Estimating the Learning Curve of Solar PV Balance-of-Systems for Over 20 Countries

The capital cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system comprises the module and balance-of-systems (BOS). The latter refers to everything else that is needed to make the solar system functional including cables, mounts, labor, etc. While modules are priced internationally, the BOS is countryspecific. Price developments of modules, which have been thoroughly studied in literature, followed an 80 percent learning curve (LC). On the other hand, research on the LC for BOS has not been as extensive.

June 15, 2017

Reporting LCOE for Solar PV: Apples to Apples Comparisons

Solar energy is expected to be an integral technology in the creation of a low-carbon future. Hence, as photovoltaics (PV) installations continue to grow at an exponential rate, a better understanding of the generation costs of this relatively young industry is necessary in order to assess its competitiveness versus conventional sources. Using an extensive data set of generation costs for solar technology.

March 8, 2017

Adding Photovoltaics to the Saudi Power System: What are the Costs of Intermittency?

Intermittent generation from wind or photovoltaics (PV) imposes a cost on the power systems in which they are deployed. These costs vary regionally due to different fuel costs and ramping flexibility of existing grid capacities. With 2015 as a reference year, we examine the costs of PV intermittency and costs of integration to power utilities in Saudi Arabia, using a least-cost approach for the power utilities. The operational facets of PV integration to grid operators will be more pronounced with higher PV penetration, so, to focus on system operation, we exclude the capital costs. The excess of the price paid to new PV generators over the current average consumer tariff would also have to be covered by the utility, and will depend on the details of the power purchase contracts.

November 28, 2016

Changing Competitive Landscape: Transition Policy’s Blind Spots

For the past two to three decades, and particularly in the wake of the Great Recession, clean energy transitions have been sold as a three-for-the-price-ofone policy: creating “green collar” jobs to get the unemployed back to work, using domestic resources to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, and all while reducing carbon emissions. The first of two implicit goals of this “three-fer” was the development of local, high tech industries supported by policy-driven domestic demand for wind and solar equipment. These high tech industries would, in turn, deliver the second goal of driving down the costs of clean energy technologies to the point where they would no longer require policy support.

October 6, 2014

Electricity Transmission Formulations in Multi-Sector National Planning Models: An illustration using the KAPSARC Energy Model

The purpose of this study is to assess policy-relevant effects of incorporating a more proper representation of electricity transmission in multi-sector national policy models. This goal is achieved by employing the KAPSARC Energy Model (KEM), which is the first publicly available large-scale energy policy model for Saudi Arabia. Past studies using KEM have examined industrial pricing policy, residential energy efficiency, the prospects of power generation technologies and residential electricity pricing. These studies have shown that under certain fuel pricing scenarios, significant renewable energy capacity is deployed.

November 5, 2017

Solar Photovoltaic Toolkit

This data set compiles capital costs (CAPEX) and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) data for the solar photovoltaic (PV) technology by year and country and presents the data in an interactive manner. Although, the data set contains information that dates back to the 1980s, most of the information covers the past 10 years.

April 16, 2016

Estimating the learning curve of solar PV balance–of–system for over 20 countries: Implications and policy recommendations

Journal of Cleaner Production

2018

Electricity transmission formulations in multi-sector national planning models: An illustration using the KAPSARC energy model

Energy Reports

2018

Striking a balance between profit and carbon dioxide emissions in the Saudi cement industry

International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control

2017

Adding Solar PV to the Saudi Power System: What is the Cost of Intermittency?

Energy Transitions

2017

Adding Photovoltaics to the Saudi Power System: What are the Costs of Intermittency?

Energy Transitions 1

2017

The Economics of Solar PV Energy

HAEE Energy Conference

2017

Fractal Structures for MEMS Fixed Capacitors

US Patent

2016

High Voltage Charge Pump

US Patent

2016

A Fractional Order Capacitor

US Patent

2016

Achieving Submicron Lateral Separations in the Standard 2m PolyMUMPS Process

Journal of Applied Nanoscience

2014

50V All PMOS Charge Pump using Low Voltage Capacitors

IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics

2013

A New Vertical Suspension Inertial Grade Gyroscope

IEEE International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators, and Microsystems – TRANSDUCERS

