Renewable Energy Fact Sheet

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides an overview of photovoltaic (PV) technology, detailing its operational mechanics, environmental benefits, economic costs, and associated challenges as of May 2006.

• Photovoltaic (PV) systems convert sunlight into electricity using semiconducting materials. They are viable across nearly all regions of the United States, maintaining 80 percent of potential capacity on partly cloudy days and approximately 25 percent on very overcast days. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that a 90-mile square PV station in an average U.S. solar location could meet the entire country's peak electricity demand.
• PV technology offers significant environmental and economic benefits. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, each kilowatt of PV electricity annually offsets 217,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, 1,500 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 830 pounds of nitrogen oxides. The energy payback time is between 1 and 4 years, meaning 87 percent to 97 percent of the electricity generated over a 30-year lifespan is effectively emissions-free. Additionally, the Solar Energy Industries Association projected that the U.S. PV workforce would grow from over 20,000 jobs to 62,000 by 2015.
• The cost of utility-scale PV electricity ranges between $0.20 and $0.30 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), while residential and small-scale costs can be as low as $0.20 per kWh. While generally more expensive than conventional utility-scale power, PV is cost-effective in remote off-grid areas or locations with high peak prices. For example, the Santa Rita Jail in California installed a 1.2 MW system that reduced peak power consumption by 30 percent and saved over $425,000 in electricity costs during its first year of operation (2002-2003).
• PV technology faces several challenges, including intermittent power production (which can be mitigated by battery storage), high upfront capital costs, and the production of small amounts of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste. To address financial risks, the Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute, among others, created the Photovoltaics for Utility-Scale Applications project to allow utilities to experiment with three utility-scale systems.
• As of May 2006, the worldwide installed PV capacity exceeded 2,000 megawatts (MW), with the global market growing at an annual rate of approximately 25 percent.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2006). Renewable Energy Fact Sheet. https://www.eesi.org/files/photovoltaics_0506.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Renewable Energy Fact Sheet. 2006. https://www.eesi.org/files/photovoltaics_0506.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Renewable Energy Fact Sheet |date=May 2006 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/photovoltaics_0506.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2006renewable, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Renewable Energy Fact Sheet}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2006}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/photovoltaics_0506.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }