Climate impacts on the cost of solar energy

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) estimates are widely utilized by decision makers to predict the long-term cost and benefits of solar PV installations, but fail to consider local climate, which impacts PV panel lifetime and performance. Specific types of solar PV panels are known to respond to climate factors differently. Mono-, poly-, and amorphous-silicon (Si) PV technologies are known to exhibit varying degradation rates and instantaneous power losses as a function of operating temperature, humidity, thermal cycling, and panel soiling. We formulate an extended LCOE calculation, which considers PV module performance and lifespan as a function of local climate. The LCOE is then calculated for crystalline and amorphous Si PV technologies across several climates. Finally, we assess the impact of various policy incentives on reducing the firm's cost of solar deployment when controlling for climate. This assessment is the first to quantify tradeoffs between technologies, geographies, and policies in a unified manner. Results suggest crystalline Si solar panels as the most promising candidate for commercial-scale PV systems due to their low degradation rates compared to amorphous technologies. Across technologies, we note the strong ability of investment subsidies in removing uncertainty and reducing the LCOE, compared to production incentives.

Core Abilities Evaluation Index System Exploration and Empirical Study on Distributed PV-Generation Projects

“…With the weighting results in Equation (22), the TOPSIS evaluation model can be used to assess the core abilities of these 3 distributed PV-generation projects. In Figure 6, the differentials of core abilities for each distributed PV project can be seen in every dimension.…”

“…Economic assessment results can provide key indexes for the core abilities evaluation of distributed PV-generation projects. Meanwhile, the climate or environmental effects caused by PV project diffusion were also studied deeply [22][23][24][25][26]. PV generation costs and emissions are the topics of most concern.…”

“…Most researchers considered that the business models and financing and tariff mechanisms are the main factors in economic evaluation of PV projects, such as Alex Park and Petros Lappas [18], Mallory E. Flowers, et al [22] and so on. …”

“…According to the evaluation results, the solutions can be ranked by their distances to the negative ideal point. The solution values can be calculated via Equation (22).…”

How Adding a Battery to a Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System Can Increase its Economic Performance: A Comparison of Different Scenarios

“…As shown above, to simulate the energy and financial performance of the system, assumptions must be made. In this work, the assumptions, which are made based on data collected from a literature review and realistic current conditions, are listed in Table 2 [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45].…”