scholarly journals The functioning and politics of the solar PV technological innovation system in New Zealand: A mixed methods study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Andrew Boyles

<p>As human society nears the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, the cultivation of fossil fuels for energy shows little sign of large scale abatement. The need for large scale, worldwide transitions to more renewable energy is increasingly being emphasised by organisations such as the International Energy Agency. Some countries are leading the way and innovating in energy sources that are much more efficient, create industry, and bring many system benefits- like solar photovoltaic systems (PV).  Despite having insolation similar to, or greater than, many of those countries seeing vast uptake of solar PV, New Zealand is falling behind. New Zealand has policies in place that emphasise new renewable energy technology uptake and innovation; however these are not occurring with solar PV on a large scale. These contradictions underpin the examination in this thesis of the solar PV innovation system.   Using a Technological Innovation System (TIS) framework, this thesis examines the innovation system for solar PV in New Zealand. It identifies the achieved functionality in eight areas (Entrepreneurship, Knowledge Development, Networks, Guidance, Market, Legitimacy, and International Influences), and assesses the overall system’s functioning to identify system weaknesses.  To build a more complete picture of the innovation system, this thesis also examines the political environment that influences the sustainable transition to more solar PV. The key stakeholders, political influences, priorities, preferences, and political dialogue are assessed using a quantitative questionnaire. The results of this political analysis contribute to a robust conclusion on the state and functioning of the solar PV TIS in New Zealand.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Andrew Boyles

<p>As human society nears the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, the cultivation of fossil fuels for energy shows little sign of large scale abatement. The need for large scale, worldwide transitions to more renewable energy is increasingly being emphasised by organisations such as the International Energy Agency. Some countries are leading the way and innovating in energy sources that are much more efficient, create industry, and bring many system benefits- like solar photovoltaic systems (PV).  Despite having insolation similar to, or greater than, many of those countries seeing vast uptake of solar PV, New Zealand is falling behind. New Zealand has policies in place that emphasise new renewable energy technology uptake and innovation; however these are not occurring with solar PV on a large scale. These contradictions underpin the examination in this thesis of the solar PV innovation system.   Using a Technological Innovation System (TIS) framework, this thesis examines the innovation system for solar PV in New Zealand. It identifies the achieved functionality in eight areas (Entrepreneurship, Knowledge Development, Networks, Guidance, Market, Legitimacy, and International Influences), and assesses the overall system’s functioning to identify system weaknesses.  To build a more complete picture of the innovation system, this thesis also examines the political environment that influences the sustainable transition to more solar PV. The key stakeholders, political influences, priorities, preferences, and political dialogue are assessed using a quantitative questionnaire. The results of this political analysis contribute to a robust conclusion on the state and functioning of the solar PV TIS in New Zealand.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 850 (1) ◽  
pp. 012008
Author(s):  
N Rajamurugu

Abstract Renewable energy sources become suitable valid options to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels or petroleum products. The International Renewable Energy Agency reports that the world will harvest 40% of energy from renewable energy sources by 2030. Conventional technologies such as solar PV technology, consumes higher capital per unit (kWh) of electricity generation cost significantly higher than the traditional sources. Hence, solar chimney power generation system can be suitable option for generating low cost energy. Solar chimneys are developed and tested by different researchers in enhancing the performance of the system. Studies on the geometric modifications of the collector, and chimney are limited. The aim of this paper is to analyse the experimental data obtained from a divergent solar chimney. Experimentation is carried under sunlight in an open atmosphere. The airflow rates in the chimneys are tested under different collector outlet height. The experimental results showed that a chimney with higher collector openings was performed well than other models. The computational analysis is also carried out using ANSYS Fluent software package which shows that the collector opening of 2.5m is recommended for higher high mass flow rate and system efficiency.


2021 ◽  
pp. 65-83
Author(s):  
Peter Drahos

States, motivated by military concerns, have mismanaged the geo-energy trilemma with the result that they face a much deeper climate emergency than they otherwise might. The geo-energy trilemma consists of climate mitigation, energy security, and economic/military development. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has been central to the creation of a data path that prioritizes fossil fuels over the development of renewable energy. The International Energy Agency sent states down the track of more coal development even though carbon capture storage was never a realistic prospect. The IEA failed to build trust among states on energy and climate change issues. The creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an important step forward globally for the renewable energy industries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 927 (1) ◽  
pp. 012045
Author(s):  
G P Girish ◽  
Sweta Singh

Abstract World is witnessing a trend of countries adopting renewable energy sources viz.a.viz. Fossil fuels dominated energy sources. International Energy Agency believes that by 2025 energy produced from Renewable energy sources will most likely surpass electricity generated by coal. India being one of the largest producer and consumer of electricity in the world is already one of the largest producers of energy from renewable sources in the world with 38%+ of India’s total installed capacity from renewable energy sources. In this study we analyze and review the role that Renewable Energy is going to play in India’s Energy basket. With growing dependence on non-fossil fuels, it’s imperative for industry participants, policy makers, governments and researchers to decipher what is the role that is going to be played by energy produced from renewable energy sources in India’s energy basket from a strategic as well as policy making perspective.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Holland ◽  
Alona Armstrong ◽  
Fabio Carvalho

