The Economic and Geographical Aspects of the Status of Small-Scale Photovoltaic Systems in Hungary—A Case Study

Abstract

<jats:p>The use of solar energy is an obvious choice; the energy of the sun is not only indispensable for most processes in nature but it is also a clean, abundant, sustainable, and—most importantly—universally available resource. Although the further spread of photovoltaic systems, which make use of this source of energy, is expected in the future all around the world, no comprehensive investigation has been conducted into the current situation of the small-scale photovoltaic power plants in Hungary, where this type of photovoltaic system is the most popular. By means of a case study, whose novelty lies in its focus on small-scale power plants and their complex examination, including economic and geographic indicators, this paper analyzes their status in Hungary. The study endeavors to establish the reasons for the popularity of this type of power plant and to identify some typical geographical locations with well-illustrated photovoltaic density. Residential, as well as business prosumers, were examined with the aim of learning more about the density of the small-scale photovoltaic systems and their geographical locations. Another goal was to calculate the average size of small-scale photovoltaic power plants and to gain more understanding of their economic aspects. The outcomes of this research include maps displaying the density of the small-scale photovoltaic power plants in Hungary and the results of the economic calculations for such investments.</jats:p>

Pro-Environmental Behaviors of Generation Z in the Context of the Concept of Homo Socio-Oeconomicus

“…These authors pointed to the benefits of regulations, allowing for joint action within "energy cooperatives", however their research also shows that Swiss residents approach this idea with great caution [72]. The problems relating to installing photovoltaic panels on multi-family buildings were also addressed by Pintér et al [77] and Yang et al [78]. In the case of innovative solutions (and the discussed pro-environmental programs should be considered as such), an important role is played by trust, the rank of which, in the respondents' perception, was rather low.…”

Relationships between the Number and Power of Hungarian Household-Sized Photovoltaic Power Plants and Selected Indicators of the Settlements: A Case Study

“…Related to the economic dimension, the following settlement indicators were taken into account: number of enterprises per 1000 population, the budgetary revenue and expenditure of the municipalities per 1000 population, the number of operating commercial accommodation units per 1000 population, and the number of businesses in the hospitality industry per 1000 population. The two indicators associated with tourism were included in our research because our previous investigations had shown that the spread of HMKEs had been more intensive in regions affected more by tourism [40]. Out of the infrastructural indicators, the settlement-level data of the electricity sector (residential electricity consumers per 1000 population, electricity consumers per 1000 population, the length of the low-voltage electricity distribution network per 1000 population) were also analyzed.…”

Seasonal Energy Storage Potential Assessment of WWTPs with Power-to-Methane Technology

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