SOLAR-ENERGY AND THE ABATEMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC EMISSIONS

In spite of the fact that solar energy is a ''clean'' energy form, gas eous pollutants are emitted during the manufacturing of the systems ne cessary for its utilisation. An attempt is made in this paper to estim ate the level of atmospheric pollutants emitted during the successive stages which make up the manufacture process for solar water heating ( SWH) systems, and to evaluate these results in comparison with the res pective pollutant emission levels attributed to the generation of elec tricity in Greece's conventional power plants. As energy consumption i s recognised as the main source of atmospheric pollution, a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) method was applied, focusing on the most energy-consum ing stages of the SWH system production process. The conclusions of th e analysis indicate that the emissions of gaseous pollutants associate d with the utilisation of solar energy are considerably lower than tho se caused by the production of electricity in conventional systems, th ereby substantiating that solar energy utilisation can make a notable contribution to the abatement of atmospheric pollution. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd