| Abstract [eng] |
The development of solar energy installations in Lithuania and around the world is growing rapidly to reduce the impact of climate change. However, with such a large expansion, a large amount of waste solar modules that are no longer fit for use is expected to be disposed of or recycled in the future. Current recycling capacity for solar module components is limited due to a lack of markets for recycling companies and low financial incentives from the government, which leads to high recovery costs, resulting in the first end-of-life solar modules ending up in landfills. The final thesis is a study on the life cycle cost assessment of standard monocrystalline and glass/glass solar modules in Lithuania, calculating and estimating the recovery and recycling costs per 1 kW of solar module capacity. A survey analysis methodology is used to investigate the environmental awareness of household consumers who have installed a solar power plant and to assess how consumer acceptance of the payback time changes when assessing the cost of recycling. The economic evaluation calculates the Net Present Value (NPV), the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and the Payback Time (PBT) for each type of solar module. A sensitivity analysis of the dependence of the payback time and the weighted cost of electricity generation on the recovery cost and the dependence of the payback time on the increase in the price of electricity is carried out. Based on the results of the economic evaluation, a comparison is made between the two types of solar modules and it is concluded that glass/glass solar modules are more efficient and less dependent on recovery costs than standard monocrystalline solar modules. |
