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Environmental Impacts of Integrated Photovoltaic Modules in Light Utility Electric Vehicles

Author

Listed:
  • Olga Kanz

    (IEK-5 Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany)

  • Angèle Reinders

    (Energy Technology Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands)

  • Johanna May

    (Institute of Electrical Power Engineering (IET), Cologne University of Applied Sciences, 50678 Cologne, Germany)

  • Kaining Ding

    (IEK-5 Photovoltaik, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, 52425 Jülich, Germany)

Abstract

This paper presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules which have been integrated into electric vehicle applications, also called vehicle integrated photovoltaics (VIPV). The LCA was executed by means of GaBi LCA software with Ecoinvent v2.2 as a background database, with a focus on the global warming potential (GWP). A light utility electric vehicle (LUV) named StreetScooter Work L, with a PV array of 930 Wp, was analyzed for the location of Cologne, Germany. An operation time of 8 years and an average shadowing factor of 30% were assumed. The functional unit of this LCA is 1 kWh of generated PV electricity on-board, for which an emission factor of 0.357 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh was calculated, whereas the average grid emissions would be 0.435 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh. Hence, charging by PV power hence causes lower emissions than charging an EV by the grid. The study further shows how changes in the shadowing factor, operation time, and other aspects affect vehicle’s emissions. The ecological benefit of charging by PV modules as compared to grid charging is negated when the shadowing factor exceeds 40% and hence exceeds emissions of 0.435 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh. However, if the operation time of a vehicle with integrated PV is prolonged to 12 years, emissions of the functional unit go down to 0.221 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh. It is relevant to point out that the outcomes of the LCA study strongly depend on the location of use of the vehicle, the annual irradiation, and the carbon footprint of the grid on that location.

Suggested Citation

  • Olga Kanz & Angèle Reinders & Johanna May & Kaining Ding, 2020. "Environmental Impacts of Integrated Photovoltaic Modules in Light Utility Electric Vehicles," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:19:p:5120-:d:422753
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Thiel, Christian & Gracia Amillo, Ana & Tansini, Alessandro & Tsakalidis, Anastasios & Fontaras, Georgios & Dunlop, Ewan & Taylor, Nigel & Jäger-Waldau, Arnulf & Araki, Kenji & Nishioka, Kensuke & Ota, 2022. "Impact of climatic conditions on prospects for integrated photovoltaics in electric vehicles," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    2. Mattia Rapa & Laura Gobbi & Roberto Ruggieri, 2020. "Environmental and Economic Sustainability of Electric Vehicles: Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing Evaluation of Electricity Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-16, November.
    3. Ji Chen & Qi Xu & Xinyu Luo & Angran Tian & Sujing Xu & Qiang Tang, 2022. "Safety Evaluation and Energy Consumption Analysis of Deep Foundation Pit Excavation through Numerical Simulation and In-Site Monitoring," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-14, September.
    4. Kenji Araki & Yasuyuki Ota & Anju Maeda & Minoru Kumano & Kensuke Nishioka, 2023. "Solar Electric Vehicles as Energy Sources in Disaster Zones: Physical and Social Factors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-25, April.
    5. Nenming Wang & Guwen Tang, 2022. "A Review on Environmental Efficiency Evaluation of New Energy Vehicles Using Life Cycle Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-35, March.
    6. Kenji Araki & Yasuyuki Ota & Akira Nagaoka & Kensuke Nishioka, 2023. "3D Solar Irradiance Model for Non-Uniform Shading Environments Using Shading (Aperture) Matrix Enhanced by Local Coordinate System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-20, May.

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