IEA PVPS Task 12 has released a major update to the life cycle inventory data underpinning photovoltaic life cycle assessments, covering modern TOPCon and PERC silicon supply chains, CdTe modules, inverters, mounting systems, and updated reference installations.
Based on 83 factory-level datasets and new simulation-based inventories, the report establishes a more comprehensive and current baseline for PV LCA, sustainability reporting, procurement, and environmental assessments.
The foundational data underpinning nearly every credible life cycle assessment (LCA) of PV solar electricity has just received its most comprehensive overhaul since 2020 — and in some respects its most thorough update in more than a decade. A new report from IEA PVPS Task 12, “Life Cycle Inventories of Photovoltaic Systems,” provides updated inventory data covering the full crystalline silicon supply chain for TOPCon and PERC cell technologies, CdTe thin-film modules, string inverters, mounting structures, and reference systems for residential, commercial, and utility-scale installations. The datasets are freely available through the IEA PVPS website and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences repository, and are fully compatible with the newly released open-source BAFU:2025 Swiss federal life cycle assessment (LCA) database.
