IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i1p396-d474572.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental Impact and Levelised Cost of Energy Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Selected Asia Pacific Region: A Cradle-to-Grave Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Norasikin Ahmad Ludin

    (Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

  • Nurfarhana Alyssa Ahmad Affandi

    (Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

  • Kathleen Purvis-Roberts

    (W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA)

  • Azah Ahmad

    (Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), Putrajaya 62100, Malaysia)

  • Mohd Adib Ibrahim

    (Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

  • Kamaruzzaman Sopian

    (Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

  • Sufian Jusoh

    (Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

Abstract

Sustainability has been greatly impacted by the reality of budgets and available resources as a targeted range of carbon emission reduction greatly increases due to climate change. This study analyses the technical and economic feasibility for three types of solar photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy (RE) systems; (i) solar stand-alone, a non-grid-connected building rooftop-mounted structure, (ii) solar rooftop, a grid-connected building rooftop-mounted structure, (iii) solar farm, a grid-connected land-mounted structure in three tropical climate regions. Technical scientific and economic tools, including life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost assessment (LCCA) with an integrated framework from a Malaysian case study were applied to similar climatic regions, Thailand, and Indonesia. The short-term, future scaled-up scenario was defined using a proxy technology and estimated data. Environmental locations for this scenario were identified, the environmental impacts were compared, and the techno-economic output were analysed. The scope of this study is cradle-to-grave. Levelised cost of energy (LCOE) was greatly affected due to PV performance degradation rate, especially the critical shading issues for large-scale installations. Despite the land use impact, increased CO 2 emissions accumulate over time with regard to energy mix of the country, which requires the need for long-term procurement of both carbon and investment return. With regards to profitably, grid-connected roof-mounted systems achieve the lowest LCOE as compared to other types of installation, ranging from 0.0491 USD/kWh to 0.0605 USD/kWh under a 6% discounted rate. A simple payback (SPB) time between 7–10 years on average depends on annual power generated by the system with estimated energy payback of 0.40–0.55 years for common polycrystalline photovoltaic technology. Thus, maintaining the whole system by ensuring a low degradation rate of 0.2% over a long period of time is essential to generate benefits for both investors and the environment. Emerging technologies are progressing at an exponential rate in order to fill the gap of establishing renewable energy as an attractive business plan. Life cycle assessment is considered an excellent tool to assess the environmental impact of renewable energy.

