International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive Systems (IJPEDS)
Vol 11, No 2: June 2020

Life-cycle assessment of residential-scale grid-connected photovoltaic system in Malaysia based on monocrystalline silicon modules

Atiqah Hamizah Mohd Nordin (Universiti Teknologi MARA)
Shahril Irwan Sulaiman (Universiti Teknologi MARA)
Sulaiman Shaari (Universiti Teknologi MARA)
Rijalul Fahmi Mustapa (Universiti Teknologi MARA)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Jun 2020

Abstract

Even though PV systems have been promoted as a green form of electrification, such systems are still contributing to environmental impacts after considering life-cycle impact during material extraction, manufacturing processes of its components, installation, operation, and maintenance. This paper presents a life-cycle assessment to quantify the environmental impact of residential-scale grid-connected PV systems in Malaysia using monocrystalline silicon PV module. LCA had been carried out by using OpenLCA 1.8 software, Ecoinvent 3.5 database, and impact assessment method of IMPACT2002+ and CED. The influence of varying system capacity from 3 to 12 kWp, system lifetime of 21, 25 and 30 years, and solar irradiation of 1560.8, 1651.8, & 1935.5 kWh/m2/yr, were investigated. The results revealed that the greenhouse gas emissions rate, cumulative energy demand, and energy payback time of residential-scale grid-connected PV systems in Malaysia ranged from 37.97 to 67.26 g CO2-eq/kWh, 4387.10 to 4699.99 MJ/m2, and 6.37 to 7.90 years, respectively. This study also evaluated indicators of energy return on investment. The overall finding implies that the installation of residential-scale grid-connected PV systems in Malaysia offers significant potential for GHG emissions reduction in the country.

Copyrights © 2020






Journal Info

Abbrev

IJPEDS

Publisher

Subject

Control & Systems Engineering Electrical & Electronics Engineering

Description

International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive Systems (IJPEDS, ISSN: 2088-8694, a SCOPUS indexed Journal) is the official publication of the Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science (IAES). The scope of the journal includes all issues in the field of Power Electronics and drive systems. ...