Photovoltaic Panels: Ecodesign is Changing, a Study on Carbon Footprint was Prepared for the Commission

Scientists from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) have proposed a set of rules for calculating the carbon footprint of photovoltaic (PV) modules. This proposal will be used for discussions on setting ecodesign requirements for PV panels and is intended to help reduce emissions throughout their value chain.

The Joint Research Centre is part of a directorate-general of the European Commission that provides independent, science-based knowledge for all stages of EU policy-making—from anticipating trends to evaluating impacts. In practice, it acts as the Commission’s "in-house science service," so its outputs are often key inputs for the Commission's policy development.

According to the JRC, the report, "Harmonised rules for the calculation of the carbon footprint of photovoltaic modules in the context of the EU Ecodesign Directive," which the Commission announced earlier this week (and was published in May of this year), is one of the first steps toward introducing mandatory carbon footprint requirements at the product level. A link to the document can be found at the end of the article.

"This method provides policymakers with evidence-based criteria for assessing the carbon footprint of 1 kWh of electricity produced by photovoltaic panels, which will ultimately help foster innovation and market differentiation with cleaner solar technologies."

The harmonized rules proposed by the JRC in the report are based on the environmental footprint method developed by the European Commission (EC recommendations 2279/2021) and the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for photovoltaic panels, which were adapted for policy purposes.

Compared to the PEFCR, the authors specifically adjusted the scope to include new and innovative photovoltaic technologies based on their current market share.

Findings

In terms of carbon footprint, a product's lifespan plays a significant role. This is especially true for a relatively new market like photovoltaic panels, where the true impact of end-of-life waste is still being estimated.

The main factors affecting the carbon footprint of monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic panels are:

• Electricity for silicon production

• Silicon content

• Aluminum frame

• Glass

Product lifespan plays a significant role in the carbon footprint per kilowatt-hour.

The rules define clear system boundaries, from raw material extraction to production and distribution, and set a uniform functional unit: grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt-hour (gCO2eq/kWh) of electricity produced.

The report presents carbon footprint results for several manufacturing scenarios. Depending on factors such as electricity demand and the type of energy used for production, silicon content, and panel lifespan, the carbon intensity of photovoltaic panels ranges from a most favorable 10.8 gCO2eq/kWh to a most carbon-intensive 44 gCO2eq/kWh.