Integrated high-concentration PV near-term alternative for low-cost large-scale solar electric power

Large-scale photovoltaic electric power generation deployment and utilization is no longer dictated by limitations in technology, but rather by the economics of PV systems vs. other renewable or traditional options. This paper describes a near-term alternative option for cost-effective solar electric power generation based on a novel sunlight concentrating technology: integrated high-concentration PV(IHCPV). The advantages of high-concentration systems have been well analyzed, but development was constrained by the lack of solar cell capable of withstanding the rigors of concentrated sunlight. The development of a stable, high-concentration back-junction, point-contact cell, by Amonix, paved the way for high-concentration system development. System designers had to insure that the cost savings inherent in concentration systems through the reduction of costly solar cell content were not over-shadowed by the ancillary costs of structure and tracking elements used in concentrating arrays. The IHCPV system has met these goals. Economic factors specific to the IHCPV system are presented including (1) low cost of entry, (2) enhanced energy production, (3) reduced and utilization, and (4) accelerated benefits of volume production.     

The status of crystalline Si modules

The hope of a fast expansion of solar energy conversion by photovoltaics as a primary energy resource could be undeceived by the high production costs of PV modules The purpose of this work is firstly to discuss both technical and economical reasons yielding the present production cost levels of 4.5 $/Wp for standard crystalline silicon technology and secondly to indicate the development path necessary to achieve a cost of 2$/Wp, which is recognised as a threshold value for an effective use of PV     

Estimation of the PV potential in ASEAN with a high spatial and temporal resolution

Further exploitation of renewable energy sources for power generation could mitigate the current rapid increase of greenhouse gas emissions in South East Asia. In this context, solar PV is a promising option as PV system costs have been declining continuously over the past. In order to define strategies towards a low-carbon future power supply, detailed information on the potential power output of solar PV is essential.Therefore, this paper analyses the resource and technical potential of solar PV in South East Asia in high temporal and spatial resolution. An empirical, climate-based Ångström-Prescott model is proposed in order to adjust MERRA solar radiation data. The possible power output of PV is derived considering topographic and land-use constraints as well as technological characteristics of typical PV systems.Java, central Myanmar and eastern Thailand were identified to be the best locations for PV use, with capacity factors exceeding 15%. Due to the large land area which is suitable for PV installations, South East Asia offers an abundant theoretical potential of solar PV, amounting to 430 TW h with conservative assumptions.     

Scalable methodology for the photovoltaic solar energy potential assessment based on available roof surface area: Application to Piedmont Region (Italy)

During the last few years the photovoltaic energy market has seen an outstanding growth. According to the new directive on renewable energies of the European Commission (2009/28/EC), the European Union should reach a 20% share of the total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. The national overall targets impose for Italy a 17% renewable share: in case of failure the gap would be filled by importation of renewable energy from non-UE countries. The ambitious national targets and thus the continuously increasing interest on renewable fuels, require simple but reliable methods for the energy potential assessment over large-scale territories. Considering roof-top integrated PV systems, the assessment of the PV energy potential passes through the evaluation of the roof surface area available for installations. In the present paper a methodology for estimating the PV solar energy potential is presented, together with its application to Piedmont Region (North-Western Italy). The roof area suitable for solar applications, is calculated through the analysis of available GIS data. The solar radiation maps are taken from the database of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Different solar energy exploitation scenarios are proposed with the relative perspective results and confidence interval. Further developments and applications of the presented methodology are finally discussed.     

