Before downloading any of the free whitepapers below, you should subscribe to our email list to receive updates from the Principal Solar Institute.
The Principal Solar Institute (PSI) has launched the PSI PV Module Rating, the industry's first and only comprehensive, independent rating standard for comparing PV modules. The rating method is constructed without bias: PSI has no affiliation with any PV module manufacturer and no interest in promoting one over another. The ratings are designed to allow large-scale solar consumers to make informed, intelligent comparisons and decisions when selecting PV modules. The PSI PV Module Rating is a comparative number that can be used with pricing information to provide power plant designers, buyers and financiers with a consistent basis for choosin... More »
Concentrated solar thermal and photovoltaic solar technologies have evolved independently for decades, and both are approaching "grid-parity" power prices in many applications today. This paper will explore the different situations where each technology succeeds or fails in today's electric power generation marketplace, specifically excluding non-electric applications such as solar hot water heating. As of 2012, PV has come to dominate all smaller-scale solar electricity applications, while retaining the majority market share even in commercial and utility-scale applications. CSP retains a strong niche at the utility-scale and in combined hea... More »