With the explosion of the photovoltaic solar market announced for the coming years, the demand for aluminum will also soar. The problem is that the aluminum industry currently emits… a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2). But there are solutions.
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[EN VIDÉO] What is photovoltaic energy? Photovoltaic energy, everyone talks about it and some of us may even benefit from it. But do we really know what is at stake in the heart of a solar cell? Marion Perrin, doctor in electrochemistry, presents to us, in video, the physical principle behind this renewable energy.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the solar photovoltaic is becoming, almost everywhere in the world, the least expensive solution for producing electricity. Enough to consider an explosion of the market. An explosion desired by the experts of the same Agency to help us achieve the objective of net zero emissions by 2050. For this, it would be necessary to multiply by five the annual deployment of solar panels. And that might cause some resource issues.
Many have for the time being wondered about the silicon reserves. But today, University of New South Wales researchers (Australia) raise the issue of aluminium. Because the material is used to manufacture the rails on which the solar panels are fixed as well as the housings of the invertersespecially.
Aluminum, a major greenhouse gas emitter
The researchers estimate that the solar photovoltaic installations will require the production of some 486 million tons ofaluminum by 2050. Remember that in 2020, global production of primary aluminum was already 65 million tonnes. That is 2.5 times more than in 2000. Thus some fear the shortage.
But researchers at the University of New South Wales are more concerned about the potential for global warming driven by this significant demand for aluminium. Because this industry is a heavy consumer of electricity. In 2018, the sector alone was responsible for 2% of global carbon emissions. greenhouse gas. If no precautions are taken, we could end up releasing 3,500 megatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) additional in theatmosphere by 2050.
If no precautions are taken because if low-emission energies are used to power the foundries, the balance sheet could be improved. Just as it could be with the establishment of a recycling aluminum system. A relatively simple and clean process.
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