Technico-economic analysis of off grid solar PV/Fuel cell energy system for residential community in desert region

A technico-economic analysis based on integrated modeling, simulation, and optimization approach is used in this study to design an off grid hybrid solar PV/Fuel Cell power system. The main objective is to optimize the design and develop dispatch control strategies of the standalone hybrid renewable power system to meet the desired electric load of a residential community located in a desert region. The effects of temperature and dust accumulation on the solar PV panels on the design and performance of the hybrid power system in a desert region is investigated. The goal of the proposed off-grid hybrid renewable energy system is to increase the penetration of renewable energy in the energy mix, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, and lower the cost of energy from the power systems. Simulation, modeling, optimization and dispatch control strategies were used in this study to determine the performance and the cost of the proposed hybrid renewable power system. The simulation results show that the distributed power generation using solar PV and Fuel Cell energy systems integrated with an electrolyzer for hydrogen production and using cycle charging dispatch control strategy (the fuel cell will operate to meet the AC primary load and the surplus of electrical power is used to run the electrolyzer) offers the best performance. The hybrid power system was designed to meet the energy demand of 4500 kWh/day of the residential community (150 houses). The total power production from the distributed hybrid energy system was 52% from the solar PV, and 48% from the fuel cell. From the total electricity generated from the photovoltaic hydrogen fuel cell hybrid system, 80.70% is used to meet all the AC load of the residential community with negligible unmet AC primary load (0.08%), 14.08% is the input DC power for the electrolyzer for hydrogen production, 3.30% are the losses in the DC/AC inverter, and 1.84% is the excess power (dumped energy). The proposed off-grid hybrid renewable power system has 40.2% renewable fraction, is economically viable with a levelized cost of energy of 145 $/MWh and is environmentally friendly (zero carbon dioxide emissions during the electricity generation from the solar PV and Fuel Cell hybrid power system).     

Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy; latest developments in the building integrated and hybrid PV systems

Environmental concerns are growing and interest in environmental issues is increasing and the idea of generating electricity with less pollution is becoming more and more attractive. Unlike conventional generation systems, fuel of the solar photovoltaic energy is available at no cost. And solar photovoltaic energy systems generate electricity pollution-free and can easily be installed on the roof of residential as well as on the wall of commercial buildings as grid-connected PV application. In addition to grid-connected rooftop PV systems, solar photovoltaic energy offers a solution for supplying electricity to remote located communities and facilities, those not accessible by electricity companies.The interest in solar photovoltaic energy is growing worldwide. Today, more than 3500 MW of photovoltaic systems have been installed all over the world. Since 1970, the PV price has continuously dropped [8]. This price drop has encouraged worldwide application of small-scale residential PV systems. These recent developments have led researchers concerned with the environment to undertake extensive research projects for harnessing renewable energy sources including solar energy. The usage of solar photovoltaic as a source of energy is considered more seriously making future of this technology looks promising.The objective of this contribution is to present the latest developments in the area of solar photovoltaic energy systems. A further objective of this contribution is to discuss the long-term prospect of the solar photovoltaic energy as a sustainable energy supply.     

Towards a local learning (innovation) model of solar photovoltaic deployment

It is by now familiar that in the deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, the cost dynamics of major system component like solar cell/module is subjected to experience curve effects driven by production learning and research and development at the supplier side. What is less clear, however, is the economics of system integration or system deployment that takes place locally close to the user, involving other market players, in the downstream solar PV value chain. Experts have agreed that suppliers of solar PV system must customize their flexible characteristics to address local unique users’ and applications requirements and compete on price/performance basis. A lack of understanding of the drivers of the economics of system customization therefore is a deficiency in our understanding of the overall economics of this renewable energy technology option.     

Domestic integration of micro-renewable electricity generation in Ireland – The current status and economic reality

The utilisation of renewable energy resources for power generation is extremely important for Ireland due to the lack of indigenous fossil fuel resources. A micro-wind turbine is by far the most commonly used grid-connected micro-renewable electricity generation system for domestic applications in Ireland, followed by solar PV. Unfortunately, neither a single micro-wind turbine nor a single solar PV system can provide a continuous power supply due to variations in weather and climate conditions. The coupling of these two systems however can improve the power supply reliability by using the complementary characteristics of wind and solar energy. In this paper, a micro-renewable electricity-generation-system integration technique, tailored for applications in Ireland but generally applicable, is presented. Net present value is the parameter used to identify the optimal system. The optimal system can be a mono system, formed from a single micro-wind turbine or a single solar PV system, or a hybrid system formed from a combination of both. A renewable energy requirement is a constraint used in the integration to eliminate systems that cannot provide sufficient energy from renewable energy resources. The integration technique is applied to find the optimal system, under current Irish conditions, that can be formed from six sample micro-wind turbines and/or solar PV systems assembled from three sample solar PV modules. The analyses show that, with a 50% renewable energy requirement, the optimal system is a mono system containing a 2.4 kW micro-wind turbine; however, critically, the system is not economically viable. Four parameter studies assessing the effect of household electrical load, imported electricity price, exported electricity tariff and wind speed have also been conducted. From these studies it is seen that the most effective way to improve the financial performance of all systems is to offer a higher exported electricity tariff; installing a mono/hybrid system containing a micro-wind turbine in a location with a good wind resource can also have a significant effect.     

