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INSTITUT PHOTOVOLTAIQUE D’ ILE DE FRANCE

IPVF

The Institut Photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France (IPVF) aims at becoming one of the world’s leading research, innovation and training centres in the field of photovoltaic solar energy by federating globally-acknowledged academic research teams and industrial groups leaders in the photovoltaic sector.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Environmental impact of photovoltaic modules, inverters and systems - Energy Labelling

27 Oct 2021

The Ile-de-France Photovoltaic Institute (IPVF) is a collaborative research institute, accredited as Institute for Energy Transition (ITE) in France. The IPVF's internationally renowned research teams are working on the development of the next generation of industrially viable and sustainable photovoltaic modules.
 We, IPVF, welcome the European Commission’s efforts to boost solar production in the EU, as part of the
 ongoing revision of the European renewable energy directive, and the implementation of the updated
 European industrial strategy, as well as its ongoing initiative to increase environmental performance and
 reduce the carbon footprint of photovoltaic solar energy. 

In particular, we support the policy recommendations on the introduction of eco-design requirements for 
photovoltaic modules, inverters and systems in the EU. We indeed believe that requirements for manufacturers in terms of electricity yield assessment, durability, repairability and recyclability which are currently on the table are a step in the right direction. To positively support the industry in this transition, we believe that research & innovation in new technologies and processes must be accelerated.
 Future requirements should be based on standards, which determine the service life, energy
 yield and degradation – which are the most important parameters influencing the sustainable performance of these components. Given the longevity of the components and the fast evolution of new products & technology concepts, reference values established through accelerated life cycle testing and lifetime yield prediction should provide, in a first time, minimum requirements for performance guarantees, replacement and reparability within the eco-design regulations. In a second time, given that the degradation aspects of PV products are the most difficult to predict, we believe that more 
needs to be done to ensure the highest possible level of knowledge. It is therefore appropriate to establish
 a stricter framework for the collection of data provided by manufacturers, and to invest more in research in order to understand the degradation mechanisms involved in the materials and to be able to define “representative” accelerated tests i.e. tests that accelerate critical elementary mechanisms without changing them or activating others. In addition, consideration of recyclability from the definition of the PV design should facilitate and improve the quality of recycling. PV dismantability is a first requirement, but the specification of the materials used could also help to structure the recycling channels and to address the different technologies that will be on the market in the coming years (e.g. crystalline silicon/perovskite tandem or organic PV). Life cycle studies need to be developed to take into account the different technological subtleties of the material layers used and the processes employed in their implementation. Note that this would make it possible to identify the most penalising stages and therefore those to be optimised preferentially. Finally, in line with one of the Regulation’s objective, more investments on R&D, namely through the
 Horizon Europe programme, can help to support an environmentally friendly PV production chain in Europe, the uptake of solar energy by consumers, as well as to exploit the full potential of solar production in Europe, in line with Europe’s climate and strategic autonomy ambitions.
Read full response

Meeting with Laure Chapuis (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson), Thor-Sten Vertmann (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson)

15 Jun 2020 · Main trends of the solar power market in Europe and globally (incl. small vs. utility scale installations). Possibilities for international cooperation. Innovation in EU solar power technologies, advantages in sustainability terms.