A Comparative Analysis of Energy Costs of Photovoltaic, Solar Thermal, and Wind Electricity Generation Technologies

Applied Sciences

关键词: renewable energy;    solar photovoltaic;    concentrating solar power;    wind power;    life-cycle assessment;    LCA;    meta-analysis;    technology assessment;    net energy analysis;   

DOI  :  10.3390/app3020325

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Global installed capacity of renewable energy technologies is growing rapidly. The ability of renewable technologies to enable a rapid transition to a low carbon energy system is highly dependent on the energy that must be “consumed” during their life-cycle. This paper presents the results of meta-analyses of life-cycle assessments (LCA) of energy costs of three renewable technologies: solar photovoltaic (PV), concentrating solar power (CSP), and wind. The paper presents these findings as energetic analogies with financial cost parameters for assessing energy technologies: overnight capital cost, operating costs and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The findings suggest that wind energy has the lowest energy costs, followed by CSP and then PV.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.