Ten years of collaborative photovoltaic research and education: University of Florence—Slovak University of Technology

This paper deals with research and development (R&D) activities in the area of photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy within collaboration between the Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava and University of Florence. Activities covered include the development of all-implanted monocrystalline silicon cells with screen-printed contacts, PV modules technology for the manufacture of large-area components for power roofs, building and acoustic barriers applications, power conditioning for PV supply units for railway applications, and technological solutions for the realization of PV arrays operating at direct-current voltages in excess of 500 V. Other activities have been related to CdTe thin films for solar cells. Educational activities in the field of photovoltaic engineering for an undergraduate course are briefly outlined as well.     

光伏发电在我国电力能源结构中的战略地位和未来发展方向

保障能源和环境可持续发展,特别是保证一次能源的供给是我国面临的重大战略问题。可再生能源将逐步替代化石能源,成为人类可持续发展的能源。在可再生能源中,潜力最大的是太阳能,到本世纪中期太阳能将成为电力能源中的重要组成部分,而到本世纪末成为电力能源中的主要部分。我国拥有丰富的太阳能资源,是中华民族赖以生存的最宝贵的资源。光伏发电技术目前已经成熟,发展势头迅猛,正在努力突破高成本的制约瓶颈,有望在30年左右的时段内成为重要的电力能源之一。在今后10～20年,我国的光伏发电将主要应用于下述方面:农村离网供电,分布电源,大规模荒漠电站以及其它商业应用。国家应首先加强光伏发电各项能力建设,包括资源普查和评估、研发能力建设、培训体系建设、质量监督服务体系建设,并积极开展国际合作,引进技术、人才和资金,为我国光伏发电的健康、可持续发展奠定坚实的基础。     

Renewable power for China: Past,present, and future

This paper briefly examines the history, status, policy situation, development issues, and prospects for key renewable power technologies in China. The country has become a global leader in wind turbine and solar photovoltaic (PV) production, and leads the world in total power capacity from renewable energy. Policy frameworks have matured and evolved since the landmark 2005 Renewable Energy Law, updated in 2009. China’s 2020 renewable energy target is similar to that of the EU. However, China continues to face many challenges in technology development, grid-integration, and policy frameworks. These include training, research and development, wind turbine operating experience and performance, transmission constraints, grid interconnection time lags, resource assessments, power grid integration on large scales, and continued policy development and adjustment. Wind and solar PV targets for 2020 will likely be satisfied early, although domestic demand for solar PV remains weak and the pathways toward incorporating distributed and building-integrated solar PV are uncertain. Prospects for biomass power are limited by resource constraints. Other technologies such as concentrating solar thermal power, ocean energy, and electricity storage require greater attention.     

Renewable power for China: Past, present, and future

This paper briefly examines the history, status, policy situation, development issues, and prospects for key renewable power technologies in China. The country has become a global leader in wind turbine and solar photovoltaic (PV) production, and leads the world in total power capacity from renewable energy. Policy frameworks have matured and evolved since the landmark 2005 Renewable Energy Law, updated in 2009. China’s 2020 renewable energy target is similar to that of the EU. However, China continues to face many challenges in technology development, grid-integration, and policy frameworks. These include training, research and development, wind turbine operating experience and performance, transmission constraints, grid interconnection time lags, resource assessments, power grid integration on large scales, and continued policy development and adjustment. Wind and solar PV targets for 2020 will likely be satisfied early, although domestic demand for solar PV remains weak and the pathways toward incorporating distributed and building-integrated solar PV are uncertain. Prospects for biomass power are limited by resource constraints. Other technologies such as concentrating solar thermal power, ocean energy, and electricity storage require greater attention.     

