could be obtained in North Chili, east and west Sahara, and Mexico. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Life-cycle air emissions from PV power systems

This paper addresses the air emissions of grid supply versus grid-connected and off-grid photovoltaic power generation, using the framework of life-cycle assessment, in the context of rural household energy supply in Australia. Emissions of carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides are calculated for the three life-cycle stages of manufacture, use and disposal. Sensitivities to materials and data inputs, as well as to component efficiencies, lifetimes and sizing are discussed. For each supply option, demand management options, including insulation and appliance choice, and the substitution of solar heating or bottled gas for electricity, are considered. The best option in all cases, in terms of life-cycle air emissions, is a grid-connected photovoltaic system used to supply an energy-efficient household with a mix of solar, gas and electric appliances. However, in financial terms, with current Australian energy prices, this option represents a high capital and life-cycle cost. Additionally, for the grid options, electricity costs do not significantly disadvantage the high demand scenarios. Both results provide a clear illustration of current Australian energy-pricing policies being in conflict with long-term environmental sustainability. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From irradiance to output power fluctuations: the PV plant as a low pass filter

The power generated by large grid‐connected photovoltaic (PV) plants depends greatly on the solar irradiance. This paper studies the effects of the solar irradiance variability analyzing experimental 1‐s data collected throughout a year at six PV plants, totaling 18 MWp. Each PV plant was modeled as a first order filter function based on an analysis in the frequency domain of the irradiance data and the output power signals. An empiric expression which relates the filter parameters and the PV plant size has been proposed. This simple model has been successfully validated precisely determining the daily maximum output power fluctuation from incident irradiance measurements. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Large-scale Distributed PV Projects in The Netherlands

In The Netherlands, as well as in a large number of other countries around the world, photovoltaics is regarded as one of the most promising options for future power production, although bulk photovoltaic (PV) power now is still more than five times more expensive than grid power. The commercialization of PV will run from small ‘niche’ markets to large-scale power plants integrated into the utility network. This does not mean, however, that PV R,D&D should concentrate on niche market applications only. Tomorrow's introduction of large-scale PV power plants can only be achieved successfully if effort is put into the development and demonstration of large-scale PV technology today. The Nieuw Sloten 250-kWp project (Amsterdam) and the Nieuwland 1-MW project (Amersfoort) in The Netherlands are examples of the commitment on the national and on the European level to take up this R,D&D effort seriously (both projects are supported by Novem and THERMIE). The Netherlands ‘learning programme’ for PV aims at the successful introduction of large-scale, dispersed photovoltaics in the next century. The key issue of the programme, as well as of the aforementioned projects, is to establish a firm cooperation with builders, because future large-scale photovoltaics in The Netherlands will undoubtedly be realized on the roofs of buildings. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于模糊控制的光伏并网逆变器MPPT控制研究

最大功率点跟踪控制的目的是为了将光伏阵列发出的最大能量实时地提供给负载,使光伏发电系统的能量利用率达到最大。在光伏阵列产生电能的应用中,有许多不确定因素,如太阳光照强度、光伏阵列温度的变化、负载的变化、光伏阵列输出特性的非线性,则建立模型分析光伏阵列输出最大功率要考虑很多的因素。从模糊控制技术的分析中知道,模糊控制不需要对被控对象建立精确的数学模型,是一种相对简单的智能控制方法,对处理非线性问题有很好的效果。因此,用模糊控制法来实现MPPT可以得到比较好的效果。本文基于此研究了光伏阵列的非线性功率输出特性,建立了基于Matlab simulink/Power system的光伏阵列仿真模型,对基于模糊控制采用扰动观察法进行光伏发电最大功率点跟踪进行了仿真验证。     

Update of environmental indicators and energy payback time of CdTe PV systems in Europe

Thin film technologies undergo rapid developments for increasing the module efficiencies and improving production technologies or recycling processes which affect the environmental profile of PV power generation and Energy Payback Time (EPBT). Therefore, especially for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of product systems with short development cycles, the environmental profiles need to be frequently updated to ensure the representativeness and validity of the environmental assessment. The update of LCA results in this paper demonstrates that considerable improvements were reached in the environmental profile of CdTe PV power and EPBT over the last four years. Depending on the location of installation in Europe, the corresponding Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of PV power for ground mounted power plants are between 19 and 30 g CO₂‐equiv./kWh and between 0.7 and 1.1 years in terms of EBPT. Furthermore, for the first time, the environmental impacts due to an already applied recycling procedure of CdTe modules and it's relative contribution to the CdTe PV life cycle has been investigated. This paper presents the main approach, results and outcomes of the study. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.