Residential Grid-Connected Photovoltaics (GPV) systems hold remarkable promise in their potential to reduce energy use, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy costs to consumers, while also providing grid efficiency and demand-side management benefits to utilities. Broader adoption of customer-sited GPV also has the potential to transform the traditional model of electricity generation and delivery. Interest and activity has grown in recent years to promote GPV in north central Texas. This study employs a mixed methods design to better understand the status of residential GPV adoption in the DFW area, and those factors influencing a homeowner's decision of whether or not to install a system. Basic metrics are summarized, including installation numbers, distribution and socio-demographic information for the case study city of Plano, the DFW region, Texas, and the United States. Qualitative interview methods are used to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors influencing adoption for the Solarize Plano case study participants; to evaluate the effectiveness of the Solarize Plano program; and to identify concepts that may be regionally relevant. Recommendations are presented for additional research that may advance GPV adoption in north central Texas.

För mellan 40-50 år sedan så byggdes en miljon bostäder i Sverige. Idag har arbetet påbörjats med att renovera och restorera dessa bostäder, i samband med dessa åtgärder så görs även många åtgärder för att minska energianvändningen. Syftet med detta arbete var att ta reda på vad som var det mest ekonomiska valet av olika gröna elkällor. Även fastighetsägarnas egna tankar och uppfattningar ställs i relation till slutsatserna vid beräkningarna för att få en uppfattning om det stämmer överens. För att arbetet inte skulle bli för stort och krävande så gjordes dessa avgränsningar:  För att tiden skulle räcka till så avgränsades arbetet till Dalaregionen.  Arbetet har dessutom avgränsats till att bara undersöka ekonomin vid valet av de olika gröna elkällorna. Genom två olika undersökningar med mentometerknappar så kunde resultatet om fastighetsägarnas egna tankar och uppfattningar redovisas och analyseras. Vidare kunde fastighetsägarnas tankar och uppfattningar jämföras med beräkningarna och dessa slutsatser kunde då dras: Slutsatser:  Vindkraft var ej lönsam med dagens elpriser.  Av fastighetsbolag kunde det ses att deltagarna trodde olika på vad som gav bäst lönsamhet mellan vindkraft, solel eller grön el. / Between the years 1965 and 1975 one million residences in Sweden were built. Today the work of renovating these buildings has begun, in connection with this work there are many measures taken to reduce energy usage. The purpose of this work was to find out what is the most economical choice of various green power sources. Also the thoughts and beliefs of the property owners are set in relation to the conclusions of the calculations to get an idea of how different the property owner’s beliefs are compared to the calculations. To avoid making the work too large and demanding these boundaries have been set:  To get appropriate conclusions the work has been limited to the region of Dalarna.  The work has also been limited to examining the economic factor when choosing between various green power sources. Two surveys were conducted with several different property owners as participants and then two calculations of the payback period for solar power, wind power, and green electricity were conducted. These two results were then compered to each other to be able to analyze and present these conclusions. Conclusions:  Wind power is not profitable at today’s electricity prices.  Real estate owners are uncertain of what choice gives the best profitability of wind power, solar power or green power.

We examine the relationship between German wind and solar electricity and French spot price volatility. Using hourly data, we find that French imports from Germany driven by German wind and solar electricity sometimes decrease, sometimes increase the volatility of French spot prices. These two opposing effects depend on the shape of the French supply function and on the French demand. We, therefore, estimate different coefficients for imports depending on different demand levels. We acknowledge the endogeneity problem in identifying these effects and employ instrumental variable techniques to circumvent this problem. Our results show the urgent need for further coordination of national energy policies in order to reduce the potential for negative spill over effects of nationally driven energy policies in neighbouring countries as European electricity markets are becoming more integrated. / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

This thesis aims to determine the accessible solar potential and estimation of PV installation in Bangladesh to increase solar power production concerning conventional power production in Bangladesh. The rise of renewable energy sources and especially solar energy may result in a significant contribution to the power generation system. To achieve its advantage, proper study and research are important to establish the tangible solar capacity from relevant parameters. Conventional power production depends on a variety of factors and needs to be replaced by renewable resources for the increasing demand. Solar energy is a free source of energy and Bangladesh receives a huge quantity of solar radiation due to its geographical location in the tropical zone. In this thesis, solar irradiation, PV output, and many other parameters are determined to discover the potential of solar power. After that, total land area, population, number of households from the home establishment, number of industries, untilled land area, and other related factors are thoroughly studied and calculated to establish accessible solar electricity. Economic and environmental impacts are the most important criteria of this renewable resource from the country's perspective. Cost and CO2 emission are discussed for conventional electricity production and compared to solar electricity production.

