The energy return on energy investment (EROI) of photovoltaics: Methodology and comparisons with fossil fuel life cycles

Energy Policy

Volumn 45, Issue , 2012, Pages 576-582

  Raugei, Marco ^a,b   Fullana i Palmer, Pere ^a   Fthenakis, Vasilis ^b,c  

^a UNIVERSITAT POMPEU FABRA   (Spain)

^b Och Spine at New York Presbyterian Hospitals   (United States)

^c BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY   (United States)

Author keywords

Electricity; EROI; Photovoltaics

Indexed keywords

CALCULATION METHODS; ENERGY INVESTMENTS; ENERGY PRODUCTIONS; EROI; FUEL LIFE CYCLE; HIGH ENERGY; LONG-TERM VIABILITY; PHOTOVOLTAICS; PV SYSTEM; RENEWABLE ENERGIES; THERMAL ELECTRICITY;

ELECTRICITY; FOSSIL FUELS; LIFE CYCLE;

PHOTOVOLTAIC EFFECTS;

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY; COMPARATIVE STUDY; ELECTRICITY GENERATION; ELECTRICITY SUPPLY; FOSSIL FUEL; LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS; PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM; RENEWABLE RESOURCE;

EID: 84859771849     PISSN: 03014215     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2012.03.008     Document Type: Article

References (44)

