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Sampaio2017 PDF
A R T I C L E I N F O A BS T RAC T
Keywords: The purpose of this article is to understand the state of art of photovoltaic solar energy through a systematic
Photovoltaic solar energy literature research, in which the following themes are approached: ways of obtaining the energy, its advantages
Systematic literature research and disadvantages, applications, current market, costs and technologies according to what has been approached
in the scientific researches published until 2016. For this research, we performed a qualitative and quantitative
approach with a non-probabilistic sample size, obtaining 142 articles published since 1996–2016 with a slitting
cut. The analysis result of this research shows that studies about photovoltaic energy are rising and may perform
an important role in reaching a high-energy demand around the world. To increase the participation of
photovoltaic energy in the renewable energy market requires, first, to raise awareness regarding its benefits; to
increase the research and development of new technologies; to implement public policies a programs that will
encourage photovoltaic energy generation. Although crystal silicon solar cells were predominant, other types of
cells have been developed, which can compete, both in terms of cost reduction of production, or in terms of
greater efficiency. The main applications are dominated by telecommunications, water pumping, public lighting,
BIPV, agriculture, water heating, grain drying, water desalination, space vehicles and satellites. The studies
found on photovoltaic solar energy are all technical, thus creating the need for future research related to the
economic viability, chain supply coordination, analysis of barriers and incentives to photovoltaic solar energy
and deeper studies about the factors that influence the position of such technologies in the market.
1. Introduction energy matrix, and the beginning of solar energy auctions at a time in
which the energy sector is facing difficulties due to the reduction of
With the increase of population and technologic and economic hydroelectric energy, which is currently Brazil's main energy matrix,
development, human beings need more energy to create a better life and the increase in electricity prices.
environment. However, burning traditional fossil fuels is causing a Research on photovoltaic solar energy has increased in recent years,
series of environmental problems, such as climate change, global as has the number of publications in journals. Based on what has been
warming, air pollution and acid rain [1–3]. exposed, this study aims to answer the following question: “How does
Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of renewable photovoltaic solar energy has been approached in scientific studies
energy Technologies, in order to deal with the political, economic and published between 1996 until 2016?” For such, we performed a
environmental challenges that are involved in generate electricity. The systematic literature research followed by a structured of the contents
appearance of such energies in the last years has largely propelled the published on photovoltaic solar energy.
interest among investigators, politics and industry leaders in under- Besides the ongoing introduction, the article is structured from a
standing the economic viability of the new energy source [2,4]. division dedicated to showing the research method adopted in the
Capturing solar energy through photovoltaic panels, in order to study. Posteriorly, we will expose the classification of the articles,
produce electricity is considered one of the most promising markets in followed by the analysis of the themes (definition, mean of obtaining,
the field of renewable energy. Due to its fast growth perspective and advantages, disadvantages, applications, current state in the market,
high levels of investment involved, the photovoltaic market is now costs and technologies) discussed in the analyzed pieces, at last, in the
being more disputed around the world, especially in Europe, China and final section we have the conclusion regarding the theme and a
in the United States. In Brazil, the advances are starting to be suggestions for possible future studies.
significant, especially after the insertion of solar energy in Brazil's
⁎
Correspondence to: Federal University of the Semi-Arid Bernardino M Veras Street 47 59625360 Mossoró Brazil.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (P.G.V. Sampaio), [email protected] (M.O.A. González).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.02.081
Received 17 June 2016; Received in revised form 31 December 2016; Accepted 22 February 2017
1364-0321/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
P.G.V. Sampaio, M.O.A. González Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 74 (2017) 590–601
Table 1
Classification of the type of research.
CS 23 S 2
EX 38 LR-EX 2
AR 1 LR-S 1
LR 75
CS: Case Study; EX: Experimental; AR: Action Research; LR: Literature Review; S:
Survey.
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Table 2 Table 3
Definition of solar photovoltaics. Advantages and disadvantages of solar photovoltaics.
