title: Assessing the economic and environmental feasibility of utility scaled PV electricity production in the state of Georgia.
abstract: Photovoltaic (PV) technology, an increasingly popular source for renewable energy, is being deployed in places with solar insolation that is comparable to that in state of Georgia. This study assesses the feasibility and environmental impact of utility scale photovoltaic (PV) electricity production in Georgia by assessing the economic costs, avoided costs, health benefits, and environmental benefits. The cost of PV used in this study is 3.52 $/kW. The RETScreen model was employed to analyze the impact of incentives on the economic viability of the plants that produce 93 GWh, 371 GWh, and 1,484 GWh, respectively. 57% of the capital cost is required in the form of incentives or subsidies to make the projects economically feasible. The high estimated cost of cleaning the equivalent amount of emissions from a coal-fired power plant is $14.5 million, $58 million, and $232 million for a 50 MW, 200 MW, and 800 MW plant, respectively Avoided costs in health damages are estimated to be $28 million, $112 million, and $449 million and the numbers of jobs to be created are 2,500, 10,000, and 40,000 for 50 MW, 200 MW, and 800 MW plants, respectively. And, the cumulative value of renewable energy credits from a 50 MW, 200 MW, and a 800 MW plant are $59 million, $237 million, and $789 million, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. ruetaylo@gatech.edu
authors.forename: Ruthie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Critttenden
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004560:Electricity; D004651:Employment; D004777:Environment; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005845:Georgia; D017048:Health Care Costs; D012993:Solar Energy / Q000191:economics*