LCAs of a polycrystalline photovoltaic module and a wind turbine

This study compares the environmental impacts of a polycrystalline photovoltaic (PV) module and a wind turbine using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. This study models landfill disposal and recycling scenarios of the decommissioned PV module and wind turbine, and compares their impacts to those of the other stages in the life cycles. The comparison establishes that the wind turbine has smaller environmental impacts in almost all of the categories assessed. The disposal stage can become a major contributor to the environmental impacts, depending on disposal scenarios. Recycling is an environmentally efficient method, because of its environmental benefits derived from energy savings and resource reclaimed. The end-of-life recycling scenario for a wind turbine has a significant part on the environmental impacts and should not be ignored. However, many factors also influence the degree to which recycling can be beneficial. With the wind turbine recycling scenario, when large quantities of waste are recycled, the potential savings can be quite large, while with the PV module, small quantities of recycled waste mean that the benefits of recycling are not fully reaped.

► The wind turbine has smaller impacts in almost all the categories assessed than the PV module.
► The disposal stage can be a major contributor to environmental impacts.
► End-of-life recycling scenarios for a wind turbine have significant roles.
► For the wind turbine with large quantities of waste recycled, potential savings are large.
► For the PV module with small quantities of waste recycled, benefits are not fully reaped.