[10] It is the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity. Advantages Reliable system [15,24]
[11] Energy based on semiconductor technology that converts sunlight into Low cost of operation and maintenance [15–17,23]
electricity. Low maintenance [23,24]
[12] It is the most elegant method to produce electricity by converting Free energy source [15,17]
abundant sunlight. Clean Energy [1,2,4,15,17,24–26]
[13] Energy that converts sunlight into electricity by means of a single High Availability [2,15,24]
junction LED (or several junctions). The generation can be made closer to [15]
[14] Direct generation of electricity from sunlight. the consumer
[15] Renewable source of energy by converting solar light into electricity. Does not cause environmental impacts [1,17,23,26]
[1] Energy that generates electricity from solar energy. /Environmental friendly
[3] Direct conversion of radiation into electricity. Potential to mitigate emissions of [1,17]
[16] Energy source that converts light directly into electricity without gas greenhouse gases
emissions or noise. Noiseless [16,17]
[17] It is the direct conversion system that converts sunlight into electricity
without the help of machines or mobile devices. Disadvantages Limitations in the availability of [15]
systems on the market
High initial cost [15,16,20,23,25]
Needs a relatively large area of [15]
installation
High dependence on technology [16]
development
Geographical conditions (solar [16]
irradiation)
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Table 4
Applications of solar photovoltaics.
Spacecraft Photovoltaic energy is converted into electrical energy to be applied in on-board equipment of the spacecraft. [8,17,22,29,30].
The main technology used in this application are gallium arsenide cells which, despite having a high cost
compared to silicon cells, shows good efficiency
Water pumping Water pumping of wells and rivers used in farms for irrigation of plantations, for livestock and for domestic [8,17,22,29–33].
consumption
Lighting street Used to illuminate parking spaces, signage and other outdoor areas. Photovoltaic panels are usually mounted [22,29–32].
in the lighting structure or integrated in the pole itself and carry a rechargeable battery, which powers the
lamps. For installation there is no need to open ditches, wiring and similar preparations needed for
traditional lighting systems
Building integrated photovoltaic systems It is a set of photovoltaic systems and technologies that are integrated into the building, forming part of its [8,16,29,30,33,34].
( BIPV ) external covering like roofs and facades. Are considered as a functional part of the building structure, being
architecturally integrated into the building design. Simultaneously serving as building envelope material and
power generator
Telecommunications It is used in the generation of electricity in isolated telecommunication stations for the operation of [8,17,29–32].
equipment such as communication radios, radio communication devices, telemetry stations, public
telephones, PLCs and video cameras. Provides reliability and low maintenance level
Water desalination Desalination (transformation of seawater into drinking water) is done using batteries charged during the day [8,32].
with photovoltaic panels
Satellites Solar panels used in satellites are composed of solar cells located on the outer parts of satellites that can be [8,17]
attached to the satellite body or open and oriented to the Sun. Three-junction solar cells are currently used in
series (called a triple junction)
With germanium base. Because of their location they are able to receive even more photons than the panels
installed on Earth and produce even more energy to keep the electrical equipment on the satellite running.
Weather monitoring The solar panel provides the energy required to power all measuring equipment, weather sensors, processing [29,30].
and communication
obstacles to block sunlight, convenient energy efficiency, and higher surfaces that generate electricity, which convert directly solar energy
power generation efficiency due to their lower temperature under into electricity. These surfaces have no moving parts to wear out or
panels. In addition, the solar installation brings benefits to the aquatic suffer breakdowns and works without the use of fuel without vibrations
environment because shading of the plant prevents excessive evapora- without noise and without harming the environment [15–17,24].
tion of water, limits algae growth and potentially improves water As for the charge controller, it has the function to preserve the
quality [35]. batteries from being overcharged or discharged completely, increasing
The installation of photovoltaic plants in the desert may be one of its useful life. The inverter, in turn, is responsible for converting the
the most suitable places for the use of photovoltaic solar energy due to power generated by photovoltaic panels (electricity generating DC –
the high levels of solar radiation. In the Atacama desert in Chile, for DC) to alternating current – AC voltage levels and network frequency.
example, it is a viable option capable of contributing to the continued Batteries are used in photovoltaic systems to store the surplus
supply of sustainable electricity in the north of the country, contribut- produced by the modules to be utilized at night or on days with low
ing to the stabilization of electricity prices, thus benefiting the Chilean sunshine or overcast [15,17].
mining industry [36,37].
