The Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production in New York State from Distributed Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Atif Ali, Theodore W. Koch, Timothy A. Volk, Robert W. Malmsheimer, Mark H. Eisenbies, Danielle Kloster, Tristan R. Brown, Nehan Naim and Obste Therasme ()
Additional contact information
Atif Ali: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Theodore W. Koch: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Timothy A. Volk: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Robert W. Malmsheimer: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Mark H. Eisenbies: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Danielle Kloster: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Tristan R. Brown: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Nehan Naim: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Obste Therasme: Department of Sustainable Resources Management, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-20

Abstract: New York State’s (NYS) Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires that 100% of the state’s electricity supply be greenhouse gas emissions-free by 2040 and that 6000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy must be installed in NYS by 2025. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impact of electricity generation from New York State distributed solar photovoltaic systems. This cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) follows the International Standardization Organization (ISO) framework for LCA, including the goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation. The study is based on operational data from 120 existing solar installations. Global Warming Potential varies substantially by site, with the minimum and maximum impact values varying from 25.2 to 88.5 gCO 2eq /kWh, and with a mean of 45.6 gCO 2eq /kWh. Regression analysis shows this range is attributable to differences in site location, capacity factor, and system design (i.e., monocrystalline and polycrystalline panels, area power ratio). Based on absolute percentage, the inclusion of the end-of-life process reduces the total environmental impact from 2% in Ozone Depletion to 16% in Acidification, indicating a positive impact of engaging in end-of-life management across all categories. This analysis can help policymakers understand the implications of the solar PV installation mandate.

Keywords: life cycle assessment; solar energy; greenhouse gas emissions; end-of-life; CLCPA; distributed energy resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/19/7278/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/19/7278/ (text/html)

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:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:19:p:7278-:d:932963

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().