Carbon Emission Reduction Analysis of Photovoltaic Power Stations Based on Carbon Footprint Differences of Different Photovoltaic Modules

To quantitatively assess the life-cycle carbon emission characteristics of photovoltaic power stations and the differences in the carbon footprints of various module technologies, a 100 MW photovoltaic power station in Northwest China was selected as the research object. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was employed to calculate the life-cycle carbon footprint, and the the carbon footprint evolution trends from 2025 to 2050 were analyzed for three mainstream modules: Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC), Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon), and Heterojunction (HJT). Furthermore, four scenarios, including production process optimization, cell conversion efficiency enhancement, energy structure cleaning, and end-of-life PV modules recycling, were constructed to evaluate emission reduction potential. The results show that under the two end-of-life disposal scenarios of landfill and reuse, the total life-cycle carbon emissions of the power station are 89 908.96 t and 81 048.54 t, respectively, with the upstream PV module production stage contributing the most. The carbon footprints of the three cell technologies follow the order of PERC > TOPCon > HJT. It is predicted that the carbon footprints of the three types of cells will continue to decline, reaching a reduction of 24%-40% by 2050. Among the different emission reduction scenarios, the energy structure cleaning demonstrates the most significant emission reduction effect, capable of reducing total emissions by 36.87%-53.72%. The results indicate that upstream manufacturing and energy structure are key factors influencing the carbon footprint of PV power stations, and promoting the low-carbon transformation of the power system and the application of high-efficiency cell technologies is of great significance for achieving deep emission reductions in the PV industry.