Placement and efficiency effects on radiative forcing of solar installations
- IBM Research - Zurich, Säumerstrasse 4, CH-8803 Rüschlikon (Switzerland)
The promise for harnessing solar energy being hampered by cost, triggered efforts to reduce them. As a consequence low-efficiency, low-cost photovoltaics (PV) panels prevail. Conversely, in the traditional energy sector efficiency is extremely important due to the direct costs associated to fuels. This also affects solar energy due to the radiative forcing caused by the dark solar panels. In this paper we extend the concept of energy payback time by including the effect of albedo change, which gives a better assessment of the system sustainability. We present an analysis on the short and medium term climate forcing effects of different solar collectors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and demonstrate that efficiency is important to reduce the collector area and cost. This also influences the embodied energy and the global warming potential. We show that a placement of a high concentration photovoltaic thermal solar power station outside of the city using a district cooling system has a double beneficial effect since it improves the solar conversion efficiency and reduces the energy demand for cooling in the city. We also explain the mechanisms of the current economic development of solar technologies and anticipate changes.
- OSTI ID:
- 22489016
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1679, Issue 1; Conference: CPV-11: 11. international conference on conventrator photovoltaictaic systems, Aix-les-Bains (France), 13-15 Apr 2015; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Environmental analysis, air quality, noise, energy, and alternative fuels. Transportation research record
An end of service life assessment of PMMA lenses from veteran concentrator photovoltaic systems