title: Illustrating anticipatory life cycle assessment for emerging photovoltaic technologies.
abstract: Current research policy and strategy documents recommend applying life cycle assessment (LCA) early in research and development (R&D) to guide emerging technologies toward decreased environmental burden. However, existing LCA practices are ill-suited to support these recommendations. Barriers related to data availability, rapid technology change, and isolation of environmental from technical research inhibit application of LCA to developing technologies. Overcoming these challenges requires methodological advances that help identify environmental opportunities prior to large R&D investments. Such an anticipatory approach to LCA requires synthesis of social, environmental, and technical knowledge beyond the capabilities of current practices. This paper introduces a novel framework for anticipatory LCA that incorporates technology forecasting, risk research, social engagement, and comparative impact assessment, then applies this framework to photovoltaic (PV) technologies. These examples illustrate the potential for anticipatory LCA to prioritize research questions and help guide environmentally responsible innovation of emerging technologies.
authors.affiliation: School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University (ASU) , Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States.
authors.forename: Ben A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Wender
authors.forename: Rider W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Foley
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Prado-Lopez
authors.forename: Dwarakanath
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ravikumar
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Troy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hottle
authors.forename: Jathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sadowski
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laurin
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Linkov
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Seager
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Guston
mesh_terms: D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008420:Manufactured Materials; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011050:Policy Making; D012306:Risk; D013672:Technology / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends