Life Cycle Assessment of Photovoltaic Panels in China

The life cycle of photovoltaic(PV) modules produced by Chinese industry was assessed based on collecting data from mainstream and best technologies for PV module production in China in 2009,as well as adopting life cycle data of auxiliary materials from the Ecoinvent database.This research also analyzed Energy Pay-back Time as well as Global Warming Potential of PV panels,and considered the influence of different production processes and parameters.Results show that,for PV products,the technology level of the solar-grade polycrystalline silicon production and the casting wafering processes are the most energy intensive and have the greatest impact on the environment.Products made using the mainstream technology have far more energy requirements and environmental impacts than the ones made using the best technology.For the Chinese PV industry,it is important to improve technologies for polycrystalline silicon production and wafering to reduce the energy costs and environmental impacts of PV products.