User Guide for Photovoltaic (PV) Module Benefits Calculator
May 2024

Introduction
The GEC EPEAT calculator for photovoltaic (PV) modules quantiﬁes the carbon emission savings from installing EPEAT
registered PV modules that meet the EPEAT Criteria for the Assessment of Ultra-Low Carbon Solar Modules 1,
compared to the average solar module on the global market. The calculator uses the capacity for electricity
generation of a solar installation (in kWp) as the basis for the calculation. Results are presented as the reduction ingreenhouse gas emissions (or global warming potential, GWP), measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents(kg CO2e) attributed to the installation of EPEAT registered low carbon modules. The carbon savings are associatedwith the production of the module and its raw materials and components and demonstrate that how and where PV
modules are produced can reduce the carbon impact (i.e., Scope 3 emissions) of solar installations.
**This PV calculator does not include the carbon savings associated with the generation of electricity fromthe solar installation as compared to the generation of electricity from other sources or impacts associatedwith end-of-life management of PV modules. **Finally, note that while EPEAT PV criteria address multiple sustainability impacts across the life cycle of PV modules,
the PV calculator currently is limited in scope to the EPEAT carbon criteria that establish carbon emission limits forthe production of PV modules. Calculator users can estimate carbon savings for PV modules achieving Low Carbon
and Ultra-Low Carbon Solar Criteria. In addition, while EPEAT covers PV modules and inverters, at this time, thecalculator only covers PV modules.

How Carbon Reductions are Calculated
The GEC PV calculator compares the carbon emissions of an EPEAT registered PV module, meeting either the Low
Carbon or Ultra-Low Carbon Criteria, to the average solar module on the global market (referred to herein as“baseline module”). Carbon emissions for the baseline module are based on life cycle inventory (LCI) data publishedby the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Program (PVPS) Task 12 in 2020. 2 Global market
data for PV module production was then applied to the LCI data, resulting in a weighted average for embodied
carbon for PV modules on the global market (baseline module).

1
Global Electronics Council, Criteria for the Assessment of Ultra-Low Carbon Solar Modules (EPEAT–ULCS–2023), March 17, 2023. Available
at https://globalelectronicscouncil.org/.
2
International Energy Agency, PVPS Task 12 – Life Cycle Inventories and Life Cycle Assessments of Photovoltaic Systems, and Guidelines onLife Cycle Assessment of Photovoltaic Electricity, 2020. Available at https://iea-pvps.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/IEA-PVPS-LCI-report2020.pdf

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The following values are used to calculate carbon emission savings in the GEC calculator:•••Baseline module (global weighted market average): embodied carbon equal to 857 kg CO2 eq/kWp
EPEAT Criterion 12.1, Required – Low Carbon Solar: embodied carbon less than or equal to 630 kg CO2e per
kWp
EPEAT Criterion 12.2, Optional – Ultra-Low Carbon Solar: embodied carbon less than or equal to 400 kg
CO2e per kWp

The general formula used to calculate carbon savings for EPEAT registered PV modules compared to baseline
modules is:
Installation Capacity in kWp * (baseline module kg CO2e per kWp - EPEAT criterion maximum value kg CO2e perkWp) = kg CO2e savings
More speciﬁc calculations are provided below.

How to Use the Calculator
The PV calculator allows the user to evaluate carbon savings for PV modules meeting EPEAT Criterion 12.1 (LowCarbon Solar), Criterion 4.2 (Ultra-Low Carbon Solar), or a mix. Calculations are based on the percentage of thecapacity of a solar installation (in kWp) using EPEAT registered PV modules, either low carbon or ultra-low carbon
modules.
Information icons (on the data entry and results screens) provide helpful information for usingthe calculator.

Data Entry

The user enters the following data in the PV calculator to calculate the carbon emission (GWP) savings:
1. The electricity generation capacity for the solar installation (in kWp). If the solar installation includes a mixof EPEAT registered and non-EPEAT registered modules, the user inputs only the EPEAT registered PV
module capacity.
2. Do the EPEAT registered modules meet Optional Criterion 12.2 (Ultra-Low Carbon Solar)?
•If “yes” is selected, an Optional Data Entry section appears where the user can enter the percentage ofcapacity attributed to EPEAT registered modules meeting Optional Criterion 12.2 (“Optional %”).
oIf the user leaves the Optional % section blank or enters 100, the calculator assumes that all PVmodules meet Optional Criterion 12.2, and carbon savings are calculated as:
Installation Capacity in kWp * (857 kg CO2e per kWp - 400 kg CO2e per kWp) = kg CO2e savings

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Page 2 of 3oIf the user enters a value between 1 and 100 for Optional %, the carbon savings are calculated as:
Installation Capacity in kWp * (Optional % * [(857 kg CO2e per kWp - 400 kg CO2e per kWp) + (1 –Optional %) * (857 kg CO2e per kWp - 630 kg CO2e per kWp)] = kg CO2e savings•If “no” is selected, all Installation Capacity is calculated using the maximum carbon threshold for
Criterion 12.1 (Low Carbon Solar), as follows:
Installation Capacity in kWp * (857 kg CO2e per kWp - 630 kg CO2e per kWp) = kg CO2e savingsoIf the user does not know whether the EPEAT registered PV module capacity meets Optional
Criterion 12.2, the user is encouraged to go to the EPEAT Registry (www.epeat.net), click on“Product Finder” on the top menu bar, then click on “Photovoltaics Modules and Inverters” on theleft side menu, and search for the PV module by name or brand. After finding the specific PV
module, click on the product name to view additional information. On this screen, click on the “+”button for “12. Ultra Low Carbon Solar” to see if the PV module meets Optional Criteria 12.2.

oAlternatively, select the “don’t know” option, and the calculator will assume that Optional Criterion
12.2 is not met, and carbon emissions savings are calculated using the maximum carbon thresholdvalue for Criterion 12.1:
Installation Capacity in kWp * (857 kg CO2e per kWp - 630 kg CO2e per kWp) = kg CO2 eq savings

Results

After completing the above data entry, click the “Get Results” button. The results are displayed in the column
labeled, “Greenhouse gas emission reduction, expressed as global warming potential (kg CO2 eq).” If the user
entered data for multiple products, these results are displayed along with savings for other product types. As noted
previously, only carbon reduction (GWP) results are calculated for EPEAT registered PV modules. For this reason, thecolumns for other environmental impacts are blank for PV modules.
When calculating the reduction in environmental impacts for multiple products, the carbon reductions attributed toPV modules can be viewed by scrolling down and clicking “By Product Category,” then “Photovoltaic Modules”.
Clicking “By Product Life Cycle Phase (All Products)” shows the carbon savings attributed to conformance withEPEAT’s Low and Ultra-Low Carbon Criteria in the “Raw Materials Extraction, Product Manufacturing and Transport”
line. Other life cycle stage results for PV modules are blank because the scope of the EPEAT Low and Ultra-Low
Carbon Solar Criteria is limited to the production of PV modules and its raw materials and components and does notinclude the use phase or end of life for PV modules.
Finally, expanding the “Equivalencies” drop down will provide an estimate of the number of passenger cars of theroad per year that are equivalent to the reduction in greenhouse gas reductions. Since the PV module calculator
only estimated greenhouse gas savings, all other metrics will be recorded as the default of <0.01, unless the user
entered data for other EPEAT product categories.
For assistance with the PV beneﬁts calculator, please contact Info@GEC.org.

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