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Into a Cooler Future with Electricity Generated from Solar Photovoltaic

32 Pages Posted: 14 Dec 2021 Publication Status: Published

See all articles by Xiaoming Kan

Xiaoming Kan

Chalmers University of Technology - Department of Space, Earth and Environment

Fredrik Hedenus

Chalmers University of Technology - Department of Space, Earth and Environment

Lina Rechenberg

Chalmers University of Technology - Department of Space, Earth and Environment

Olav Hohmeyer

University of Flensburg - Department of Energy and Environmental Management

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Abstract

The fast-growing global cooling demand due to income growth in tropical countries necessitates substantial investments in new generation capacity. Despite the synergy between the temporal behavior of the cooling demand and solar photovoltaic (PV) production, it is not clear whether the increased cooling demand will make solar PV more cost-effective or less so. We use a capacity expansion model to investigate the cost-effectiveness of investing in solar PV to meet the electricity demand linked to cooling for seven different regions under various CO2 emission targets. Solar PV plays a dominant role in meeting the additional electricity demand linked to cooling and the share of solar PV in the additional generation capacity ranges from 64% to 135%. Additionally, powering electric cooling with mainly solar PV can lower the average electricity system cost. These results suggest that solar PV may comprise the backbone of electricity supply for cooling in the future electricity system.

Keywords: electric cooling, solar PV, electricity system, decarbonization, Renewable Energy

Suggested Citation

Kan, Xiaoming and Hedenus, Fredrik and Reichenberg, Lina and Hohmeyer, Olav, Into a Cooler Future with Electricity Generated from Solar Photovoltaic. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3985167 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3985167
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.

Xiaoming Kan (Contact Author)

Chalmers University of Technology - Department of Space, Earth and Environment ( email )

Gothenburg, SE-412 96
Sweden

Fredrik Hedenus

Chalmers University of Technology - Department of Space, Earth and Environment ( email )

Gothenburg, SE-412 96
Sweden

Lina Reichenberg

Chalmers University of Technology - Department of Space, Earth and Environment ( email )

Gothenburg, SE-412 96
Sweden

Olav Hohmeyer

University of Flensburg - Department of Energy and Environmental Management ( email )

Auf dem Campus 1
Flensburg, 24943
Germany

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