Abstract
The ecological benefit and sustainability of a new energy technology and its potential to reduce CO2 emissions depend strongly on the amount of energy embodied in the materials and production processes. The energy payback time is a measure for the amount of time that a renewable energy system has to operate until the energy involved in its complete life-cycle is regenerated. In this paper, the energy payback time of the high-concentration photovoltaic system FLATCON® using III–V semiconductor multi-junction solar cells has been evaluated. Considering the energy demand for the system manufacturing, including transportation, balance of system and system losses, the energy payback time turns out to be as low as 8–10 months for a FLATCON® concentrator built in Germany and operated in Spain. The energy payback time rises slightly to 12 to 16 months for a system installed in Germany. The main energy demand in the production of such a high-concentration photovoltaic system was found to be the zinced steel for the tracking unit. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
