Created by R.G., ZHAW, on 09.09.2024
How much greenhouse gas is produced during the construction, production and end-of-life phases of an Alpine PV system? Solalpin and Amstein + Walther have answered this question in a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA). This was carried out on an exemplary 30 MWp system, so the results still need to be consolidated with real and realized data. The analysis period includes all construction and operation steps from construction to dismantling (cradle to grave).
The graph above shows the categories that have the greatest influence on the greenhouse gas emissions of an Alpine PV system. It can be seen that module production accounts for the largest share at 60%. The LCA assumes that the first modules installed come from China and the second load of modules from European production. How and where the modules are manufactured therefore has a substantial impact on the final result. From the LCA carried out for the 30 MWp system in the Alpine region, a greenhouse gas emission of 41g CO2eq/kWh is achieved. Depending on the location, type of system and module selection, this value can change for real systems. Nevertheless, it provides an initial insight into the emissions of an Alpine PV system. This scenario is comparable to a typical installation in the Central Midland. In a first comparison, Solalpine shows with the LCA of treeze that the standard PV solution achieves a greenhouse gas balance of 42g CO2eq/kWh. However, it should be noted that the two values are not harmonized.
