Where you put up your solar panels makes a whole lot of difference. Let’s say you invest in solar in Portugal instead of Sweden. What would the difference in energy generated, global CO2 reduction and return on investment be? We did the math so you don’t have to.
Energy: The amount of electricity produced is calculated based on the IEA-PVPS figures for mean yield on selected markets. Prices on different markets may differ and if the price to buy and install a system in Portugal is lower than in Sweden, the energy output from your investment will be even greater.
Revenue:Replacing the need to buy electricity from utilities is one of the key benefits with solar energy. When calculating savings we consider a set up with 100% self-consumption. Incentives may change over time, therefore we consider an incentive-free investment.
CO2-reduction: Calculating the reduction of CO2 from a solar installation depends on what kind of energy you replace. We look at a macro market level where we replace the current electricity mix on the market. The calculation does not include lifetime cycle analysis of the panels due to the lack of updated information sources. Panel emissions vary between around 39g to 49g CO2/kWh for an irradiation of 1700 (Sweden has 950). Price is also a factor when considering which panels give the highest CO2-offset for your investment.
Sources:
Yield: IEA-PVPS
Price of electricity: Eurostat
CO2 in market: EEA