outlook
Matt Merfert
Solar Power is No Longer a Cost Compromise
I
n diverse markets across the world, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy has reached pricing competitive with fossil fuels. The 2015 Paris Climate Conference featured a funda-
mental change from previous summits—this time, many of the talks included solutions based on renewable energy, spe- cifi cally on solar power. Why? Because solar power is getting increasingly cost competitive compared to fossil fuels. Recently, the International Renewable Energy Agency
released REthinking Energy, an infographic that clearly shows that large-scale PV power plants can generate electricity at a cost level that is already lower than diesel, nuclear, LNG, geothermal and offshore wind. Even power generation cost based on coal, biomass, onshore wind and hydro are within reach and will soon be undercut by solar as well. First Solar has been a leader in reducing the cost of solar
energy. Our advanced PV solar modules are currently being used to build the solar plant with the world’s lowest, unsub- sidized tariff in a power purchase agreement (PPA). When the PPA price for this winning bid for a 200 MW tender of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority was announced at the beginning of 2016, most experts in the power sector were caught by surprise about the low level of 5.84 cents per kWh. There are several other utility-scale solar projects in a number of countries supplying electricity at prices that are close to this level and we expect to see new record lows likely being announced as early as 2017. The fi nal levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of a power plant is the result of several factors. This includes the cost of the modules and balance of systems as well as the fi nanc- ing costs. The energy yield of the solar power installation also plays a signifi cant role. In fact, no other single part of a solar project investment drives returns as much as the energy output does.
While having an optimally designed solar power plant based on high-quality balance of system technology is funda- mental to reach high yields, it is equally important to select the right module. Our company’s high-effi ciency modules are proven to deliver more energy per nameplate watt than silicon (Si) modules.
Technical Director First Solar Inc. Tempe, AZ
Our modules are known to perform particularly well in hot climates where many utility-scale solar systems are installed. As ambient and module surface temperatures rise, a solar module’s performance will decrease. Our thin-fi lm mod- ules—due to their unique CdTe semiconductor material—de- crease in energy output at a slower rate than conventional silicon modules, and the higher the temperature the greater the CdTe advantage. And because all modules are rated at a standard temperature of 25oC, our company’s modules outperform silicon in the majority of real-world operating hours, which typically have a median operating temperature of 50–60oC or higher.
Humidity plays an important role in solar energy yields as well. As atmospheric water absorbs certain wavelengths of light, less light falls on the earth as humidity increases. But CdTe modules outperform silicon modules with respect to a reference irradiance sensor due to the differences in behavior arising from the semiconductor material quantum effi ciency curves. Here again, CdTe has an inherent performance advantage over Si. Silicon has a greater dependence on longer wavelength light, so that increasing humidity will cause silicon’s energy conversion to decrease at a much faster rate than for CdTe. In fact, CdTe’s conversion effi ciency is such that it will increase compared to the reference sensor in high humidity conditions.
When you put these two important environmental condi- tions together, such as in hot and humid climates like the Middle East, CdTe modules are independently verifi ed to produce up to 9% higher yields.
The message is clear—solar power is a cost-effective solution today that can increasingly compete with incum- bent fossil fuel-based power generation sources. The key to success is now for solar plants to reach the highest possible generation yields to enable the lowest possible LCOEs.
This article originally appeared on The Current, the blog of First Solar Inc. Advanced Manufacturing Media is grateful to First Solar for making this article available.
19 — Energy Manufacturing 2016
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