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Are Technological Developments Improving the Environmental Sustainability of Photovoltaic Electricity?
Author(s) -
Blanco Carlos Felipe,
Cucurachi Stefano,
Peijnenburg Willie J. G. M.,
Beames Alistair,
Vijver Martina G.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
energy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 2194-4296
pISSN - 2194-4288
DOI - 10.1002/ente.201901064
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , photovoltaics , sustainability , environmental economics , electricity , life cycle assessment , harmonization , environmental impact assessment , computer science , environmental science , business , systems engineering , production (economics) , engineering , economics , ecology , physics , macroeconomics , acoustics , electrical engineering , biology
Innovation in photovoltaics (PV) is mostly driven by the cost per kilowatt ratio, making it easy to overlook environmental impacts of technological enhancements during early research and development stages. As PV technology developers introduce novel materials and manufacturing methods, the well‐studied environmental profile of conventional silicon‐based PV may change considerably. Herein, existing trends and hotspots across different types of emerging PV technologies are investigated through a systematic review and meta‐analysis of life‐cycle assessments (LCAs). To incorporate as many data points as possible, a comprehensive harmonization procedure is applied, producing over 600 impact data points for organic, perovskite (PK), dye‐sensitized, tandem, silicon, and other thin‐film cells. How the panel and balance of system components affect environmental footprints in comparable installations is also investigated and discussed. Despite the large uncertainties and variabilities in the underlying LCA data and models, the harmonized results show clear positive trends across the sector. Seven potential hotspots are identified for specific PV technologies and impact categories. The analysis offers a high‐level guidance for technology developers to avoid introducing undesired environmental trade‐offs as they advance to make PV more competitive in the energy markets.