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might be enough to meet present and future global electricity demand, with a range of 20 000–80 000 TWh/year, culminating up to 100–400% of the present global demand. Moreover, a global potential of 337 GW could be achieved by 2050, one third of this would be in Europe. For the 2020 milestone, approximations suggest an installed capacity ranging from some hundred MW to 2 GW. Figure 2.12 illustrates the global ocean energy forecast based on device technology and infrastructure available, [38, 39].

      2.2.5 Solar Energy

      Solar energy production includes the sun's energy to deliver hot water by solar thermal systems (STS) or electricity by solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. These technologies are technically recognized with many systems employed worldwide over the previous few decades.

      2.2.5.1 Photovoltaic

      Solar PV systems directly transforms solar energy into electrical energy. The basic foundation of a PV system is the PV cell, which is a semiconductor device that transforms solar energy into DC current. PV cells are then connected to form a PV module, normally in the range of 50–300 W. The PV system consists of modules, inverters, batteries, components, mounting systems, etc. PV systems are usually modular, i.e. modules could be connected together to deliver electrical power in the range of some Watts to hundreds of MW.

Schematic illustration of global ocean power capacity forecasting.

      PV systems are described by two main types: off‐grid and grid‐connected applications. Off‐grid PV systems have a substantial opportunity for economic application in un‐electrified regions of developing countries, and off‐grid centralized PV mini‐grid systems. Centralized PV mini‐grid systems have the potential to be one of the most cost‐efficient for a pre‐defined level of service, and they could have a diesel generator set as an optional balancing system or to function as a hybrid PV‐wind‐diesel system. These types of system are applicable for decreasing and refraining from utilizing the diesel generator in remote regions [43].

      Grid‐tied PV systems utilize an inverter to transform electrical current from DC to AC and, after that, supply the electrical power produced to the grid. Relative to an off‐grid installation, system costs are lower due to the fact that energy storage is not needed because the grid is utilized as a buffer. Grid‐connected PV systems are described as two types of applications: distributed and centralized. Grid‐connected distributed PV systems are employed to deliver electric energy to a grid‐connected consumer or to the electric network. These systems have several advantages that include: distribution losses in the electric network are decreased because the system is installed at the point of use; additional land is not needed for the PV system, and prices for mounting the systems can be decreased if the system is mounted on an existing structure; and the PV array itself could be utilized as a cladding or roofing material, as in building‐integrated PV. Usual sizes are 1–10 kW for residential systems, and 10 kW to several MWs for rooftops on public and industrial buildings. Grid‐connected centralized PV systems implement the functions of centralized power stations. The power generated by this system is not related to a particular electricity consumer, and the system is not positioned to perform certain functions on the electricity network other than to produce bulk power. Usually, centralized systems are installed on the ground, and they are greater than 1 MW. The economic benefits of these systems are the optimization of installation and operating costs by bulk buying and the cost‐effectiveness of the PV elements and balance of systems on a large scale. Furthermore, the reliability of centralized PV systems can be better than distributed PV systems as they can implement maintenance systems with monitoring equipment, which could be a smaller section of the total system cost [44].

Schematic illustration of global integrated solar PV capacity from 2000 to 2019. Schematic illustration of solar PV global capacity by top 10 countries in 2019.

      2.2.5.2 Concentrated Solar Power

      Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is a power generation technology that uses mirrors or lenses to direct sunlight onto a receiver, which gathers and transmits the solar energy to a heat transfer fluid that could be utilized to supply heat for end‐use applications or to heat a fluid and generate

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