Nhận biết (M1)

Having demonstrated that the power conversion efficiency of new perovskite photovoltaic cells is nearly indistinguishable from that of cells recycled multiple times, Xun Xiao and colleagues evaluated the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE)—a measure of cost per produced electricity unit that incorporates materials acquisition costs as well as operating costs—for power plants utilizing each type of cell. With a modeled 15-year cell lifetime, the LCOE of plants using new cells was 4.99 cents per kilowatt hour, whereas that of plants using cells recycled three times was 4.05 cents per kilowatt hour. Moreover, the LCOE differential rose from 18.8% to 31.3% when the modeled cell lifetime was reduced by two-thirds.

Based on the text, which choice, if true, best accounts for the observation presented in the underlined sentence?

• A.

  Reducing the modeled lifetime of the cells increases the cumulative cost of recycling for both types of power plants to a similar degree.

• B.

  Because the materials in new cells are more expensive than those in recycled cells, replacing cells more frequently entails a greater disparity in the cumulative costs of the two types of power plants.

• C.

  The LCOE of power plants using recycled cells does not change when the cells are recycled more frequently.

• D.

  Reducing the modeled lifetime of the cells raises the operating costs of power plants using new cells but not those of power plants using recycled cells.