Renewable Energy Fact Sheet

The document describes photovoltaic (PV) systems as semiconductor-based technology that converts sunlight into electricity. It highlights that PV is viable across most of the United States, with the potential for a 90-mile square station to meet the country's peak demand. Key benefits include the prevention of greenhouse gas emissions, the creation of high-technology jobs, and increased domestic energy security. While utility-scale costs range from $0.20 to $0.30 per kWh, the document notes that high upfront capital costs and intermittent power remain primary issues, though these can be mitigated by battery storage and utility-scale experimentation projects.

• Photovoltaic (PV) systems are viable in nearly all regions of the United States, maintaining significant output even in suboptimal weather: producing up to 80 percent of potential capacity on partly cloudy days and approximately 25 percent on very overcast days.
• PV technology offers substantial pollution prevention; each kilowatt of electricity produced annually offsets 217,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, 1,500 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 830 pounds of nitrogen oxides. Due to a life expectancy of 30 years and an energy payback time of 1 to 4 years, 87 to 97 percent of the electricity generated is effectively emissions-free.
• The PV sector supports employment in the United States, with over 20,000 high-technology jobs existing at the time of publication and a projection to reach 62,000 by 2015.
• Utility-scale PV electricity costs are between $0.20 and $0.30 per kWh, while residential and small-scale costs can be as low as $0.20 per kWh. A case study of the Santa Rita Jail in California showed that a 1.2 MW system reduced peak power consumption by 30 percent and saved over $425,000 in the first year (2002-2003).
• Key challenges for PV adoption include intermittent power generation, high upfront capital costs, and the production of small amounts of toxic chemicals and hazardous waste.

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} }