The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) of photovoltaic modules—Lessons learned from the environmental footprint pilot phase on the way to a single market for green products in the European Union

Abstract

AbstractShaping and channeling the transformation of the global energy system require an understanding of the life cycle environmental impacts of available technology options. With photovoltaic electricity generation expected to be the largest, least cost, and most relevant source of energy globally by mid‐century, the environmental and resource implications of this technology should be made accessible to a variety of societal, political, and scientific stakeholders. The Product Environmental Footprint Guide provides a methodology for assessing the environmental impacts of PV technologies based on life cycle assessment. The establishment of an inclusive multi‐stakeholder process with multiple checkpoints, ensuring scientific soundness, societal and political acceptance and methodological quality, is portrayed in this paper and can serve as a model for driving a single market for green products in the EU.