Med mikronät åsyftas i denna rapport en sammankoppling av solcellsanläggningar som möjliggör delning av elektrisk energi. Målet med undersökningen var att ta reda på vilka förutsättningar som gör att det är fördelaktigt att bygga mikronät. Detta har gjorts genom att undersöka två tidigare fall där mikronät varit intressant och jämföra slutsatserna från dessa fall med resultaten och slutsatserna från en egen undersökning av Södra Hemlingby där mikronät övervägs. Undersökningen av Södra Hemlingby visar att mikronät i deras fall är lönsamt och att tak som troligtvis inte skulle användas till en enskild solcellsanläggning nu kan komma till användning för solceller. Genom att bygga mikronät skulle mängden inköpt el minska, CO2-utsläpp undvikas och eventuellt skulle en högre nivå av Miljöbyggnad kunna uppnås.  Undersökningen av Södra Hemlingby visar också att ett batteri både kan användas till att reducera effekttoppar och att öka egenanvändningsgraden. Vidare dras slutsatserna att bra förutsättningar för mikronät är vid nybyggnation, när grävarbete kan göras tillsammans med andra grävarbeten, när husen som är tänkta att anslutas står nära varandra, då komponenterna i eventuellt befintligt system är kompatibla med mikronätet och således inte behöver bytas ut, då det finns storanvändare av el i systemet, när elanvändningsprofilerna matchar elproduktionen samt då det finns möjlighet till en ordentlig ökning av egenanvändning. Bäst ekonomi uppnås med en storanvändare som är bra på att ta tillvara på produktionen från solpaneler som har ett högt energiutbyte. / The term microgrid in this report refers to a link-up between solar cell plants which make sharing of electrical energy possible. The aim of this survey was to examinate the pre-requisites that makes building of microgrids meaningful. This has been completed by analyzing two earlier cases where microgrids has been evaluated. The conclusions from these cases have been compared with the results and conclusions from an own made survey of Södra Hemlingby where microgrid is considered. The survey of Södra Hemlingby shows that a microgrid would be a profitable investment and that roofs that probably not would qualify for separate plants now was useful. By building a microgrid the amount of electricity from the power distribution grid would decrease, the carbon dioxide emissions would be avoided, and possibly a higher energy classification for the building would be achieved. The survey of Södra Hemlingby also shows that a battery storage could be used for either power reduction or for increasing the own usage rate. The conclusion about good pre-requisites is drawn to be new housing estate, when ditching could be coordinated with other works, short distances between houses in the system, when the components in a existing system is compatible with a microgrid and dont have to be exchanged, when there is a large consumer of electricity in the system, when the electric consumtion profiles matches the production and when there is room for a large increas in own used electricity. Best economy is reached when large consumer of electricity is utilizing the electricity from panels with a high energy exchange.

The Swedish government has set a target of achieving 100% renewable electricity production by 2040, and this target is reflected in the solar strategy of the Swedish Energy Agency that states it’s possible that solar electricity may represent 5-10% of the Swedish electricity mix by 2040. It’s not easy for different participants such as individuals, companies, farmers and housing associations to find out the value of solar self-consumption and the value of surplus solar electricity that is fed into the power grid, because there are about 120 electricity trading companies and about 170 electricity grid companies in Sweden. The electricity companies have different tariffs. The purpose of this degree project is to investigate how the value of solar electricity varies depending on which electricity trading company and electricity grid company that different participants such as individuals and companies have, and also to make profitability calculations for different cases concerning five of the major electricity trading companies and electricity grid companies, respectively. Data needed for calculating the value of solar self-consumption and sold surplus electricity are collected from the electricity trading companies and electricity grid companies. Profitability is calculated by using an Excel template from the project ”Capital budget for solar cells”. This degree project shows that the value of solar self-consumption is worth more than the value of sold surplus electricity in all cases, both for individuals and for companies. For the companies, the difference in value between solar self-consumption and sold surplus electricity is much greater than for individuals, because the companies studied in this degree project don’t receive any tax reduction for the surplus electricty that is fed into the power grid. The higher the value of solar self-consumption and sold surplus electricity, the more profitable the solar cell investment becomes. The lower the value of solar self-consumption and sold surplus electricity, the less profitable the solar cell investment becomes. The prerequisites needed to achieve 5-10% of solar electricity in Sweden are strengthening or renewal of the electricity grid, budget support for solar cells, financial support systems, education about the potential for solar electricity and how it works and the willpower among various participants to invest in solar cells.

Markmonterade solcellsanläggningar i norra Sverige behöver ta hänsyn till förekomsten av snö och risken för markinterferens, vilket innebär att snömängden i framkant av panelerna gör att den snö som ackumuleras ovanpå inte kan glida av. Följden blir skuggning av panelerna som därmed får nedsatt eller helt utebliven elproduktion. Syftet med arbetet var att besvara frågeställningar kring vilken montagehöjd som krävs för att undvika problemet samt om den ökade engångskostnaden kompenseras av potentialen till ökad produktion under vintermånaderna. Metoden bestod främst av att jämföra produktionsdata från en solpark i Östersund med värden för solinstrålning och snödjup från SMHI för att avgöra vilken effekt snöskuggning haft på produktionen och hur utfallet skulle ha sett ut vid olika monteringshöjder av anläggningen. Resultaten visar att det finns stor potential till goda produktionsvärden under vårvintern, förutsatt att markinterferens inte finns närvarande. Anledningen beror troligtvis på högt albedo från snötäckt mark och lägre lufttemperaturer vilket har en positiv inverkan på modulernas verkningsgrad. En beräkningsmodell utvecklades för att uppskatta en lämplig monteringshöjd för en solpark utifrån dess tänkta utformning och det förväntade snödjupet på platsen. Förhoppningen är att modellen kan bidra till ökad kunskap för att främja utbyggnad av markmonterade solcellsanläggningar även på nordliga breddgrader. Lönsamheten för ett högre montage undersöktes genom en jämförelse mellan ett prisexempel från en uppförd solpark och ett uppskattat produktionsbortfall från solparken i Östersund vid en teoretiskt lägre monteringshöjd. Det visade att en höjning av Östersundsparken från 50 till 90 centimeter skulle betala av sig enbart genom tillskottet i produktion under perioden februari till april de tre första vintrarna. / Ground-mounted PV installations in northern Sweden need to consider the presence of snow and the risk of ground interference, meaning that the buildup of snow in front of the panels prevents the snow accumulated on top from sliding off. The result is shading of the panels, which in turn reduces or eliminates the electricity production. The purpose of this work was to answer questions regarding the mounting height required to avoid this problem and whether the increased one-time cost for higher mounting is compensated for by the enhanced production during winter months. The method consisted mainly of comparing production data from a solar park in Östersund to solar radiation values and snow depth from SMHI to determine the effect of snow shading on production and the outcome at different installation heights of the plant. The results showed that there is great potential for valuable energy production during the late winter season, provided that ground interference is not present. This is probably due to high albedo from snow-covered ground and lower air temperatures resulting in a positive impact on the efficiency of the modules. A computational model was developed to estimate a suitable mounting height for a solar park based on the intended design and expected snow depth at the site. The intention is that the model can contribute to increased knowledge to promote the deployment of ground-mounted PV systems in northern latitudes. The profitability of higher mounting was investigated by comparing a price example from an existing solar facility and an estimated production loss from the solar park in Östersund at a theoretical lower mounting height. It showed that  increasing the height of the Östersund site from 50 to 90 centimeters in front would pay off solely on the enhanced production during the period February to April of the first three winters.