Solar Power Economics
Introduction | Enquiry | Registration | Download Brochure
Course objectives
Accessible to non-experts, industry newcomers and those with little or no technical or financial background, this one-day course describes and illustrates (using simple calculations and models) the factors which determine the competitiveness of solar power in current and future electricity markets. It will discuss markets for solar power, physical limits on the solar resource, influences (both technological and otherwise) on its cost, challenges in integrating solar into future grid supplies, and the comparative attributes of competing options (both renewable and fossil).
Approximate Timing
Course begins: 09:00
Course ends: ~16:00
Agenda Details
Solar Power Applications, Markets & Resources
- Solar markets and applications: what are the opportunities and the competition?
- A review of market data and trends; including deployments, market shares, pricing trends, international contrasts
- How much energy exists? Solar resources and data, including global and local variations
- A brief review of competing solar power technologies: PV, CPV & CSP*
- Maximising energy production: site selection and restrictions; performance vs cost compromises
Power Markets and Grids
- How electrical power is supplied and sold: demand vs supply; cost vs price
- Competing power plant types, both renewable and fossil
- How the structure and operation of the grid affects the deployment of solar power
- Integrating variable renewable resources (such as solar) into the grid
- Supply and demand management, including "Smart Grids" and energy storage
- What can (and can’t) solar power replace?
- Competitive and complementary power sources
Quantifying Solar’s competitiveness
- Solar Market Drivers: the competitive factors influencing markets for solar energy
- Supply and demand; including raw materials, manufacturing capacity and other factors
- Capital and Operational costs: factors and examples
- Regulatory support mechanisms and their impact
- Grid Parity and Levelized Electricity Costs (LEC): how they are calculated and how different assumptions and variables affect them
- Example calculations plus data from real studies and examples
- The relevance of the results vs the challenges in interpreting them
- How solar stacks up against the competition, and how this might change