(390b) Evaluation of Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Chemical Precursors Used in Perovskite Photovoltaics Manufacturing.
AIChE Annual Meeting
2021
2021 Annual Meeting
Materials Engineering and Sciences Division
Photovoltaic, Thermoelectric, and Energy Materials
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - 3:45pm to 4:00pm
In this talk, we will present a comprehensive process-based LCA study that uses updated data sources, process scale-up concepts, and sensitivity analysis to build ex ante commercial-scale life cycle inventory models for perovskite precursors that can inform industrial manufacturing choices with more transparent and robust environmental analysis. We have found that the impacts between Cs/FA/MA across climate change, cumulative energy demand, and human toxicity categories are all similar to each other. Resource efficiency calculations reveal that cesium supply is enough for near future perovskite PV deployment. Process contribution analysis reveals that reducing synthesis solvent usage, for instance by adding a solvent recovery step, may reduce impacts. However, the impacts for precursors, including lead iodide, are already 1,000 times less than those of other module components like solar glass or flexible substrates. Therefore, selection of perovskite composition can be based on PV efficiency and operational stability, without additional constraints of environmental impact.