Photovoltaic Systems through the Lens of Material-Energy-Water Nexus

Megan Belongeay, Gabriela Shirkey, Marina Monteiro Lunardi, Gonzalo Rodriguez-Garcia, Parikhit Sinha, Richard Corkish, Rodney A. Stewart, Annick Anctil, Jiquan Chen and Ilke Celik ()
Additional contact information
Megan Belongeay: Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 1 University Plaza, Platteville, WI 53818, USA
Gabriela Shirkey: Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, 673 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Marina Monteiro Lunardi: Independent Researcher, 5B, 34 Kent Road, Mascot, NSW 2020, Australia
Gonzalo Rodriguez-Garcia: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E Saint Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
Parikhit Sinha: First Solar, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
Richard Corkish: School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Rodney A. Stewart: School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD 4222, Australia
Annick Anctil: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Michigan State University, 673 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Jiquan Chen: Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, 673 Auditorium Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Ilke Celik: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 501 E Saint Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: Solar photovoltaics (PV) has emerged as one of the world’s most promising power-generation technologies, and it is essential to assess its applications from the perspective of a material-energy-water (MEW) nexus. We performed a life cycle assessment of the cradle-to-grave MEW for single-crystalline silicon (s-Si) and CdTe PV technologies by assuming both PV systems are recycled at end of life. We found that the MEW network was dominated by energy flows (>95%), while only minor impacts of materials and water flows were observed. Also, these MEW flows have pyramid-like distributions between the three tiers (i.e., primary, secondary/sub-secondary, and tertiary levels), with greater flows at the primary and lower flows at the tertiary levels. A more detailed analysis of materials’ circularity showed that glass layers are the most impactful component of recycling due to their considerable weight in both technologies. Our analysis also emphasized the positive impacts that increased power-conversion efficiency and the use of recycled feedstock have on the PV industry’s circularity rates. We found that a 25% increase in power-conversion efficiency and the use of fully recycled materials in PV panel feedstocks resulted in 91% and 86% material circularity for CdTe and s-Si PV systems, respectively.

Keywords: material-energy-water nexus; photovoltaics; PV MEW; CdTe; crystalline silicon PV (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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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