LCA Experts Discuss the Future of Photovoltaic Life Cycle Data at ZHAW
On 31 October 2025, the ZHAW Research Group for Life Cycle Assessment and treeze Ltd. hosted the 91st LCA Discussion Forum at Campus Grüental in Wädenswil. Experts from academia, industry, and consulting met to discuss the state of life cycle inventories for photovoltaic systems – and to chart a path toward more transparent and reliable data.
Strengthening the Backbone of the Energy Transition
Life cycle data form the invisible backbone of the global energy transition – and last week, the international LCA community came together at ZHAW to make that backbone stronger. The 91st LCA Discussion Forum, titled “Life cycle inventories of photovoltaic (PV) systems: state of play and future prospects”, brought together more than 90 experts in person and online. Organized by the ZHAW Research Group for Life Cycle Assessment together with treeze Ltd., the event took place at the ZHAW Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR) in Wädenswil.
Researchers, industry representatives, and consultants discussed the quality, transparency, and future of PV life cycle data. Their exchanges shed light on how evolving supply chains, new materials, and circular design strategies are shaping the environmental footprint of solar power systems worldwide.
Key Insights from the Forum
The presentations and discussions highlighted several important developments in the field of PV life cycle assessment:
- Reduced emissions – Estimates of greenhouse gas emissions across the PV value chain have decreased markedly in recent years, reflecting higher material efficiency and updated upstream life cycle inventories.
- Improved data transparency – For the first time, comprehensive and comparable life cycle inventory (LCI) data from a broad range of PV manufacturers are available. These data were generated through the French solar tender process, providing a valuable reference point for the global LCA community.
- New applications under environmental scrutiny – The environmental performance of emerging PV technologies and installation contexts is increasingly being examined. Examples include agrivoltaics, alpine and floating PV systems, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and thin-film CIGS modules.
ZHAW and treeze Contributions
In addition to co-organising the event, Michael Götz and Matthias Stucki from ZHAW presented insights on the global PV value chain and data quality improvements. Their work contributes up-to-date and reliable LCI datasets in the renewable energy sector. Rolf Frischknecht from treeze Ltd., co-host of the LCA Discussion Forum, shared perspectives on the life cycle assessment of building-integrated photovoltaic systems.
A further highlight of the day was a guided tour of the newly inaugurated agrivoltaic pilot plant at the ZHAW Campus Wädenswil. The installation demonstrates how solar electricity generation and agricultural production can be combined to make more efficient use of land and resources.
A Platform for Exchange and Collaboration
The 91st LCA Discussion Forum once again demonstrated the importance of dialogue between science, industry, and policy. By sharing data, methods, and perspectives, participants identified pathways toward more consistent and transparent LCA data for the rapidly expanding photovoltaic sector.
A full record of the conference, including all presentations, will soon be available here:
91st LCA Discussion Forum – Photovoltaic Systems