IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v33y2008i5p1101-1108.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Industrial symbiosis of very large-scale photovoltaic manufacturing

Author

Listed:
  • Pearce, Joshua M.

Abstract

In order to stabilize the global climate, the world's governments must make significant commitments to drastically reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One of the most promising methods of curbing GHG emissions is a world transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) cells offer a technically sustainable solution to the projected enormous future energy demands. This article explores utilizing industrial symbiosis to obtain economies of scale and increased manufacturing efficiencies for solar PV cells in order for solar electricity to compete economically with fossil fuel-fired electricity. The state of PV manufacturing, the market and the effects of scale on both are reviewed. Government policies necessary to construct a multi-gigaWatt PV factory and complementary policies to protect existing solar companies are outlined and the technical requirements for a symbiotic industrial system are explored to increase the manufacturing efficiency while improving the environmental impact of PV. The results of the analysis show that an eight-factory industrial symbiotic system can be viewed as a medium-term investment by any government, which will not only obtain direct financial return, but also an improved global environment. The technical concepts and policy limitations to this approach were analyzed and it was found that symbiotic growth will help to mitigate many of the limitations of PV and is likely to catalyze mass manufacturing of PV by transparently demonstrating that large-scale PV manufacturing is technically feasible and reaches an enormous untapped market for PV with low costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Pearce, Joshua M., 2008. "Industrial symbiosis of very large-scale photovoltaic manufacturing," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 1101-1108.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:33:y:2008:i:5:p:1101-1108
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2007.07.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096014810700242X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2007.07.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ellis, Jane & Peake, Stephen, 1996. "Renewable energy promotion in IEA countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 1175-1178.
    2. Ruth, Matthias & Dell'Anno, Paolo, 1997. "An industrial ecology of the US glass industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 109-124, September.
    3. Payne, Adam & Duke, Richard & Williams, Robert H., 2001. "Accelerating residential PV expansion: supply analysis for competitive electricity markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(10), pages 787-800, August.
    4. Iniyan, S & Suganthi, L & Samuel, Anand A, 2001. "A survey of social acceptance in using renewable energy sources for the new millennium," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 657-661.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Ranisau & Mohammed Barbouti & Aaron Trainor & Nidhi Juthani & Yaser K. Salkuyeh & Azadeh Maroufmashat & Michael Fowler, 2017. "Power-to-Gas Implementation for a Polygeneration System in Southwestern Ontario," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-19, September.
    2. Koami Soulemane Hayibo & Pierce Mayville & Ravneet Kaur Kailey & Joshua M. Pearce, 2020. "Water Conservation Potential of Self-Funded Foam-Based Flexible Surface-Mounted Floatovoltaics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Branker, K. & Pearce, J.M., 2010. "Financial return for government support of large-scale thin-film solar photovoltaic manufacturing in Canada," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4291-4303, August.
    4. Prehoda, Emily W. & Schelly, Chelsea & Pearce, Joshua M., 2017. "U.S. strategic solar photovoltaic-powered microgrid deployment for enhanced national security," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 167-175.
    5. Dong, Liang & Liang, Hanwei & Zhang, Liguo & Liu, Zhaowen & Gao, Zhiqiu & Hu, Mingming, 2017. "Highlighting regional eco-industrial development: Life cycle benefits of an urban industrial symbiosis and implications in China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 361(C), pages 164-176.
    6. R. Andrews & J.M. Pearce, 2011. "Environmental and Economic Assessment of a Greenhouse Waste Heat Exchange," Post-Print hal-02120486, HAL.
    7. Kreiger, M.A. & Shonnard, D.R. & Pearce, J.M., 2013. "Life cycle analysis of silane recycling in amorphous silicon-based solar photovoltaic manufacturing," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 44-49.
    8. repec:lib:000cis:v:2:y:2014:i:1:p:30-40 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. K. Branker & E. Shackles & J. M. Pearce, 2011. "Peer-to-peer financing mechanisms to accelerate renewable energy deployment," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(2), pages 138-155, April.
    10. Mundada, Aishwarya S. & Shah, Kunal K. & Pearce, J.M., 2016. "Levelized cost of electricity for solar photovoltaic, battery and cogen hybrid systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 692-703.
    11. Lloyd, Bob & Forest, Andrew S., 2010. "The transition to renewables: Can PV provide an answer to the peak oil and climate change challenges?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 7378-7394, November.
    12. Zelenika-Zovko, I. & Pearce, J.M., 2011. "Diverting indirect subsidies from the nuclear industry to the photovoltaic industry: Energy and financial returns," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2626-2632, May.
    13. Branker, K. & Pathak, M.J.M. & Pearce, J.M., 2011. "A review of solar photovoltaic levelized cost of electricity," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(9), pages 4470-4482.
