Strengthening the case for recycling photovoltaics: An energy payback analysis

Michele Goe and Gabrielle Gaustad

Applied Energy, 2014, vol. 120, issue C, 48 pages

Abstract: The energy payback time (EPBT) of photovoltaic materials when recycled is analyzed. In particular we are interested in under what conditions recycling yields energy payback improvements equivalent to efficiency. The sensitivity to dynamic variables such as composition, efficiency, and recycling rate is also evaluated. We found that, in general, for all technologies, as the efficiency increases, EPBT savings from recycling decreases at a decreasing rate. This result suggests that greater EPBT savings are obtained for low efficiency module recycling, especially when considering framed modules whose aluminum materials make up between 50% and 70% of the embodied energy. Solar PV technologies have exponentially increasing production suggesting an equally growing future waste stream. No policy currently exists in the US for end-of-life management, collection, or recycling. This study demonstrates the potential opportunity for energy savings from recycling and pinpoints metrics that would be important to such a policy.

Keywords: Energy payback; Photovoltaics; Thin-film PV; Aluminum; Recycling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261914000555
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:appene:v:120:y:2014:i:c:p:41-48

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 405891/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.01.036

Access Statistics for this article

Applied Energy is currently edited by J. Yan

More articles in Applied Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().