There is a significant demand for materials and energy throughout the manufacturing and construction of a solar power plant’s component parts. Electricity and fossil fuels are used in enormous quantities during the industrial processes in the photovoltaic power plant’s life cycle. It is then necessary to assess the energy needs, especially during production processes, to improve the efficiency of energy usage and management of natural resources from the global perspective. This will lead to a decrease in natural resource consumption and electricity demand. The main aim of this study was to assess the energy demand in the life cycle of the photovoltaic power plant and identify the most energy-intensive stages and components of this type of installation throughout its life cycle. The study of energy consumption in the whole life cycle was conducted for a 2 MW photovoltaic power plant situated in the northern region of Poland using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, particularly the Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method. Two post-consumer management scenarios were investigated: recycling and landfilling. It was found that the life cycle of PV panels and the inverter station had the largest energy demand among all the components. This study revealed that, compared to recycling, the life cycle involving post-consumer management in the form of landfilling had a higher total energy demand of 4.09 × 10⁷ MJ. The results of this investigation validate the benefits of recycling. Thus, recycling ought to be commonplace to improve the environment.

The production process requires massive amounts of minerals, fossil fuels, and energy. The efficient use of energy and natural resources appears to be crucial to the state of affairs. It should be noted that the post-consumer management of solar power plant elements results in a certain amount of power and matter, as well as harmful effects on the natural world. The major goal of this study was to examine the environmental effect of the solar power plant throughout its life cycle, taking into consideration the depletion of natural materials and mineral resources, using the ReCiPe 2016 model. A life cycle study was performed on an actual 2 MW solar power facility located in northern Poland. This study was conducted using the ReCiPe 2016 model and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The analyzed renewable energy system’s impact was assessed utilizing 22 impact categories, focusing mostly on the depletion of natural resources. A Life Cycle Assessment was conducted for two post-consumer development scenarios (landfill and recycling). This research focuses on the full solar power plant, not just the photovoltaic panels. Recycling, as a kind of post-consumer development, can provide major environmental benefits and minimize negative environmental consequences throughout the solar power plant’s life cycle. The exceedingly harmful effects can be evident in losses related to water and the aquatic environment. The obtained study findings enabled the development of sustainable-friendly recommendations towards the continuous advancement of the life cycle of solar power plants, thereby reducing the use of rare earth minerals.

Sustainable and circular materials for renewable energy applications are essential for reducing the life-cycle burdens of photovoltaic (PV) power plants and improving the resource efficiency of low-carbon energy infrastructure. This study assesses the material-related environmental performance of an existing 2 MW mono-crystalline silicon (sc-Si) photovoltaic power plant in northern Poland and a prospective perovskite solar cell (PSC) module scenario modelled as an equivalent system with the same location, installed capacity, and annual electricity output. The functional unit was defined as 2000 MWh of electricity delivered annually. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed in SimaPro 9.4.0 using the ReCiPe 2016 method, complemented by an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)-based greenhouse gas assessment. The inventory included photovoltaic modules, support structures, electrical installations, inverter stations, and transformers, with landfill and recycling-oriented material recovery considered as alternative post-consumer management strategies for materials after the end of the technical facility’s life. The results show that material-intensive upstream production stages and key balance-of-system components are major contributors to life-cycle impacts, while recycling can reduce selected burdens through material recovery and avoided production of primary materials. These recycling benefits were modelled using material-specific recovery rates and avoided-production credits assigned only to recovered fractions assumed to meet secondary material quality requirements. Under the adopted modelling assumptions, the PSC module scenario indicates potential for lower life-cycle impacts than the sc-Si baseline. For the prospective perovskite module scenario, this potential benefit is conditional on intact encapsulation during operation and controlled collection, separation, and recovery of lead-containing fractions at the end of life. The study demonstrates that material composition, component design, and circular end-of-life management are decisive factors for improving the environmental performance of PV power plants.