Posted on Friday, May 14th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Solar electricity could represent 20% to 25% of global electricity production by 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said this week. The figures emerge from two new analyses of solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Concentrating Solar Power (CSP). With effective policies in place, PV on residential and commercial buildings will achieve grid parity–i.e. with electricity grid retail prices–by 2020 in many regions, IEA said. PV will become competitive at utility-scale in the sunniest regions by 2030 and provide 5% of global electricity. The roadmaps detail the technology milestones that would make greater adoption possible, highlighting that the two technologies will deploy in different yet complementary ways: PV mostly for on-grid distributed generation in many regions and CSP largely providing dispatchable electricity at utility scale from regions with brightest sun and clearest skies. PV also helps provide energy access off grid in rural areas. Together, PV and CSP could generate 9 000 Terawatt hours of power in 2050. As PV matures into a mainstream technology, grid integration and management and energy storage become key issues. The PV industry, grid operators and utilities will need to develop new technologies and strategies to integrate large amounts of PV into flexible, efficient and smart grids. By 2050, PV could provide more than 11% of global electricity.
