IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v15y2011i3p1625-1636.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A review of solar photovoltaic technologies

Author

Listed:
  • Parida, Bhubaneswari
  • Iniyan, S.
  • Goic, Ranko

Abstract

Global environmental concerns and the escalating demand for energy, coupled with steady progress in renewable energy technologies, are opening up new opportunities for utilization of renewable energy resources. Solar energy is the most abundant, inexhaustible and clean of all the renewable energy resources till date. The power from sun intercepted by the earth is about 1.8 x 1011 MW, which is many times larger than the present rate of all the energy consumption. Photovoltaic technology is one of the finest ways to harness the solar power. This paper reviews the photovoltaic technology, its power generating capability, the different existing light absorbing materials used, its environmental aspect coupled with a variety of its applications. The different existing performance and reliability evaluation models, sizing and control, grid connection and distribution have also been discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Parida, Bhubaneswari & Iniyan, S. & Goic, Ranko, 2011. "A review of solar photovoltaic technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 1625-1636, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:15:y:2011:i:3:p:1625-1636
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364-0321(10)00401-6
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rehman, Shafiqur & Bader, Maher A. & Al-Moallem, Said A., 2007. "Cost of solar energy generated using PV panels," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(8), pages 1843-1857, October.
    2. He, Wei & Chow, Tin-Tai & Ji, Jie & Lu, Jianping & Pei, Gang & Chan, Lok-shun, 2006. "Hybrid photovoltaic and thermal solar-collector designed for natural circulation of water," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(3), pages 199-210, March.
    3. Pande, P.C. & Singh, A.K. & Ansari, S. & Vyas, S.K. & Dave, B.K., 2003. "Design development and testing of a solar PV pump based drip system for orchards," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 385-396.
    4. Badescu, Viorel, 2003. "Time dependent model of a complex PV water pumping system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 543-560.
    5. Katti, Pradeep K. & Khedkar, Mohan K., 2007. "Alternative energy facilities based on site matching and generation unit sizing for remote area power supply," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(8), pages 1346-1362.
    6. Hernández, J.C. & Medina, A. & Jurado, F., 2007. "Optimal allocation and sizing for profitability and voltage enhancement of PV systems on feeders," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1768-1789.
    7. Mahmoud, Marwan M. & Ibrik, Imad H., 2003. "Field experience on solar electric power systems and their potential in Palestine," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 7(6), pages 531-543, December.
    8. Muneer, Tariq & Asif, Muhammad & Munawwar, Saima, 2005. "Sustainable production of solar electricity with particular reference to the Indian economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 9(5), pages 444-473, October.
    9. El-Tamaly, Hassan Hussein & Mohammed, Adel A. Elbaset, 2006. "Impact of interconnection photovoltaic/wind system with utility on their reliability using a fuzzy scheme," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(15), pages 2475-2491.
    10. Xi, Hongxia & Luo, Lingai & Fraisse, Gilles, 2007. "Development and applications of solar-based thermoelectric technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(5), pages 923-936, June.
    11. Fthenakis, Vasilis M. & Kim, Hyung Chul, 2007. "Greenhouse-gas emissions from solar electric- and nuclear power: A life-cycle study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 2549-2557, April.
    12. Zhou, Xinping & Yang, Jiakuan & Wang, Fen & Xiao, Bo, 2009. "Economic analysis of power generation from floating solar chimney power plant," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 736-749, May.
    13. Lund, C.P & Luczak, K & Pryor, T & Cornish, J.C.L & Jennings, P.J & Knipe, P & Ahjum, F, 2001. "Field and laboratory studies of the stability of amorphous silicon solar cells and modules," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 287-294.
    14. Bansal, N.K & Goel, Sandeep, 2000. "Integration of photovoltaic technology in cafeteria building, at Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 65-70.
    15. Mpagalile, J.J. & Hanna, M.A. & Weber, R., 2006. "Design and testing of a solar photovoltaic operated multi-seeds oil press," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(12), pages 1855-1866.
    16. Wong, P.W. & Shimoda, Y. & Nonaka, M. & Inoue, M. & Mizuno, M., 2008. "Semi-transparent PV: Thermal performance, power generation, daylight modelling and energy saving potential in a residential application," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 1024-1036.
    17. Phani, George & Tulloch, Gavin & Vittorio, David & Skryabin, Igor, 2001. "Titania solar cells: new photovoltaic technology," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 303-309.
