Publication: Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants: A Project Developer’s Guide
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Date
2015-06
ISSN
Published
2015-06
Author(s)
International Finance Corporation
Abstract
With an installed capacity greater than
137 gigawatts (GWs) worldwide and annual additions of about
40 GWs in recent years, solar photovoltaic (PV) technology
has become an increasingly important energy supply option. A
substantial decline in the cost of solar PV power plants (80
percent reduction since 2008) has improved solar PV’s
competitiveness, reducing the needs for subsidies and
enabling solar to compete with other power generation
options in some markets. The World Bank Group (including the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the
International Development Association, International Finance
Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee
Agency) helps client countries secure the affordable,
reliable, and sustainable energy supply needed to end
extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. The approach
mirrors the objectives of the sustainable energy for all
initiative - achieving universal access, accelerating
improvements in energy efficiency, and doubling the global
share of renewable energy by 2030. The World Bank Group
recognizes that each country determines its own path for
achieving its energy aspirations, and that each country’s
transition to a sustainable energy sector involves a unique
mix of resource opportunities and challenges, prompting a
different emphasis on access, efficiency, and renewable
energy. The objective of this guidebook is to enhance the
reader’s understanding of how to successfully develop,
finance, construct, and operate utility-scale solar PV power
plants. The guidebook focuses on aspects of project
development that are specific to solar. From this
perspective it covers all aspects of the overall project
development process including site identification, plant
design, energy yield, permits and licenses, contractual
arrangements, and financing, giving sparser coverage to
general project development basics that are not specific to
solar. This guide covers the key building blocks to
developing a successful utility-scale solar power project
(the threshold for utility-scale depends on the market, but
generally at least 5 megawatt (MW).
Citation
“International Finance Corporation. 2015. Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plants : A Project Developer’s Guide. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/22797 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”