Environmental payback periods of multi-crystalline silicon photovoltaics in the United States – How prioritizing based on environmental impact compares to solar intensity

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 100723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney Grant ◽  
Jose Garcia ◽  
Andrea Hicks
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
The United States ◽  
Silicon Photovoltaics ◽  
Solar Intensity

Assessing the Role of Environmental and Regulatory Issues on Offshore Renewable Energy Projects in the United States

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Daughdrill
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Impact Statement ◽  
Regulatory Issues ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
The U.S

This paper will describe some of the key environmental and regulatory issues affecting development of offshore renewable energy projects in the United States. Offshore wind, wave, tidal current, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) projects all have unique environmental and social issues that must be addressed to the satisfaction of federal, state, and local authorities. This paper examines the existing federal regulatory schemes applicable to offshore renewable energy development in the United States including a discussion of an on-going jurisdictional debate between agencies at the U.S. federal government level. The various permitting processes for offshore renewable energy projects all involve an examination of the potential environmental and social/human effects of each proposed project. Typically, the agency with primary permitting authority must prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) or equivalent document that includes a transparent process that encourages the participation of the interested public and other affected stakeholders. While acknowledging the importance of social/human impact issues, this paper will focus primarily on the potential physical and biological effects from offshore renewable energy projects including a discussion of the uncertainty that surrounds predicting the impact of new or innovative technologies. The U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS) recently published a programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS) that includes 52 “best management practices” for reducing environmental and social impacts from offshore alternative energy projects. Finally the paper will examine the important role of environmental monitoring and adaptive management in informing regulators and developers of potential adverse impacts and adapting project design and operations to avoid or minimize these effects.

scholarly journals Environmental impact of warehousing: a scenario analysis for the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (21) ◽  
pp. 6485-6499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg M. Ries ◽  
Eric H. Grosse ◽  
Johannes Fichtinger
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Scenario Analysis ◽  
The United States

scholarly journals Hydraulic Fracturing Water Use Is Tied to Environmental Impact

Eos ◽  
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lily Strelich
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Water Use ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Usage ◽  
Drilling Operations

New map identifies varying water usage in hydraulic drilling operations across the United States and what this means for potential environmental impacts.

scholarly journals Sustainable End of Life Management of Crystalline Silicon and Thin Film Solar Photovoltaic Waste: The Impact of Transportation

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 5465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilke Celik ◽  
Marina Lunardi ◽  
Austen Frederickson ◽  
Richard Corkish
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
United States ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hotspot Analysis ◽  
Material Recovery ◽  
Pv Module ◽  
Pv Modules ◽  
The Impact

This work provides economic and environmental analyses of transportation-related impacts of different photovoltaic (PV) module technologies at their end-of-life (EoL) phase. Our results show that crystalline silicon (c-Si) modules are the most economical PV technology (United States Dollars (USD) 2.3 per 1 m2 PV module (or 0.87 ¢/W) for transporting in the United States for 1000 km). Furthermore, we found that the financial costs of truck transportation for PV modules for 2000 km are only slightly more than for 1000 km. CO2-eq emissions associated with transport are a significant share of the EoL impacts, and those for copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) PV modules are always higher than for c-Si and CdTe PV. Transportation associated CO2-eq emissions contribute 47%, 28%, and 40% of overall EoL impacts of c-Si, CdTe, and CIGS PV wastes, respectively. Overall, gasoline-fueled trucks have 65–95% more environmental impacts compared to alternative transportation options of the diesel and electric trains and ships. Finally, a hotspot analysis on the entire life cycle CO2-eq emissions of different PV technologies showed that the EoL phase-related emissions are more significant for thin-film PV modules compared to crystalline silicon PV technologies and, so, more environmentally friendly material recovery methods should be developed for thin film PV.

Solar

2020 ◽  
pp. 228-273
Author(s):  
Paul F. Meier
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Crystalline Silicon ◽  
The United States ◽  
Common Type ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Concentrating Solar Power ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
The World ◽  
Basic Approaches

There are two basic approaches for using solar energy to generate electricity. The first type, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy, uses semiconductors to convert sunlight into electricity. Crystalline silicon semiconductors are the most common type in use. The second approach is called concentrating solar power (CSP), also referred to as solar thermal. Basically, CSP uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight and generate steam, which is used to power a turbine. The most common method employed commercially is the parabolic trough, where the mirrors are horizontally disposed in a parabolic shape. Solar PV is more commonly used commercially because of high capital costs for building a CSP power plant. Solar PV has experienced rapid growth over the last ten years, increasing by more than twentyfold in the United States. Growth for CSP has increased threefold over the same ten years, but no growth over the last four years. Spain and the United States lead the world in commercial CSP plants.

Opportunities to sustain "greener" farming: comparing impacts of water quality regulations in two catchments: Lake Taupo (NZ) and Tomales Bay, California (USA)

2010 ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Barry ◽  
W. King ◽  
S. Larson ◽  
M. Lennox
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Point Source Pollution ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Water Quality Regulations ◽  
Tomales Bay ◽  
Non Point Source Pollution

Livestock farming in New Zealand and the United States is increasingly being scrutinised for its environmental impact. In some regions regulations intended to reduce non-point source pollution have been introduced.

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