A simple lower bound on the EROI of photovoltaic electricity generation

Two conceptually and computationally simple techniques (one optimistic, the other pessimistic) are introduced to estimate the energy payback time of a photovoltaic array. Both yield values of the Energy Returned On energy Invested (EROI) in excess of approximately 5. Therefore solar photovoltaic electricity appears to be a stably sustainable source of renewable energy. - Highlights: • For a photovoltaic generation to be viable, its EROI must be well above one. • Recent literature has revealed a range of complicated methods for computing EROI. • Recent literature has contained a wide range of estimates for EROI. • This paper derives intuitively and computationally simple bounds for EROI. • This paper shows that EROI is at least five and is rising.