Accelerating photovoltaic production through grid connected applications in developing countries

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) with support from the World Bank Group and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the German government, through the Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau (KfW) is exploring the possibility of stimulating a step change in solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing scale by facilitating development of a market for hundreds of megawatts of grid-connected photovoltaic systems. The aim is to use PV as a means to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. It is believed that facilitation of such market demand by the GEF will help enable the construction of new 100 plus megawatt per year manufacturing plants that will in turn enable PV technology cost reductions to PV modules at $2 per peak watt and systems at $3 per watt. A key to the concept is operation of PV plants in conjunction with hydropower facilities to give PV a dispatchable firm power capability.