Abstract
In light of the increasing environmental awareness, the present study is about life-cycle assessment of the Balance of System (BOS) of Photovoltaics (PVs), underlining the advantages of Organic Photovoltaics (OPVs). A closer look at the literature on PV shows that there is a dearth of studies which place emphasis on PVs with lightweight BOS systems, highlighting the importance of flexible/lightweight PV modules for buildings and greenhouses. To fill this literature gap, the present article sets out to: i) offer an overview of BOS, ii) analyse the environmental profile of the BOS of a grid-connected PV rooftop system, iii) estimate the avoided impacts of PV systems which need small amounts of BOS materials and iv) present critical factors for OPV greenhouses and PV challenges. Considering the results of the present study as well as results of other studies, BOS impacts range from: i) 6 to 181 kg CO2.eq/m2 of PV module, ii) 55 to 1900 MJprim/m2 of PV module. On the other hand, taking into account that the avoided impacts of a PV system are inextricably linked to the electricity mix of a certain country, a case study based on different electricity mixes (OPV system: Spain; Italy; Portugal) is presented.
Published Version
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