Environmental impacts as the key objectives for perovskite solar cells optimization

Abstract

With perovskite solar cell (PSC) performance already touching the limits of single junction PV devices, the major challenges have now shifted to upscaling and stability. A plethora of materials and processes have been used for making perovskite solar cells/modules in order to tackle these challenges. However, it is important to see the impact of these decision variables not only on the cost and efficiency of the final cells but also on their environmental footprint. In this work, the analysis of these different options of technologies and materials on the final environmental footprint using a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is carried out and uncertainty with respect to these options is discussed in detail in order to gain insights into more optimal designs of perovskite solar cells. A comparison of the possible range of environmental impact indicators for perovskite solar modules with existing mature PV technologies is also presented to highlight the future prospects of perovskite solar technology in providing more eco-friendly and sustainable energy solutions. The results indicate that on average PSCs are not considerably better than existing PV technologies and show the possibility of optimizing PSCs with respect to different LCA indicators.