    14. Focacci, Antonio, 2009. "Residential plants investment appraisal subsequent to the new supporting photovoltaic economic mechanism in Italy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2710-2715, December.
    15. Joshua Pearce, 2009. "Increasing PV Velocity by Reinvesting the Nuclear Energy Insurance Subsidy into Large Scale Solar Photovoltaic Production," Post-Print hal-02120510, HAL.
    16. Li, Nan & Liu, Cengceng & Zha, Donglan, 2016. "Performance evaluation of Chinese photovoltaic companies with the input-oriented dynamic SBM model," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 489-497.
    17. Chelsea Schelly, 2015. "Frameworks for Understanding and Promoting Solar Energy Technology Development," Resources, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-15, February.
    18. Thavasi, V. & Ramakrishna, S., 2009. "Asia energy mixes from socio-economic and environmental perspectives," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 4240-4250, November.
    19. Dong, Liang & Gu, Fumei & Fujita, Tsuyoshi & Hayashi, Yoshitsugu & Gao, Jie, 2014. "Uncovering opportunity of low-carbon city promotion with industrial system innovation: Case study on industrial symbiosis projects in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 388-397.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cheng, Shikun & Li, Zifu & Mang, Heinz-Peter & Neupane, Kalidas & Wauthelet, Marc & Huba, Elisabeth-Maria, 2014. "Application of fault tree approach for technical assessment of small-sized biogas systems in Nepal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1372-1381.
    2. Zhao, Dong-Xue & He, Bao-Jie & Johnson, Christine & Mou, Ben, 2015. "Social problems of green buildings: From the humanistic needs to social acceptance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 1594-1609.
    3. Hernández-Moro, J. & Martínez-Duart, J.M., 2013. "Analytical model for solar PV and CSP electricity costs: Present LCOE values and their future evolution," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 119-132.
    4. McConnell, R. D., 2002. "Assessment of the dye-sensitized solar cell," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 271-293, September.
    5. Kulatilaka, Nalin & Santiago, Leonardo & Vakili, Pirooz, 2014. "Reallocating risks and returns to scale up adoption of distributed electricity resources," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 566-574.
    6. Ruth, Matthias, 1998. "Dematerialization in five US metals sectors: implications for energy use and CO2 emissions," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 1-18, March.
    7. Leckner, Mitchell & Zmeureanu, Radu, 2011. "Life cycle cost and energy analysis of a Net Zero Energy House with solar combisystem," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 232-241, January.
    8. Sidiras, Dimitrios K. & Koukios, Emmanuel G., 2004. "Solar systems diffusion in local markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(18), pages 2007-2018, December.
    9. Byrne, John & Kurdgelashvili, Lado & Poponi, Daniele & Barnett, Allen, 2004. "The potential of solar electric power for meeting future US energy needs: a comparison of projections of solar electric energy generation and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil production," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 289-297, January.
    10. Ewa Lewicka & Jarosław Szlugaj & Anna Burkowicz & Krzysztof Galos, 2020. "Sources and Markets of Limestone Flour in Poland," Resources, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-16, September.
    11. Elia, A. & Kamidelivand, M. & Rogan, F. & Ó Gallachóir, B., 2021. "Impacts of innovation on renewable energy technology cost reductions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    12. Focacci, Antonio, 2009. "Residential plants investment appraisal subsequent to the new supporting photovoltaic economic mechanism in Italy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2710-2715, December.
    13. Jamshidi, Ali & Kurumisawa, Kiyofumi & Nawa, Toyoharu & Igarashi, Toshifumi, 2016. "Performance of pavements incorporating waste glass: The current state of the art," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 211-236.
    14. Mario Testa & Ornella Malandrino & Maria Rosaria Sessa & Stefania Supino & Daniela Sica, 2017. "Long-Term Sustainability from the Perspective of Cullet Recycling in the Container Glass Industry: Evidence from Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-19, October.
    15. Jan Streeck & Quirin Dammerer & Dominik Wiedenhofer & Fridolin Krausmann, 2021. "The role of socio‐economic material stocks for natural resource use in the United States of America from 1870 to 2100," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(6), pages 1486-1502, December.
    16. Luis Mundaca & H�kan Rodhe, 2004. "CDM wind-energy projects: exploring small capacity thresholds and low performances," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(4), pages 399-418, December.
    17. Nicholls, A. & Sharma, R. & Saha, T.K., 2015. "Financial and environmental analysis of rooftop photovoltaic installations with battery storage in Australia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 252-264.
    18. van Beukering, Pieter J.H. & van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M., 2006. "Modelling and analysis of international recycling between developed and developing countries," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 1-26.
    19. Wamukonya, Njeri, 2007. "Solar home system electrification as a viable technology option for Africa's development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 6-14, January.
    20. Duke, Richard & Williams, Robert & Payne, Adam, 2005. "Accelerating residential PV expansion: demand analysis for competitive electricity markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(15), pages 1912-1929, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:33:y:2008:i:5:p:1101-1108. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.