Photovoltaics Versus Negative Emissions Technologies

Through the Paris Agreement, the world has acknowledged that climate change is a significant global concern for humankind. There is a need for overwhelming response to counter climate change. While nations have offered roadmaps for decarbonisation of their economies for the long term, significant short-term reductions in carbon emissions will be crucial. Several technical solutions exist in order to assist in this endeavour. With a huge portion of the population located in the equatorial regions, solar photovoltaics offer an appealing solution; however, it is imperative to note the inability of one technological solution to single-handedly meet global demands. This paper examines, negative emissions technologies (NETs) and balances their efficacy as tools working in tandem with solar photovoltaics (PV) for faster decarbonisation. Compared to certain NETs (up to US$ 600/t-CO2), PV (US$ 34/t-CO2) is found to be more economical. Energetic comparisons show similar results: PV requires only 53 kWh/t-CO2, less than an eight compared to certain NETs.