Search Results (10)

The global cumulative installed PV capacity is anticipated to surpass 2 TWp by the end of 2024, which is an increase in three orders of magnitude from the 1 GWp at the end of 2004. Depending on the energy transition scenarios, up to 8 kWp per capita have to be operational by 2050 globally. In Europe, this capacity could even be 50% higher, and this will have consequences on the decisions regarding where to install this capacity; thus, these decisions will be significantly impacted. This paper gives an overview of the technology options for installing PV systems in areas already used for other human activities as well as integrating them into ships and vehicles without the acquisition of extra land. The focus of this paper is on the situations within the European Union, such as land competition, and presents innovative solutions. Full article

Accelerating the deployment of Photovoltaic (PV) systems is a key contributing factor in achieving climate neutrality. Even though solar power is one of the cheapest energy sources and its deployment is growing rapidly around the world, an even faster growth is required to achieve existing climate goals. Besides the role that finance and permitting can play as enablers or barriers to this, the key elements to enable fast PV deployment are the use of education, and science and data-driven tools to empower citizens, installers, and investors to make their decisions based on robust scientific evidence. This perspective article aims to summarize the key concepts presented and discussed during the side event at COP27 on PV resources towards climate neutrality. The article will accomplish this by highlighting two key aspects: (1) the advantages of using solar-related education and data-driven tools, and (2) showcasing the significance of education, improved data and tools, community involvement, and PV mapping in expediting the deployment of PV systems. Full article

The urgency of a clean energy transition in the European Union is now not only driven by concerns about climate change, but also by using local renewable energy resources to reduce the dependency on foreign energy imports. Solar photovoltaic electricity generation is acknowledged as one of the pillars of this transition and various policy measures were implemented over the last two years to not only accelerate the deployment of solar photovoltaic electricity generation systems, but also to rebuild a competitive solar value chain in Europe to hedge against solar photovoltaic component supply chain disruptions. However, the current political ambitions still do not pay sufficient attention to the importance of solar photovoltaics as a major contributor to the necessary future renewable energy supply. According to the market trend between 2017 and 2022, the currently average EU installed capacity of 474.55 W_p/capita will not reach the necessary 2246 W_p/capita or 1 TW_p target by 2030. At the moment, only seven member states have an installed capacity per capita higher than the average EU value. Full article

This paper exposes the many flaws in the article “Through the Eye of a Needle: An Eco-heterodox Perspective on the Renewable Energy Transition, authored by Siebert and Rees and recently published in Energies as a Review. Our intention in submitting this critique is to expose and rectify the original article’s non-scientific approach to the review process that includes selective (and hence biased) screening of the literature focusing on the challenges related to renewable energies, without discussing any of the well-documented solutions. In so doing, we also provide a rigorous refutation of several statements made by a Seibert–Rees paper, which often appear to be unsubstantiated personal opinions and not based on a balanced review of the available literature. Full article

The political goal of the European Union is to transform into a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate-neutral economy by 2050. To accelerate this transition, the European Commission has presented a European Green Deal in 2019. The aim is to reduce up to 55% the greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The paper looks at the role photovoltaic electricity generation can play to achieve this and whether the required areas for the installation of the photovoltaicaic power needed are available. Following a review of the existing literature, the paper concludes that better use of the technology that has been largely neglected so far coupled with dual-use options would generate much more PV capacity than required to achieve a neutral economy. Full article

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been around for more than a hundred years. Nevertheless, their deployment has not been a sustainable success up until now. Many scientists, engineers and policymakers argue that EVs are a promising, maybe even indispensable option to achieve ambitious decarbonization goals, if powered by electricity from renewable energy sources. At the moment, the EVs market is gaining a lot of momentum and we may be near the point of no return for a sustained mass market deployment of electric vehicles. Many papers exist that describe future prospects of EVs. In our commentary we try to provide a bigger picture view and look at market and societal aspects. We analyze why previous generations of EVs were not successful and how current electric vehicles could become a sustainable success. We perform a semi-quantitative Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis and find that current electric vehicle designs are technologically on par with or better than conventional alternatives. Car buyers go electric when the economics make sense to them. We conclude that incentives are needed for electric vehicles until battery costs lower—as much as to allow EVs to become cheaper—from a total cost of ownership (TCO) perspective, than other alternatives. Other policy measures are needed to overcome remaining barriers, especially in supporting the setup and operation of publicly accessible recharging points to overcome range anxiety. EVs in isolation may not be the next mobility killer app. The real next mobility killer app may emerge as an autonomous shared EV in a world where the border between public and private transport will cease to exist. The findings of our commentary are relevant for scientists, policymakers and industry. Full article

Since the demonstration of the first modern silicon solar cells at Bell Labs in 1954, it took 58 years until the cumulative installed photovoltaic electricity generation capacity had reached 100 GW by the end of 2012. Then, it took another five years to reach an annual installation capacity of over 100 GW in 2017 and close to 120 GW in 2019. As a consequence, the total world-wide installed photovoltaic electricity generation capacity exceeded 635 GW at the end of 2019. Although it witnessed a 20% and 25% decrease in annual installations in 2018 and 2019, respectively, China was again the largest market with 30 GW of annual installations. The number of countries in the club with more than 1 GW annually has increased to 18 countries in 2019. The use of local battery storage systems in solar farms as well as decentralized photovoltaic electricity generation systems combined has again increased, due to the falling storage system costs. Full article

The use of coal for electricity generation is the main emitter of Greenhous Gas Emissions worldwide. According to the International Energy Agency, these emissions have to be reduced by more than 70% by 2040 to stay on track for the 1.5–2 °C scenario suggested by the Paris Agreement. To ensure a socially fair transition towards the phase-out of coal, the European Commission introduced the Coal Regions in Transition initiative in late 2017. The present paper analyses to what extent the use of photovoltaic electricity generation systems can help with this transition in the coal regions of the European Union (EU). A spatially explicit methodology was developed to assess the solar photovoltaic (PV) potential in selected regions where open-cast coal mines are planned to cease operation in the near future. Different types of solar PV systems were considered including ground-mounted systems developed either on mining land or its surroundings. Furthermore, the installation of rooftop solar PV systems on the existing building stock was also analysed. The obtained results show that the available area in those regions is abundant and that solar PV systems could fully substitute the current electricity generation of coal-fired power plants in the analysed regions. Full article

Over the last two decades, grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have increased from a niche market to one of the leading power generation capacity additions annually. In 2018, over 100 GW of new PV power capacity was added. The annual PV capacity addition in 2018 was more than the total cumulative installed PV capacity installed until the mid of 2012. Total installed PV power capacity was in excess of 500 GW at the end of 2018. Despite a 20% decrease in annual installations, China was, again, the largest market with over 44 GW of annual installations. Decentralized PV electricity generation systems combined with local battery storage have substantially increased as well. Full article

Renewable energy use, especially from solar photovoltaic electricity generation, is growing at a much faster pace than the rest of the economy world-wide. The significant cost reduction of solar PV over the last decade and the zero-fuel cost volatility have increased solar PV’s attractiveness. In 2016, the newly installed solar PV power of about 75 GW was more than all the world-wide installed capacity until the end of 2011. The fact that the Paris Agreement went into force on 4 November 2016 will be another accelerating factor for the use of electricity from renewable energy sources. Apart from the electricity sector, renewable energy sources for the generation of heat and environmental friendly synthetic-fuels for the transport sector will become more and more important in the future. Full article