Analysis of economic cost, energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions of photovoltaic equipment in China

This paper establishes a life cycle assessment model for photovoltaic power generation equipment, and calculates and analyses the economic cost, energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions for 1 m2photovoltaic power generation equipment to output 1 kW·h electricity in typical regions of provinces and municipalities in Chinese Mainland. The results show that the average power generation efficiency of 1 m2photovoltaic power generation equipment to output 1 kW·h electricity is 10% to 12%, with the economic cost of 1.18 yuan/(kW·h) to 2.81 yuan/(kW·h), the standard coal consumption of 0.013 kg/(kW·h) to 0.032 kg/(kW·h), and the carbon dioxide emissions of 0.051 kg/(kW·h) to 0.122 kg/(kW·h). This paper provides certain data support and a theoretical basis for promoting the unitized utilization of photovoltaic power generation equipment in Chinese Mainland, the integration of photovoltaic power generation equipment with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, and the application of photovoltaic power generation equipment in smart buildings and low carbon buildings.