In the run up to the largest Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Linde Gases, a division of The Linde Group, is encouraging the thin-film photovoltaic (PV) industry to shift focus from grid parity to green parity.
As the world tackles climate change and solar energy approaches grid parity, Linde believes the PV industry should begin to address the carbon footprint of PV module manufacturing to deliver truly green energy.
In a bid to reduce production costs, the group says manufacturers must not be tempted to adopt lower cost solutions without considering the overall impact on the long term sustainability of the PV industry.
Based on work by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory , the payback time for both crystalline silicon cells and thin-film silicon modules, in terms of CO2 equivalent emissions, is between three to four years, with an aggressive target for thin-film of one year payback.
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