    18. Hondo, Hiroki, 2005. "Life cycle GHG emission analysis of power generation systems: Japanese case," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 2042-2056.
    19. Prasad, A. Rajendra & Natarajan, E., 2006. "Optimization of integrated photovoltaic–wind power generation systems with battery storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(12), pages 1943-1954.
    20. Deshmukh, M.K. & Deshmukh, S.S., 2008. "Modeling of hybrid renewable energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 235-249, January.
    21. Tsoutsos, Theocharis & Frantzeskaki, Niki & Gekas, Vassilis, 2005. "Environmental impacts from the solar energy technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 289-296, February.
    22. Jaber, J. O. & Odeh, S. D. & Probert, S. D., 2003. "Integrated PV and gas-turbine system for satisfying peak-demands," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(4), pages 305-319, December.
    23. Shaahid, S.M. & Elhadidy, M.A., 2008. "Economic analysis of hybrid photovoltaic-diesel-battery power systems for residential loads in hot regions--A step to clean future," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 488-503, February.
    24. Tezuka, Tetsuo & Okushima, Keisuke & Sawa, Takamitsu, 2002. "Carbon tax for subsidizing photovoltaic power generation systems and its effect on carbon dioxide emissions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 72(3-4), pages 677-688, July.
    25. Feltrin, Andrea & Freundlich, Alex, 2008. "Material considerations for terawatt level deployment of photovoltaics," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 180-185.
    26. Schmid, Aloisio Leoni & Hoffmann, Carlos Augusto Amaral, 2004. "Replacing diesel by solar in the Amazon: short-term economic feasibility of PV-diesel hybrid systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(7), pages 881-898, May.
    27. Denholm, Paul & Margolis, Robert M., 2007. "Evaluating the limits of solar photovoltaics (PV) in traditional electric power systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2852-2861, May.
    28. Pacca, Sergio & Sivaraman, Deepak & Keoleian, Gregory A., 2007. "Parameters affecting the life cycle performance of PV technologies and systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(6), pages 3316-3326, June.
    29. Stoppato, A., 2008. "Life cycle assessment of photovoltaic electricity generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 224-232.
    30. Cheng, C.L. & Chan, C.Y. & Chen, C.L., 2005. "Empirical approach to BIPV evaluation of solar irradiation for building applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(7), pages 1055-1074.
    31. Meah, Kala & Ula, Sadrul & Barrett, Steven, 2008. "Solar photovoltaic water pumping--opportunities and challenges," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(4), pages 1162-1175, May.
    32. Krauter, S & Rüther, R, 2004. "Considerations for the calculation of greenhouse gas reduction by photovoltaic solar energy," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 345-355.
    33. Hasnain, S.M. & Alajlan, S., 1998. "Coupling of PV-powered R.O. brackish water desalination plant with solar stills," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 281-286.
    34. Bhuiyan, M.M.H & Asgar, M.Ali & Mazumder, R.K & Hussain, M, 2000. "Economic evaluation of a stand-alone residential photovoltaic power system in Bangladesh," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 403-410.
    35. Ubertini, Stefano & Desideri, Umberto, 2003. "Performance estimation and experimental measurements of a photovoltaic roof," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 1833-1850.
    36. Kivaisi, R.T, 2000. "Installation and use of a 3 kWp PV plant at Umbuji village in Zanzibar," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 457-472.
    37. Lund, H., 2006. "Large-scale integration of optimal combinations of PV, wind and wave power into the electricity supply," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(4), pages 503-515.
    38. Lamei, A. & van der Zaag, P. & von Münch, E., 2008. "Impact of solar energy cost on water production cost of seawater desalination plants in Egypt," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 1748-1756, May.
    39. Posorski, R & Bussmann, M & Menke, C, 2003. "Does the use of Solar Home Systems (SHS) contribute to climate protection?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(7), pages 1061-1080.
    40. Ahmad, G.E. & El Shenawy, E.T., 2006. "Optimized photovoltiac system for hydrogen production," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1043-1054.
    41. Bond, M. & Fuller, R.J. & Aye, Lu, 2007. "A policy proposal for the introduction of solar home systems in East Timor," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 6535-6545, December.
