Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California , Santa Barbara, California 93106-5131, United States.
First Solar , 350 W. Washington St., Suite 600, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2017 Jan 17;51(2):1043-1052. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6b05455. Epub 2016 Dec 23.
Access to a reliable source of electricity creates significant benefits for developing communities. Smaller versions of electricity grids, known as microgrids, have been developed as a solution to energy access problems. Using attributional life cycle assessment, this project evaluates the environmental and energy impacts of three photovoltiac (PV) microgrids compared to other energy options for a model village in Kenya. When normalized per kilowatt hour of electricity consumed, PV microgrids, particularly PV-battery systems, have lower impacts than other energy access solutions in climate change, particulate matter, photochemical oxidants, and terrestrial acidification. When compared to small-scale diesel generators, PV-battery systems save 94-99% in the above categories. When compared to the marginal electricity grid in Kenya, PV-battery systems save 80-88%. Contribution analysis suggests that electricity and primary metal use during component, particularly battery, manufacturing are the largest contributors to overall PV-battery microgrid impacts. Accordingly, additional savings could be seen from changing battery manufacturing location and ensuring end of life recycling. Overall, this project highlights the potential for PV microgrids to be feasible, adaptable, long-term energy access solutions, with health and environmental advantages compared to traditional electrification options.
获取可靠的电力来源可为发展中社区带来巨大益处。为了解决能源获取问题，已经开发出了更小版本的电网，称为微电网。本项目采用归因生命周期评估方法，评估了三种光伏 (PV) 微电网与肯尼亚示范村其他能源选择相比的环境和能源影响。当按每千瓦时消耗的电力进行归一化时，PV 微电网，特别是 PV-电池系统，在气候变化、颗粒物、光化学氧化剂和陆地酸化方面的影响低于其他能源获取解决方案。与小型柴油发电机相比，PV-电池系统在上述类别中节省了 94-99%。与肯尼亚的边际电网相比，PV-电池系统节省了 80-88%。贡献分析表明，组件制造过程中（特别是电池）的电力和初级金属使用是导致整体 PV-电池微电网影响的最大因素。因此，通过改变电池制造地点和确保电池的报废回收，可以进一步节省成本。总体而言，本项目强调了 PV 微电网作为可行、适应性强、长期的能源获取解决方案的潜力，与传统电气化选择相比，具有健康和环境优势。
