Solar PV Power : a Global Perspective

Contents: Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Global energy scenario: an overview. 2. Trends in photovoltaic technology. 3. Current status of the international solar photovoltaic programme. 4. Advent of megawatt-capacity photovoltaic power plants in India. . 5. Photovoltaic grid power plants: case studies. 6. Issues, challenges, and opportunities. 7. Way forward. Bibliography. Index.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has been successfully implemented in the remote regions of India for more than two decades now. It has various end-use applications like lighting, pumping water, and charging battery for multiple uses. However, recently, there has been a growing bias towards the use of PV grid connected power plants. The larger issue here is that of tracing a connection between solar energy and grid connectivity. Solar energy is available during the day, while the grid power is available both during the day and night. The solar system component engineering drives the feeding of solar power into the locally available grid, but not without a wide range of challenges involved. Various countrywide initiatives like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission have emerged. At the same time, grid power related initiatives have been undertaken in countries like Germany, Spain, and the United States.

This book provides an insight into the basic understanding of PV grid power plants from various end-use considerations. It also touches upon the policy, planning, marketing, and financing aspects vis-à-vis the performance indicators attained by different countries in the world. Various facets of solar power generation have been explored, which makes this publication an important intervention in the field of solar PV.