JRC study in support of developing “Harmonised rules for the calculation of the carbon footprint of photovoltaic (PV) panels"

The JRC study has been conceived to be applicable for the development of Ecodesign requirements as in line with Directive 2009/125/EC for the Ecodesign of energy related products. 

Findings presented in this work are intended to inform the technical and political debate on the carbon footprint of PV panels and provide a scientific method that can be applied for supporting entry market Ecodesign requirements. This represents one of the first attempt (together with requirements in the EU Regulation on Batteries) to introduce a mandatory carbon footprint requirement for products in a regulatory context.

Results reported in this report show the carbon footprint of PV panels among different scenarios. The primary contributors to the carbon footprint of mono- and multi-crystalline silicon PV panels include: 

• electricity for manufacturing the silicon,
• silicon content,
• aluminium frame,
• glass

The product lifetime plays a significant role in terms of the carbon footprint per kilowatt-hour.

The JRC report on PV carbon footprint can be downloaded via this link