Study finds the renewable energy sector can scale up solar energy technology production while further reducing environmental impacts.
As solar energy rapidly expands to meet urgent climate targets and rising electricity demand, the key challenge is to ensure this transition is not only scalable but also sustainable.
Researchers from the University of Birmingham, alongside a team from Northumbria University and the Universities of Oxford, and Warwick, have demonstrated that solar panels – already a powerful tool for reducing carbon dioxide emissions – will become even more environmentally friendly as the industry adopts next-generation technology.
The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals an encouraging trend: improvements in solar cell efficiency can simultaneously deliver environmental benefits beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Led by the Northumbria University, the team used life cycle assessment to quantify the environmental impact of photovoltaics from extraction of raw materials out of the ground to the production of state-of-the-art silicon solar panels that will dominate the market up to 2035. This timescale is critically important as we take decisive action towards Net Zero and significantly scale up global demand for electricity.
First authored by Bethany Willis, a ReNU PhD student at Northumbria University, directed by Neil Beattie, Professor of Energy Innovation at Northumbria University, the research reveals that the composition of the electricity mix used to manufacture solar panels strongly affects the environmental impact of production.
Realistic decarbonisation of global mixes offers savings of up to 8.2 gigatonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions. Put in context, that represents approximately 6.3% of the total remaining carbon budget to stay on track with the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 1.5 °C.
Co-author Professor John Murphy, Chair of Electronic Materials at the University of Birmingham, said: "Silicon-based photovoltaic technologies have immediate relevance to the UK and already play a major role in our strive for Net Zero. This groundbreaking study originates from a new collaboration between four leading UK University research groups who intend to work on all aspects of sustainability in the photovoltaics supply chain from raw materials through to end-of-life."
While carbon dioxide emissions remain the most widely considered environmental impact, the study quantifies 16 different environmental impact categories.
This groundbreaking study originates from a new collaboration between four leading UK University research groups who intend to work on all aspects of sustainability in the photovoltaics supply chain from raw materials through to end-of-life.
Professor Neil Beattie, Professor of Energy Innovation at Northumbria University, said: "Solar photovoltaics is a critical technology that can be used globally now to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create energy security. This is especially important as our demand for electricity soars over the next decade, driven by applications in transport, heating and digital infrastructure for AI.
"As we scale up photovoltaics to multi-terawatt levels to meet this demand, it's important that we do so sustainably. Our research demonstrates that significant savings in environmental impact – including carbon dioxide emissions – are possible through manufacturing. More specifically, we find that this impact is sensitive to the composition of the electricity mix where the solar panels are made, and we should work to decarbonise this as much as possible.”
Professor Sebastian Bonilla, Associate Professor of Materials Science at The University of Oxford and co-author, said: "We are at a critical moment where solar power is rapidly scaling to become a significant portion of global electricity generation.
"This work uniquely identifies the environmental impacts of the ongoing solar energy revolution, helping us guide the choices of materials, technologies, and manufacturing locations that will minimise harm while maximising the benefits of terawatt green electricity."
An important impact of the work is that industrialists and policymakers can use it to pinpoint where further innovation is required. For example, next-generation technology reduces climate impact by 6.5% but increases critical mineral depletion by 15.2% due to higher silver consumption in the electrical contacts to the solar cell.
This motivates research and development into alternative materials, such as copper. It also emphasises the need to avoid simply shifting environmental burdens from one category to another, but rather consider sustainability as a system problem.
The study forecasts that solar panels installed by 2035 could avoid at least 25 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions compared to conventional power sources over their operational lifetimes.
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As well as being ranked among the world’s top 100 institutions, the University of Birmingham is the most targeted UK university by top graduate employers. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, educators and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
Chair in Electronic Materials
Profile of Professor John Murphy, Chair in Electronic Materials at the University of Birmingham
Assistant Professor in Sustainable Materials
Dr Sophie Pain is an Assistant Professor in Sustainable Materials in the Schools of Engineering, and Metallurgy and Materials. She is both a 125th Anniversary Fellow and a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow.
