Ecocycle analysis for upscaling of future energy conversion technologies

The project, headed by Olof Hjelm, focuses on environmental technology using new functional materials and their related business models, with special emphasis on ecocycle analysis of new forms of solar cell.

New environmental technology is needed to meet major societal challenges such as overuse of natural resources and emissions of greenhouse gases. But green technology alone will not resolve these problems; rather it is the interaction between politics, laws and markets, combined with technological developments, that will determine whether new green technology is deployed sufficiently to maximize its potential. But consumers and society at large generally have a resistance to new technology, tending to use established technologies they recognize and know work. They do so despite the risk of unnecessary climate emissions. To exploit the full potential of new green technology, manufacturers therefore need to understand both the technical potential and the prospective market for the technology.

The project aims to produce an ecocycle analysis to aid the spread of new forms of solar cell, in this case cells made of semiconductors based on a crystalline material called perovskite. There is a growing need for new technologies that allow independent energy supply with low climate impact. This is driven both by an increased demand for fossil-free electricity for electrifying transport and industrial production, and also geolopolitical factors. Much is being done to replace coal and natural gas as the primary energy source for electricity generation. This creates new opportunities for solar energy.

Solar cells based on perovskite are in an intense phase of development, but as yet there is no large-scale use of the material. One reason for this is that when attempts are made to transition from laboratory scale to industrial use, the material must meet additional criteria alongside purely functional ones. In modern society it is particularly important that new materials are suited to a circular economy and have high environmental performance. Unless these requirements are incorporated in technological development, there is a risk of promising technologies remaining at laboratory scale or in niche markets. If this happens, they will not fully contribute to resolving the sustainability challenges, simply because they do not meet the needs of the market.

To address these problems, the interdisciplinary project will be carrying out environmental systems analyses and studying business models that combine to contribute input to technological development. The overarching aim is to ensure new materials benefit society as much as possible, environmentally as well as economically. The researchers hope their findings will also be use by others engaged in developing new materials capable of resolving environmental challenges and contributing to a more circular economy.