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• Environmental footprint methodology is applied to a utility-scale solar energy plant. • A case study of a grid-connected 20 MWp photovoltaic system in Hungary is presented. • Impacts on climate, human health, ecosystem and natural resources is assessed. • The environmental footprint of electricity is reduced by 75% compared to the grid mix. • A simplified life-cycle model linked to plant design parameters is validated. Balance-of-system components represent a growing share of environmental impacts in photovoltaic utility-scale solar energy systems. There are, however, no effective methods to carry out screening type life-cycle assessment during the planning phase of the power plant to minimize these impacts. This paper uses the European Commission's novel product environmental footprint methodology to explore the life-cycle impacts of a case study in Hungary and applies two life-cycle models with different system boundaries and assumptions. The first model represents a full-fledged assessment with a detailed inventory, while the other, simplified model can be directly linked to the main plant design parameters. Our results show that: a) the production of photovoltaic modules account for around half of the total aggregated environmental impacts, b) compared to the Hungarian grid mix, the new power plant reduces the environmental footprint by 75%. It is also shown that the simplified model captures the overwhelming majority of impacts, thus, it is applicable during the eco-design of similar systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) power is emission-free during operation. However, its life-cycle environmental impacts should be accounted for during the design phase. This paper presents the first methodology to calculate the product environmental footprint (PEF) and the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) based on a unified technical modeling framework of ground-mounted, grid-connected PV power plants. To test the model, we determined the single- and multiobjective optima of 8 main balance-of-system design parameters applying a genetic algorithm for a case study of two geographical locations with distinct solar resources. Results show that impacts can be reduced by 1–13% in each of the 16 different PEF environmental impact categories. Unfortunately, the different types of impacts cannot be reduced simultaneously with a single design solution, calling for the use of a weighted environmental footprint as the most favorable single-score environmental indicator. Pareto-optimal design solutions for multiple objectives show that increasing the AC/DC ratio, row distance, tilt angle, and cable losses compared to the economic optimum is beneficial for carbon and environmental footprint reduction. By accepting a small cost increase, the majority of the potential impact reduction can be achieved. Trade-offs between economic and environmental objectives are analyzed by assigning a price tag to environmental impacts. Based on the proposed weighting scheme, regions with polluting electricity production mix should choose the most profitable plant design for the largest environmental benefit. In other places eco-design could lead to a 1% overall impact reduction for just 0.1% extra cost. Balancing power requirements, copper recycling scenarios, the uncertainty of ecological impacts, and combined land use are identified as future research areas. Image 1 • First study to integrate environmental footprint method in the design of PV plants. • Economic and environmental optimization results in fairly distinctive designs. • Environmental optimization leads to greater capacity factor but larger land area. • Weighting method between environmental and economic objective is proposed. • Taxing environmental impacts leads to a minor change in least-cost design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]