PV’s Top EHS Concerns
2009 was, in many ways, a “PV production year.” Streamlining processes, seeking smarter ways of supply chain management, and standardizing the obvious cost bottlenecks have contributed much to a more robust production cycle. What we need to talk more about is how we can achieve cost saving objectives without compromising the “green” agenda the PV industry has been proud to endorse.
The world is looking to PV as one of the renewable energy solutions to climate change, and we owe it to ourselves and our stakeholders to be responsible environmental stewards. Environmental, health and safety concerns in PV manufacturing, and the need to develop and demonstrate sustainable manufacturing practices accompany a solar panel from feedstock through installation.
Let’s hear it — what are your top 3 EHS concerns? Hazardous materials — their use and end-of-life treatment? Effective implementation (without breaking the bank) of take-back and recycling programs? The contribution of energy used by facilities and equipment to climate change? The use of greenhouse gases to produce so-called “carbon neutral” solar cells? The energy payback times of different PV technologies? Lack of supply chain transparency in best practices used? The fact that the competition elsewhere may not care as much?
Please send me your feedback, thoughts and ideas, and we’ll publish the results in January!
stewart davidson commented:
until every region treats the environment with the same respect then the discussion is pointless. Why have tough environmental laws when you can move your manufacturing to another country that does not monitor as effectively and then sell them back to the country with the tough enivornmental laws.
Joe Beach commented:
The same EHS concerns apply to the PV industry as to any other industry. All large scale industrial processes have the potential to do damage to the environment, and care must be taken to ensure that they don't do so. For PV, this means that effluent from all steps of the manufacturing chain must be properly treated before being released and the panels must be reclaimed at their end of life so they can be recycled into new ones.
There should be no guilt about using fossil fuels to make PV panels because modern panels produce far more energy than their production consumed. The net effect is a reduction in greenhouse gas emission on a CO2 per kWh basis. Energy must be used to build any new power supply, and I would much rather fossil fuels were used to make PV than to make more fossil fuel power plants.
Mariska de Wild-Scholten (ECN, the Netherlands) commented:
Check my papers on:
www.ecn.nl/publicaties/default.aspx?au=44649
Rob Stuurop commented:
Its worthwhile reading this report:Life Cycle Assessment of Photovoltaics: Update of ecoinvent data v2.0
Available on:www.esu-services.ch
Regarding Environmental Impact and Sustainable solutions profound LCA's based on reliable data are a must !
xchen commented:
Like any other industry, PV industry needs to evaluate material and technology selection. Study has been done on this subject. However, there is not conclusion as to which technology has lowest carbon footprint. More importantly, there is no real cost associated with use of GHG and use of toxic materials in the PV production processes. PV industry is not going to be "Green", until is issue is resolved.
