Life cycle assessments
Solar & Energy
Measurable sustainability
Life cycle assessments (LCA) illustrate the ecological impact of a product over its entire life cycle, from raw materials through manufacturing and use to recycling. They create transparency, show potential savings and form the basis for well-founded decisions in photovoltaics.
LCAs are particularly important for Fronius because they provide measurable proof of the company’s own sustainability claims: durable products, high repairability, and responsible use of resources. At the same time, they provide customers and partners with reliable data for planning, tenders, and sustainability targets.
This makes it clear what tangible contribution Fronius technologies are making to a climate-friendly future.
GEN24 Plus: Sophisticated product design
The Fronius GEN24 Plus represents all product phases, from raw materials and production to use and end-of-life, in a consistent technical concept. It consists of around 400 components and roughly 2,500 individual parts, whose material, weight and origin were examined in detail based on actual disassembly and measurements. These include components such as aluminum heat sinks, PC boards, coils, and plastics.
The GEN24 Plus has a clearly comprehensible efficiency and loss profile with 96-97% efficiency in the use phase. Nighttime consumption was also carefully recorded, as it makes a significant contribution to overall performance in the long term.
The life cycle assessment indicates a CO₂ payback time of 0.7 to 3.3 years, depending on the device type and location. Up to 516,332 kg CO₂-e can be saved over the service life of a PV system. Overall, the environmental benefits exceed the costs by a factor of 9.1 to 44.9.
This provides specialist companies with reliable data for planning and tenders. End customers benefit from a system with transparent, measured performance values and complete traceability.
Efficiency you can feel
The GEN24 Plus demonstrates clear, measurable performance characteristics during real-world operation. In addition to efficiency indicators, the assessment also covers the effect of individual energy losses on the system’s overall consumption. These include electrical conversion losses during generation, the proportion of the total energy demand attributable to components, and the specific night-time consumption, which can have a major influence on the annual balance depending on the power mix.
In the LCA model, the inverter accounts for different proportions of the PV system’s overall impact, depending on its location. This provides specialist planners with a solid foundation to better compare systems and evaluate system sizes and operating strategies. Commercial customers benefit from clearly calculable operating costs over the entire service life of around 20 years.
Fix it, don’t pitch it
Planners and operators are putting more and more focus on how a product can be recycled at the end of its service life. Various end-of-life scenarios were modeled for the GEN24 Plus, from simple disposal to detailed recycling processes including the removal of the six heaviest components such as aluminum heat sinks or EMC covers. Metal recycling, in particular, delivers clear benefits as it replaces costly primary production. Another relevant factor is the repairability. Replacing individual components, such as fans or communication modules, provides a distinct advantage over replacing the entire device and prevents unnecessary carbon emissions. This ensures lower service costs and higher system availability.
Further information
A detailed white paper is available for download here:
GEN24 Plus: Sophisticated product design
The Fronius Tauro has been designed to work reliably even where PV systems are exposed to heavy loads, be it heat, dust or long operating times. With 960 recorded and modeled components, its technical structure reveals an impressive level of detail. Each individual component was examined in terms of weight, material and function, including aluminum components, steel parts, coil cores and power electronics. This precise documentation process provides an exceptionally clear insight into the entire product structure.
The Fronius Tauro is mechanically resilient and thermally stable, and at the same time easily accessible for servicing. Its ease of repair significantly reduces carbon emissions, as repairs are much more environmentally friendly than completely replacing the device. What’s more, the high proportion of recycled aluminum in the components improves its carbon footprint during production. The Tauro is technically robust and designed to be sustainable from the ground up.
The life cycle assessment indicates a CO₂ payback time of 0.6 to 3 years, depending on the location. Over the service life of a PV system, up to 6,658,890 kg of CO₂-e can be saved.
Overall, the environmental benefits exceed the costs by a factor of 10 to 52.
Reliable yields and transparent operating behavior
During daily operation, it’s clear to see why Fronius Tauro was developed for large systems. With an efficiency of 97.5-97.8% (depending on location and conditions), it delivers consistently high performance. In addition to the efficiency values, all energy losses were also recorded in detail, including conversion losses, operating hours and the respective night-time consumption, which can play an important role depending on the power mix.
For installers, this creates a reliable basis for precise planning and optimization. Commercial and industrial operators get a clear picture of how the Tauro behaves in the long term and which factors influence its performance.
System operators also benefit because the Tauro is stable, even at high temperatures, and exhibits transparent, easily comprehensible operating behavior based on real measurement data over many years.
Built to last, repairable to the end
Another key advantage of the Fronius Tauro is its long service life combined with straightforward repair options. Typical service cases such as the replacement of an external fan, a control board or a power module can be carried out quickly and are significantly more efficient than replacing the entire device. This extends the service life of the system and makes maintenance predictable.
From a technical standpoint, the end of life of the Tauro has also been carefully thought out, down to the last detail: The assessment looks at various end-of-life strategies, from conventional disposal to recycling with targeted disassembly. The recycling of heavy aluminum components in particular has a noticeable effect and provides important key figures for large-scale commercial projects.
For PV system operators, this means that not only is the Tauro is designed for many years of operation, its components can be clearly and sensibly recycled at the end. Repair, spare parts strategy, and recycling all come together perfectly for long-lasting, sustainable and well-documented operation.
Further information
A detailed white paper is available for download here: