4.7 Article

Ecodesign of ground-mounted photovoltaic power plants: Economic and environmental multi-objective optimization

期刊

JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
卷 278, 期 -, 页码 -

出版社

ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123934

关键词

Ecodesign; Grid-connected photovoltaic plants; Life-cycle assessment; Multi-objective optimization; Genetic algorithm; Product environmental footprint

资金

  1. National Research, Development and Innovation Fund (NKFIH) of Hungary [FIEK 16-1-2016-0007]
  2. BME NC TKP2020 grant of NKFIH Hungary

向作者/读者索取更多资源

This paper introduces a methodology to calculate the product environmental footprint and the levelized cost of electricity for ground-mounted, grid-connected PV power plants. The study shows that environmental impacts can be reduced by adjusting design parameters, although not all impacts can be reduced simultaneously. By accepting a small cost increase, a majority of potential impact reduction can be achieved.
Photovoltaic (PV) power is emission-free during operation. However, its life-cycle environmental impacts should be accounted for during the design phase. This paper presents the first methodology to calculate the product environmental footprint (PEF) and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on a unified technical modeling framework of ground-mounted, grid-connected PV power plants. To test the model, we determined the singleand multiobjective optima of 8 main balance-of-system design parameters applying a genetic algorithm for a case study of two geographical locations with distinct solar resources. Results show that impacts can be reduced by 1-13% in each of the 16 different PEF environmental impact categories. Unfortunately, the different types of impacts cannot be reduced simultaneously with a single design solution, calling for the use of a weighted environmental footprint as the most favorable single-score environmental indicator. Pareto-optimal design solutions for multiple objectives show that increasing the AC/DC ratio, row distance, tilt angle, and cable losses compared to the economic optimum is beneficial for carbon and environmental footprint reduction. By accepting a small cost increase, the majority of the potential impact reduction can be achieved. Trade-offs between economic and environmental objectives are analyzed by assigning a price tag to environmental impacts. Based on the proposed weighting scheme, regions with polluting electricity production mix should choose the most profitable plant design for the largest environmental benefit. In other places eco-design could lead to a 1% overall impact reduction for just 0.1% extra cost. Balancing power requirements, copper recycling scenarios, the uncertainty of ecological impacts, and combined land use are identified as future research areas. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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