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Sustainability pathways for perovskite photovoltaics

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Abstract

Solar energy is the fastest-growing source of electricity generation globally. As deployment increases, photovoltaic (PV) panels need to be produced sustainably. Therefore, the resource utilization rate and the rate at which those resources become available in the environment must be in equilibrium while maintaining the well-being of people and nature. Metal halide perovskite (MHP) semiconductors could revolutionize PV technology due to high efficiency, readily available/accessible materials and low-cost production. Here we outline how MHP-PV panels could scale a sustainable supply chain while appreciably contributing to a global renewable energy transition. We evaluate the critical material concerns, embodied energy, carbon impacts and circular supply chain processes of MHP-PVs. The research community is in an influential position to prioritize research efforts in reliability, recycling and remanufacturing to make MHP-PVs one of the most sustainable energy sources on the market.

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Fig. 1: A schematic of a prototype single-junction glass/glass MHP module.
Fig. 2: Envisioning a MHP-PV circular economy.

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Acknowledgements

This work was authored in part by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, for the US Department of Energy (DOE) under contract number DE-AC36-08GO28308. This work was primarily supported by the US DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) Advanced Perovskite Cells and Modules programme of the National Center for Photovoltaics; H.M.M. was supported under grant agreement number 38269. The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of the US DOE or the US Government. We thank A. Hicks, technical illustrator, for illustrations in Figs. 1 and 2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, USA

    Kevin J. Prince, Heather M. Mirletz, E. Ashley Gaulding, Lance M. Wheeler, Ross A. Kerner, Xiaopeng Zheng, Laura T. Schelhas, Paul Tracy, Colin A. Wolden, Joseph J. Berry, Silvana Ovaitt, Teresa M. Barnes & Joseph M. Luther

  2. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA

    Kevin J. Prince & Colin A. Wolden

  3. Advanced Energy Systems Graduate Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA

    Heather M. Mirletz

  4. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), Boulder, CO, USA

    Laura T. Schelhas, Joseph J. Berry & Joseph M. Luther

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Contributions

K.J.P., E.A.G., L.M.W. and J.M.L contributed to conceiving, writing or editing every section of the paper. K.J.P. primarily wrote the ‘Current state of PV sustainability’, ‘Frame and rail materials’, ‘ETMs and HTMs’, ‘Electrode materials’, ‘PV glass manufacturing’, ‘PV manufacturing and assembly’, ‘Reliability’, ‘Recycling’ and ‘Remanufacturing’ sections. E.A.G. contributed to writing the ‘PV glass manufacturing’, ‘Remanufacturing’ and ‘Recycling’ sections. L.M.W. wrote the ‘Encapsulation polymers’section and created Fig. 2. X.Z. contributed to writing Box 1 and the ‘ETMs and HTMs’ section. R.A.K and P.T. wrote parts of Box 1. H.M.M., T.M.B. and S.O. wrote Box 2 and contributed to the ‘Circular economy opportunities for MHP-PVs’ section. L.T.S. primarily wrote the ‘Opportunities for MHP-PVs' and ‘Front and back glass’ sections. J.M.L. primarily wrote the introduction and conclusion and conceptualized Fig. 1. L.T.S., J.J.B., C.A.W. and J.M.L. carefully reviewed and edited each section of the Perspective and provided key insights.

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Correspondence to Joseph M. Luther.

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Prince, K.J., Mirletz, H.M., Gaulding, E.A. et al. Sustainability pathways for perovskite photovoltaics. Nat. Mater. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-024-01945-6

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