2013

Microscale Electrostatic Fractional capacitors using Reduced Graphene Oxide Percolated Polymer Composites

Applied Physics Letters

2013

Microscale Electrostatic Fractional capacitors using Reduced Graphene Oxide Percolated Polymer Composites

Applied Physics Letters

2013

Modeling and Fabrication of RF MEMS Variable Capacitors Using a Fractal Geometry

IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems – ISCAS

2013

Method and Sensors for Estimating and Predicting Air Flow Around Air Vehicles

US Patent Application

2013

Electrostatic Puzzle-Like RF MEMS Fractal Variable Capacitors Suppressing Pull-in

IET/IEEE Micro & Nano Letters

2012

A Differential RF MEMS Capacitor with an Interwoven Structure Immune to Residual Stress Warping

IET/IEEE Micro & Nano Letters

2012

Fabrication of CMOS Compatible Nanopillars Smart Bio-mimetic Sensor for CMOS Imagers

IEEE Northeast Workshop for Circuits and Systems – NEWCAS

2012

Two-layer RF MEMS Fractal Capacitors in PolyMUMPS for S-band Applications

IET/IEEE Micro & Nano Letters

2012

Determination of Maximum Power Transfer Conditions of Bimorph Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

Journal of Applied Physics – JAP

2012

A Low Voltage RF MEMS Variable Capacitor with Linear C-V Response

IET/IEEE Electronics Letters

2012

RF MEMS Fractal Capacitors with High Self Resonant Frequencies

IEEE/ASME Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems – JMEMS

2012

Fractal Structures for MEMS Variable Capacitors

US Patent Application

2011

Nonlinear Dynamics of Spring Softening and Hardening in MEMS Folded Resonators

IEEE/ASME Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems – JMEMS

2011

Modeling of MEMS Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters using Electromagnetic and Power System Theories

Journal of Smart Materials and Structures – SMS

2011

A Fully Symmetric and Completely Decoupled MEMS SOI Gyroscope

Sensors and Transducers Journal

2011

Modeling of the Coriolis Force in MEMS gyroscopes using COMSOL

COMSOL Conference Proceedings

2011

A Fully Symmetric and Completely Decoupled MEMS-SOI Gyroscope

Nanotech Conference and Expo

2010

MEMS Variable Capacitance Devices Utilizing the Substrate: I. Novel Devices with Customizable Tuning Range

Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering – JMM

2010

MEMS Variable Capacitance Devices Utilizing the Substrate: II. Zipping Varactors

Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering – JMM

2010

A Novel 3-in-1 MEMS Variable Capacitance Device with Customizable Tuning Ranges

IEEE International Device and Test Workshop – IDT

2009

Effects of Non-uniform Nanoscale Deflections on Capacitance in RF MEMS Parallel Plate Variable Capacitors

Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering – JMM

2008

Design Considerations in MEMS Parallel Plate Variable Capacitors

IEEE Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems – MWSCAS (INVITED)

2007

A High Compliance Input and Output Regulated Body-driven Current Mirror for Deep Submicron CMOS

IEEE International Conference on Microelectronics – ICM

2006

Effects of Etching Holes on Capacitance and Tuning Range in MEMS Parallel Plate Variable Capacitors

IEEE International Workshop on System on Chip – IWSOC

2006

Finite Element Modeling of Low Stress Suspension Structures and Applications in RF MEMS Parallel Plate Variable Capacitors

IEEE Transactions of Microwave Theory and Techniques – MT&T

2006

Low Stress Suspension Structures and Applications in MEMS Varactors

Canadian Workshop on Microelectromechanical Systems – CWMEMS

2005

CMOS and MUMPs Devices and Circuits for Low Voltage Applications

Proceedings of the 16th Workshop of the Canadian Network of Centers of Excellence in Microelectronics – MICRONET

2005

Quality Factor Estimation of Fabricated MEMS Parallel-Plate Variable Capacitors in MUMPS

IEEE Northeast Workshop on Circuits and Systems – NEWCAS

2004

Tunable Matching Networks for Future MEMS-Based Transceivers

IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems – ISCAS

2004

Design Criteria for Tunable Matching Networks – A MEMS Perspective in the FM Band

IEEE Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems – MWSCAS

2003