1. Campbell C.J., Laherrère J.H. The end of cheap oil. Scientific American 1998, 278:78-83.
2. Chambers R.S., Herendeen R.A., Joyce J.J., Penner P.S. Gasohol: Does it or doesn't it produce positive net energy?. Science (New York, NY) 1979, 206:789-795.
3. Cleveland C. Energy quality and energy surplus in the extraction of fossil fuels in the U.S. Ecological Economics 1992, 6:139-162.
4. Cleveland C.J. Net energy from oil and gas extraction in the United States, 1954-1997. Energy 2005, 30:769-782.
5. Cleveland C.J., Costanza R., Hall C.A.S., Kaufmann R. Energy and the U.S. Economy: a biophysical perspective. Science (New York, NY) 1984, 225:890-897.
6. Cleveland C.J. Energy quality and energy surplus in the extraction of fossil fuels in the U.S. Ecological Economics: the Journal of the International Society for Ecological Economics 1992, 6:139-162.
7. Denholm P., Margolis R.M. Evaluating the limits of solar photovoltaics (PV) in electric power systems utilizing energy storage and other enabling technologies. Energy Policy 2006, 35:4424-4433.
8. Dones, R., Bauer, C., Röder, A., 2007. Kohle. In: Dones, R. (Ed.), Sachbilanzen von Energiesystemen: Grundlagen für den ökologischen Vergleigh von Energiesystemen und den Einbezug von Energiesystemen on Ökobilanzen für die Schweiz. Ecoinvent Report No. 6-VI, Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories, Dübendorf, CH.
9. Ecoinvent, 2011. Ecoinvent v.2. Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories. http://www.ecoinvent.org.
10. Fthenakis V.M., Alsema E. Photovoltaics Energy Payback Times, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and External Costs: 2004-early 2005 Status. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications 2006, 14:275-280.
11. Fthenakis, V.M., Held, M., Kim, H.C., Raugei, M., 2009. Update of Energy Payback Times and Environmental Impacts of Photovoltaics. 24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; Hamburg, Germany.
12. Fthenakis V.M., Kim H.C. Photovoltaics: Life-cycle analyses. Solar Energy 2011, 85(8):1609-1628.
13. Fthenakis V., Frischknecht R., Raugei M., Kim H.C., Alsema E., Held M., de Wild-Scholten M. Methodology Guidelines on Life Cycle Assessment of Photovoltaic Electricity 2011, International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power systems Programme, IEA PVPS Task 12. second ed.
14. Gagnon N., Hall C.A.S., Brinker L. A preliminary investigation of the energy return on energy invested for global oil and gas extraction. Energies 2009, 2:490-503.
15. Guilford M.C., Hall C.A.S., O'Connor P., Cleveland C.J. A new long term assessment of energy return on investment (EROI) for U.S. oil and gas discovery and production. Sustainability 2011, 3(10):1866-1887.
16. Hall C.A.S. The energy return of (industrial) solar-passive solar, PV, wind and hydro. Appendix G-2: photovoltaics. The Oil Drum: Net Energy 2008, http://www.theoildrum.com/node/3910.
17. Hall C.A.S., Cleveland C.J. Petroleum drilling and production in the United States: yield per effort and net energy analysis. Science (New York, NY) 1981, 211:576-579.
18. Hall C.A.S., Day J.W. Revisiting the limits to growth after peak oil. American Scientist 2009, 97:230-237.
19. Hall C.A.S., Powers R., Schoenberg W. Peak Oil, EROI, Investments and the Economy in an Uncertain Future. Biofuels, Solar and Wind as Renewable Energy Systems: Benefits and Risks 2008, 109-132. Springer Science, The Netherlands. D. Pimentel (Ed.).
20. Heinberg R. Searching for a miracle. "Net energy" limits & the fate of industrial society 2009, Post Carbon Institute. http://www.postcarbon.org/.
21. Held M., Ilg R. Update of environmental indicators and energy payback time of CdTe PV systems in Europe. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications 2011, 19:614-626.
22. Herendeen R. Net energy analysis: concepts and methods. Encyclopedia of Energy 2004, 283-289. Elsevier. C.J. Cleveland (Ed.).
23. Herendeen R. Net energy considerations. Economic Analysis of Solar Thermal Energy Systems 1988, 255-273. MIT Press. R. West, F. Kreith (Eds.).
24. International Energy Agency. Statistics & Balances, 2008. http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp.
25. Jungbluth, N., 2007. Erdöl. In: Dones, R. (Ed.), Sachbilanzen von Energiesystemen: Grundlagen für den ökologischen Vergleigh von Energiesystemen und den Einbezug von Energiesystemen on Ökobilanzen für die Schweiz. Ecoinvent Report No. 6-IV, Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories, Dübendorf, CH.
26. Kautto N., Jaeger-Waldau A. Renewable Energy Snapshots 2009, EC Joint Research Centre. http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/refsys/pdf/RE%20Snapshots%202009.pdf.
27. King C.W. Energy intensity ratios as net energy measures of United States energy production and expenditures. Environmental Research Letters 2010, 5:044006.
28. King C.W., Hall C.A.S. Relating financial and energy return on investment. Sustainability 2011, 3(10):1810-1832.
29. Kubiszewski, I., Cleveland, C.J., 2009. Energy return on investment (EROI) for photovoltaic energy. In: Cleveland, C.J. (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Earth. http://www.eoearth.org.
30. Kubiszewski I., Cleveland C.J., Endres P.K. Meta-analysis of net energy return for wind power systems. Renewable Energy 2010, 35(1):218-225.
31. Leach G. Net energy-is it any use?. Energy Policy 1975, 3:332-344.
32. Lewis N.S. Toward cost-effective solar energy use. Science (New York, NY) 2007, 315:798-801.
33. Lloyd B., Forest A.S. The transition to renewables: Can PV provide an answer to the peak oil and climate change challenges?. Energy Policy 2010, 38(11):7378-7392.
34. Mason J., Hansen T., Fthenakis V.M., Zweibel K. Coupling PV and CAES Power Plants to Transform Intermittent PV Electricity into a Dispatchable Electricity Source. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications 2008, 16:649-668.
35. Mulder K., Hagens N.J. Energy return on investment: toward a consistent framework. Ambio 2008, 37(2):74-79.
36. Murphy D.J., Hall C.A.S. Year in review-EROI or energy return on (energy) invested. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2010, 1185:102-118.
37. Murphy D.J., Hall C.A.S. Energy return on investment, peak oil, and the end of economic growth. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2011, 1219:52-72.
38. NASA Atmospheric science data center. Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy: Global Data Sets 2008.
39. Nikolakakis T., Fthenakis V. The optimum mix of electricity from wind- and solar-sources in conventional power systems: Evaluating the case for New York State. Energy Policy 2011, 39:6972-6980.
40. Pickard W., Hansing N.J., Shen A.Q. Can large-scale advanced-adiabatic compressed air energy storage be justified economically in an age of sustainable energy?. Journal of Renewable Sustainable Energy 2009, 1. 033102-1: 033102-10.
41. Pimm, A., Garvey, S., 2009. Analysis of flexible fabric structures for large-scale subsea compressed air energy storage. Journal of Physics: Conference Series 181:012049.
42. Raugei M. Energy Pay-Back Time: methodological caveats and future scenarios. Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, in press.
43. Raugei M., Bargigli S., Ulgiati S. Life cycle assessment and energy pay-back time of advanced photovoltaic modules: CdTe and CIS compared to poly-Si. Energy 2007, 32:1310-1318.
44. Slesser, M. (Ed.), 1974. Energy Analysis Workshop on Methodology and Conventions, pp. 89. IFIAS, Stockholm, Sweden.