Emissions from Photovoltaic Life Cycles

[OKIsItJustMe]

Here are a few of the figures. (A picture's worth 1,000 words and all that...) Follow the link for the entire report.

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/html/es071763q.html

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Figure 2. Life-cycle emissions from silicon and CdTe PV modules. BOS is the Balance of System (i.e., module supports, cabling, and power conditioning). Conditions: ground-mounted systems, Southern European insolation, 1700 kWh/m2/yr, performance ratio of 0.8, and lifetime of 30 years. Case 1: current electricity mixture in Si production−CrystalClear project and Ecoinvent database. Case 2: Union of the Co-ordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE) grid mixture and Ecoinvent database. Case 3: U.S. grid mixture and Franklin database.


Copyright © 2008 American Chemical Society

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Figure 3. Life-cycle atmospheric Cd emissions for PV systems from electricity and fuel consumption, normalized for a Southern Europe average insolation of 1700 kWh/m2/yr, performance ratio of 0.8, and lifetime of 30 yrs. Ground-mounted BOS (18) is assumed for all PV systems; comparisons with other electricity generation options.


Copyright © 2008 American Chemical Society

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Figure 4. Life-cycle atmospheric heavy-metal emissions for PV systems (normalized for Southern European average insolation of 1700 kWh/m2/yr, performance ratio of 0.8, and lifetime of 30 yrs). Each PV system is assumed to include a ground-mounted BOS as described by Mason et al. (18). The four types of PV modules and corresponding efficiencies are ribbon-Si 11.5%, multi-crystalline Si 13.2%, monocrystalline 14%, and CdTe 9%.


Copyright © 2008 American Chemical Society

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[eppur_se_muova]

1. Even hard coal releases more Cd than CdTe PV's ... not surprising.

Only natural gas and hydro release less Cd.

EDIT to add text

[Dogmudgeon]

2. Does this involve disposal of waste? I don't think it does.

Perhaps I missed it -- this seems to be limited to air pollution, though it is a good study. Thanks for posting it.

Most manufactured semiconductors are fairly clean; the worst emissions come during poorly-controlled manufacturing -- and disposal. We still have no comprehensive disposal for fluorescent light bulbs, including CFLs, which contain mercury.

The practice of sending computers and other consumer electronics to the municipal dump is likewise a slow-motion toxics disaster.

Yes, it's fair to include reactor waste in calculations dealing with the external costs of nuclear energy. And it would be excellent if all toxic metals received similar scrutiny and a paranoid dedication to safety.

--p!

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. I believe you're correct

However, I would work with the assumption that users of solar panels are environmentally aware, and would therefore tend to recycle old panels.

The result would be that manufacturing the 2nd generation of panels would have less of an impact than the 1st generation did.