Suggested Citation

  • Norasikin Ahmad Ludin & Nurfarhana Alyssa Ahmad Affandi & Kathleen Purvis-Roberts & Azah Ahmad & Mohd Adib Ibrahim & Kamaruzzaman Sopian & Sufian Jusoh, 2021. "Environmental Impact and Levelised Cost of Energy Analysis of Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Selected Asia Pacific Region: A Cradle-to-Grave Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:396-:d:474572
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/1/396/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/1/396/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jäger-Waldau, Arnulf & Kougias, Ioannis & Taylor, Nigel & Thiel, Christian, 2020. "How photovoltaics can contribute to GHG emission reductions of 55% in the EU by 2030," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    2. Rincón, Lídia & Castell, Albert & Pérez, Gabriel & Solé, Cristian & Boer, Dieter & Cabeza, Luisa F., 2013. "Evaluation of the environmental impact of experimental buildings with different constructive systems using Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 544-552.
    3. Narayan, Nishant & Chamseddine, Ali & Vega-Garita, Victor & Qin, Zian & Popovic-Gerber, Jelena & Bauer, Pavol & Zeman, Miroslav, 2019. "Exploring the boundaries of Solar Home Systems (SHS) for off-grid electrification: Optimal SHS sizing for the multi-tier framework for household electricity access," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 240(C), pages 907-917.
    4. Soares, N. & Bastos, J. & Pereira, L. Dias & Soares, A. & Amaral, A.R. & Asadi, E. & Rodrigues, E. & Lamas, F.B. & Monteiro, H. & Lopes, M.A.R. & Gaspar, A.R., 2017. "A review on current advances in the energy and environmental performance of buildings towards a more sustainable built environment," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 845-860.
    5. Magrassi, Fabio & Rocco, Elena & Barberis, Stefano & Gallo, Michela & Del Borghi, Adriana, 2019. "Hybrid solar power system versus photovoltaic plant: A comparative analysis through a life cycle approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 290-304.
    6. Ludin, Norasikin Ahmad & Mustafa, Nur Ifthitah & Hanafiah, Marlia M. & Ibrahim, Mohd Adib & Asri Mat Teridi, Mohd & Sepeai, Suhaila & Zaharim, Azami & Sopian, Kamaruzzaman, 2018. "Prospects of life cycle assessment of renewable energy from solar photovoltaic technologies: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 11-28.
    7. Masahito Ambashi, 2020. "ASEAN Development and Innovation Strategy in the Era of New Industrialisation," Working Papers PB-2020-06, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    8. Kourkoumpas, Dimitrios-Sotirios & Benekos, Georgios & Nikolopoulos, Nikolaos & Karellas, Sotirios & Grammelis, Panagiotis & Kakaras, Emmanouel, 2018. "A review of key environmental and energy performance indicators for the case of renewable energy systems when integrated with storage solutions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C), pages 380-398.
    9. Arnaoutakis, Nektarios & Souliotis, Manolis & Papaefthimiou, Spiros, 2017. "Comparative experimental Life Cycle Assessment of two commercial solar thermal devices for domestic applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 187-200.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Muhammed Y. Worku & Mohamed A. Hassan & Luqman S. Maraaba & Md Shafiullah & Mohamed R. Elkadeem & Md Ismail Hossain & Mohamed A. Abido, 2023. "A Comprehensive Review of Recent Maximum Power Point Tracking Techniques for Photovoltaic Systems under Partial Shading," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-28, July.
    2. Guillermo Almonacid-Olleros & Gabino Almonacid & David Gil & Javier Medina-Quero, 2022. "Evaluation of Transfer Learning and Fine-Tuning to Nowcast Energy Generation of Photovoltaic Systems in Different Climates," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, March.
    3. Cyril Anak John & Lian See Tan & Jully Tan & Peck Loo Kiew & Azmi Mohd Shariff & Hairul Nazirah Abdul Halim, 2021. "Selection of Renewable Energy in Rural Area Via Life Cycle Assessment-Analytical Hierarchy Process (LCA-AHP): A Case Study of Tatau, Sarawak," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Junedi, M.M. & Ludin, N.A. & Hamid, N.H. & Kathleen, P.R. & Hasila, J. & Ahmad Affandi, N.A., 2022. "Environmental and economic performance assessment of integrated conventional solar photovoltaic and agrophotovoltaic systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    5. Musong L. Katche & Augustine B. Makokha & Siagi O. Zachary & Muyiwa S. Adaramola, 2023. "A Comprehensive Review of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Techniques Used in Solar PV Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-23, February.
    6. Dariusz Kurz & Damian Głuchy & Michał Filipiak & Dawid Ostrowski, 2023. "Technical and Economic Analysis of the Use of Electricity Generated by a BIPV System for an Educational Establishment in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-23, September.
    7. Chun-Nan Chen & Chun-Ting Yang, 2021. "The Investability of PV Systems under Descending Feed-In Tariffs: Taiwan Case," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-13, May.
    8. Fernando del Ama Gonzalo & Belen Moreno Santamaria & José Antonio Ferrándiz Gea & Matthew Griffin & Juan A. Hernandez Ramos, 2021. "Zero Energy Building Economic and Energetic Assessment with Simulated and Real Data Using Photovoltaics and Water Flow Glazing," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-20, June.
