A new report from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) says PV module lifetime extensions should be prioritized over closed-loop recycling to reduce demand for new materials.
Researchers assessed the impact on new material demand with different module lifetimes from 15 to 50 years. They also examined closed-loop recycling, and assumed that the U.S. will have 1.75 terawatts of cumulative PV installed capacity by 2050.
Modules with 50-year lifetimes could reduce new material demand by 3% through lower deployment, compared to a 35-year baseline scenario. Fifteen-year modules would require an additional 1.2 TW of replacement modules, which would increase new material demand and waste unless over 95% of the module mass was closed-loop recycled.
To date, no PV technology has reached near the 95% level of closed-loop recycling for all component materials. Thus, manufacturing longer-lasting PVs is the more eco-friendly choice.
Related Stories
| Apr 27, 2012
Hampton Bays Middle School winner of the first National Green Ribbon Schools Program
School was the first LEED-certified public school in the state of New York.
| Apr 26, 2012
USGBC announces inaugural Green Apple Day of Service
On Sept. 29, 2012, participants from all over the world will volunteer to make the schools and campuses in their communities healthier and more sustainable.
| Apr 26, 2012
Orange County, Fla. high school receives NAIOP “Public Development of the Year” award
School replacement designed by SchenkelShultz Architecture and constructed by Williams Co.
| Apr 25, 2012
Bubble skyscraper design aims to purify drinking water
The Freshwater Skyscraper will address the issue of increasing water scarcity through a process known as transpiration
| Apr 25, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions provides consulting for Biologics Support Center
Project receives LEED Gold Certification.
| Apr 25, 2012
McCarthy introduces high school students to a career in construction
High school students from the ACE Mentoring Program tour the new CHOC Children’s Patient Tower in Orange, Calif.
| Apr 25, 2012
J.C. Anderson selected for 50,000-sf build out at Chicago’s DePaul University
The build-out will consist of the construction of new offices, meeting rooms, video rooms and a state-of-the-art multi-tiered Trading Room.
| Apr 24, 2012
ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast, projects improvements for the real estate industry through 2014
Survey is based on opinions from 38 of the nation’s leading real estate economists and analysts and suggests a marked increase in commercial real estate activity, with total transaction volume expected to rise from $250 billion in 2012 to $312 billion in 2014.
| Apr 24, 2012
McLennan named Ashoka Fellow
McLennan was recognized for his work on the Living Building Challenge.
| Apr 24, 2012
AECOM design and engineering team realizes NASA vision for Sustainability Base
LEED Platinum facility opens at NASA Ames Research Center at California’s Moffett Field.
