A life cycle assessment of Hydropower-Silicon-Photovoltaic industrial chain in China

Shen, Zihuang; Ma, Lin; Yang, Yuchen; Fan, Mingyang; Ma, Wenhui; Fu, Ling; Li, Ming

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132411

Cited by 18 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The efficiency of silicon wafer-based modules has been rapidly improving over recent decades, contributing to the reduction of the levelized cost of electricity and making PV very competitive in the field of new energy [25]. China had a prominent role in the literature on photovoltaic technologies in developing countries, as it gained dramatic production growth during a very short period [26]. Shandong was among the top provinces in terms of both yearly new installations and cumulative solar installations in China.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technological Mediation of Photovoltaic System to Improve Rural Sustainability in the Background of Resettlement and Consolidation: Evidence from the Rural Community and Villages in China

Wang

Fan

2023

Sustainability

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Settlement structure is the most essential aspect of rural landscapes and habitations in China. The process of merging rural settlements has given rise to tensions in spatial-social structures, posing significant risks to rural sustainability. However, little research has been undertaken to analyze potential resolutions for the challenges of sustainable development in the context. Based on the technological mediation theory, we used participant observation and interviews to investigate the effects of the photovoltaic system on spatial-social structures, governance patterns, and rural sustainability. By focusing on a representative merger project area situated in Shandong Province, our research revealed that the photovoltaic system improved spatial, social, and governance sustainability in rural areas rather than only the environmental aspect. In the spatial dimension, the photovoltaic system reconstructed domestic spaces and activated scenarios conducive to public life. In the social dimension, it fostered the eradication of disparities in identity and facilitated the reintegration of social networks. In the governance dimension, a large-scale governance pattern supported by mutual interest, collective trust, and the integrated system was developed to successfully resolve emerging problems and ultimately promoted the sustainability of the community–village region. The findings highlight the efficacy of employing technological design as a means to resolve resettlement dilemmas, which could shed light on the elimination of conflicts arising from the interplay between urbanization and sustainability of rural areas.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technological Mediation of Photovoltaic System to Improve Rural Sustainability in the Background of Resettlement and Consolidation: Evidence from the Rural Community and Villages in China

Wang

Fan

2023

Sustainability

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“…In order to meet the fast-growing solar PV demand, global production of PV-related products is expected to more than double by 2030 [ 1 ]. Today, China dominates the global solar PV supply chains and contributes to an 80% decline in the price of solar panels, making solar PV an affordable electricity generation technology [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The first stage of polysilicon production is to extract metallurgical-grade silicon by melting quartz ore and reducing silica in a large electric arc furnace, which requires a great deal of heat at a high temperature (~2000 °C) and a lengthy time [ 5 , 6 ]. Metallurgical-grade silicon of 98% silicon purity is the fundamental material of subsequent silicon products [ 2 , 7 ]. Generally, 10 to 13 MWh of electricity is needed to produce one ton of metallurgical-grade silicon, but only ~30% of the total energy input is contained in the silicon product, whereas the rest of the energy is taken away as thermal energy by the off gas and the cooling water [ 6 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Performance Evaluation of Integrating the Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS) for a Silicon Arc Furnace with Plasma Gasification for Medical Waste

Dong¹,

Lai

Wang³

et al. 2023

Entropy

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A hybrid scheme integrating the current waste heat recovery system (WHRS) for a silicon arc furnace with plasma gasification for medical waste is proposed. Combustible syngas converted from medical waste is used to drive the gas turbine for power generation, and waste heat is recovered from the raw syngas and exhaust gas from the gas turbine for auxiliary heating of steam and feed water in the WHRS. Meanwhile, the plasma gasifier can also achieve a harmless disposal of the hazardous fine silica particles generated in polysilicon production. The performance of the proposed design is investigated by energy, exergy, and economic analysis. The results indicate that after the integration, medical waste gave rise to 4.17 MW net power at an efficiency of up to 33.99%. Meanwhile, 4320 t of the silica powder can be disposed conveniently by the plasma gasifier every year, as well as 23,040 t of medical waste. The proposed design of upgrading the current WHRS to the hybrid system requires an initial investment of 18,843.65 K$ and has a short dynamic payback period of 3.94 years. Therefore, the hybrid scheme is feasible and promising for commercial application.

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Carbon footprint analysis of supply chain of bio-based methyl levulinate production in China

Yang

Gong

et al. 2023

Carb Neutrality

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The carbon reduction effect of bio-based levulinic acid chemicals is a matter of concern. This work reports the life cycle assessment of methyl levulinate based on local biomass refineries in China. The final LCA results showed that the entire life cycle of methyl levulinate could reduce by approximately 24% of carbon emissions compared with fossil diesel of equal quality. To address the lack of effective uncertainty analysis in current LCA research on levulinic acid chemicals, this study conducted a comprehensive and detailed assessment of inventory data and utilized Taylor series expansion to obtain uncertainty of the LCA results. When connected to a localized background database, the LCA results showed high credibility. According to the sensitivity analysis and Aspen optimization results, further technical improvement schemes are proposed, including improving thermal efficiency, use of clean electricity, and use of clean methanol. Prospective analysis shows that combined implementation of the above strategies can further reduce the existing carbon emissions by more than half. Graphical Abstract

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A life cycle assessment of Hydropower-Silicon-Photovoltaic industrial chain in China

Cited by 18 publications

References 24 publications

Technological Mediation of Photovoltaic System to Improve Rural Sustainability in the Background of Resettlement and Consolidation: Evidence from the Rural Community and Villages in China

Technological Mediation of Photovoltaic System to Improve Rural Sustainability in the Background of Resettlement and Consolidation: Evidence from the Rural Community and Villages in China

Design and Performance Evaluation of Integrating the Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS) for a Silicon Arc Furnace with Plasma Gasification for Medical Waste

Carbon footprint analysis of supply chain of bio-based methyl levulinate production in China

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