Page 223 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

212 R. Laleman et al.

1 Introduction

The importance of photovoltaic technology as a low-carbon alternative for fossil-
driven electricity production has increased markedly in recent years. Photovoltaic
systems (PV systems) have evolved from a small niche player into an international
market of several billions. The average annual growth rate of globally installed
capacity between 2005 and 2010 exceeded 49 % (Fig. 1). This growth can be
attributed to the combination of a steep decline in production costs and continued
government support, the latter mainly in Europe and specifically Germany
(Frondel et al. 2008). By 2010, the global capacity was estimated to be 40 GW,
80 % of which is installed in Europe (REN21 2011).
Governments around the globe promote the diffusion of PV technology because
it is deemed to be a renewable, green and clean technology. However, no energy
technology is 100 % sustainable. In this chapter, we will aim to evaluate the
environmental impact of PV technology and compare this with alternative sources
for electricity production. This will be done using various Life-Cycle Impact
Assessment (LCIA) methodologies.
The whole life-cycle (from cradle to grave) of a residential roof-top PV system
will be taken into account. Such an installation consists of many parts: the PV
panels themselves, a support system to fix the panels on the roof, electric wiring
and an inverter to convert the direct current (produced by the PV system) into
alternating current that can be consumed by the household, or injected into the grid
(Fig. 2). The LCA data of all these parts are included in the LCA database of
Ecoinvent (v2.0) and will be included in this chapter’s discussion.

Fig. 1 Global PV capacity
increased significantly in the
past 5 years (source figure
based on data found in
REN21, 2011; original data
from EPIA and PV news)

Fig. 2 Overview of a typical
residential PV system
(Greenpeace International,
EPIA 2008)