How sustainable is solar energy? TEA@SUNRISE’s new report evaluates the sustainability of both current and emerging solar technologies across three pillars: environmental, social, and economic. It then proposes key policy actions for ensuring a sustainable, resilient, and just solar transition.
The Sustainability Challenge
Solar photovoltaics (PV) have become the fastest growing source of renewable electricity worldwide, surpassing 1.4 terawatts of installed capacity in 2023. Current deployment models have delivered tangible environmental benefits, but now face sustainability challenges related to coal-intensive manufacturing, supply-chain concentration, and end-of-life management. These risks – environmental, economic, and social – are particularly acute for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where energy access goals intersect with systemic vulnerabilities.
In a new report, we provide evidence-based guidance to accelerate PV adoption in LMICs while safeguarding environmental integrity, economic resilience, and social justice. We evaluate current silicon technologies alongside emerging ones such as perovskite and organic photovoltaics, identifying risks and opportunities acrosss three pillars of sustainability.
Three Pillars for Sustainable Solar
1. Environmental Sustainability
PV delivers major climate benefits, but coal-heavy production can extend carbon payback times to a decade. Circular design and clean manufacturing are essential to avoid locking in new, avoidable environmental harms.
2. Economic Sustainability
Solar is now the lowest-cost source of electricity globally, yet over 80% of modules and 95% of wafers originate from a single country, creating systemic vulnerability. Material bottlenecks – silver, indium, tin – must be addressed through substitution and recovery.
3. Social Sustainability
Forced labour risks in upstream supply chains pose serious reputational, regulatory, and legitimacy challenges to the energy transition. Next-generation PV offers pathways for localised production and inclusive industrial strategies, provided ethical standards and tehcnology transfer are embedded clearly.
Key Policy Actions for a Just Solar Transition
To achieve a just and resilient solar transition, governments and development partners should act immediately across five fronts:
- Diversify and decarbonise supply chains: Support regional manufacturing powered by clean electricity and transparent labour practices.
- Embed circularity from the outset: Mandate design-for-disassembly standards, extended producer responsibility (EPR), and invest in recycling infrastructure.
- Mandate ethical sourcing and traceability: Eliminate forced labour risks through independent audits and enforceable social safeguards.
- Accelerate innovation in next-generation PV: Target R&D funding for scalable, low-toxicity processing and material substitution to reduce reliance on critical raw materials.
- Leverage procurement and finance for sustainability: Reward sustainable designs, create markets for secondary materials, and enable local manufacturing in LMICs.
Without decisive action, the world risks locking in new forms of avoidable environmental harm, supply dependency, and social injustice. By contrast, strategic interventions now can deliver a solar future that is not only low-carbon but truly sustainable.
TEA@SUNRISE is part of the Transforming Energy Access platform funded by UK aid from the UK Government to support the technologies, business models and skills needed to enable an inclusive, clean energy transition.
This report has been funded by UK aid from the UK government; however the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.