History and efficacy of photovoltaic panels (solar panels). We introduce the LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) as a good metric for comparing energy sources.
KYMN Climate Show April 19
References:
- Levelized cost of energy
- One of the most widely used levelized cost studies is conducted by Lazard, an international financial advisory and asset management firm.
sum of all costs (build, maintain, decommission?) LCOE = ---------------------------------------------------- sum of elect. energy over lifetime
- https://energyinnovation.org/2015/02/07/levelized-cost-of-energy/
- https://www.lazard.com/media/450348/lcoe11executive-summary.pdf
- https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-2017/
- Utility scale power plants (coal, oil, natural gas, wind, solar, hydro).
(This is a fun time waster, a map-based overview of the State – https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MN) - Explaining the plummeting cost of solar power
Researchers uncover the factors that have caused photovoltaic module costs to drop by 99 percent (1980-2015)
* 25{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} due to improving PV efficiency
http://news.mit.edu/2018/explaining-dropping-solar-cost-1120 - Evaluating the causes of cost reduction in photovoltaic modules
Photovoltaic (PV) module costs have declined rapidly over forty years but the reasons remain elusive. Here we advance a conceptual framework and quantitative method for quantifying the causes of cost changes in a technology, and apply it to PV modules.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421518305196?via{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9}3Dihub - Trump proposed budget cuts will reduce R&D, hurt U.S. competitiveness, innovation
https://www.scmagazine.com/home/security-news/trump-proposed-budget-cuts-will-reduce-rd-hurt-u-s-competitiveness-innovation/
[A wonky magazine that gets excited over “world backup day” – and I don’t mean the beep-beep-beep kind of backup] - Renewable Energy Will Be Consistently Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels By 2020, Report Claims
Globally, onshore wind schemes are now costing an average of $0.06 per kilowatt hour (kWh), although some schemes are coming in at $0.04 per KwH, while the cost of solar PV is down to $0.10 per KwH. In comparison, the cost of electricity generation based on fossil fuels typically falls in a range of $0.05 to $0.17 per KwH.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2018/01/13/renewable-energy-cost-effective-fossil-fuels-2020/#76d1e72b4ff2