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suitable for large production volumes; good photovoltaic conversion which may be either glass or a transparent film. Then the film is
efficiency; long-term stability. A material fulfilling all the requirements structured into cells. Unlike crystalline modules, thin film modules are
has not yet been found [18,19,40]. manufactured in one step. Thin film systems generally cost less to be
produced than crystalline silicon systems, but have substantially lower
4.2.1. Silicon cells efficiency rates. On average, thin film cells convert from 5% to 13% of
Silicon is the most popular material in commercial solar cell solar radiation into electricity, compared to 11–20% for crystalline
modules, accounting for about 90% of the photovoltaic cell market. silicon cells. However, since thin films are relatively new, they may
This success is due to several beneficial characteristics of silicon: (1) is offer greater opportunities for technological improvement [39].
abundant, being the second most abundant element on Earth; (2) is The first amorphous silicon (a-Si) publications relevant to the
generally stable and non-toxic; (3) bandgap of 1.12 eV, almost ideally manufacture of solar cells appeared after the 1960s. The first amor-
adapted to the terrestrial solar spectrum, that is, the silicon is phous silicon solar cell was reported by Carlson in 1976. In the market
sensitized within the range of electromagnetic spectrum emitted by the same arose in 1981. The high expectation In this material was
the sun; And (4) silicon photovoltaic cells are readily compatible with contained by the relatively low efficiency obtained so far and by the
the silicon-based microelectronics (transistor and integrated circuits initial degradation induced by light [17,18,43].
manufacturing) industry [14,17,38]. This technology diverges from crystalline silicon in the fact that the
The monocrystalline (m-Si), polycrystalline (p-Si, also referred to as silicon atoms are located at random with each other. This randomness
multicrystalline, mc-Si) cells are cells under the aegis of crystalline in the atomic structure has an important effect on the electronic
silicon structures [24,41]. Cells from a single silicon crystal are properties of the material, causing a larger gap (1.7 eV) while that of
cultured by the Czochralski process [19,22]. These cells have excellent crystalline silicon is 1.1 eV [23].
conversion efficiency, however, they have high manufacturing costs, Another configuration is the microamorph silicon cells, which
higher energy requirements during their life cycle, longer energy return combine two different types of silicon, amorphous and microcrystal-
time, and require the use of very pure materials (solar grade silicon) line, one on top of the other in a single device, where the upper layer
and with the perfect crystal structure [1,3,19,22,23,39,42]. consists of an ultra thin layer of a-Si, which converts The shorter
The efforts of the photovoltaic industry to reduce costs and increase wavelengths of the visible solar spectrum and the lower layer have the
the rate of production led to the development of new crystallization microcrystalline silicon which is most effective in converting the longer
techniques. In this way the cells based on multicrystals appeared. Such wavelengths. This results in higher efficiency gains of about 8–9% more
technology is becoming more attractive because the cost of production than amorphous silicon cells depending on the cell structure and the
is lower, even though these cells are somewhat less efficient than thickness of the layers [23,44].
monocrystalline cells [23]. In addition to lower manufacturing costs, One of the most promising approaches to manufacturing low cost
polycrystalline cells offer other advantages compared to monocrystal- and high efficiency involves the use of cadmium telluride. The CdTe has
line cells, such as: better aesthetic appearance, less energy consumed been known to have the ideal gap (1.45 eV) with a high coefficient of
during its life cycle, shorter energy return time, lower Greenhouse absorption of the solar spectrum being one of the most promising
effect, requires less energy in its manufacture, the crystal structure does photovoltaic materials for thin film cells. However, the toxicity of
not have to be perfect [1,3,19,22,23,39,42]. cadmium (Cd) and environmental issues related to the use of this
Silicon cells are not restricted only to cells based on the crystal material pose a problem for this technology. Therefore, First Solar, one
structure. There are also silicon nanowire cells (SiNWs), which are of the world's largest manufacturers of photovoltaic solar modules, has
under intense investigation for photovoltaic applications, as they can launched a recycling program for deactivated PV cells, extremely
allow a new way of converting solar to electric energy with high popular in the field of thin films because of the efficiency of its process,
efficiency and low cost. This attractiveness is attributed to its original which has the capacity to reduce the Cost of production to make the
geometric characteristics [14]. cost of this technology more competitive. The other potential problem
Firstly, SiNW solar cells exhibit better optical absorption of the is the availability of Te, which can lead to scarcity of raw materials, thus
solar spectrum, ie in comparison to other traditional technologies, it affecting the cost of the modules [17,23,43–46].
