Ground-mounted or residential rooftop photovoltaic plant − European production or Chinese production: which is the most environmentally sustainable system? A case study in Italy

Abstract

In recent years, decarbonization policies have pushed for a significant increase in renewable energies for power generation applications. European strategy aims to bring online over 320 GW of solar photovoltaics by 2025 and almost 600 GW by 2030. In this context, it is not only important to figure out the main hotspots of PV system but also to understand which are the best configurations from an environmental point of view. The analysis proposed in this paper aims to compare the environmental benefits of producing 1 kWh through two different system configurations: a ground-mounted PV plant (84 MW) and a residential rooftop PV plant (3 kW). In particular, the PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell) technology is investigated. In addition, in order to assess the influence of the energy mix used in the production of the PV components (mono-Si ingot, wafer, cell and module) on the LCA results, two different production sites are explored, i.e., in China and in Europe.

Keywords

• climate change
• photovoltaic system
• perc
• environmental impacts
• life cycle assessment
• carbon footprint