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Generating solar energy in dense consumption areas is more cost-effective than concentrating it in areas of high solar irradiation, according to a report by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA).
The document’Connecting the Sun: Solar photovoltaics (PV) on the road to large-scale grid integration’ said: “PV’s unique ability to produce electricity close to where it is consumed alleviates the need for additional massive investment in new transmission lines”. It added that focusing on dense-consumption areas, such as cities, would require utilities to install only 10% more capacity, and reduce by almost 75% the need to transfer excess electricity produced, compared with siting PV units in less populated sunny areas.
The report argued that, by rolling out urban units across a wide geographical area, a system in which PV is largely integrated in the grid would be reliable and would ensure security of supply because it would be able to tap available light taking account of weather variations. “PV should be considered as a variable source of electricity rather than an intermittent one”, it said, adding that the more widespread PV-generated power units are, the more reliable they are as a power generating source.
EPIA interviewed several transmission and distribution system operators in preparing the report.
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