Energy Payback Period

The time span that a Solar Power System requires to produce as much energy as was needed for production of the system. A typical Solar Heating System available on the market will payback (or amortise) after about four years, while such a system is expected to function from 25 to 30 years.

The energy payback period of photovoltaic systems is comparable. PV Modules based on amorphous silicon have an energy payback period between 17 and 41 months according to a study done by TU Berlin (German). Traditional power plants are unable to amortise due to the fact that they continually require fossil fuels.

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