Advancements and challenges in solar photovoltaic technologies: enhancing technical performance for sustainable clean energy – A review

Given the current state of sustainable, clean energy, most researchers are concentrating on alternative energy resources. Solar photovoltaic (PV) has become especially prominent in thematic research on energy these days. Research focusing on the keys to improving the energy efficiency of solar photovoltaics and managing the end-of-life issue, more specifically in materials recycling and reusing, is emerging in the recent era. Aligning with the UN-SDGs 7, 11, 12, and 13, a comprehensive survey is done about the advancements and challenges in solar photovoltaic technologies to emphasise enhancing efficiency and addressing end-of-life management for sustainable, clean energy. Solar PV efficiency, which is still low compared to competing technologies and depends on a large space to harness solar radiation, is severely affected by dusts and high irradiance in the middle east region. The current review shows a decrease in efficiency by 0.3 % to 0.5 % with a one-degree rise in temperature and a decrease in the output performance by 16 % to 24 % with 5 g/m² dust accumulation on the panel. Therefore, there is a demand for mitigating strategies, such as cooling and cleaning procedures, which are critical in improving the efficiency and lifespan of PV panels. The review also confirms that the remanufacturing strategy for PV is crucially important as the feedstock (e.g., silicon rocks) for PV panels is finite and also a large amount of toxic e-waste will be produced at the end of life. Around 75 million tonnes of e-waste (solar PV waste) could be generated by 2050. This review uniquely combines advanced computational analyses, experimental findings, and mitigation strategies for cooling, cleaning, and recycling, focusing on performance optimisation and sustainable end-of-life management of solar PV panels. The readers will be aware of practical insights and a detailed framework for enhancing solar PV technology and provide useful information to researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to address the barriers to the rapid uptakes of PVs in a sustainable manner.