Recommended actions for eco-design of solar energy technologies based on life cycle approach

Abstract

Innovative solar energy technologies bring the benefit on the global decarbonization; nevertheless, they require certain raw materials and cause several environmental impacts. These impacts can be minimized through the application of eco-design measures. The paper applies life cycle assessment and life cycle costing on innovative solar photovoltaics cells and concentrating solar power technologies, from which eco-design measures are identified to improve the technologies technically, environmentally, and economically. For solar photovoltaics, materials for electrode and absorber layer are the most influencing factors to the eco-profile of the cells; therefore, the selection of materials, and the optimization of the fabrication process for depositing these layers would further reduce the cells’ life cycle environmental impacts. By selecting different combinations of materials, the global warming potential of lab-scaled perovskite solar cells may be as low as 0.12–0.15 kg CO2 eq per kWh, and mineral and metal resource use could be reduced to the value between 1.54E-05 and 1.61E-05 kg Sb eq. For concentrating solar power, the eco-design should focus on minimizing the use of the natural gas in co-generation components, and improving the eco-profiles of collector, heat transfer fluids and power generation unit among solar-to-power components. Other life cycle stages such as transportation, consumption and end-of-life, though contribute small shares of the total impact, need to be taken into account for the best and combined effect of the eco-design measures. These measures reduce not only the environmental impacts but also the electricity cost, to bring the innovative solar energy technologies closer to the market readiness level.