Minimal carbon footprint from Midsummer CIGS process
New third party life cycle assessment shows clear advantage in lower CO2 emissions
A new study commissioned by Swedish CIGS solar firm Midsummer shows that the company’s proprietary flexible CIGS thin film solar module manufacturing process is much more environmentally friendly than other solar module production processes e.g. for silicon modules.
The recent study by Swerea IVF, a Swedish industrial research institute, shows conclusively that Midsummer’s flexible thin film solar cells have much lower CO2 emission equivalents than almost all other renewable energy sources. Compared with the production of silicon solar modules, Midsummer’s rapid sputtering production process for thin film solar modules can result in a global warming potential (GWP) of merely a tenth of silicon modules.
“As solar energy installations spread globally, there will be an increased focus on its carbon footprint and energy payback,” said Sven Lindström, CEO, Midsummer. “To manufacture energy demanding silicon panels, glass and aluminium frames with dirty coal power is not environmentally friendly. PV suppliers will be increasingly judged on the climate effect of their production processes. Here, Midsummer has a clear advantage with its extremely small carbon footprint. Our manufacturing process is very energy efficient and we don’t use silicon, glass or frames.”
Another reason for the low carbon footprint is the extremely thin light absorbing CIGS layer. Midsummer uses less than 1um (one micrometer, 0.001 mm) of CIGS materials in its production process and this enables not only a fast production process, but also low energy consumption.
The objective of Swerea IVF’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study was to understand the environmental impact of Midsummer’s production method for flexible CIGS solar module in a life cycle perspective. The results showed much lower CO2 emission compared not only with similar modules made of silicon but also with other thin film technologies.
Midsummer's DUO system has taken the position as the most widely distributed manufacturing tool for flexible CIGS solar cells in the world.
The study has also been reviewed and approved by a Swedish independent third-party institute; Miljögiraff AB .
