B.4 Conclusion

The solar-lighting products considered in this case have a lower impact than current lighting solutions, but are comparable to grid power. However, their environmental profile can be improved by adequate battery waste management. Still, one should be careful when interpreting the results of this study, as there are a number of data points with a relatively low data quality. For instance, waste management of PV is not well understood; because of the short existence of PV technology, end-of-life scenarios have not yet been perfected. Also, no good models exist yet to determine the effect of materials degradation directly in nature. LCA data are often based on European conditions, which assume well-managed landfill sites.