Chalmers Conferences, LCM 2013

METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF PHOTOVOLTAICS SYSTEMS USING THE LCA METHOD
Bastien Evon, Jérôme Payet, Isabelle Blanc, Didier Beloin-Saint-Pierre, Eric Raison, Nadine Adra, Yvonnick Durand

Last modified: 2014-09-11

Abstract


This paper presents the guidelines for environmental assessment of photovoltaic systems in France by considering the total life cycle. It aims at helping designers of photovoltaic systems to evaluate the environmental impacts of producing electricity using the rules set out in the methodological framework. A specific common framework is created to conduct LCA (functional unit, system boundaries and product categories). A reference database of impact factors is developed allowing analysts to perform LCA in a simple manner. Some of the default impact factors are intentionally conservative. This choice is made to encourage manufacturers of photovoltaic system components to replace them with their own value to better match their systems impacts. This framework is available since the beginning of 2013.

Keywords


guidelines; harmonised methodology; Life Cycle Assessment; photovoltaic system

References


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