Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.33. A small solar thermal plant and an 87-kilowatt off-grid PV plant in rural
India. Source: Gian Andrea Pagnoni.
The Benefits and Costs of Photovoltaics
Between 1995 and 2010, global PV capacity increased more than eightyfold, from 0.5
gigawatts to approximately 40 gigawatts (REN21 2011, 2012 ), making PV the world's
fastest-growing energy technology. Most of this additional capacity has been installed in
Europe (with almost a third in Germany alone), North America, and China. But India is
also rapidly expanding its solar PV sector with giant new facilities such as the Charanka
Solar Park in Gujarat (500 MW).
At the other end of the scale, there has also been a proliferation in recent years of
small stand-alone PV applications. These vary in size from wristwatches and calculators to
remote buildings, ships and spacecraft. These systems are usually combined with a battery
to ensure power supply at night and in overcast conditions.
PV solar plants are ideally suited to the regions of the world with the highest population
densities, and they are viable at most latitudes. Because of their modular nature, plants can
start small and be gradually expanded as demand increases or economics allow. The main
limitations of PV plants are intermittency and costs. The problem of intermittency is best
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