Payback Periods for

Photovoltaic Systems
Alex Cronin
Associate Professor
Physics and Optical Sciences
University of Arizona

1 MW
peak
P system
!e"#ires $1%& m'
(
) *+, Acres of land
Up front Annual Payback
Cost Benefit period*
Money: 5 M$ 0.2 M$ 25 yrs
ner!y: " #$% &." #$% ' yrs
$ater: &00 M !allons &5 M !allons " yrs
* (o subsidies) 200* tec%nolo!y) +any ,ariables

Photovoltaic Panels on Cronin-s .o#se
-yste+ Cost:
$".50 . $att

/inancial Cost0
1
P mod#les 2% 3 4att
1
Mo#ntin5 6 cond#it 21 3 4att
1
7nverter 2&+8 3 4att
1
9abor 6 en5ineerin5 2&+8 3 4att
$ %&: /ederal ;ax benefit '
$ <+8 =3k4h for !>Cs '

-ource: /epart+ent of ner!y 01C $orks%op
P2 Cost 0eductions








/inancial ?enefit
1
>lectricity 5enerated ann#ally in ;#cson0
1,8& k4h3yr per kW
peak
x 11 =3k4h ) 1@% 23yr 3 kW
peak
$pl#s <+8 =3k4h in !>C money'

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;otal0 2A<A
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;otal0 2888
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;tl0 218@
P system added
Dovember (&&,
354 of +y electricity is produced fro+ solar.
&5 year payback period at my ho#se after rebates and tax benefits

P2 -yste+ Added (o, 200"


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!esearch on0 !eliabilityE >fficiencyE Po4er forecastin5
Contact0 Br+ Alex CroninE croninFphysics+arizona+ed#
Po4er Prod#ction ;imeGseries

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of c;-i +odules.

500 +illion +ore syste+s

like t%is 7&0< k+ 8=2
could produce 0.' >$
for 50 years.
Ann#al >ner5y Cield

1indin!:
Multiply by
'.3 %rs per day
to predict
ener!y yield
7year a,era!e
in >ucson8

' ? @ears of /aily k$% data
666.p%ysics.ariAona.edu.Bcronin.-olar.>P6eb

/e!radation 0ates B 0.54 to 2.54 . yr


;>P P test yard
*%8& >+ 7rvin5ton !d+

>ucson lectric Po6er -olar >est @ard

1 MW
peak
P system
!e"#ires $1%& m'
(
) *+, Acres of land
Up front Annual Payback
Cost Benefit period*
Money: 5 M$ 0.2 M$ 25 yrs
ner!y: " #$% &." #$% ' yrs
$ater: &00 M !allons &5 M !allons " yrs
* (o subsidies) 200* tec%nolo!y) +any ,ariables

;o fabricate a cGSi solar panel takes *&& kWh 3 m
(

So#rce0 BO>3HOG1&(&&*G1<*, report


1 MW
peak
P system
!e"#ires $1%& m'
(
) *+, Acres of land
Up front Annual Payback
Cost Benefit period*
Money: 5 M$ 0.2 M$ 25 yrs
ner!y: " #$% &." #$% ' yrs
$ater: &00 M !allons &5 M !allons " yrs
* (o subsidies) 200* tec%nolo!y) +any ,ariables

Water #se0
1
/or semicond#ctor SiE 1& 5allons of 4ater 3 s"Ginch
1 #ses ./E .ClE trichlorosilane $Si.Cl
%
'E alcoholsE
catalysts $C#'E heatE clean rooms I
Compare to0 1 5allon 3 k4h evaporated at ;>P pl#s #p to @
5allons 3 k4h for coal minin5 and transport I
So#rces0
Scandia Dational 9ab report 1@@< J>D7!ODM>D;A99C ?>D7HD S797COD SO9A!
C>99 MADU/AC;U!7DHK
http033444+sciencedaily+com3releases3(&&<3&*3&<&*1,1,%@8%+htmL
JWater needed to prod#ce vario#s types of ener5yK

/i5#re So#rce0
U- Annual ner!y 1lo6 $1&& M#ad ?;U ) 1&
(&
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1%
kWh'


;his is a myth that propa5ates aro#nd the internet+ ;hereOs an acronym
thatOs #sed called >!O>7E ener5y ret#rned on ener5y invested+
;he myth is that it takes more ener5y to prod#ce solar panels than the
ener5y they prod#ce from the s#nli5ht+
Crystalline silicon P systems presently have ener5y payGback times of
1+8G( years for So#thG>#ropean locations and (+,G%+8 years for MiddleG
>#ropean locations+ ;he U+S+ is less than 1+8 years c#rrently+
;he acco#ntin5 life estimate for solar panels is (& years typicallyE b#t
they last lon5er than thatE many are 5#aranteed for at least (& yearsE 4ith
no definite end d#e to time+
;hatOs old technolo5yE nothin5 ne4 hereE no inventionsE itOs been this 4ay
for (& yearsE 7 kno4 beca#se 7 installed solar panels in 1@<* and theyOre
still 5oin5 stron5+
;here are ne4 panels that 4ill improve that n#mber as 4ell as o#tp#t per
size+

1
Cne >on of . . .
Steel0 A(E&&& 5allons of 4ater
Cement0 1E%A& 5allons
1
/or an Pold- SO9OD tracker that holds *& k4E
there are A tons of steel and 8& tons of cement+
I
1
11E&&& 5al 3 k4 compare to0
1
1(@E&&& 5al3k4 to fab+