Hoffmann made this statement during a technical session on the role of photovoltaic (PV) solar energy in the Mediterranean Solar Plan during the recent conference on this plan in Valencia (Spain). He concluded with a curve showing the cost reductions achieved by the photovoltaic industry and explained that this renewable energy source’s potential in countries with high solar radiation makes it the leading technology to be implemented in the Mediterranean basin.
According to Hoffman, PV could go much further than the overall goal of 20 GW of capacity, and up to 100 GW could be installed if legislative measures are adopted and sustainable development institutions established in Mediterranean countries to enable renewables to be developed and electricity generated exchanged.
In 2009, EPIA published its SET For 2020 study showing that, under certain conditions, installed PV capacity in Europe could reach 390 GW by 2020 and cover 12% of electricity demand. "With the expected price drops in coming years, photovoltaic technology will become extremely competitive in MENA countries, as generation costs of 7-10 € cents/kWh will be reached in most regions in 2020 – below the estimated generation cost of carbon capture and storage plants, "said Winfried Hoffmann.
Virgilio Navarro, CEO of Spanish PV company Atersa and Vice President of EPIA, said that Mediterranean countries provide optimum solar conditions for the deployment of PV technology and are particularly suitable for both rooftop and ground-based PV arrays. "PV offers simplicity, reliability and an excellent carbon footprint, it does not consume water and is extremely resistant to sand and dust," Virgilio Navarro said. "The decrease in prices of this technology and the rising costs of fossil fuels are making large solar power plants increasingly attractive assets to large investors."
MSP is a reality
The director general of Spain’s Institute of Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), Enrique Jiménez Larrea, delivered the closing speech of the two-day conference, which brought together more than 550 representatives from 43 Mediterranean countries. He confirmed that the first steps of the MSP "have already been completed and that the plan will become a benchmark for the energy industry".
He stressed that the MSP is an ambitious initiative and is "complex given the proposed innovative projects and goals involved, aimed at generating clean energy, spurring development and tackling climate change". Larrea Jiménez described the MSP as an opportunity for all and signalled that it should be founded on cooperation and political commitment. "We have the regulatory tools, funding, technology, industry and political will, so all we need now is a first example: a project that acts as a reference for those that follow."
For additional information:
Conference on the Mediterranean Solar Plan
European Photovoltaic Industry Association
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