Environmental impacts of solar photovoltaic systems: A critical review of recent progress and future outlook

Muhammad Tawalbeh; Amani Al-Othman; Feras Kafiah; Emad Abdelsalam; Fares Almomani; Malek Alkasrawi

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143528

Environmental impacts of solar photovoltaic systems: A critical review of recent progress and future outlook

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Mar 10:759:143528. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143528. Epub 2020 Nov 16.

Authors

Muhammad Tawalbeh¹, Amani Al-Othman², Feras Kafiah³, Emad Abdelsalam⁴, Fares Almomani⁵, Malek Alkasrawi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering Department (SREE), University of Sharjah, P. O. Box: 27272, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: mtawalbeh@sharjah.ac.ae.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, P.O. Box 26666, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: aalothman@aus.edu.
³ Electrical and Energy Engineering Department, Al Hussein Technical University, Amman 11831, Jordan. Electronic address: Feras.Kafiah@htu.edu.jo.
⁴ Electrical and Energy Engineering Department, Al Hussein Technical University, Amman 11831, Jordan. Electronic address: Emad.Abdelsalam@htu.edu.jo.
⁵ Chemical Engineering Department, Qatar University, Qatar. Electronic address: falmomani@qu.edu.qa.
⁶ Paper Science & Chemical Engineering Department, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA. Electronic address: malkasra@uwsp.edu.

PMID: 33234276
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143528

Abstract

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are regarded as clean and sustainable sources of energy. Although the operation of PV systems exhibits minimal pollution during their lifetime, the probable environmental impacts of such systems from manufacturing until disposal cannot be ignored. The production of hazardous contaminates, water resources pollution, and emissions of air pollutants during the manufacturing process as well as the impact of PV installations on land use are important environmental factors to consider. The present study aims at developing a comprehensive analysis of all possible environmental challenges as well as presenting novel design proposals to mitigate and solve the aforementioned environmental problems. The emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG) from various PV systems were also explored and compared with fossil fuel energy resources. The results revealed that the negative environmental impacts of PV systems could be substantially mitigated using optimized design, development of novel materials, minimize the use of hazardous materials, recycling whenever possible, and careful site selection. Such mitigation actions will reduce the emissions of GHG to the environment, decrease the accumulation of solid wastes, and preserve valuable water resources. The carbon footprint emission from PV systems was found to be in the range of 14-73 g CO₂-eq/kWh, which is 10 to 53 orders of magnitude lower than emission reported from the burning of oil (742 g CO₂-eq/kWh from oil). It was concluded that the carbon footprint of the PV system could be decreased further by one order of magnitude using novel manufacturing materials. Recycling solar cell materials can also contribute up to a 42% reduction in GHG emissions. The present study offers a valuable management strategy that can be used to improve the sustainability of PV manufacturing processes, improve its economic value, and mitigate its negative impacts on the environment.

Keywords: Environmental impacts; Greenhouse gas emissions; Hazardous materials; Land use; Photovoltaic systems; Water usage.