“八面玲珑展威风”——介绍一种新的“采用数倍聚光的光伏发电系统”

尽管太阳能是发展潜力最大的可再生能源资源,但由于太阳能光电的成本远远高于风电、生物质发电,使得人们对太阳能的大规模利用还依然是一种奢望。那么,如何使太阳能从“高处不胜寒”的境遇走入寻常百姓家呢?关键在于技术突破!本文介绍的“采用数倍聚光的光伏发电系统”使我们看到了太阳能光电大规模发展的希望。根据陈应天教授的聚光和跟踪理论而开发的这种系统,可以使太阳能光电成本比传统的平板固定式光电技术降低1倍!本文以详实的数据介绍了这项完全自主创新的新技术的特点和经济优势。在我国风电、生物质发电技术落后并受制于国外技术垄断的情形下,这项新技术的示范推广,将是我国在太阳能利用方面的重要突破。     

Adoption of residential solar power under uncertainty: Implications for renewable energy incentives

Many incentives at the state and federal level exist for household adoption of renewable energy like solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Despite generous financial incentives the adoption rate is low. We use the option value framework, which takes into account the benefit of delaying investment in response to uncertainty, to examine the decision by households to invest in solar PV. Using a simulation model, we determine optimal adoption times, critical values of discounted benefits, and adoption rates over time for solar PV investments using data from Massachusetts. We find that the option value multiplier is 1.6, which implies that the discounted value of benefits from solar PV needs to exceed installation cost by 60% for investment to occur. Without any policies, median adoption time is eight years longer under the option value decision rule compared to the net present value decision rule where households equate discounted benefits to installation cost. Rebates and other financial incentives decrease adoption time, but their effect is attenuated if households apply the option value decision rule to solar PV investments. Results suggest that policies that reduce the uncertainty in returns from solar PV investments would be most effective at incentivizing adoption.     

Grid electrification challenges, photovoltaic electrification progress and energy sustainability in Lesotho

Lesotho's energy profile is characterized by a predominance of traditional biomass energy to meet the energy needs of the rural households and a heavy dependence on imported petroleum for the modern economic sector needs. As a result, the country faces challenges related to unsustainable use of traditional forms of biomass and exposure to high and unstable oil import prices. There are relatively abundant renewable energy resources in the form of hydro, solar and wind. The average daily solar radiation in Lesotho varies between 4.5 and 6.5 kWh/m², with some areas in the South West averaging over 7 kWh/m²/day. Under the UNDP/GEF-supported Lesotho Renewable Energy-Based Rural Electrification (LREBRE) Project, a total of 5000 solar home systems (SHS) will be installed by 2012. Since the start of the project, a total of 1537 SHS with a capacity of 65 W have been installed, and an estimated 500 SHS have also been independently installed as a result of the project's influence. This paper examines the role of PV technologies in the sustainable development process, with particular reference to UNDP/GEF-LREBRE Lesotho PV project, and the extent to which this project is impacting on the PV industry. The paper also analyses national grid electrification and energy provision in rural areas and shows that the problem of rural electrification could be tackled by conventional and non-conventional means.     

Solar PV energy conversion and the 21st century’s civilization

A review is given on some important roles of the solar PV technology to contribute to the sustainable developments of the 21st century civilization. Firstly, motivations of the industrial developments by energy revolutions since James Watt on steam engine in the 18th century are discussed. The transitions of natural resources from solid (coal) and liquid (oil) to gas (Liquified Natural Gas (LNG), Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)) are closely related to not only the economy of mass production, storage and transportation but also environmental issues. Secondly, a brief discussion is given on “the 3E-Trilemma” which is the most important issue for the 21st century’s civilization life. Thirdly, a new strategy for the renewable energy promotion—the so-called Fundamental Principle to promote New Energy Developments and Utilization—and its action planning for PV technology up to the year of 2010 are introduced.In the final part of this paper, a prospect of future industrializations of the photovoltaics is discussed, then the possible new roles to contribute to the global environmental issues by the PV system developments are introduced.     

