Energy Return on Energy Invested (ERoEI) for photovoltaic solar systems in regions of moderate insolation: A comprehensive response

Raugei, Marco, Sgouridis, Sgouris, Murphy, David, Fthenakis, Vasilis, Frischknecht, Rolf, Breyer, Christian, Bardi, Ugo, Barnhart, Charles, Buckley, Alastair, Carbajales-Dale, Michael, Csala, Denes, de Wild-Scholten, Mariska, Heath, Garvin, Jæger-Waldau, Arnulf, Jones, Christopher, Keller, Arthur, Leccisi, Enrica, Mancarella, Pierluigi, Pearsall, Nicola, Siegel, Adam, Sinke, Wim and Stolz, Philippe (2017) Energy Return on Energy Invested (ERoEI) for photovoltaic solar systems in regions of moderate insolation: A comprehensive response. Energy Policy, 102. pp. 377-384. ISSN 0301-4215

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.12.042

Abstract

A recent paper by Ferroni and Hopkirk (2016) asserts that the ERoEI (also referred to as EROI) of photovoltaic (PV) systems is so low that they actually act as net energy sinks, rather than delivering energy to society. Such claim, if accurate, would call into question many energy investment decisions. In the same paper, a comparison is also drawn between PV and nuclear electricity. We have carefully analysed this paper, and found methodological inconsistencies and calculation errors that, in combination, render its conclusions not scientifically sound. Ferroni and Hopkirk adopt ‘extended’ boundaries for their analysis of PV without acknowledging that such choice of boundaries makes their results incompatible with those for all other technologies that have been analysed using more conventional boundaries, including nuclear energy with which the authors engage in multiple inconsistent comparisons. In addition, they use out-dated information, make invalid assumptions on PV specifications and other key parameters, and conduct calculation errors, including double counting. We herein provide revised EROI calculations for PV electricity in Switzerland, adopting both conventional and ‘extended’ system boundaries, to contrast with their results, which points to an order-of-magnitude underestimate of the EROI of PV in Switzerland by Ferroni and Hopkirk.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: EROI; ERoEI; Photovoltaic energy; Insolation levels; Switzerland; Germany; Incentive system; Adjustment factor
Subjects: H800 Chemical, Process and Energy Engineering
Department: Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering
Depositing User: Becky Skoyles
Date Deposited: 24 Jan 2017 12:33
Last Modified: 01 Aug 2021 06:02
URI: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/29152

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