Energy performance of perovskite solar cell fabrication in Argentina. A life cycle assessment approach

Abstract

Perovskite solar cells (PSC) are under focus in the field of renewable energies due to the exceptional photoconversion efficiencies achieved in a short period of time. Even though the laboratory reports are very promising, it is necessary to perform a scale-up feasibility analysis to determine if PSCs can become a widely used technology. In this report we evaluated the energy performance with energy indicators from Net Energy Analysis (NEA). We performed a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of a n-i-p PSCs fabricated in the Buenos Aires city area to focus on the energy supply from the life cycle inventory. The energy payback time (EPBT) and the energy return of investment (EROI) were analyzed in order to examine the energy generation and the lifetime requirements of the perovskite photovoltaic modules to provide a resourceful commercialization pathway. The EPBT was analyzed under different solar irradiation values for varied locations throughout the vast Argentinian territory, that ranges between 0.97 and 1.74 years for 15% efficiency modules. A further evaluation of the addition of an extra encapsulation step for stability purposes was also studied. We also analyzed the inverted configuration of MAPbI3 solar cells in order to compare both production process and their effect on the energy performance. We were able to state that the different processing energy provides better outcomes for the p-i-n configuration and must be prioritized for commercialization purposes.