Life Cycle Assessment of PV Systems: Why Do Methods Still Differ Globally?
A new peer-reviewed article by researchers from SOLVE has been published, presenting a systematic review of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies for photovoltaic (PV) systems.
The study synthesizes LCA research covering five continents and examines how sustainability assessment practices vary across regions. These variations continue to create challenges for policy harmonization, regulatory alignment, and industry decision-making within the rapidly expanding global PV market.
Scope and Contribution
The article develops an analytical framework structured around three guiding questions:
- Why do LCA methodologies for PV systems differ across geographical regions?
- Why has a unified global LCA methodology not yet emerged?
- Which technical, regulatory, and contextual factors continue to hinder standardization?
By systematically comparing methodological choices, system boundaries, electricity mix assumptions, lifetime estimations, and impact assessment methods, the review identifies the root causes of divergence in PV sustainability assessments.
Why This Matters
As photovoltaic deployment accelerates globally, transparent and comparable sustainability metrics are becoming increasingly important. Differences in:
- regional electricity grids
- manufacturing supply chains
- regulatory frameworks
- data availability and quality
- impact category selection
can significantly influence reported environmental performance results.
The study highlights the need for greater transparency, improved data harmonization, and clearer methodological reporting to support evidence-based policymaking and responsible industry practices.
Publication
Toward a transparent life cycle assessment of photovoltaic systems: Addressing regulatory and methodological challenges
Read the full article here