Does recycling solar panels make this renewable resource sustainable? Evidence supported by environmental, economic, and social dimensions

A rapid and deep decarbonization of power supply worldwide is required to limit global warming to well below 2?°C Beyond greenhouse gas emissions, the power sector is also responsible for numerous other environmental impacts Here we combine scenarios from integrated assessment models with a forward-looking life-cycle assessment to explore how alternative technology choices in power sector decarbonization pathways compare in terms of non-climate environmental impacts at the system level While all decarbonization pathways yield major environmental co-benefits, we find that the scale of co-benefits as well as profiles of adverse side-effects depend strongly on technology choice Mitigation scenarios focusing on wind and solar power are more effective in reducing human health impacts compared to those with low renewable energy, while inducing a more pronounced shift away from fossil and toward mineral resource depletion Conversely, non-climate ecosystem damages are highly uncertain but tend to increase, chiefly due to land requirements for bioenergy

Environmental co-benefits and adverse side-effects of alternative power sector decarbonization strategies

Life cycle assessment of organic solar cells and perovskite solar cells with graphene transparent electrodes

The demand for food and renewable energy is increasing significantly, whereas the availability of land for agricultural use is declining. Agrivoltaic systems (AVS), which combine agricultural production with solar energy generation on the same area, are a promising opportunity with the potential to satisfy this demand while avoiding land-use conflicts. In the current study, a Consequential Life-Cycle Assessment (CLCA) was conducted to holistically assess the environmental consequences arising from a shift from single-use agriculture to AVS in Germany. The results of the study show that the environmental consequences of the installation of overhead AVS on agricultural land are positive and reduce the impacts in 15 of the 16 analysed impact categories especially for climate change, eutrophication and fossil resource use, as well as in the single score assessment, mainly due to the substitution of the marginal energy mix. It was demonstrated that, under certain conditions, AVS can contribute to the extension of renewable energy production resources without reducing food production resources. These include maintaining the agricultural yields underneath the photovoltaic (PV) modules, seeking synergies between solar energy generation and crop production and minimising the loss of good agricultural land.

/pdf/agrivoltaics-the-environmental-impacts-of-combining-food-21f5bnru.pdf

Agrivoltaics: The Environmental Impacts of Combining Food Crop Cultivation and Solar Energy Generation

Crystalline silicon (C–Si) photovoltaic (PV) modules are currently reaching the End-of-life (EOL) stage, and the environmental impact of recycling PV is of great concern. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of EOL PV modules is becoming a hotspot. This study summarizes the research framework and common tools used in LCA and describes the C–Si PV panel structure configuration and recycling technical routes of PV modules. It also compares the impacts of landfilling, downcycling, and upcycling on six impact categories (climate change, terrestrial acidification, human toxicity, fossil resource scarcity, water eutrophication, and marine eutrophication). Results showed that the environmental benefits of upcycling is higher than that of downcycling and landfilling in cradle to cradle. Significant differences exist between different studies under the same scenario, with differences of up to 99.86%. It can be found that the transportation process and power consumption have a significant impact on the environment and resources based on the contribution analysis and sensitivity analysis. Meanwhile, the remanufacturing of PV panels has an obvious environmental value. The results also showed that through improvement analysis, the optimization of the electricity structure and the improvement of recycling technology and efficiency are of great significance for recycling PV modules, the environment, and sustainable development. Finally, the challenges and prospects of LCA methods are pointed out, especially in industries with complex and emerging EOL PV panel recycling processes. 

Overview of life cycle assessment of recycling end-of-life photovoltaic panels: A case study of crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels

A comparative life cycle assessment of silicon PV modules: Impact of module design, manufacturing location and inventory

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A comparative life cycle assessment of silicon PV modules: Impact of module design, manufacturing location and inventory