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A simple lower bound on the EROI of photovoltaic electricity generation

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  • Pickard, William F.

Abstract

Two conceptually and computationally simple techniques (one optimistic, the other pessimistic) are introduced to estimate the energy payback time of a photovoltaic array. Both yield values of the Energy Returned On energy Invested (EROI) in excess of approximately 5. Therefore solar photovoltaic electricity appears to be a stably sustainable source of renewable energy.

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  • Pickard, William F., 2017. "A simple lower bound on the EROI of photovoltaic electricity generation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 488-490.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:107:y:2017:i:c:p:488-490
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2017.05.022
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ferroni, Ferruccio & Hopkirk, Robert J., 2016. "Energy Return on Energy Invested (ERoEI) for photovoltaic solar systems in regions of moderate insolation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 336-344.
    2. David J. Murphy & Michael Carbajales-Dale & Devin Moeller, 2016. "Comparing Apples to Apples: Why the Net Energy Analysis Community Needs to Adopt the Life-Cycle Analysis Framework," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-15, November.
    3. Lo Piano, Samuele & Mayumi, Kozo, 2017. "Toward an integrated assessment of the performance of photovoltaic power stations for electricity generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(P2), pages 167-174.
    4. Koppelaar, R.H.E.M., 2017. "Solar-PV energy payback and net energy: Meta-assessment of study quality, reproducibility, and results harmonization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 1241-1255.
    5. Enrica Leccisi & Marco Raugei & Vasilis Fthenakis, 2016. "The Energy and Environmental Performance of Ground-Mounted Photovoltaic Systems—A Timely Update," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-13, August.
    6. Raugei, Marco & Sgouridis, Sgouris & Murphy, David & Fthenakis, Vasilis & Frischknecht, Rolf & Breyer, Christian & Bardi, Ugo & Barnhart, Charles & Buckley, Alastair & Carbajales-Dale, Michael & Csala, 2017. "Energy Return on Energy Invested (ERoEI) for photovoltaic solar systems in regions of moderate insolation: A comprehensive response," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 377-384.
    7. Raugei, Marco & Leccisi, Enrica, 2016. "A comprehensive assessment of the energy performance of the full range of electricity generation technologies deployed in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 46-59.
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    Cited by:

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