A solar energy mix for a green and sustainable future

Abstract

The growth of solar energy generating systems starts in the 1970s with first applications of solar cell and photovoltaic (PV) technologies. The rapid decrease of manufacturing costs thanks to a massive growth in mass production of photovoltaic modules and subsequent help from government incentives that have facilitated the deployment of this technology in every sector.1 The introduction of renewable sources changed the background of the energy sector. The energy generated by biomass, geothermal, wind, photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar thermal (CST) plants has introduced indeed new challenges for energy operators who have had to address energy market needs differently. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto protocol have led to agreement between nations on climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The mitigation of CO2 and NOx pushed energy operators to rely on variety of ‘‘green” energy production technologies. Thus, the development and installation of photovoltaics and wind plants widely increased during past three decades generating a learning curve for both manufacturers and energy market operators. The downside of both renewable technologies is the intermittence of electrical generation as it is function of weather conditions. A full conversion to solar and wind energy is not then a feasible solution to satisfy a flexible and continuous energy market demand, hence these technologies are usually employed to respond to energy peak requests, mostly.