Health, safety and environmental issues in thin film manufacturing

An investigation is made of Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) aspects for the manufacturing, use and decommissioning of CdTe, CIS and a-Si modules. Issues regarding energy requirements, resource availability, emissions of toxic materials, occupational health and safety and module waste treatment are reviewed. Waste streams in thin film module manufacturing are analyzed in detail and treatment methods are discussed. Finally the technological options for thin film module recycling are investigated. It is concluded that there are no serious HSE bottlenecks for upscaling to production levels of 500 MWp/yr and that adequate methods are available for treatment of the manufacturing wastes. However, on the longer term issues regarding CdTe and CIS module waste treatment, In and Te resource availability and module recycling need to adressed. Appropriate recycling methods for CdTe and CIS modules do not exist at present but the problem is being adressed by the PV industry

Análisis de redes para la transferencia de tecnologías sostenibles entre firmas de construcción internacional

La transferencia de tecnología sostenible es compleja para las firmas de construcción. Una posible solución es analizar esa clase de transferencia como una red social ya que, si se identifican las diferentes relaciones entre los actores del sector construcción, es posible evaluar la capacidad de adaptación tecnológica de dichos actores. El objetivo fue evaluar la transferencia de tecnología sostenible entre empresas constructoras internacionales que se dedican a construir vivienda social o accesible. Para esto, se identificaron dos países con capacidad de transferencia de tecnología sostenible (Reino Unido y Estados Unidos) y dos países de menor capacidad tecnológica y con potencial de adaptarse a dichas tecnologías (Brasil y Colombia); posteriormente, se seleccionaron cinco firmas constructoras por cada país, con las cuales se hizo un análisis de redes (grado, intensidad, cercanía y densidad), y luego, procesos de simulación. Como resultado se identificó la capacidad de transferencia tecnológica que tienen las empresas latinoamericanas para aceptar y adaptar tecnologías de empresas de países industrializados, y se espera poder desarrollar indicadores de medición del proceso de transferencia tecnológica que permitan comprender mejor la complejidad de este proceso en el área de la vivienda social

ICARUS-4 : a database of energy reduction options for the Netherlands, 1995-2020 : Sector study for the Metals Products and Electrotechnical Industry

In this report we describe the energy consumption in 1995 and the energy saving options that exist within the metal products and electrotechnical industry (SBI/NACE 28-32, 34-35) in the Netherlands. The data will be included in the ICARUS-4 database which gives an inventory of the technological options for energy savings for all economic sectors in the Netherlands. For all described measures the report provides data on the achievable energy savings up to the year 2020, investment and O&M costs and actual penetration data in the base year of 1995

ICARUS-4 : a database of energy reduction options for the Netherlands, 1995-2020 : sector study for the non-ferrous metals industry

In this report we describe the energy consumption in 1995 and the energy saving options that exist within the non-ferro base metal industry (SBI/NACE 27.4-5) in the Netherlands. The data will be included in the ICARUS-4 database which gives an inventory of the technological options for energy savings for all economic sectors in the Netherlands. For all described measures the report provides data on the achievable energy savings up to the year 2020, investment and O&M costs and actual penetration data in the base year of 1995

Energy requirements and CO2 mitigation potential of PV systems

In this paper we investigate the energy requirements of PV modules and systems and calculate the Energy Pay-Back Time for two major PV applications. Based on a review of past energy analysis studies we explain the main sources of differences and establish a "best estimate" for key system components. For present-day c-Si modules the main source of uncertainty is the preparation of silicon feedstock from semiconductor industry scrap. The best estimates of 4200 respectively 6000 MJ (primary energy) per m2 module area are probably representative for near-future, frameless mc-Si and sc-Si modules. For a-Si thin film modules we estimate energy requirements at 1200 MJ/m2 for present technology. Present-day and future energy requirements have also been estimated for the BOS in grid-connected roof-top systems and for Solar Home Systems. The Energy Pay-Back Time of present-day grid-connected systems is estimated at 3-8 years (under 1700 kWh/m2 irradiation) and 1-2 years for future systems. The specific CO2 emission of these systems is 60-150 g/kWh now and 20-30 g/kWh in the future. In Solar Home Systems the battery is the cause for a relatively high EPBT of more than 7 years, with little prospects for future improvements. The CO2 emision is now estimated at 250-400 g/kWh and around 200 g/kWh in the future. This leads to the conclusion that PV systems, especially grid-connected systems, can contribute significantly to the mitigation of CO2 emissions

ICARUS 4 : the new database structure

In this report we describe the new database structure that will be implemented for version 4 of the ICARUS database. ICARUS gives an inventory of the technological options for energy savings for all economic sectors in the Netherlands. For all described measures it will provide data on the achievable energy savings, costs and actual penetration data in the base year of 1995. On the basis of these data assessments can be made of the technical potential of energys savings and CO2 mitigation per economic sector in the viewing years 2010 and 2020 in comparison with the base year

Zonne-energie voor consumenten : advies over het gebruik van verschillende toepassingen van zonne-energie in en rondom het huis

Zonne-energie is een schone en onuitputbare vorm van energie. De energie kan kleinschalig door consumenten geproduceerd worden, maar ook grootschalig met centrales in het open veld. Dit document beoogt consumenten bewust te maken van de manieren die er zijn om gebruik te maken van zonne-energie. Er wordt ingegaan op verschillende vormen van zonne-energie: passieve zonne-energie, zonneboilers, zonnecelsystemen, zonnecellen ingebouwd in consumentenproducten en tenslotte zonnecentrales