A review of the life cycle sustainability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is presented, distinguishing results between simulated laboratory‐based and simulated industrial‐based PSCs, comparing this technology with the commercial photovoltaic (PV) technologies. Laboratory‐based perovskites are seriously affected by the unrealistic energy consumption of the deposition routes. Moreover, other hot spots such as lead and solvent toxicity are much less relevant. A cluster analysis of single‐junction PSCs allows us to differentiate two clusters, in one of them, the most numerous, environmental impacts are in a similar range to other thin film PVs. Despite more progress at the industrial scale being needed, the current studies point out the promising results in terms of energy payback time and the environmental impacts at the industrial‐scale, that are the lowest compared with commercial PVs, if 1 kWp is used as the functional unit. In addition, PSCs present less supply risk than other photovoltaic technologies. Only cesium, which is dispensable, can present a specific risk. Current production costs could be reduced if barrier foils and transparent conductive oxide coated plastics can be found. However, this cost could be competitive selling into niche markets. In addition, their lightness, flexibility and ease of integration give them very advantageous qualities for social acceptance.

Social acceptance and aesthetic impact of renewable energy (RE) in cities are topics scarcely considered in the literature even though they have attracted growing interest. Innovative European-funded projects, therefore, should start to consider these concepts. This paper provides an innovative review of European projects with the aim of identifying those with actual implementation of RE and energy storage systems in urban environments and their concern for aesthetic impact. The search considered the five most relevant programs related to RE and climate change mitigation, including almost 14,000 projects. Furthermore, a survey and some interviews allowed to collect data about the selected projects. 0.1% of reviewed projects aimed at the actual installation of RE on an urban scale. However, there is a recent growing trend. The most used RE was solar, especially photovoltaic, while the most common system for energy storage was lithium batteries. We can affirm that these European projects do not currently show any particular concern for the aesthetic impact they cause in cities, nor for the social perception assessment. It would be advisable to consider technologies as products and basic components of work and daily life, and not only as a means of intervention to promote RE.

Se ha estudiado un edificio residencial con estructura de madera laminada en Granada (España) con la metodología de análisis del ciclo de vida, análisis energético del ciclo de vida y análisis de sensibilidad a cambios en la eficiencia energética durante el uso, bases de datos, distancia del transporte y diferentes escenarios para los residuos. Los impactos ambientales de las etapas de producción de materiales y construcción, así como la energía embebida fueron relativamente significantes. El valor del calentamiento global ha sido muy bajo debido al secuestro de CO₂ por la madera. El análisis de sensibilidad ha revelado que la mayor reducción se consigue con la mejora de la eficiencia energética, la alta incertidumbre en los impactos de las declaraciones ambientales de producto, el escaso efecto del transporte de larga distancia sobre los impactos totales y la viabilidad de conseguir el objetivo de valorización de la Directiva Marco para el horizonte 2020 (mayor del 70%).

This study includes the assessment of all possible combinations of ready-mix concrete encompassed in a reference construction database of building materials for Valencia (Spain). All concrete components are considered in the calculation: cement, water, aggregates, and admixtures. The life cycle assessment methodology was used to calculate the environmental impacts of each material, including the modules A1-A3, i.e. production of raw materials, transport, and manufacturing, and impact categories in accordance with EN 15804:2012 + A2:2019. This study shows that cement is the concrete component with the greatest overall impact on the environment. Furthermore, the impact for the Global Warming Potential (stages A1-A3) can double depending on the type of cement; with CEM I and CEM II types having the highest impact. The regressions obtained for each impact category allow to predict the environmental impacts of every ready-mix concrete and also to analyze the relative importance of each concrete component in each impact category.