Changing the Power Source in the Technological Process as an Element of Sustainable Development

Electricity production is one of the most significant sources of environmental pollution. Traditional energy sources involve environmental devastation associated with the extraction of fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, dust, and the byproducts of ash and other harmful substances. Therefore, the choice of energy source directly impacts the environmental impact of technological processes. Obtaining energy from sources that do not generate such a significant negative impact on the environment, such as hydroelectric power plants or wind farms, is not always possible, as it depends on the location of a given enterprise near rivers or areas with regularly strong winds. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the environmental impact of switching the power source for the technological process of mass bottle packaging from grid-connected to photovoltaic power. To this end, a 1 MW photovoltaic PV installation was designed to replace traditional grid-connected power. The design was carried out using PVsyst 7.4 software. An analysis of the monthly yields from the PV installation showed that it could power the analyzed technological process independently for ten months of the year, excluding January and December. Using Simapro 9.6 software and the Ecoinvent database, an environmental impact analysis of the change in electricity source was conducted. The study showed that powering the process with energy from the proposed photovoltaic farm reduces the potential environmental impact by approximately 75% in terms of human health, approximately 65% in terms of ecosystems, and approximately 50% in terms of resources.