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Carbon footprint associated with a mono‐Si cell photovoltaic ceramic roof tile system
Author(s) -
Carvalho Monica,
Menezes Valeska L.,
Gomes Kelly C.,
Pinheiro Raoni
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
environmental progress and sustainable energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.495
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1944-7450
pISSN - 1944-7442
DOI - 10.1002/ep.13120
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , roof , carbon footprint , building integrated photovoltaics , environmental science , electricity , life cycle assessment , tile , environmental engineering , ecological footprint , architectural engineering , greenhouse gas , automotive engineering , waste management , engineering , civil engineering , materials science , electrical engineering , production (economics) , composite material , sustainability , macroeconomics , ecology , economics , biology
Photovoltaic roof tiles are aesthetic ceramic roof tiles with integrated photovoltaic solar panels, which could present economic, energy‐related or environmental characteristics that hinder their implementation. The objective of this study is to calculate the carbon footprint associated with a residential electricity supply system based on photovoltaic roof tiles, and compare with a photovoltaic panel‐based system. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to quantify the carbon footprint using the SimaPro 8.4.0.0 software, Ecoinvent database, and IPCC 2013 GWP 100y environmental impact assessment method. Considering the design of a 0.52 kWp system, 1160 kg of CO 2 ‐eq was emitted when photovoltaic mono‐Si roof tiles were installed, compared to 950 kg CO 2 ‐eq for a traditional photovoltaic panel system. A sensitivity analysis verified that utilization of poly‐Si yielded a carbon footprint of 822 kg CO 2 ‐eq but its inherent lower space‐efficiency was an issue, as a larger surface is required (which is not possible with roof tiles, rendering this option not viable). Despite the slightly unfavorable results presented herein, other strategies could be adopted to further reduce the overall carbon footprint of the building, as the use of photovoltaic roof tiles is better accepted from an architectural perspective as it harmonizes with the surroundings. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13120, 2019