Evaluation of environmental impacts of a perovskite solar cell with a p-i-n meso-superstructured architecture through life cycle assessment†

This study analyzes the environmental impacts of a 1 cm² perovskite solar cell (PSC) with a meso-superstructured p-i-n configuration, fabricated in Colombia. Using life cycle assessment (LCA), we evaluated impacts from cradle to gate, excluding assembly, transportation, and waste treatment. The results were compared with another PSC. When comparing to commercial solar cells, the functional unit was converted to 1 kW h for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The PSC exhibited the lowest environmental impacts, attributed to lower energy requirements for its layers and reduced use of contaminating materials. Notably, substituting fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) with indium tin oxide (ITO) and using silver instead of gold for the top electrode significantly reduced impacts. Lead in the perovskite layer showed an insignificant contribution to key environmental categories, including human carcinogenic toxicity and ecotoxicity in water. The energy analysis indicates that manufacturing energy consumption varies by location, suggesting the PSC could be competitive with commercial solar cells in terms of GHG emissions if its lifetime exceeds ten years. Further reductions in impact could be achieved through material modifications and improved disposal techniques.