Title :
Environmental assessment and metrics for solar: Case study of SolFocus solar concentrator systems
Author :
Reich-Weiser, Corinne ; Dornfeld, David A. ; Horne, Steve
Author_Institution :
University of California at Berkeley, Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability, USA
Abstract :
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is utilized to analyze SolFocus Inc. concentrator solar systems. A hybrid LCA methodology is explained that combines process and input-output LCA techniques. The use of the greenhouse gas return on investment metric for solar technologies is discussed as a complement to energy metrics. Finally, preliminary results of a hybrid LCA for the SolFocus concentrator technology are presented. It is found that transportation and electricity consumption play a significant role in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Keywords :
Databases; Energy consumption; Fossil fuels; Global warming; Investments; Manufacturing; Silicon; Solar energy; Supply chains; Transportation;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2008. PVSC '08. 33rd IEEE
Conference_Location :
San Diego, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1640-0
Electronic_ISBN :
0160-8371
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2008.4922740
