 Third generation of photovoltaic panels: A life cycle assessmentMiles Krebs-Moberg, Mandy Pitz, Tiara L. Dorsette and Shabbir H. Gheewala Renewable Energy, 2021, vol. 164, issue C, 556-565 Abstract: This study analyzed the impacts from multi-crystalline silicon (m-Si), organic thin-film (OPV), and perovskite thin-film (PSC) panels over each products’ lifetime using a cradle-to-grave system model. The rate of panel installation each year was modeled to account for efficiency, functional lifetime, and degradation. Landfill and recycling scenarios were used to compare end-of-life impacts and the overall environmental impacts were determined using life cycle impact assessment at the midpoint and endpoint levels. Impact calculations revealed that the production and use of m-Si panels resulted in the worst impacts for all categories. OPV panels produced drastically lower impacts comparatively, with PSC designs falling at mid-range. Recycling lowered the impacts for all module types and showed the largest decrease in the impacts of m-Si panels. Although moderately sensitive to the energy production mix, the results can be applied to other regions for the comparison between panel types. Keywords: Life cycle assessment; Multi-crystalline silicon; Organic thin-film; Perovskite thin-film; Photovoltaic (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:164:y:2021:i:c:p:556-565 DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.09.054 Access Statistics for this article Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier |
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