    42. Paatero, Jukka V. & Lund, Peter D., 2007. "Effects of large-scale photovoltaic power integration on electricity distribution networks," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 216-234.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kannan, Nadarajah & Vakeesan, Divagar, 2016. "Solar energy for future world: - A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1092-1105.
    2. Chaurey, Akanksha & Kandpal, Tara Chandra, 2010. "Assessment and evaluation of PV based decentralized rural electrification: An overview," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(8), pages 2266-2278, October.
    3. Sahoo, Sarat Kumar, 2016. "Renewable and sustainable energy reviews solar photovoltaic energy progress in India: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 927-939.
    4. Mandelli, Stefano & Barbieri, Jacopo & Mereu, Riccardo & Colombo, Emanuela, 2016. "Off-grid systems for rural electrification in developing countries: Definitions, classification and a comprehensive literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1621-1646.
    5. Goel, Sonali & Sharma, Renu, 2017. "Performance evaluation of stand alone, grid connected and hybrid renewable energy systems for rural application: A comparative review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1378-1389.
    6. Hepbasli, Arif & Alsuhaibani, Zeyad, 2011. "A key review on present status and future directions of solar energy studies and applications in Saudi Arabia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 5021-5050.
    7. Gopal, C. & Mohanraj, M. & Chandramohan, P. & Chandrasekar, P., 2013. "Renewable energy source water pumping systems—A literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 351-370.
    8. Sabo, Mahmoud Lurwan & Mariun, Norman & Hizam, Hashim & Mohd Radzi, Mohd Amran & Zakaria, Azmi, 2017. "Spatial matching of large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power generation with utility demand in Peninsular Malaysia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 663-688.
    9. Sarah Wettstein & Karen Muir & Deborah Scharfy & Matthias Stucki, 2017. "The Environmental Mitigation Potential of Photovoltaic-Powered Irrigation in the Production of South African Maize," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-20, September.
    10. Chiabrando, Roberto & Fabrizio, Enrico & Garnero, Gabriele, 2009. "The territorial and landscape impacts of photovoltaic systems: Definition of impacts and assessment of the glare risk," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2441-2451, December.
    11. Sherwani, A.F. & Usmani, J.A. & Varun, 2010. "Life cycle assessment of solar PV based electricity generation systems: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 540-544, January.
    12. Evans, Annette & Strezov, Vladimir & Evans, Tim J., 2009. "Assessment of sustainability indicators for renewable energy technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 1082-1088, June.
    13. Akinyele, D.O. & Rayudu, R.K. & Nair, N.K.C., 2015. "Global progress in photovoltaic technologies and the scenario of development of solar panel plant and module performance estimation − Application in Nigeria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 112-139.
    14. Rostami, Raheleh & Khoshnava, Seyed Meysam & Lamit, Hasanuddin & Streimikiene, Dalia & Mardani, Abbas, 2017. "An overview of Afghanistan's trends toward renewable and sustainable energies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1440-1464.
    15. Abolhosseini, Shahrouz & Heshmati, Almas & Altmann, Jörn, 2014. "A Review of Renewable Energy Supply and Energy Efficiency Technologies," IZA Discussion Papers 8145, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Ludin, Norasikin Ahmad & Mustafa, Nur Ifthitah & Hanafiah, Marlia M. & Ibrahim, Mohd Adib & Asri Mat Teridi, Mohd & Sepeai, Suhaila & Zaharim, Azami & Sopian, Kamaruzzaman, 2018. "Prospects of life cycle assessment of renewable energy from solar photovoltaic technologies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 11-28.
    17. Feng, Kuishuang & Hubacek, Klaus & Siu, Yim Ling & Li, Xin, 2014. "The energy and water nexus in Chinese electricity production: A hybrid life cycle analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 342-355.
    18. Hernández-Moro, J. & Martínez-Duart, J.M., 2013. "Analytical model for solar PV and CSP electricity costs: Present LCOE values and their future evolution," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 119-132.
    19. Mansouri, Noura Y. & Crookes, Roy J. & Korakianitis, Theodosios, 2013. "A projection of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the electricity sector for Saudi Arabia: The case for carbon capture and storage and solar photovoltaics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 681-695.
    20. Laleman, Ruben & Albrecht, Johan & Dewulf, Jo, 2011. "Life Cycle Analysis to estimate the environmental impact of residential photovoltaic systems in regions with a low solar irradiation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 267-281, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:15:y:2011:i:3:p:1625-1636. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.