Economics of Hybrid Photovoltaic Power Plants

Photovoltaic (PV) power systems are analysed in various aspects focusing on economic and technical considerations of supplemental and substitutional power supply to the constraint conventional power system. The experience curve concept is used as a key technique for the development of scenario assumptions on economic projections for the decade of the 2010s. PV power plant hybridization potential of all relevant power technologies and the global power plant structure are analyzed regarding technical, economical and geographical feasibility. For the 2010s, detailed global demand curves are derived for hybrid PV- Fossil power plants. The complementarity of hybrid PV-Wind power plants is confirmed. As a result of that almost no reduction of the global economic PV market potential need to be expected and more complex power system designs on basis of hybrid PV-Wind power plants are feasible. The final target of implementing renewable power technologies into the global power system is a nearly 100% renewable power supply. A comprehensive global and local analysis is performed for analysing a hybrid PV-Wind- Renewable Power Methane combined cycle gas turbine power system. Summing up, hybrid PV power plants become very attractive and PV power systems will very likely evolve together with wind power to the major and final source of energy for mankind. - This work has been accepted by the faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Kassel as a thesis for acquiring the academic degree of Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften (Dr.-Ing.).