Remote markets 2.0: The next wave of PV expansion

Remote/off-grid applications were the first terrestrial markets for PV and dominated from the late 1970s until the late 1990s when grid connected markets were created by economic incentive policies. These large markets have driven PV down the experience curve and brought prices for PV systems down by at least two orders of magnitude since the late 1970s. This paper examines how the vastly improved economics of PV combined with improvements in application and information technology, improved economies in emerging market countries, and innovative business models are creating a new growth of off-grid remote markets for PV.