Efficiencies of lead halide perovskite photovoltaics (LHP PVs) have increased to 25% just 10 years after their inception, positioning them to compete with current PV technologies developed over decades. Combined with progress in their scalable manufacturing and improved operational stability, LHP PV’s are on track for commercialization within the next 1 – 3 years. While the kWh cost, optoelectronic performance, and projected payback times are reassuring for large scale deployment, skepticism still exists about lead use, resource availability and sustainable supply chains for LHPs. Most record-efficiency devices that show stable performance under field conditions are fabricated using a mixed cation perovskite absorber layer such as cesium/formamidinium lead iodide (CsxFA1-xPbI3) to replace the commonly studied methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3). In addition to performance, the associated environmental burdens of their supply chains should be considered when selecting compositions for commercialization. Here we report a comprehensive study of the environmental impacts of mixed cation perovskite films using a life cycle assessment approach. We have used updated data sources, process scale-up concepts, and sensitivity analysis to build commercial-scale life cycle inventory (LCI) models for perovskite precursors. Our results indicate that the environmental burdens of using mixed perovskite compositions are similar to those of canonical MAPbI3. This conclusion indicates that the composition can be selected on the basis of PV efficiency and operational stability without specific concern for outsized environmental impact of certain cations. Our result is in contrast to prior literature that indicated a particularly high environmental burden for FA and warned against using the highest-performing film compositions. We believe that previous studies overestimated electricity consumption by using LCI models based on laboratory-scale data. We also carried out a material assessment for cesium and conclude that the current cesium supply is sufficient for near-future perovskite deployment. This work sheds light on the importance of employing appropriate scales when building LCI models. Our commercial-scale LCI models for perovskite films aid in more transparent and accurate environmental analysis that can contribute to industrial manufacturing choices and sustainable energy policy-making.

Environmental sustainability of mixed cation perovskite materials in photovoltaics manufacturing

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.