Impressive LCA results for the One World Solar System

Life cycle assessment is a technique used to evaluate environmental impacts associated with the different stages of a product's life, from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance to disposal or recycling. The gained information can be used to improve processes, support policy and to provide a sound basis for decision making.

The One World Solar System, by Sunlumo Technology, is the logical completion of the previously developed One World Solar Collector by a compact, standardized pumping group together with the accompanying piping and fittings. For the first time, all components of the solar circuit are made by 100% from polymer materials and producible economically at large scale. By using this key technology, benefits are maximised while at the same time, economical as well as environmental costs could be reduced by up to 50 per cent.

With the SolPol-4/5 report, an in depth analysis of the CO₂ impact of the novel One World Solar System has now been published:

“For an all-polymeric One World Solar Collector system with 4 m² collector area (i.e. 4 collectors) and 150 l heat store the energy consumption and the CO₂ footprint data are depicted below. For all components the eco-impact is governed primarily by material production compared to component manufacturing. In terms of aggregated data for the entire system, the energy demand amounts to about 5000 MJ with a corresponding CO₂ footprint of 250 kg. Depending on the installation site or world region energy pay back times (EPBT) ranging from 0.5 to 1.3 years were deduced. Compared to a collector service life of 20 years, this leads to energy amortisation factors of more than 15 (!) for all world regions.”

© Source: SolPol-4/5 report