Solar green hydrogen: A critical life cycle perspective on environmental sustainability and circular economy integration
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This perspective critically synthesizes Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) literature on solar‐powered hydrogen production, evaluating environmental sustainability and proposing an integrated Circular Economy LCA (CE‐LCA) framework. While solar electrolysis offers zero operational emissions, the environmental footprint is overwhelmingly “front‐loaded” in manufacturing infrastructure, with Global Warming Potential ranging from 0.37 to 14.2 kg CO 2 ‐eq/kg H 2 depending on technology and manufacturing energy mix. Carbon‐centric LCAs are inherently subjective, failing to capture broader environmental damage, resource depletion, social inequalities, and “green colonialism.” The manuscript makes three contributions: critically synthesizing green colonialism within the hydrogen transition, showing how carbon‐focused LCAs render extractive injustices invisible; proposing a CE‐LCA framework incorporating material circularity indicators; and combining prospective LCA with supply chain vulnerability analysis, demonstrating that technological learning alone is insufficient without circular strategies. Emerging pathways (photoelectrochemical, thermochemical) achieve GWP below 2.5 kg CO 2 ‐eq/kg H 2 but require iridium, platinum, and rare earths with significant supply chain risks. Water consumption ranges 9–35 L/kg H 2 , maritime transport can contribute up to 95% of life cycle emissions, and dynamic electrolyzer operation with intermittent renewables reduces efficiency 5–15% and increases degradation 20–40%. Embedding circularity via material passports, urban mining, industrial symbiosis, and design for disassembly can substantially mitigate these trade‐offs. We advocate for dynamic, prospective LCA integrated with multi‐objective optimization and circular economy indicators to guide a hydrogen economy that is low‐carbon, resource‐efficient, economically viable, socially responsible, and circular.
DOI: 10.1002/ep.70672
Author: Alberto Boretti
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Engineering
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,810
OpenAlex ID: W7208836751