Recent publications

Volkart, K., Bauer, C., Boulet, C. (2013) Life cycle assessment of carbon capture and storage in power generation and industry in Europe. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. 16:91-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2013.03.003

Eckle, P. & Burgherr, P. (2013) Bayesian data analysis of severe fatal accident risk in the oil chain. Risk Analysis 33(1): 146-160. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2012.01848.x.

Eckle, P., Burgherr, P. & Michaux, E. (2012) Risk of Large Oil Spills: A Statistical Analysis in the Aftermath of Deepwater Horizon. Environmental Science & Technology 46 (23), pp 13002–13008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es3029523

Burgherr, P., Eckle, P., Hirschberg, S. (2012) Comparative assessment of severe accident risks in the coal, oil and natural gas chains. Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 105: 97–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2012.03.020

Simons A., Bauer C. (2012) Life cycle assessment of the European pressurized reactor and the influence of different fuel cycle strategies. In: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy, 226 (3) 427-444. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0957650912440549

Technology Assessment (TA) group publications by year

- TA publications 2011

- TA publications 2010

- TA publications 2009

- TA publications 2008

- TA publications 2007

- TA publications 2006

- TA publications 2005

- TA publications 1996-2004

Key sectoral publications

- Life Cycle Assessment

- Environmental Impacts & External Costs

- Risk Assessment

- Electric Sector Simulation

- MCDA / Decision Support

EU projects

Security of Energy Considering its Uncertainty, Risks and Economic Implications (SECURE)

SECURE was a research project funded by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme with the scope of building a comprehensive framework that covers the issues related to security of supply inside and outside the EU.

- SECURE-Website: http://www.secure-ec.eu/
- SECURE Policy Recommendations: download as pdf

Work Package 5.7:
- Final Report on Severe Accident Risks including Key Indicators (Deliverable No 5.7.2a )
- Analysis of Terrorism Risk for Energy Installations - Executive Summary (Deliverable No 5.7.2b )
- Final Report on Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) (Deliverable No 6.2 )
- SECURE Online MCDA Tool

New Energy Externalities Development for Sustainability (NEEDS)

The NEEDS project ended on February 2009, after 54 months of high level research and continuous interchanges among the 66 partners coming from all over Europe and beyond.

- NEEDS-Website: http://www.needs-project.org/
- Policy use of the NEEDS results: http://www.needs-project.org/docs/Needs.pdf

Research Stream 1a: LCA of new energy technologies
- Technical Paper 4.1: Technical guideline on parameterisation of life cycle inventory data
- Deliverable D7.2: Final report on technical data, costs and life cycle inventories of advanced fossil fuels

Research Stream 2b: Energy Technology Roadmap and Stakeholder Perspectives
- Deliverable 3.2: Sustainability criteria and indicators for assessment of electricity supply options
- Deliverable 5.2: Final report on quantification of economic indicators
- Deliverable 6.1: Final report on quantification of environmental indicators
- Deliverable 7.2: Final report on quantification of risk indicators
- Deliverable 10.1: Final indicator database
- Deliverable 10.2: Final report on sustainability assessment of advanced electricity supply options
- Deliverable 12.3: Implementation, evaluation and reporting on the survey on criteria and indicators for assessment of future electricity supply options

New Elements for the Assessment of External Costs from Energy Technologies (NewExt)

NewExt is the follow-up of the European Commission’s former ExternE project which developed an accounting framework to quantify the external costs from energy conversion. Due to various uncertainties, inconsistencies and criticisms, the objective of NewExt was to improve the existing framework by providing new methodological elements in four key areas which reflect the most important new developments in the assessment of external costs.

- NewExt-Website: http://www.ier.uni-stuttgart.de/forschung/projektwebsites/newext/
- Publishable NewExt Report (50 pages)
- Final NewExt Report (333 pages)
- Press Release of EU DG Research on ExternE

PSI and other reports

Bauer C., Simons A. (2010) Ökobilanz der Elektromobilität: Analyse des e-Twingos der EKZ. Eine Studie im Auftrag der Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ). PSI, Villigen, Switzerland.
Download Report (0.4 MB)

Bauer C. (2010) Ökobilanz von Lithium-Ionen Batterien. Analyse der Herstellung von Energiespeichern für den Einsatz in Batteriefahrzeugen. PSI, Villigen, Switzerland.
Download Report (0.3 MB)

Bauer, C.. (2008) Life Cycle Assessment of Fossil and Biomass Power Generation Chains. An analysis carried out for ALSTOM Power Services.PSI-Report No. 08-05. Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
Download PSI Report (0.5 MB)

Hirschberg, S., Bauer, C., Burgherr, P., Biollaz, S., Durisch, W., Foskolos, K., Hardegger, P., Meier, A., Schenler, W., Schulz, T., Stucki, S., Vogel, F. (2005) Neue Erneuerbare Energien und neue Nuklearanlagen: Potenziale und Kosten.PSI-Report No. 05-04. Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
Download PSI Report (9.6 MB)

Burgherr P. & Hirschberg S. (2005). Comparative assessment of natural gas accident risks. PSI Report No. 05-01, Villigen-PSI, January 2005.
Download PSI Report (2.4 MB)

Hirschberg, S., Dones, R., Heck, T., Burgherr, P., Schenler, W. & Bauer, C. (2004) Sustainability of Electricity Supply Technologies under German Conditions: A Comparative Evaluation. PSI-Report No.04-15. Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland.
Download PSI Report (1.8 MB)

Hirschberg S., Burgherr P., Spiekerman G., Cazzoli E., Vitazek J. & Cheng L. (2003). Comparative Assessment of Severe Accidents in the Chinese Energy Sector - China Energy Technology Program. PSI Report No. 03-04, Villigen-PSI, March 2003
Download PSI Report (1.7 MB)

China Energy Technology Program
Integrated Assessment of Sustainable Energy Systems in China. The China Energy Technology Program. A Framework for Decision Support in the Electric Sector of Shandong Province.
Series: Alliance for Global Sustainability Bookseries, Vol. 4
Eliasson, B.; Lee, Y. (Eds.)
2003, 848 p., Springer
Hardcover / Softcover with DVD

Gantner U., Jakob M. & Hirschberg S. (2001). Perspektiven der zukünftigen Strom- und Wärmeversorgung für die Schweiz - Ökologische und ökonomische Betrachtungen. PSI Report No. 01-12. Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen-PSI, Switzerland.
Download PSI Report (1.8 MB)

Hirschberg S., Spiekerman G. & Dones R. (1998). Severe Accidents in the Energy Sector. PSI Report No. 98-16, Villigen-PSI, November 1998.
Download PSI Report (2.9 MB)
Download PSI Report Appendices (1.3 MB)