Transcript Life Cycle Considerations for Solar Energy Technologies

Life Cycle Considerations for
Solar Energy Technologies
Maxwell K. Micali
ASME
Yale University
August 4, 2011
Outline
• Issue Definition
• Background
• Life Cycle Analysis
• Current Policy
• Policy
Recommendations
Source: Sandia National Laboratories
Issue Definition
Background – Solar Resources
• 7000 GW capacity
in Southwest
• 7 times the total
U.S. energy
consumption in
2007
(1 TW = 103 GW = 106 MW =
109 kW = 1012 W)
Source: The National Academies Press
Background – Photovoltaics (PV)
• Converts light directly to
electricity
• Created in 1950s for satellite
use
- Vanguard I, 1958
• Use on land began in 1970s
• Most widely known and
adopted solar technology
today
Source: Total.com
Background – Concentrating Solar
Power (CSP)
Converts light to thermal energy, then
to electricity
Three main types of CSP…
Parabolic Trough
- ≈ 700˚F
- 310 MW Solar Energy Generating
Systems (SEGS), 1984
Source: Sandia National Laboratory
Background – Concentrating Solar
Power (CSP)
Power Tower
- ≈ 1000˚F
• 1982-1988
- 10 MW Solar One
• 1995 – 1999
- Solar Two
- Included thermal storage
• Only two facilities currently in
operation or under construction in
the U.S.
Source: Sandia National Laboratory
Background – Concentrating Solar
Power (CSP)
Solar Dish/Engine
- ≈ 1200˚F
• Can use heat-transfer
fluid (HTF) or power
internal generator
• Modular, 1-40 kW
capacity for each unit
Source: Fraizer, Barnes, and Associates, LLC
Source: Sandia National Laboratory
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
Traditional evaluations only consider the “use” phase of life
More accurate and comprehensive analyses consider a product "from
cradle to grave”
Each phase of life factors into the LCA:
• Raw Material Acquisition
• Manufacturing
• Transport
• Use/Maintenance
• Recycle/Waste Management
Life Cycle Analysis
Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Life Cycle Analysis – Photovoltaics
R=f(HxE)
• Risk, R
• Hazard, H
• Exposure, E
Major hazards in PV
manufacturing
Requires the use of rareearth metals, of which
China controls 95% of
the market
Production undergoing
rapid outsourcing to
developing countries
No well-established PV
recycling program
Module Type
Types of Potential Hazards
Crystalline-silicon (x-Si)
HF acid burns
SiH4 fires/explosions
Pb solder/module disposal
Amorphous-silicon (α-Si)
SiH4 fires/explosions
Cadmium Telluride
(CdTe)
Cd toxicity, carcinogenicity
Module disposal
Copper Indium
Diselenide (CIS)
Copper Indium Gallium
Diselenide (CGS)
H2Se toxicity
Module disposal
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)
AsH3 toxicity
As carcinogenicity
H2 flammability
Module disposal
Source: Brookhaven National Laboratory
Life Cycle Analysis – CSP
Composed mainly of
common metals, glass,
concrete, and HTF
Thermal hazard
Requires higher
intensity solar
radiation than PV
Allows for integrated
energy storage
Source: Sandia National Laboratory
Life Cycle Analysis – CSP
Thermal energy
storage allows
for decoupling of
energy collection
and electricity
generation
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Life Cycle Analysis – Comparison
Photovoltaics
• 10-15% efficient (commercially)
• Advanced battery technology
still in development
• Converts light directly to
electricity
Concentrating Solar Power
• 40-70% efficiency
• Integrated energy storage
• Toxic feedstocks and waste
• Simpler and more benign
materials
• Most practical on a large,
utility scale
• More practical on a small scale
• Converts light directly to heat
Current Policy
Fiscal year 2002-2007:
• Traditional energy R&D received over twice the federal funding that
renewable energy received
• Also received over five times the tax expenditures that renewable energy
received
PV Incubator Program
• Department of Energy (DOE) funds National Renewable Energy Lab
(NREL) administered program
• NREL selectively cost-shares with PV companies to move from
prototype to pilot product in 18 months
• Since 2007, $50 million of federal funding attracted $1.3 billion in
private capital
• Some success stories: PrimeStar (GE acquired), Semprius (16% stake by
Siemens), Abound, Calisolar, 1366, Solopower
- These companies already employ 1,200 people in high technology jobs
- Combined, hiring 3,800 full-time American factory workers
Current Policy
Land requirements
• Solar = 5 acres/MW
• Traditional energy = 0.25-1 acre/MW
Public Land Use Permitting – Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Typically a 3-5 year process to receive Right-of-Way (ROW) permit for
public land use, unless "Fast-Track" status
• ROW process involves:
-
BLM, DoD, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, and other federal agencies
State agencies
Tribal governments
County and local governments
Only 10 permits granted for solar projects (first in 2010)
Current Policy
Policy Suggestions
A national recycling program for photovoltaics
should be established, and participation should
be a requirement for both manufacturers and
consumers
Education materials on the proper disposal of
photovoltaics should be distributed to current
and future consumers.
Policy Suggestions
Innovation and Development:
• Prioritize reducing CSP power cost
- Administer cost shared R&D contracts through NREL, SNL to prioritize
scaling of economy
- Similar to PV Incubator Program
o Low-cost thermal storage solutions
o Improved optical materials
o Manufacturing processes
• Reprogram existing solar funding initiatives to target a wider
breadth of the solar industry, redefining the allowable actions to
specifically include CSP
Policy Suggestions
Designated plots of land should be established for solar energy
• “Limbo Lands” are underused, formerly contaminated sites
• Many environmental groups support the use of Limbo Lands for
large solar installations
• Permits for Limbo Lands should be more rapidly processed
Public Land Use
• Need faster ROW processing
• Use revenue from rents and royalties of permitted solar projects
• Distribute revenue to all the involved agencies
Additional Points
Limited window of opportunity to deploy new
technologies
Failure to capitalize could mean decades with
more traditional technology and a lost
opportunity for American innovation.
If the U.S. does not drive innovation, other
countries will leave it behind
Acknowledgements
I especially thank:
• Melissa Carl, Robert Rains, and the rest of the ASME staff for their
guidance and assistance
• All of the national laboratories, agencies, and other organizations
that provided me with information during my research
• Sandy Yeigh, Erica Wissolik, the WISE program, and all of the other
WISE interns
This work was supported by AAES and ASME.
Questions?
For references, please refer to corresponding
research paper
Maxwell Micali
WISE Policy Research Fellow
ASME
[email protected]
Source: Solar Thermal Solutions