Harmonised rules for the calculation of the carbon footprint of photovoltaic modules in the context of the EU Ecodesign Directive

The decarbonisation of EU energy systems is critical to reach climate objectives in 2030 and 2050 as announced in the European Green Deal and, in this context, photovoltaics (PV) is called to have a prominent contribution, according to the REPowerEU plan. In this direction, it is crucial to ensure that newly installed PV panel capacities in the EU are affordable and competitive, but also that they are manufactured in a sustainable manner. The aim of this Science for Policy Report is to outline a set of harmonized rules for accounting the carbon footprint of PV panels, designed to be applicable in the regulatory context and in particular for the potential development of Ecodesign requirements (as in line with Directive 2009/125/EC for the Ecodesign of energy related products). The harmonized rules proposed in the present report are based on the Environmental Footprint method developed by the European Commission (EC Recommendations 2279/2021) and the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for PV. In particular, the PEFCR for PV have been used as pillar for building these harmonized rules with adaptations due to the application in a regulatory context. The method has been the outcome of a consensus building process based on various positions from different stakeholders received at different stages.