Deciphering the Chemical Footprint of Renewables

Abstract

Renewable energy technologies are expected to see substantial growth in development and deployment for combating climate change. However, their current manufacturing, deployment, operation, and end-of-life management involve many hazardous chemicals, which can be released at various stages of the life cycle, posing significant risks to human health and the environment, and potentially undermining the overall sustainability benefits of renewable energy technologies. Given the long lifespan of renewable energy technology infrastructure, such chemical impacts may persist for decades, underscoring the need to urgently address both existing and future risks throughout the life cycles of various technologies as deployment scales up. Building on emerging evidence across renewable technologies, we emphasize that their environmental benefits should be achieved while minimizing risks to human and ecosystem health. To foster a sustainable energy transition, greater attention is warranted toward the embedded chemical footprint. This includes improving the measurements, transparency, and early consideration of chemical impacts in renewable technology development, and identifying and addressing chemical impact hotspots across existing technologies. Achieving this requires collaborative efforts across renewable energy and energy storage sectors and beyond.