    9. Ting Wang & Qiya Wang & Caiqing Zhang, 2021. "Research on the Optimal Operation of a Novel Renewable Multi-Energy Complementary System in Rural Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Kumar Ganti, Praful & Naik, Hrushikesh & Kanungo Barada, Mohanty, 2022. "Environmental impact analysis and enhancement of factors affecting the photovoltaic (PV) energy utilization in mining industry by sparrow search optimization based gradient boosting decision tree appr," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 244(PA).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bany Mousa, Osama & Kara, Sami & Taylor, Robert A., 2019. "Comparative energy and greenhouse gas assessment of industrial rooftop-integrated PV and solar thermal collectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C), pages 113-123.
    2. Jaroslav Košičan & Miguel Ángel Pardo Picazo & Silvia Vilčeková & Danica Košičanová, 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment and Economic Energy Efficiency of a Solar Thermal Installation in a Family House," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-19, February.
    3. Gaigalis, Vygandas & Katinas, Vladislovas, 2020. "Analysis of the renewable energy implementation and prediction prospects in compliance with the EU policy: A case of Lithuania," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 1016-1027.
    4. Majumder, Suman & De, Krishnarti & Kumar, Praveen & Sengupta, Bodhisattva & Biswas, Pabitra Kumar, 2021. "Techno-commercial analysis of sustainable E-bus-based public transit systems: An Indian case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Weifeng Xu & Bing Yu & Qing Song & Liguo Weng & Man Luo & Fan Zhang, 2022. "Economic and Low-Carbon-Oriented Distribution Network Planning Considering the Uncertainties of Photovoltaic Generation and Load Demand to Achieve Their Reliability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Maren Helen Meyer & Sandra Dullau & Pascal Scholz & Markus Andreas Meyer & Sabine Tischew, 2023. "Bee-Friendly Native Seed Mixtures for the Greening of Solar Parks," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-16, June.
    7. Zheng, Bingle & Wu, Xiao, 2022. "Integrated capacity configuration and control optimization of off-grid multiple energy system for transient performance improvement," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    8. Adriana Del Borghi & Thomas Spiegelhalter & Luca Moreschi & Michela Gallo, 2021. "Carbon-Neutral-Campus Building: Design Versus Retrofitting of Two University Zero Energy Buildings in Europe and in the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-16, August.
    9. Roy, S. & Lam, Y.F. & Hossain, M.U. & Chan, J.C.L., 2022. "Comprehensive evaluation of electricity generation and emission reduction potential in the power sector using renewable alternatives in Vietnam," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    10. Ole Øiene Smedegård & Thomas Jonsson & Bjørn Aas & Jørn Stene & Laurent Georges & Salvatore Carlucci, 2021. "The Implementation of Multiple Linear Regression for Swimming Pool Facilities: Case Study at Jøa, Norway," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-24, August.
    11. Piotr Olczak & Małgorzata Olek & Dominika Matuszewska & Artur Dyczko & Tomasz Mania, 2021. "Monofacial and Bifacial Micro PV Installation as Element of Energy Transition—The Case of Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-22, January.
    12. Awan, Ahmed Bilal & Zubair, Muhammad & Chandra Mouli, Kotturu V.V., 2020. "Design, optimization and performance comparison of solar tower and photovoltaic power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    13. Milousi, Maria & Souliotis, Manolis, 2023. "A circular economy approach to residential solar thermal systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 242-252.
    14. Maria A. Franco & Stefan N. Groesser, 2021. "A Systematic Literature Review of the Solar Photovoltaic Value Chain for a Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-35, August.
    15. Cousse, Julia, 2021. "Still in love with solar energy? Installation size, affect, and the social acceptance of renewable energy technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    16. Tomasz Jałowiec & Henryk Wojtaszek & Ireneusz Miciuła, 2021. "Green Energy Management through the Implementation of RES in the EU. Analysis of the Opinions of Poland and Germany," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-33, December.
    17. Isabelo Rabuya & Melissa Libres & Michael Lochinvar Abundo & Evelyn Taboada, 2021. "Moving Up the Electrification Ladder in Off-Grid Settlements with Rooftop Solar Microgrids," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-32, June.
    18. Ma, Kai & Zhang, Rencai & Yang, Jie & Song, Debao, 2023. "Collaborative optimization scheduling of integrated energy system considering user dissatisfaction," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    19. Becerra-Fernandez, Mauricio & Sarmiento, Alfonso T. & Cardenas, Laura M., 2023. "Sustainability assessment of the solar energy supply chain in Colombia," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    20. D'Adamo, Idiano & Gastaldi, Massimo & Morone, Piergiuseppe & Ozturk, Ilhan, 2022. "Economics and policy implications of residential photovoltaic systems in Italy's developed market," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:1:p:396-:d:474572. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.