Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity from PV Systems
This fact sheet provides an overview of the environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of photovoltaic (PV) systems. It outlines the stages from manufacturing to end-of-life management, focusing on an average residential PV system. The study compares four PV technologies and highlights that emissions are primarily from manufacturing, with significantly lower carbon emissions than fossil fuel generators. The environmental impact of PV systems has improved markedly compared to 2015 values, particularly in non-renewable energy payback time.
Key Changes Compared to 2021 Data:
- Mono-Si PV Panels:
- Increased panel efficiency, reducing life cycle environmental impacts.
- Decreased kerf loss and reduced poly-Si demand, lowering overall impacts.
- Reduced electricity and thermal energy demand for solar-grade silicon, wafer, cell, and panel manufacture, further decreasing life cycle impacts.
- CdTe PV Panels:
- Increased panel efficiency, leading to a decrease in life cycle impacts.
- All Technologies:
- New versions of life cycle assessment methods result in minor deviations in environmental impacts.
