Evaluation of international photovoltaic projects, volume I : executive summary

The report compares PV systems with conventional systems of similar output for five applications: water pumping, communications, vaccine refrigeration, lighting and home power, and multi-use systems. Data were gathered from technical reports, user questionnaires, and interviews with experts. Major findings are as follows. (1) The technical problems initially experienced with PV systems have been largely overcome and the majority of the systems have been well accepted by users on the basis of their reliability, independence from fuel, and minimal maintenance requirements. (2) The greatest constraint on implementing PV systems in developing countries is lack of an established infrastructure to support training, maintenance, and repair. (3) PV systems (especially smaller ones) can be the least-cost option on a life-cycle basis, even though initial capital costs are high. Included are financial analyses, by application and system size, comparing PV and conventional systems under favorable and unfavorable financial assumptions.