The JRC study has been conceived to be applicable for the development of Ecodesign requirements as in line with Directive 2009/125/EC for the Ecodesign of energy related products. 

Findings presented in this work are intended to inform the technical and political debate on the carbon footprint of PV panels and provide a scientific method that can be applied for supporting entry market Ecodesign requirements. This represents one of the first attempt (together with requirements in the EU Regulation on Batteries) to introduce a mandatory carbon footprint requirement for products in a regulatory context.

Results reported in this report show the carbon footprint of PV panels among different scenarios. The primary contributors to the carbon footprint of mono- and multi-crystalline silicon PV panels include: 

• electricity for manufacturing the silicon,
• silicon content,
• aluminium frame,
• glass

The product lifetime plays a significant role in terms of the carbon footprint per kilowatt-hour.

The JRC report on PV carbon footprint can be downloaded via this link