中国可再生能源发展进入阶段转换期

本世纪前10年,中国可再生能源采取开放型发展模式,凭借风电产业"以市场换技术"的战略及光伏产业"两头在外"的发展模式,加之国内政策的大力扶持,连续3年保持全球风电第一大国地位,2011年中国光伏电池产量占到全球产量的56.5%,光伏组件出口量占当年全球新增光伏装机容量的54.6%。然而自2010年末起,中国可再生能源产业频繁遭遇国外"双反"制裁,正面临"保护难"和"出口难"的两难困境,"以市场换技术"战略难以为继,"两头在外"的发展模式也走到了尽头。开放式的发展模式已不适合产业的进一步发展,中国可再生能源产业开始步入主要依靠国内市场、依靠自主创新的内向化发展新阶段。中国的可再生能源市场前景广阔,国内市场足以支撑产业的发展。虽然国外企业在技术水平方面领先于中国企业,但由于技术边界效应的存在,中国企业在国内市场上还是有优势的。新阶段中国的产业政策应该转向大力开发国内市场,将补贴产品的生产和贸易环节改为补贴生产要素,并加大对可再生能源消费端的补贴。同时,要加快提升企业自主创新能力和产业技术水平。     

Photovoltaic manufacturing, system design and application trend in Iran

The application of PV systems in Iran has started since 1982, when a 1710 Watt power generator was installed in Fars (south east of Iran) to supply a telecommunication site by AEG. Till 1993 more than one hundred PV systems with various capacity and purpose of use have been installed over the country. In 1993 a production line for multicrystalline silicon solar cells and modules was installed in Tehran by the ministry of Post, Telegraph and Telephone (PTT). Since then the application of photovoltaic energy is spreading in various fields in Iran. In this paper the present and future state of photovoltaic plants, solar cell fabrication technology and optimization in system design and power conditioning are reported.     

Photovoltaic/thermal solar hybrid system with bifacial PV module and transparent plane collector

Electric energy production with photovoltaic (PV)/thermal solar hybrid systems can be enhanced with the employment of a bifacial PV module. Experimental model of a PV/thermal hybrid system with such a module was constructed and studied. To make use of both active surfaces of the bifacial PV module, we designed and made an original water-heating planar collector and a set of reflecting planes. The heat collector was transparent in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions, which makes it compatible with the PV module made of crystalline Si. The estimated overall solar energy utilization efficiency for the system related to the direct radiation flux is of the order of 60%, with an electric efficiency of 16.4%.     

甘肃敦煌10MW光伏并网发电特许权示范项目存在问题分析

2009年3月启动的甘肃敦煌10MW光伏并网发电特许权示范项目招标,标志着我国在大型荒漠光伏电站应用方面取得了重大进展。国家能源局组织开展的第一轮太阳能光伏发电特许权招标活动非常及时,对启动国内太阳能光伏市场产生了积极的影响,确定的电价1.09元/(kW.h)基本合理。然而,项目在实施过程中也却遇到了一系列的问题,如因供货不及时影响了项目进展,增大了建设成本;配套电网建设滞后;电力外送和消纳问题越来越突出,将成为大规模发展光伏电站的主要制约因素;税制改革挫伤了地方政府的积极性等。为保证国内光伏市场的健康发展,建议应将增值税中央收入部分按一定比例返还地方,采取补贴或者转移支付等手段维护地方政府开发太阳能项目的积极性;继续开展招标试点,摸清国内太阳能产业和市场的发展走向,完善太阳能光伏发电价格形成机制;吸取风电特许权项目的经验教训,改进招标规则,在电价的核准上谨慎行事;统筹考虑风电、太阳能等可再生能源资源开发与外送通道和消纳市场问题;慎重对待为解决太阳能等可再生能源发电电力消纳问题而引进高耗能项目。