Upgraded metallurgical grade silicon and polysilicon for solar electricity production: A comparative life cycle assessment

Research on Carbon Emission of Solar Grade Polysilicon Produced by Metallurgical Route Using Digital Simulation Technology

“…In terms of the entire production process of polysilicon, the use of electricity generates the most CO 2 emissions. Therefore, cleaner power sources such as hydropower, wind power and solar power should be selected, which will greatly reduce the carbon emissions in the process of SoG-Si production by MR. Studies by Mendez and Fan et al also support this view [33,34]. Fortunately, China has begun to vigorously promote the adjustment of energy structure, and certain results have been achieved.…”

“…Meanwhile, some researchers have also carefully studied using LCA the recycling process of end-of-life PV modules [25][26][27][28][29][30]. Although some researchers have conducted researches on the environmental impact of polysilicon, these researches are not detailed enough in terms of carbon emission [31][32][33][34]. In addition, compared with other studies on the environmental impact of polysilicon, this paper also conducted a detailed analysis of the environmental impact of the production process of metallurgical grade silicon (MG-Si, precursor material).…”

Reduction of trapping and recombination in upgraded metallurgical grade silicon: Impact of phosphorous diffusion gettering

“…Additionally, new Si-purification techniques could also improve the PV life-cycle assessment with a reduced emission budget. This is the main strength of upgraded metallurgical grade (UMG) Si, a material obtained via an alternative purification route resulting in lower economic and environmental cost as compared to conventional polysilicon (poly-Si) [6][7][8].…”

Boosting Charge Carrier Mobilities in Upgraded Metallurgical Grade Silicon by Phosphorous Diffusion Gettering

“…Upgraded metallurgical grade silicon (UMG-Si) is obtained from the metallurgical route and results in lower economic costs and environmental impact as compared to conventional poly-Si. [4][5][6] However, this lower cost is typically achieved at the expense of incorporating a higher concentration of impurities during crystallisation. [4] This aspect can be detrimental to the performance of related PV devices, particularly affecting charge carrier lifetimes and charge carrier mobilities.…”

“…[4][5][6] However, this lower cost is typically achieved at the expense of incorporating a higher concentration of impurities during crystallisation. [4] This aspect can be detrimental to the performance of related PV devices, particularly affecting charge carrier lifetimes and charge carrier mobilities. To overcome these drawbacks, different low-energy input treatments have been studied with the aim of improving the electronic quality of low-cost UMG-Si-wafers with high impurity contents.…”