Solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides significant social and environmental benefits in comparison to the conventional energy sources, thus contributing to sustainable development. The worldwide PV market installations reached a very high growth in 2011 (27.4 GW). These are encouraging news since electricity generation from PV produces no greenhouse gas emissions and as such provides a clean alternative to fossil fuels, contributes to job creation a. Solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides significant social and environmental benefits in comparison to the conventional energy sources, thus contributing to sustainable development. The worldwide PV market installations reached a very high growth in 2011 (27.4 GW). These are encouraging news since electricity generation from PV produces no greenhouse gas emissions and as such provides a clean alternative to fossil fuels, contributes to job creation and economic prosperity even in less developed areas. However, manufacturing PV modules can have consequences for workers and on the environment throughout their life cycle (from raw material extraction and procurement, to manufacturing, disposal, and/or recycling). Large scale PV deployment also needs land that may not be available, or in competition with other land uses. These potential problems seem to be strong barriers for a further dissemination of PV technologies. Conventional PV (silicon based) manufacturing processes have roots in the electronics industry, many of the chemicals found in e-waste are also found in solar PV, including lead, brominated flame retardants, cadmium, and chromium. The manufacturing of solar cells involves several toxic, flammable and explosive chemicals. Many of those components suppose a health hazard to workers involved in manufacturing of solar cells. Solar panels are often in competition with agriculture and can cause soil erosion. The disposal of electronic products is becoming an escalating environmental and h. Solar energyphotovoltaic (sillicon based)environmental and socio-economic impactsEnergy Procedia 33 ( 2013 ) 322 – 334 1876-6102 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) – National University of Singapore (NUS). The PV Asia Pacifi c Conference 2012 was jointly organised by SERIS and the Asian Photovoltaic Industry Association (APVIA) doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2013.05.073 PV Asia Pacific Conference 2012 Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Silicon Based Photovoltaic (PV) Technologies Swapnil Dubey *, Nilesh Y. Jadhav, Betka Zakirova Energy Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University (ERI@N), #06-04 CleanTech One, 1 CleanTech Loop, Singapore 637141, Singapore Abstract Solar photovoltaic (PV) system provides significant social and environmental benefits in comparison to the conventional energy sources, thus contributing to sustainable development. The worldwide PV market installations reached a very high growth in 2011 (27.4 GW). These are encouraging news since electricity. 1.Alsema EA, Wild-Scholten MJ de. Environmental impacts of crystalline silicon photovoltaic module production. 13th CIRP Intern. Conf. on Life Cycle Engineering, Leuven; 2006.Google Scholar2.Torner. 2010. Components of the photovoltaic. Vienna: FH Technikum Wien, 2010.Google Scholar3.Aguado-Monsonet MA. The environmental impact of PV Technology. Sevilla: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies; 1998, p.7-8.Google Scholar4.Tsoutsos T, Frantzeskaki N, Gekas V. Environmental impacts from the solar energy technologies. Energy Policy 2005;33:289-96.Google ScholarCopyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
