Assessment of the overall resource consumption of germanium wafer production for high concentration photovoltaics

Pilar Swart, Jo Dewulf, Herman Van Langenhove, Koen Moonens, Kristof Dessein and Carl Quaeyhaegens

Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2011, vol. 55, issue 12, 1119-1128

Abstract: The overall resource requirements for the production of germanium wafers for III–V multi-junction solar cells applied in concentrator photovoltaics have been assessed based on up to date process information. By employing the cumulative energy demand (CED) method and the cumulative exergy extraction from the natural environment (CEENE) method the following resources have been included in the assessment: fossil resources, nuclear resources, renewable resources, land resources, atmospheric resources, metal resources, mineral resources and water resources. The CED has been determined as 216MJ and the CEENE has been determined as 258MJex. In addition partial energy and exergy payback times have been calculated for the base case, which entails the installation of the high concentration photovoltaics (HCPVs) in the Southwestern USA, resulting in payback times of around 4 days for the germanium wafer production. Due to applying concentration technology the germanium wafer accounts for only 3% of the overall resource consumption of an HCPV system. A scenario analysis on the electricity input to the wafer production and on the country of installation of the HCPV has been performed, showing the importance of these factors on the cumulative resource consumption of the wafer production and the partial payback times.

Keywords: Payback time; Germanium wafer; High concentration photovoltaics (HCPVs); Life-cycle assessment; Cumulative energy demand (CED); Cumulative exergy extraction from the natural environment (CEENE) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:recore:v:55:y:2011:i:12:p:1119-1128

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2011.06.016

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