requires less silicon to obtain the same amount of absorption. The Copper and indium diselenide (CuInSe2) or indium copper selenide
energy losses that occur when light passes through a photovoltaic cell (CIS), as is sometimes known, and copper-indium-gallium selenide
without being absorbed is smaller in silicon nanowire cells. Second, (CIGS) are photovoltaic devices containing semiconductor elements of
SiNW solar cells allow the use of silicon of inferior quality to solar groups I, III and VI of the periodic table which are Beneficial because of
grade silicon. Thirdly, SiNWs can be produced with excellent electrical their high optical absorption coefficients and their electrical character-
characteristics. These advantages can substantially reduce the cost of istics that allow the adjustment of the device [17,23,44]. Some of the
production of SiNW-based solar cells by keeping these cells competitive major challenges of these technologies have been limited ability to
[14]. expand the process of high yield and low cost, degradation under wet
conditions, as it promotes changes in the properties of the material and
4.2.2. Thin film cells the shortage of Indian in nature [23,42,47].
In the search for cost reduction, the need for research on thin film
solar cells has arisen. Thin-film solar cells require much less material 4.2.3. Organic photovoltaic cells
from the semiconductor to be manufactured in order to absorb the Organic photovoltaic cells offer the long-term potential of achieving
same amount of sunlight, up to 99% less material than crystalline solar the goal of a PV technology that is economically viable for large-scale
cells [39]. The use of this technology has increased in recent years due power generation [3], since organic semiconductors are a less expen-
to its high flexibility, easy installation, diffuse light efficiency of sive alternative to Than inorganic semiconductors, such as silicon. In
approximately 12% and a service life of 25 years [16]. The main addition, organic molecules can be processed by simpler techniques
approaches are based on amorphous silicon cells (a-Si); that are not suitable for crystalline inorganic semiconductors [21,48].
Microamorphic silicon (a-Si /μc-Si); Cadmium telluride (CdTe); Almost all organic solar cells have a flat layered structure, wherein
Copper indium selenide (CIS) and copper, indium and gallium- the light absorbing layer is sandwiched between two different electro-
diselenide (CIGS). des. One of the electrodes has to be (semi) transparent, the indium tin
The manufacturing methods are similar to those used in the oxide (ITO) is normally used, however a thin layer of metal can also be
production of flat panel monitors for computer monitors, cell phones used. Calcium, magnesium, gold and aluminum can also be used as
and televisions. A thin photoactive film is deposited on a substrate, electrodes, the latter being the most used [21,48].
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Organic solar cells are constructed from thin films (typically solar cells is that the functional element which is responsible for the
100 nm) of organic semiconductors, such as polymers. They are absorption of light (the dye) is separated from the transport mechan-
composed of small molecules such as pentacene, polyphenylene ism of the charge carriers. Thus impure raw materials and simple cell
vinylene, copper phthalocyanine (a blue or green organic pigment) processing are allowed, which reduces the cost of the device. However,
and carbon-based nanostructures (fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene). promising efficiencies on the order of 7–11% can be obtained. An
This type of cell is largely made of plastic, contrary to traditional important feature of DSSCs is stability over time [18,60]. DSSCs utilize
silicon, the manufacturing process is less expensive, since it uses low low-cost titanium dioxide (TiO2) in their manufacture compared to
cost material and high production throughput, and presents limited silicon that is used in conventional solar cells [59].
technical challenges, ie no Requires high temperature or vacuum To date, DSSCs based on organometallic dyes such as ruthenium
conditions [23,48]. and porphyrins (zinc complexes) have shown excellent conversion
Organic photovoltaic cells have characteristics that make them very efficiency from solar to electric. However, large-scale application of
attractive, among them the potential to be flexible and semitranspar- them is limited due to practical issues. For example, the difficulty of
ent, potential to be manufactured in a continuous printing process, synthesis and purification of ruthenium and porphyrins and, especially,
wide area of coating, easy integration in different devices, significant the issues of ruthenium limited availability [49].
cost reduction in comparison With traditional solutions, ecological and Semiconductors in the class of perovskite organometallic trialkyls
economic advantages. These characteristics allow a significant reduc- ((CH3NH3)PbX3, at where X may be iodo, bromo or chloro) can be used
tion in installation costs, accounting for up to 70% of the total cost of as light collecting components in dye-sensitized solar cells giving rise to
traditional photovoltaic systems. However, organic photovoltaic cells perovskite solar cells. Because they are very thin these cells are highly
have limited durability, they are not yet capable of converting sunlight flexible and transparent [61]. The conversion of solar energy through
into electricity, with the same efficiency as silicon cells (the low organometallic perovskite has recently emerged as arguably the most
efficiency is due to the low absorption of incident sunlight due to the promising of all thin-film solar cell technologies. Efficiency of energy
organic cells presenting A large energy gap. Most semiconductor conversion reached 20% in less than 5 years [62].
