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Life cycle sustainability assessment of grid-connected photovoltaic power generation: A case study of Northeast England

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  • Li, Tianqi
  • Roskilly, Anthony Paul
  • Wang, Yaodong

Abstract

This paper proposes a comprehensive sustainability assessment model incorporating (a) life cycle approach and sustainability theory. In the model, sustainability is assessed from three categories: techno-economic, environmental and social. A total of thirteen indicators were included in the proposed model, with five evaluating the techno-economic performance, six evaluating the environmental performance, and two examining the social impact. The effectiveness of this model is then demonstrated through its application to a case study of solar photovoltaic in the North East region of England. Three types of the most commonly deployed solar photovoltaic electricity generation systems are included in the case study: monocrystalline (s-Si), polycrystalline (p-Si) and Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Tianqi & Roskilly, Anthony Paul & Wang, Yaodong, 2018. "Life cycle sustainability assessment of grid-connected photovoltaic power generation: A case study of Northeast England," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 465-479.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:227:y:2018:i:c:p:465-479
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.07.021
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    3. Oluwaseun Nubi & Stephen Morse & Richard J. Murphy, 2022. "Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Electricity Generation from Municipal Solid Waste in Nigeria: A Prospective Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Dongli Tan & Yao Wu & Zhiqing Zhang & Yue Jiao & Lingchao Zeng & Yujun Meng, 2023. "Assessing the Life Cycle Sustainability of Solar Energy Production Systems: A Toolkit Review in the Context of Ensuring Environmental Performance Improvements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-37, July.
    5. Hélio Henrique Cunha Pinheiro & Neilton Fidélis da Silva & David Alves Castelo Branco & Márcio Giannini Pereira, 2020. "Photovoltaic Solar Systems in Multi-Headquarter Institutions: A Technical Implementation in Northeastern Brazil," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-28, May.
    6. Kabayo, Jeremiah & Marques, Pedro & Garcia, Rita & Freire, Fausto, 2019. "Life-cycle sustainability assessment of key electricity generation systems in Portugal," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 131-142.
    7. Mitavachan Hiremath & Peter Viebahn & Sascha Samadi, 2021. "An Integrated Comparative Assessment of Coal-Based Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Vis-à-Vis Renewable Energies in India’s Low Carbon Electricity Transition Scenarios," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-28, January.
    8. T.E.T Dantas & S.R Soares, 2022. "Systematic literature review on the application of life cycle sustainability assessment in the energy sector," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1583-1615, February.
    9. Resalati, Shahaboddin & Okoroafor, Tobechi & Maalouf, Amani & Saucedo, Edgardo & Placidi, Marcel, 2022. "Life cycle assessment of different chalcogenide thin-film solar cells," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).

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