Renewable Energy
T
he future is looking in- creasingly bright for solar energy. With en- ergy demand perpetu-
ally growing, as well as the need for new and clean energy sources, solar energy will without doubt be an important part of the future en- ergy blend. The price of solar pho- tovoltaic systems has more than halved over the past five years, and the European Union has set a goal of meeting 20% of energy demand through the use of renewable sources by 2020. Chinese compa- nies are at the cutting-edge of the solar industry, but action by Euro- pean manufacturers could threaten them as well as the industry in general.
Photovoltaic systems use cells to convert solar radiation into elec- tricity. The systems use no fuel and modules typically last 25 to 40 years. The cost of installation is al- most the only cost, as there is very little maintenance required. The most common semi-conductor material used in photovoltaic cells is silicon, an element most commonly found in sand and the second most abundant material in the earth’s mass. Photo- voltaic systems do not need bright sunlight in order to operate, as they can also generate elec- tricity on cloudy days.
During their operation, solar photovoltaic
systems emit no carbon dioxide, the main gas responsible for global climate change. Their per- formance is very high, providing over 80% of the initial power after 25 years, which makes them a very reliable technology in the long term. According to the European Photovoltaic
44
SolarSo Good
But Dark Clouds Treaten By: Fergal Hogan
Industry Association, in order to cover 100% of the electricity demand in Europe, only 0.7% of the total land of Europe would be needed to be covered by photovoltaic systems. These sys- tems can therefore play an important role in im- proving the security of
Europe's energy
supply. Moreover, the sector, with an average annual growth of 40% in recent years, is con- tributing to the creation of thousands of jobs in Europe and worldwide. The amount of solar energy capacity on the German electricity grid will soon overtake that of wind, making it the first major developed country in the world to have more solar energy
than wind on its national grid. Ac- cording to reports from the United Nations Environment Pro- gramme and the Renewable En- ergy Policy Network for the 21st Century, worldwide investment in solar energy in 2001 was double that of wind energy. Furthermore, the amount of energy produced by photovoltaic panels could overtake that produced by such fossil fuels as coal and natural gas in 10 years, according to the In- stitute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
China is the market leader in terms of production and the latest developments in the photovoltaic industry, but storm clouds are cur- rently darkening its future. Ger- man solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld is leading a group of about 25 European companies in pressing anti-dumping charges against China. The companies have taken their complaint to the European Commission, which is
set to decide whether to open an investigation into the allegations that China is intentionally selling panels at below fair market value. Ger- man Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a candid assessment of the dispute with China. During a recent trip to China, Merkel told re- porters: "I suggest the European Commission and China try to solve the issue through com- munications rather than by resorting to anti- dumping proceedings". Europe is currently the world's biggest solar market, accounting for 60% of China's solar ex- ports, valued at £22.5 billion, according to data issued by China’s major solar manufacturers. If
New European Economy
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124