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Energy pay‐back time and CO 2 emissions of PV systems
Author(s) -
Alsema E. A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-159x(200001/02)8:1<17::aid-pip295>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , roof , environmental science , automotive engineering , grid , electrical engineering , engineering , environmental engineering , civil engineering , geography , geodesy
The energy requirements for the production of PV modules and BOS components are analyzed in order to evaluate the energy pay‐back time and the CO 2 emissions of grid‐connected PV systems. Both c‐Si and thin film module technologies are investigated. Assuming an irradiation of 1700 kWh/m 2 /yr the energy pay‐back time was found to be 2·5–3 years for present‐day roof‐top installations and 3–4 years for multi‐megawatt, ground‐mounted systems. The specific CO 2 emission of the rooftop systems was calculated as 50–60 g/kWh now and possibly 20–30 g/kWh in the future. This leads to the conclusion that in the longer term grid‐connected PV systems can contribute significantly to the mitigation of CO 2 emissions. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.