Solar Power Technologies Growth in the United States, an Integrated Four Pillars Perspective
Ali Aqlan,
Henny van der Windt
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 1, February 2023
Pages:
1-16
Received:
9 September 2022
Accepted:
28 February 2023
Published:
20 March 2023
Abstract: This paper examines solar power technologies growth in the United States (U.S.) considering the four pillars of the energy system: socio-cultural, policy, science & technology, and markets & companies. The study analyzed the growing use of Photovoltaic panels (PV) technology. The First Solar company was analyzed as a case study to understand the impact of the different energy pillars and challenges on PV technology in the U.S. As a general observation, it was found that solar power in the U.S. is an incredibly fast-growing technology. Solar power does however still only make up a relatively small fraction of the total power consumption in the U.S. - in 2020 of approximately 1.32%. Considering these two observations, solar power in the U.S. is currently in the middle of being a niche-technology and forming its own energy regime. The possibilities for solar power to grow further into a solid regime in the U.S. are supported by developments concerning the four pillars of the energy system. For the science and technology pillar we will focus on main technological developments and R&D. The markets-companies pillar will be discussed by considering the characteristics of main company First Solar and market developments. The social and cultural pillar will be explored by looking at the role of citizens, NGOs, and relevant cultural perspectives. For the policy pillar, we will focus on federal policy, some main policy instruments and implementation problems. Eventually this study explores two different scenarios of solar energy in the U.S: a business-as-usual scenario and a maximally optimistic scenario. In the first scenario solar power production will increase to about 5% by 2031 of the total power demand in the U.S. In the optimistic scenario it will be around 17% of the total power production in the U.S, an increase by a factor 3.4, depending on developments in the four pillars.
Abstract: This paper examines solar power technologies growth in the United States (U.S.) considering the four pillars of the energy system: socio-cultural, policy, science & technology, and markets & companies. The study analyzed the growing use of Photovoltaic panels (PV) technology. The First Solar company was analyzed as a case study to understand the im...
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Siting of Photovoltaic (P.V.) Potential Station in the Borno State of Nigeria, Using Satellite Images
Mohammed Karimu Salihu,
Ali Danladi,
Medugu Dale Waida
Issue:
Volume 9, Issue 1, February 2023
Pages:
17-26
Received:
11 May 2023
Accepted:
26 May 2023
Published:
20 July 2023
Abstract: In large quantities, solar energy is released from the sun's surface. However, we can convert only some part of its reaching the earth's surface into valuable forms of energy for utilization such as thermal, electrical, or mechanical. As proposed in this research to determine the most suitable site for the installation of Photovoltaic power solar station in Borno state, Nigeria using satellite images. Annual global solar irradiance for satellite images was obtained and validated with annual global irradiance calculated from meteorological data. It can also determine Slope, Aspect, Road, Grid network, and temperature. We used an analytical hierarchy process to determine the percentage weight of each factor. We have also applied the Weighted Overlay tool to multiply the input raster, producing a final constraints layer of the most suitable area. The Annual global solar irradiance was obtained as 2240.10 Kilo-Watt-hour/meter2/year for meteorological station data and 2244.98 Kilo-Watt-hour/meter2/year for satellite images data with the validation difference of 0.88 Kilo-Watt-hour/meter2/year. The coefficient of determination R2=0.778. For Slope = 0 to 89.18-degree rise, Aspect =-1 to 359 degrees, Road & Grid network = 0 to 1.31km and Temperature = 22.20 to 29.80 degrees Celsius. The weight of each factor was determined as: Slope=13%, Aspect=13% Road & Grid =5%, Temperature=5% and Global solar irradiance =64%. The most suitable area for installing a solar station was an estimated 39,426 square kilometers, mostly in the northern and some central parts of the study area, which is about 54.5% of the total land mass of Borno state. The annual global solar irradiance obtained from satellite images was converted into electric energy by different solar cell technologies: Single crystalline Silicone=1101Mega Watt, Multi crystalline Silicone=1019 Mega Watt, amorphous Silicone=440.5 Megawatt and Cadmium Tellurium=798.5 Megawatt. It found that the main factors for installing the solar station were global solar irradiance, temperature, topographical Slope and aspect, and nearest to the road and grid network. The global solar irradiance estimated in the study area is adequate to generate sufficient electrical energy for the Borno state. We found the satellite imagery data method to effectively identify suitable sites for the solar station to install a Photovoltaic power plant.
Abstract: In large quantities, solar energy is released from the sun's surface. However, we can convert only some part of its reaching the earth's surface into valuable forms of energy for utilization such as thermal, electrical, or mechanical. As proposed in this research to determine the most suitable site for the installation of Photovoltaic power solar s...
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