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Emerging Photovoltaic (PV) Materials for a Low Carbon Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Ilke Celik

    (Sustainability and Renewable Energy Systems Program, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI 53818, USA)

  • Ramez Hosseinian Ahangharnejhad

    (Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA)

  • Zhaoning Song

    (Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA)

  • Michael Heben

    (Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA)

  • Defne Apul

    (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA)

Abstract

Emerging photovoltaic (PV) technologies have a potential to address the shortcomings of today’s energy market which heavily depends on the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation. We created inventories that offer insights into the environmental impacts and cost of all the materials used in emerging PV technologies, including perovskites, polymers, Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and quantum dots. The results show that the CO 2 emissions associated with the absorber layers are much less than the CO 2 emissions associated with the contact and charge selective layers. The CdS (charge selective layer) and ITO (contact layer) have the highest environmental impacts compared to Al 2 O 3 , CuI, CuSCN, MoO 3 , NiO, poly (3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl (P3HT)), phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), poly polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), SnO 2 , spiro-OMeTAD, and TiO 2 (charge selective layers) and Al, Ag, Cu, FTO, Mo, ZnO:In, and ZnO/ZnO:Al (contact layers). The cost assessments show that the organic materials, such as polymer absorbers, CNT, P3HT and spiro-OMeTAD, are the most expensive materials. Inorganic materials would be more preferable to lower the cost of solar cells. All the remaining materials have a potential to be used in the commercial PV market. Finally, we analyzed the cost of PV materials based on their material intensity and CO2 emissions, and concluded that the perovskite absorber will be the most eco-efficient material that has the lowest cost and CO 2 emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ilke Celik & Ramez Hosseinian Ahangharnejhad & Zhaoning Song & Michael Heben & Defne Apul, 2020. "Emerging Photovoltaic (PV) Materials for a Low Carbon Economy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-10, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:16:p:4131-:d:396883
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elizabeth Markert & Ilke Celik & Defne Apul, 2020. "Private and Externality Costs and Benefits of Recycling Crystalline Silicon (c-Si) Photovoltaic Panels," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Collier, Jennifer & Wu, Susie & Apul, Defne, 2014. "Life cycle environmental impacts from CZTS (copper zinc tin sulfide) and Zn3P2 (zinc phosphide) thin film PV (photovoltaic) cells," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 314-321.
    3. Annick Anctil & Vasilis Fthenakis, 2012. "Life Cycle Assessment of Organic Photovoltaics," Chapters, in: Vasilis Fthenakis (ed.), Third Generation Photovoltaics, IntechOpen.
    4. Steve Albrecht & Bernd Rech, 2017. "Perovskite solar cells: On top of commercial photovoltaics," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 2(1), pages 1-2, January.
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    1. Ludwik Wicki & Robert Pietrzykowski & Dariusz Kusz, 2022. "Factors Determining the Development of Prosumer Photovoltaic Installations in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-19, August.
    2. Bart Roose, 2022. "Perovskite Solar Cells," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-3, September.

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