Domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios of silicon-based photovoltaics: Life cycle energy and environmental comparative analysis

Dajun Yue; Fengqi You; Seth B. Darling

doi:10.1016/j.solener.2014.04.008

Domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios of silicon-based photovoltaics: Life cycle energy and environmental comparative analysis

Dajun Yue, Fengqi You^*, Seth B. Darling

^*Corresponding author for this work

Chemical and Biological Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

134 Scopus citations

Abstract

While life cycle assessment (LCA) has been recognized as an invaluable tool to assess the energy and environmental profiles of a photovoltaic (PV) system, current LCA studies are limited to Europe and North America. However, today most PV modules are outsourced to and manufactured in non-OECD countries (e.g., China), which have a substantially different degree of industrialization and environmental restriction. To investigate this issue, we perform a comparative LCA between domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios illustrated by three kinds of silicon-based PV technologies, namely mono-crystalline silicon, multi-crystalline silicon and ribbon silicon. We take into account geographic diversity by utilizing localized inventory data for processes and materials. The energy payback time, energy return on investment and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for both scenarios are calculated and analyzed. Compared to the domestic manufacturing scenario, the energy use efficiency is generally 30% lower and the carbon footprint is almost doubled in the overseas manufacturing scenario. Moreover, based on the LCA results, we propose a break-even carbon tariff model for the international trade of silicon-based PV modules, indicating an appropriate carbon tariff in the range of €105-€129/ton CO₂.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	669-678
Number of pages	10
Journal	Solar Energy
Volume	105
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2014.04.008
State	Published - Jul 2014

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN). This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences User Facility under Contract no. DE-AC02-06CH11357. We are also grateful to IKE Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. for providing part of the life cycle inventory data from the Chinese Life Cycle Database (CLCD) for the life cycle energy and environmental analysis of the overseas manufacturing scenario.

Keywords

Life cycle assessment
Manufacturing
Renewable energy
Silicon-based photovoltaics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
General Materials Science

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.solener.2014.04.008

Cite this

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title = "Domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios of silicon-based photovoltaics: Life cycle energy and environmental comparative analysis",

abstract = "While life cycle assessment (LCA) has been recognized as an invaluable tool to assess the energy and environmental profiles of a photovoltaic (PV) system, current LCA studies are limited to Europe and North America. However, today most PV modules are outsourced to and manufactured in non-OECD countries (e.g., China), which have a substantially different degree of industrialization and environmental restriction. To investigate this issue, we perform a comparative LCA between domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios illustrated by three kinds of silicon-based PV technologies, namely mono-crystalline silicon, multi-crystalline silicon and ribbon silicon. We take into account geographic diversity by utilizing localized inventory data for processes and materials. The energy payback time, energy return on investment and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for both scenarios are calculated and analyzed. Compared to the domestic manufacturing scenario, the energy use efficiency is generally 30% lower and the carbon footprint is almost doubled in the overseas manufacturing scenario. Moreover, based on the LCA results, we propose a break-even carbon tariff model for the international trade of silicon-based PV modules, indicating an appropriate carbon tariff in the range of €105-€129/ton CO2.",

keywords = "Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing, Renewable energy, Silicon-based photovoltaics",

author = "Dajun Yue and Fengqi You and Darling, {Seth B.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN). This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences User Facility under Contract no. DE-AC02-06CH11357. We are also grateful to IKE Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. for providing part of the life cycle inventory data from the Chinese Life Cycle Database (CLCD) for the life cycle energy and environmental analysis of the overseas manufacturing scenario. ",

year = "2014",

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doi = "10.1016/j.solener.2014.04.008",

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journal = "Solar Energy",

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T1 - Domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios of silicon-based photovoltaics

T2 - Life cycle energy and environmental comparative analysis

AU - Yue, Dajun

AU - You, Fengqi

AU - Darling, Seth B.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN). This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences User Facility under Contract no. DE-AC02-06CH11357. We are also grateful to IKE Environmental Technology Co. Ltd. for providing part of the life cycle inventory data from the Chinese Life Cycle Database (CLCD) for the life cycle energy and environmental analysis of the overseas manufacturing scenario.

PY - 2014/7

Y1 - 2014/7

N2 - While life cycle assessment (LCA) has been recognized as an invaluable tool to assess the energy and environmental profiles of a photovoltaic (PV) system, current LCA studies are limited to Europe and North America. However, today most PV modules are outsourced to and manufactured in non-OECD countries (e.g., China), which have a substantially different degree of industrialization and environmental restriction. To investigate this issue, we perform a comparative LCA between domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios illustrated by three kinds of silicon-based PV technologies, namely mono-crystalline silicon, multi-crystalline silicon and ribbon silicon. We take into account geographic diversity by utilizing localized inventory data for processes and materials. The energy payback time, energy return on investment and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for both scenarios are calculated and analyzed. Compared to the domestic manufacturing scenario, the energy use efficiency is generally 30% lower and the carbon footprint is almost doubled in the overseas manufacturing scenario. Moreover, based on the LCA results, we propose a break-even carbon tariff model for the international trade of silicon-based PV modules, indicating an appropriate carbon tariff in the range of €105-€129/ton CO2.

AB - While life cycle assessment (LCA) has been recognized as an invaluable tool to assess the energy and environmental profiles of a photovoltaic (PV) system, current LCA studies are limited to Europe and North America. However, today most PV modules are outsourced to and manufactured in non-OECD countries (e.g., China), which have a substantially different degree of industrialization and environmental restriction. To investigate this issue, we perform a comparative LCA between domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios illustrated by three kinds of silicon-based PV technologies, namely mono-crystalline silicon, multi-crystalline silicon and ribbon silicon. We take into account geographic diversity by utilizing localized inventory data for processes and materials. The energy payback time, energy return on investment and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for both scenarios are calculated and analyzed. Compared to the domestic manufacturing scenario, the energy use efficiency is generally 30% lower and the carbon footprint is almost doubled in the overseas manufacturing scenario. Moreover, based on the LCA results, we propose a break-even carbon tariff model for the international trade of silicon-based PV modules, indicating an appropriate carbon tariff in the range of €105-€129/ton CO2.

KW - Life cycle assessment

KW - Manufacturing

KW - Renewable energy

KW - Silicon-based photovoltaics

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ER -

Domestic and overseas manufacturing scenarios of silicon-based photovoltaics: Life cycle energy and environmental comparative analysis

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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