polymers have a power gap greater than 2.0 eV (620 nm), which limits Many efforts have been devoted to the development of metal-free
the absorption of solar photons around 30% [3,9,20,49]. organic dyes. Among them are: squaraine, coumarin, indoline, phe-
Research on organic solar cells aims to increase the conversion nothiazine, triphenylamine, fluorene, thienopyrazine, carbazole and
efficiency of solar energy, since the total energy output of a solar cell is tetrahydroquinoline [59].
equal to the product of its efficiency and lifetime. Therefore, the
stability, directly related to the life time, is an important property for 4.2.5. Compounds III–V
this type of cell, since it impacts the value (yield on the cost) of an In the field of nanotechnology applied to the development of solar
energy production system based on this technology [50]. cells, in addition to the carbon-based nanostructures and the polymeric
Over the past few years, many aspects of organic solar cells have materials, there are also compounds III-V. Cells based on these
been extensively studied, including the synthesis and application of compounds, such as GaAs, InP (indium phosphide) and GaSb (gallium
new materials, physical process modeling, large-scale manufacturing, antimonide) have direct bandgaps of energy, ie they emit only light as a
improved stability, and so on [50]. However, the research and way to release the energy absorbed at the passage of the electron Of the
development of organic solar cells still have a long way to go to band of valence for the conduction band, present high coefficients of
compete with inorganic solar cells [48]. optical absorption, high cost of production, better resistance to
As with carbon nanotubes and fullerenes, graphene is a type of irradiation, better weight/power ratio in space applications [22,29,30].
nanostructured material that has been considered highly promising in
many applications due to its excellent electronic, optical, thermal and 4.3. Photovoltaic market
mechanical properties. Among the various possible applications gra-
phene can be used in the manufacture of carbon-based organic The photovoltaic market is a rapidly growing. During the period
photovoltaic cells [51–57]. between 2000 and 2015 the growth rate of photovoltaic installations
Initially derived from graphite graphene is an artificially modified was of 41%. It is observed in Fig. 5 that China and Taiwan since 2006
material to have unique properties that are not normally found in have been increasing the photovoltaic industry with strong growth
nature. Graphene is extremely strong, lightweight, flexible, great rates. At the end of 2015, its market share was about 71% of global
conductor of electricity, almost totally transparent and has been sales.
considered the biggest revolution in metamaterials research in the last The market for photovoltaic systems will likely continue to grow in
five years. Its developers received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010, the future as strongly as so far, due to the thrust of subsidies, tax breaks
and high funding has been directed to experimental research based on and other financial incentives [12,33,42]. Support for R & D and
graphene in recent years. In 2012, graphene was one of two award- photovoltaic technology change are crucial aspects in accelerating the
winning projects Future and Emerging Technologies Flagship widespread adoption of photovoltaic systems. These two aspects play a
Initiative, a multi-billion dollar competition organized by the key role in climate policy [63].
European Commission as part of an innovative research funding Some of the largest countries in Europe, such as Germany,
program. This grant (which was the largest financial incentive - € 1 Denmark and Spain, in addition to Asian countries China and
billion - for a single research project in the history of modern science) is Taiwan, have used feed-in tariff (FIT) which is a political mechanism
expected to lead to an exponential growth in the amount of research on to encourage consumers to invest in renewable microgeneration. On
graphene in the near future [57,58]. the other hand, the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Sweden,
have used the RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard), which is a
4.2.4. Dye-sensitized solar cells regulation that requires that part of the energy consumed comes from
The first dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) were proposed in 1991 by renewable sources. Meanwhile, South Korea has changed its plans for
Michael Grätzel and Brian O'Regan. These cells belong to the group of renewable energy technologies from a RPS setting to minimize the
hybrid solar cells, since they are formed by organic and inorganic financial burden on the government [4,64].
materials [18,59]. DSSCs have been extensively studied to minimize Based on Fig. 6 Europe contributed 40% of total cumulative PV
problems related to efficiency, cost of production and environmental installations in 2015 (in 2014 it was 48%). The facilities in China and
issues [3,9,49,59]. Taiwan accounted for 21% of total cumulative installations (in 2014
The main difference of this type of cell compared to conventional was 17%). In 2015, Germany accounted for about 16% (39.6 GWp) of
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P.G.V. Sampaio, M.O.A. González Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 74 (2017) 590–601
diance and dust. The temperature can affect cell performance drasti- curve of the PV modules in Fig. 12 [29,39,69,70].
