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A Life Cycle Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Photovoltaic Streetlight Systems
J.G.M. Kortman, M.G.H. van Kampen
IVAM Environmental Research, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 18180, 1001 ZB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
L.A. Verhoef
Netherlands Agency for Energy and the Environment (NOVEM) P.O. Box 8242, 3503 RE Utrecht, The Netherlands
G. Loois
Ecofys research and consultancy, P.O. Box 8408, 3503 RK Utrecht, The Netherlands
Abstract
As a result of ongoing technical improvements and cost reduction, the application of stand alone photo voltaic (PV) streetlight systems has become an economically interesting option for specific situations in the Netherlands, such as remote parking places, intersections, along polder roads and on small islands. This in spite of the fact that the production costs of PV street light systems are still 3 to 4 times higher compared to grid connected systems. In cases where the street lights are situated in long distance from the electrical grid and the conditions for the layout of cables are difficult, PV street lights prove to have a lower combination of investment and exploitation costs (Gooijer, et al, 1996). In those cases a growing number of local governmental organisations chooses photo voltaic (PV) street light systems that offer a cost effective power supply.
In the last few years a lot of experience has been gained with the application of PV street light systems. The market for these systems is estimated to be 10.000 light points in the next 4 years in The Netherlands. Now that the market of PV supplied street lighting is growing the question rises if the integral environmental performance of PV streetlight systems is relatively good. An earlier study (Lindeijer et al, 1993) indicates that especially autonomous PV systems with batteries can be the most critical applications from an environmental point of view (see figure 1).
Batteries are responsible for an important share of the environmental burden of complete autonomous PV systems due to their relatively short life span and their heavy metal content. For this reason the Netherlands Agency for Energy and the Environment (NOVEM) is interested in the overall comparison of the environmental effects of PV powered lighting systems with the effects of conventional grid connected systems. The NOVEM therefore appointed IVAM Environmental Research to conduct a life cycle analysis with two aims:
? to compare the environmental impact of street light systems and;
?to identify the environmental improvement options for the production, use and disposal of street light systems.
In this paper the approach of the study will be presented. Results of the study are presented on the 4th European Conference on Energy-Efficient Lighting itself.
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