Perovskite photovoltaics reached record efficiencies in the laboratory, and if sustainably commercialized, they would accelerate a green energy transition. This article presents the development of life cycle inventory material and energy databases of four most promising single-junction and three tandem scalable perovskite systems with assumptions regarding scalable production validated by industry experts. We conducted comprehensive “ex ante” life cycle analysis (LCA) and net energy analysis, analyzing their cumulative energy demand, global warming potential profiles, energy payback times, and energy return on investment (EROI). LCA contribution analysis elucidates the most impactful material and process choices. It shows that solution-based perovskite manufacturing would have lower environmental impact than vapor-based methods, and that roll-to-roll (RtR) printing offers the lowest impact. Among material choices, MoOx/Al has lower impact than Ag, and fluorine-tin-oxide lower than indium-tin-oxide. Furthermore, we compare perovskites with commercial crystalline-silicon and thin-film PV, accounting for the most recent developments in crystalline-Si wafer production and differences in life expectancies and efficiencies. It is shown that perovskite systems produced with RtR manufacturing could reach in only 12 years of life, the same EROI as that of single-crystalline-Si PV lasting 30 years. This work lays a foundation for sustainability investigations of perovskite large-scale deployment.

中文翻译：

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可扩展单结和串联钙钛矿光伏的生命周期能源需求和碳排放

钙钛矿光伏在实验室中达到了创纪录的效率，如果可持续商业化，它们将加速绿色能源转型。本文介绍了四个最有前途的单结和三个串联可扩展钙钛矿系统的生命周期清单材料和能源数据库的开发，并提出了行业专家验证的可扩展生产假设。我们进行了全面的“事前”生命周期分析 (LCA) 和净能源分析，分析它们的累积能源需求、全球变暖潜力曲线、能源回收时间和能源投资回报 (EROI)。LCA 贡献分析阐明了最具影响力的材料和工艺选择。结果表明，基于溶液的钙钛矿制造比基于蒸汽的方法对环境的影响更低，而卷对卷 (RtR) 打印的影响最低。在材料选择中，MoOx/Al 的影响低于 Ag，氟锡氧化物低于铟锡氧化物。此外，我们将钙钛矿与商业晶体硅和薄膜光伏进行比较，说明晶体硅晶片生产的最新发展以及预期寿命和效率的差异。结果表明，通过 RtR 制造生产的钙钛矿系统仅可达到 12 年的寿命，与单晶硅光伏的 EROI 相同，寿命为 30 年。这项工作为钙钛矿大规模部署的可持续性研究奠定了基础。