Household Solar Photovoltaics: Supplier of Marginal Abatement, or Primary Source of Low-Emission Power?

Palmer, Graham

doi:10.3390/su5041406

Cited by 30 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Battery or pumped hydro storage 2-h Li-ion storage increases EPBT ∼ 20 % (reduces EROI ∼ 17 %). With 2-day Li-ion storage and PV overbuild for off-grid solar, EPBT increases 400 % (reduces EROI ∼ 80 %) (Palmer 2013(Palmer , 2017 Investment and output energy form equivalence 'Direct equivalent method' or 'Substitution method'…”

Section: Discussion Of Overall Implications For Eroi and Epbt Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Exploration of Divergence in EPBT and EROI for Solar Photovoltaics

Palmer

Floyd²

2017

Biophys Econ Resour Qual

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Solar photovoltaics (PV) is widely regarded as one of the most promising renewable energy technologies. Net energy analysis (NEA) is a tool to evaluate the energetic performance of all energy supply technologies, including solar PV. Results across studies can appear to diverge sharply, which leads to contestation of NEA's relevance to energy transition feasibility assessment and contributes to ongoing uncertainty in relation to the critical issue of the sustainability of PV. This study explores how PV NEA approaches differ, including in relation to goal definitions, methodologies and boundaries of analysis. It focuses on two principal NEA metrics, energy return on investment (EROI) and energy payback time (EPBT). Here we show that most of the apparent divergence between studies is accounted for by six factors-life-cycle assessment methodology, age of the primary data, PV cell technology, the treatment of intermittency, equivalence of investment and output energy forms, and assumptions about real-world performance. The apparent divergence in findings between studies can often be traced back to different goal definitions. This study reviews the differing approaches and makes the case that NEA is important for assessing the role of PV in future energy systems, but that findings in the form of EROI or EPBT must be considered with specific reference to the details of the particular study context, and the research questions that it seeks to address. NEA findings in a particular context cannot definitively support general statements about EROI or EPBT of PV electricity in all contexts.

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Section: Discussion Of Overall Implications For Eroi and Epbt Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Requires technical and reliability analysis of electricity systems and geographic and technology diversity. Examples: Palmer (2013Palmer ( , 2017. 4.…”

Section: Definition Of Eroi and Epbtmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Exploration of Divergence in EPBT and EROI for Solar Photovoltaics

Palmer

Floyd²

2017

Biophys Econ Resour Qual

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“…Therefore, there is no guarantee that low operating costs will adequately compensate for the high inputs, and thus the overall EROI of these sources could be low enough so that they will not, in fact, lead to a reduced percent of GDP spent on fuels. For example, as shown by three recent analyses, solar photovoltaic systems may have an EROI so low as to offer relatively little benefit to the continued functioning of industrial society [23][24][25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does a Change in Price of Fuel Affect GDP Growth? An Examination of the U.S. Data from 1950–2013

Aucott

Hall²,

Stern³

2014

Energies

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Abstract:We examined data on fuel consumption and costs for the years 1950 through 2013, along with economic and population data, to determine the percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) spent each year on fuels, including fossil fuels and nuclear ore, and the growth of the economy. We found that these variables are inversely correlated. This suggests that the availability and cost of energy is a significant determinant of economic performance. We believe this relation is consistent with analyses based on the energy return on investment (EROI) concept in that increasingly scarce, and hence expensive, fuels are a drag on economic growth. The best-fitting linear equation relating the percent of GDP (energy cost share) and year-over-year (YoY) GDP change variables suggests that a threshold exists in the vicinity of 4%; if the percent of GDP spent on fuels is greater than this, poorer economic performance has been likely. Currently, about 5% of GDP is spent on fuels; most of this is for liquids. Continued weak economic performance appears likely unless improvements in energy efficiency, on the order of a factor of 3 for liquid fuels, and/or a more rapid adoption of renewable or nuclear energy sources can be achieved, provided that the EROI of these new sources proves to be sufficiently high.

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“…Using the specific context of off-grid rooftop solar, Palmer (2013) considered the role of storage within the context of an overall system. In this case, the role of storage and surplus solar capacity (to ensure adequate winter supply) in a rooftop solar system was evaluated to establish the lifetime EROI of the complete system.…”

Section: Storage Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Framework for Incorporating EROI into Electrical Storage

Palmer

2017

Biophys Econ Resour Qual

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was modelled as a limiting case of VRE plus storage, and is therefore not intended as a comprehensive cost-optimised solution to high-penetration VRE. A shift from an electrical system based mostly on energy stocks to one based mostly on natural flows is constrained by the quantity of storage required, and the quantity of VRE overbuild to charge the stores. The application of the framework shows that the value of electrical storage and overbuild exhibits a marked diminishing returns behaviour at rising VRE penetration and therefore the first units of storage are the most valuable. The framework is intended to stimulate further research into using EROI to better understand the role of VRE and storage in prospective energy transitions.

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Household Solar Photovoltaics: Supplier of Marginal Abatement, or Primary Source of Low-Emission Power?

Cited by 30 publications

References 49 publications

An Exploration of Divergence in EPBT and EROI for Solar Photovoltaics

An Exploration of Divergence in EPBT and EROI for Solar Photovoltaics

Does a Change in Price of Fuel Affect GDP Growth? An Examination of the U.S. Data from 1950–2013

A Framework for Incorporating EROI into Electrical Storage

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