Photovoltaics and its development. Comparative study between Germany, Spain and Sweden. Identification of the factors involved and their importance

Abstract

Consulta en la Biblioteca ETSI Industriales (7807)

[EN] As a result of most countries oil dependence and environmental problems, many countries are searching new energy sources for generating electricity. Their main aim is to diversify their supplies and diminish oil dependence. In accordance to these facts, countries forming the European Union are taking part of a common project for promoting renewable energy sources in order to achieve a certain share of electricity produced by renewables in their national total energy mix. In this context, different programmes and policies have been implemented in order to help and accelerate the development of certain renewable technologies such as photovoltaics. Despite the general declared intention of promoting this technology, results vary widely depending on the country. Radiation levels affect directly the efficiency of these systems; nevertheless it can be assumed that it is not the most important one when the size of PV market in different countries is compared. Germany stands clearly ahead, whereas other countries with better climate factors haven¿t reached the German level of market penetration. This thesis intends to identify the factors involved in that process, in which moment their influence is at its highest and what mechanisms can act as blocking elements, as well as evaluating their interactions and importance of each of them. The role that each of the actors involved in the PV market deployment and management of the information has been also studied. For achieving this purpose three countries have been studied with diverse characteristics and with different development rates: Sweden, Spain and Germany, using this latter as a reference case for its wide experience in this technology. Photovoltaics usually takes the form of small scale electricity generation plants own by private persons, being for that reason adequate for energy diversification. As it will be explained in the thesis, the organisation of the electrical market is determinant for the development of emergent technologies. It is still an immature technology and until it reaches grid parity, allowing it to be competitive in a liberalised electricity market supporting programmes are being introduced for compensating the existing gap between generation costs and electricity retail price. When this matter is approached different questions arise: which is the best supporting system? Does it distort free competitive markets behaviour? These questions and previous ones are intended to be answered through this thesis.