cally and, due to this fact, studies have focused on reducing the It is observed that in the last 35 years, the module price decreased
temperature by means of heat extraction and then utilizing it for other by about 19.1% at every duplication of cumulative production modules.
purposes, such as heating water or air heating. For the problem of dust, Many scientists and engineers familiar with the variety of materials and
it is advisable that the PV surface is cleaned frequently to maintain the PV technology concluded that photovoltaic materials of thin film and
performance, since the accumulation of dust can block the irradiance the third generation ones are the most likely candidates to continue the
on the photovoltaic modules. This block is not interesting, because the 80% price reduction [41].
lower the irradiance is, the lowest cell efficiency are due to a reduced
amount of photons that reach it [2,3,36,65,66].
4.4.3. Life time and ecological aspect
The lifetime aspect is related to degradation that the photovoltaic
4.4.2. Cost cells are subjected to. Degradation causes the reduction of its useful life
The cost aspect of photovoltaic electricity is influenced by the and is characterized by loss of cell efficiency in converting sunlight into
location, i.e., less sunny locations require larger systems to generate the electricity. The long-term reliability of photovoltaic modules is needed
same amount of electricity that a smaller system in a sunny location to make photovoltaic technology a commercially viable option for
can produce, and more distant places require larger transmission lines power generation. The reliability of photovoltaic modules can be
to connect the power produced to the grid. The type of technology used assessed by understanding the degradation phenomenon and degrada-
and the complexity of the system also influence the costs tion mechanism during outdoor operation. The main factors respon-
[3,33,42,67,68]. sible for the degradation of photovoltaic cells are: solar radiation,
Thus, a strategy to reduce costs is to obtain economies of scale. This humidity, temperature and dust [66,71].
was evident with the development of crystalline silicon cells and is Currently PV plant suppliers cite an operating lifetime of a 30 year
likely to be true for other technologies when their production volumes PV installation, but the warranty for the material is usually limited to 5
increase. In addition to economies of scale a combination of techno- years due to damaging events such as damage from improper installa-
logical innovation, research in this field and improvement in learning tion or maintenance, hail, Snow and storm, etc. In Europe, modules
are likely to reduce costs significantly This is shown by the learning that have failed during transportation, installation or operation are
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P.G.V. Sampaio, M.O.A. González Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 74 (2017) 590–601
Fig. 13. Historical trend in times of Energy Return ( EPBT) of photovoltaic modules of crystalline silicon.
Source: Data: EPIA Sustainability Working Group Fact Sheet 2011; since 2010: M.J. de Wild-Scholten 2013. Graph: PSE AG 2014.
and 14 show the historical trend of EPBT of photovoltaic modules of As for the definition of solar photovoltaic energy, it is observed that
crystalline silicon and EPBT photovoltaic systems multicrystalline the authors make use of terms in common, namely: "electricity",
silicon in some regions, respectively. "sunlight", "direct generation", and "conversion". In this article we
Emission rates of greenhouse gases and EPBT can be mitigated suggest a consensual conceptualization between these terms which say
from the reduction in the use of the glass (used in the protection of that the photovoltaic solar energy is the energy obtained directly from
photovoltaic cells against bad weather, temperature fluctuations and solar radiation conversion.
mechanical impacts) and aluminum (used in the frames of the It is argued in several articles, among them [4,16,32], the power
modules) since they reduce the energy requirement to produce these consumption worldwide is increasing every year and among different
materials [1]. technologies that are competing for power generation we can highlight
the renewable energies, especially photovoltaic solar technology that is
growing rapidly in recent decades and can play an important role in
5. Conclusions achieving the high demand for energy worldwide. A huge amount of
annual installed photovoltaic systems shows the seriousness and
Photovoltaic solar energy, a renewable energy source, seen as an responsibility of each country on the subject to save the Earth by using
alternative to dealing with the challenges of shortage of energy renewable energy.
generated from traditional sources. Until the mid-2000s aroused In some articles [7,9], it is reported that in order to increase PV
relatively little interest from the academic community, taking into participation of the renewable energy market we need to increase
account the number of articles published on this topic. This scenario of awareness about the benefits (social, economic and environmental);
scientific interest has come to change from the second half of the increase research and development of new technologies (to obtain
2000s, with a significant increase in the number of published articles.
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