Issue 3, 2018

Assessing the photovoltaic technology landscape: efficiency and energy return on investment (EROI)

Abstract

This study builds on previous meta-analyses of photovoltaic (PV) systems to assess the tradeoff between efficiency and energy inputs (i.e. cumulative energy demand, CED) in the energetic performance (as measured by energy return on investment (EROI)) of PV technologies under both high-cost and low-cost balance of system scenarios. This study focuses on three existing technology groups (wafer, thin film, and organic). We find that earlier projections of third-generation (high-efficiency, low-cost), thin-film technologies have not yet emerged, since “third-generation” technologies currently have low-cost but also low-efficiency. However, we also find that the best advances in energetic performance to date come from thin film technology.

Graphical abstract: Assessing the photovoltaic technology landscape: efficiency and energy return on investment (EROI)

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Jun 2017
Accepted
16 Jan 2018
First published
16 Jan 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Energy Environ. Sci., 2018,11, 603-608

Assessing the photovoltaic technology landscape: efficiency and energy return on investment (EROI)

Z. Zhou and M. Carbajales-Dale, Energy Environ. Sci., 2018, 11, 603 DOI: 10.1039/C7EE01806A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements