A Review of Solar Energy : Markets, Economics and Policies

Solar energy has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years due to both technological improvements resulting in cost reductions and government policies supportive of renewable energy development and utilization. This study analyzes the technical...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Timilsina, Govinda R., Kurdgelashvili, Lado, Narbel, Patrick A.
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	AIR AIR POLLUTION AMORPHOUS SILICON APPROACH AVAILABILITY BALANCE BATTERIES BIOGAS BIOMASS BUILDING MATERIALS CADMIUM CAPACITY FACTOR CAPACITY FACTORS CAPACITY OF HEAT CAPACITY UTILIZATION CARBON CARBON CAPTURE CARBON CREDITS CARBON FINANCE CARBON INTENSITY CARBON MARKET CARBON TAX CLEAN ENERGY CLIMATE CLIMATE CHANGE CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION CO2 COAL COGENERATION CONSTRUCTION COST CONVENTIONAL ENERGY CONVENTIONAL FUELS COOLING SYSTEMS COPPER COST OF ELECTRICITY COSTS OF ELECTRICITY COSTS OF EMISSIONS DESERTS DIESEL DIFFUSION DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS ELECTRIC GENERATION ELECTRIC POWER ELECTRIC UTILITIES ELECTRIC UTILITY ELECTRICITY ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION ELECTRICITY DEMAND ELECTRICITY GENERATION ELECTRICITY GENERATION CAPACITY ELECTRICITY GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION ELECTRICITY SALES ELECTRICITY SUPPLY ELECTRICITY UTILITIES ELECTRIFICATION EMISSION EMISSION REDUCTION EMISSION REDUCTION TARGETS EMISSION REDUCTIONS EMISSIONS ENERGY ECONOMICS ENERGY EFFICIENCY ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS ENERGY INDUSTRY ENERGY MARKETS ENERGY MIX ENERGY OUTLOOK ENERGY POLICIES ENERGY POLICY ENERGY RESOURCES ENERGY SOURCES ENERGY SYSTEMS ENERGY TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ENVIRONMENTAL EXTERNALITIES ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY EXCESS ELECTRICITY FOSSIL FOSSIL ENERGY FOSSIL FUEL FOSSIL FUEL PRICES FOSSIL FUELS FUEL CELLS FUEL COST FUEL COSTS FUEL PRICE GAS TURBINE GENERATING CAPACITY GHG GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND GLOBAL ENERGY SUPPLY GLOBAL WARMING GREEN POWER GREEN POWER PROGRAMS GREENHOUSE GREENHOUSE GAS GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION GRID APPLICATIONS GRID POWER GRID SYSTEMS HEAT HEAT TRANSFER HEATING SYSTEMS HOT WATER HYDROGEN HYDROPOWER IPCC KILOWATT-HOUR KILOWATT-HOUR OF ELECTRICITY LANDFILL LANDFILL GAS LOW-CARBON NATURAL GAS NATURAL GAS PRICE NUCLEAR PLANTS NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS OIL OIL EQUIVALENT OIL PRICES PEAK GENERATION PEAK LOADS PHOTOVOLTAIC MARKETS POWER GENERATION POWER GENERATION CAPACITY POWER GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES POWER GRID POWER INDUSTRY POWER PLANT POWER PLANTS POWER PRODUCTION POWER PROJECT POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS POWER SECTOR POWER SUPPLY POWER SYSTEM POWER SYSTEMS PRIMARY ENERGY PRIMARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION PRIMARY ENERGY DEMAND PRIMARY ENERGY SUPPLY PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY PUBLIC UTILITIES RAW MATERIALS RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY RENEWABLE ENERGY RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITIES RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATORS RENEWABLE ENERGY PORTFOLIO STANDARDS RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES RENEWABLE ENERGY SUPPLY RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARDS RENEWABLE RESOURCE RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGIES RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS RESIDUAL FUEL RESIDUAL FUEL OIL RURAL ELECTRIFICATION RURAL ENERGY SOLAR CELL SOLAR COLLECTORS SOLAR ENERGY SOLAR ENERGY MARKET SOLAR ENERGY POTENTIAL SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES SOLAR HOME SYSTEMS SOLAR INSTALLATION SOLAR IRRADIANCE SOLAR POWER SOLAR RADIATION SOLAR RESOURCES SOLAR SYSTEMS SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES SOLAR THERMAL SOLAR THERMAL COLLECTORS SOLAR THERMAL ELECTRIC SOLAR THERMAL ENERGY SOLAR THERMAL MARKET SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEMS SOLAR WATER HEATERS SOLAR WATER HEATING STEAM COAL SUNLIGHT SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TAX CREDIT TAX CREDITS TAX EXEMPTION TAX EXEMPTIONS TAX INCENTIVES TAX REBATE THERMAL CAPACITY THERMAL LOSSES THERMAL PLANT THERMAL POWER THERMAL POWER PLANTS THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES UNEP URANIUM UTILITIES UTILITY GRID VOLTAGE WATER HEATING WATER HEATING SYSTEM WIND WIND POWER ZINC
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20111017113749 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3612

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Summary:	Solar energy has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years due to both technological improvements resulting in cost reductions and government policies supportive of renewable energy development and utilization. This study analyzes the technical, economic and policy aspects of solar energy development and deployment. While the cost of solar energy has declined rapidly in the recent past, it still remains much higher than the cost of conventional energy technologies. Like other renewable energy technologies, solar energy benefits from fiscal and regulatory incentives and mandates, including tax credits and exemptions, feed-in-tariff, preferential interest rates, renewable portfolio standards and voluntary green power programs in many countries. Potential expansion of carbon credit markets also would provide additional incentives to solar energy deployment; however, the scale of incentives provided by the existing carbon market instruments, such as the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, is limited. Despite the huge technical potential, development and large-scale, market-driven deployment of solar energy technologies world-wide still has to overcome a number of technical and financial barriers. Unless these barriers are overcome, maintaining and increasing electricity supplies from solar energy will require continuation of potentially costly policy supports.

A Review of Solar Energy : Markets, Economics and Policies

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