A comparative study on cost and life-cycle analysis for 100 MW very large-scale PV (VLS-PV) systems in deserts using m-Si, a-Si, CdTe, and CIS modules

This paper is a study of comparisons between five types of 100 MW Very Large-Scale Photovoltaic Power Generation (VLS-PV) Systems, from economic and environmental viewpoints. The authors designed VLS-PV systems using typical PV modules of multi-crystalline silicon (12.8% efficiency), high efficiency multi-crystalline silicon (15.8%), amorphous silicon (6.9%), cadmium tellurium (9.0%), and copper indium selenium (11.0%), and evaluated them by Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA). Cost, energy requirement, and CO2 emissions were calculated. In addition, the authors evaluated generation cost, energy payback time (EPT), and CO2 emission rates. As a result, it was found that the EPT is 1.5-2.5 years and the CO2 emission rate is 9-16g-C/kWh. The generation cost was 11-12 US Cent/kWh on using 2 USD/W PV modules, and 19-20 US Cent/kWh on using 4 USD/W PV module price. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.