The Economic Competitiveness of Renewable Energy: Pathways to 100% Global Coverage

The Economic Competitiveness of Renewable Energy: Pathways to 100% Global Coverage

by Winfried Hoffmann
Released June 2014
Publisher(s): Wiley-Scrivener
ISBN: 9781118237908

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Book description

The world is at the crossroads of either quickly changing the energy picture towards implementing efficient renewable energy sources or postponing this process by another generation. Based on the author's more than 30 years industrial experience, this book gives a set of assumptions by extrapolating known technology developments and shows that 100% coverage by renewable technology of the global energy needs is much more probable than previously argued.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title page
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright page
  5. Dedication
  6. Foreword
  7. Preface
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. List of Abbreviations
  10. Chapter 1: Introduction
    1. 1.1 The Changing World
    2. 1.2 Why Another Book on 100% Renewables?
  11. Chapter 2: Analysis of Today’s Energy Situation
    1. 2.1 Basic Energy Terms
    2. 2.2 Global Energy Situation
    3. 2.3 Energy Sectors
    4. 2.4 Challenges for Fossil Fuels
    5. 2.5 Problems with Nuclear Energy
  12. Chapter 3: The Importance of Energy Efficiency Measures
    1. 3.1 Traditional Extrapolation of Future Energy Demands or Alternatively “The Same or with Renewables Even Better Quality of Life with Much Less Energy”
    2. 3.2 Decrease in End Energy Needs with a “Better Quality of Life”
    3. 3.3 Today’s Energy Needs with Known Energy Efficiency Measures
    4. 3.4 Support Mechanisms to Facilitate New Products: Ban The Old or Facilitate The New Ones
  13. Chapter 4: Overview of the Most Important Renewable Energy Technologies
    1. 4.1 Basics About the Potential of Various Renewable Technologies
    2. 4.2 Wind Energy
    3. 4.3 Solar Thermal Collectors and Concentrators
    4. 4.4 Bioenergy: Biomass and Fuel
    5. 4.5 Photovoltaics
    6. 4.6 Other Renewable Technologies
  14. Chapter 5: PV Market Development
    1. 5.1 Strategic and Consumer Goods in Society and Why Strategic Ones Need Initial Support
    2. 5.2 PV Applications and History
    3. 5.3 Historical PV Market Development
    4. 5.4 Feed-in Tariffs – Sustainable Versus Boom and Bust Market Growth
    5. 5.5 PV Market Development Towards 2020
    6. 5.6 Total Budget for Feed-in Tariff Support as Positive Investment for National Economies and Merit Order Effects for Electricity Customers
    7. 5.7 New Electricity Market Design for Increasing Numbers of Variable Renewable Energy Systems
    8. 5.8 Developments for the Future Energy Infrastructure
  15. Chapter 6: PV Value Chain and Technology
    1. 6.1 Basics of Solar Radiation and Conversion in PV Cells
    2. 6.2 Value Chain for Crystalline Silicon PV Systems
    3. 6.3 Value Chain for Thin-Film Technologies
    4. 6.4 Concentrated PV (CPV) and III–V Compound Solar Cells
    5. 6.5 New Technologies (Dye, OPV, and Novel Concepts)
    6. 6.6 Other Cost Components for PV Systems
    7. 6.7 Marimekko Plot for PV Systems and Summary Chart for Cell Efficiencies
  16. Chapter 7: The Astonishing Predictive Power of Price Experience Curves
    1. 7.1 Basics about Price Experience Curves
    2. 7.2 Relevant Price Experience Curves Comparable to PV
    3. 7.3 Lesson Learned from PECs Discussed
    4. 7.4 Price Experience Curve for PV Modules
    5. 7.5 Price Experience Curve for DC/AC inverters
    6. 7.6 Price Experience Curve for Wind Energy and Other Relevant Products for a 100% Renewable World
  17. Chapter 8: Future Technology Development
    1. 8.1 General Remarks on Future Technology Developments
    2. 8.2 Photovoltaics
    3. 8.3 Wind Energy
    4. 8.4 Solar Thermal
    5. 8.5 Other Renewables
    6. 8.6 Other System Components
    7. 8.7 Importance of the Renewable Energy Portfolio – in Particular Solar and Wind
  18. Chapter 9: Future Energy Projections – The 150 Peta-Watt-hour Challenge
    1. 9.1 Historical Development
    2. 9.2 Some Future Projections and Scenarios by Others
    3. 9.3 Global Energy Scenarios and Market Development of the Major Renewables from the Author’s Point of View
  19. Chapter 10: Likelihood of and Timeline for a World Powered by 100% Renewable Energy
    1. 10.1 Likelihood of a 100% Renewable World
    2. 10.2 Global Network or Local Autonomy?
    3. 10.3 Timeline for a 100% Renewable World
  20. Chapter 11: Conclusion: The 100% Renewable Energy Puzzle
  21. References
  22. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Economic Competitiveness of Renewable Energy: Pathways to 100% Global Coverage
  • Author(s): Winfried Hoffmann
  • Release date: June 2014
  • Publisher(s): Wiley-Scrivener
  • ISBN: 9781118237908