&lt;p&gt;Following the Paris agreement, many nations have committed to targets of net zero emissions, resulting in a significant increase in low-carbon energy generation. Recent improvements in the cost and efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) technology have made their deployment cheaper than new coal and gas fired power stations in a number of regions, with the uptake of PV projected to surpass fossil fuels by 2035. Large-scale, ground-mounted systems are likely to constitute a considerable portion of this expansion, with the International Energy Agency suggesting that 69% of new capacity additions in 2021 will be utility scale deployments (although some of this may be building-mounted). Despite the expansion of ground-mounted solar parks and the knowledge that land use change is a greater threat to nature than climate change, there is very little understanding of the environmental implications. In particular, the effect on ecosystem carbon cycling, and thus the decarbonisation attraction of the technology, is unknown. Whilst the carbon impacts of the technological components have been relatively well resolved, the true carbon costs cannot be determined without quantifying the impacts on land carbon. Here, we present a solar park carbon calculator (SPCC) that quantifies the full suite of solar park carbon impacts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The SPCC provides information on the technological and environmental carbon flows, drawing on established quantifications of carbon costs for system components, operation, and land management. Key components include the emissions factors for production of panels and mounts, machinery related emissions and the associated carbon flows of ground disturbances, before and after park construction. The SPCC is applied to a case-study solar park, providing insight into the dominant carbon flows and payback time in light of grid electricity carbon intensities. Ultimately, the SPCC can help inform solar park developer decisions in order to minimise carbon costs and maximise carbon sequestration.&lt;/p&gt;


The main objective of this research is analysed and compared the performance of two solar power plants to identify the possible operational problems in the tropical region. The grid connected PV power plants considered in the present study, Ten Merina and Senergy, were installed in the region of Thies (Senegal). Solar power plants have the same installed capacity 29.491 MWp. A period of one operation year of the solar power plants is considered, starting from January 2018 to December 2018. The performance parameters developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) are used to analyse the performances of solar power plants. The results show that the plane of array irradiance at the sites is identical with an annual average of 6.2 kWh/m2/d. The annual average performance ratio and final yield of solar power plants are respectively 74.3 %; 4.61 kWh/kWp to Ten Merina and 75.9 %; 4.66 kWh/kWp to Senergy. These results are compared to other solar power plants installed in different locations around the world.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-69
Author(s):  
Farzin Shama ◽  
Gholam Hossein Roshani ◽  
Sobhan Roshani ◽  
Arash Ahmadi ◽  
Saber Karami

Producing non-polluting renewable energy in large scale is essential for sustainability of future developments in industry and human society. Among renewable energy resources, solar energy takes a special place because of its free accessibility and affordability. However, the optimization of its production and consumption processes poses important concerns, essentially in the affordability issue. This paper investigates several optimization and performance issues regarding solar panel converters using two-axis controlled solar tracer that has been practically implemented in comparison with fixed converter panels. Results shown in tables and graphs demonstrate clearly the advantages and disadvantages of the methods. Based on these results, large scale solar power plants are being suggested to be equipped with similar devices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 2049
Author(s):  
Mohammad Esmailzadeh ◽  
Siamak Noori ◽  
Alireza Aliahmadi ◽  
Hamidreza Nouralizadeh ◽  
Marcel Bogers

For developing countries to catch up, it is vital that they develop emerging technologies and the system that supports that development. The literature suggests developing a technological innovation system (TIS) framework to investigate the development of technologies in a country. Nonetheless, most of this research focuses on developed countries without taking into account developing countries. Therefore, in this paper, we have two main goals. First, reviewing the indicators introduced to the functional analysis of TISs and modifying these indicators based on developing countries’ circumstances. Second, applying this framework to the specific case of Iran’s renewable energy program by using these indicators for analyzing Iran’s photovoltaic TIS to identify the problems. Accordingly, we review indicators used for a functional analysis by considering the needs of developing countries, and we propose a list of indicators that can be used for assessing functions in developing countries’ TISs. The results show that, to evaluate some functions of TIS, we need to use new indicators in developing countries. Finally, we propose some policy recommendations to tackle these functional problems.


2012 ◽  
Vol 248 ◽  
pp. 331-336
Author(s):  
Xian Jin Lai

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) provides important technological solutions to reduce CO2 emission at large scale for high emission countries. CCS technology is being shaped and developed within technological innovation system. The strength and composition of actor-networks in this system make a significant impact on CCS technology development. In order to facilitate the build-up of CCS innovation system, this study analyzes the actors-networks of CCS innovation system in China and the U.S, based on social-networks analysis. It is argued that there are huge differences between China and the U.S’s CCS innovation system. Therefore, the build-up of CCS innovation system in China should take characteristic approaches and policies to accelerate CCS development in the future.


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