Life Cycle Assessment

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LCA is the methodology for evaluating the environmental performance of goods and services taking into account the complete life cycle of every product: production, use phase and end-of-life treatment. A fundamental aspect of any LCA are the Life Cycle Inventories (LCI) which account for the main energy and material requirements as well as the emissions to the natural environment of the single processes of all activities associated with the life cycle of a product. Through their quantification a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts on human health, ecosystems and the availability of resources can be made. The main source of LCI data used by the Technology Assessment group (and to which the group is contributing in terms of supply of LCI data) is the world’s most advanced LCA database: ecoinvent. The Technology Assessment group focuses on the assessment of current and future energy systems for electricity and heat supply, as well as on passenger and freight transport systems. The scope includes fossil, nuclear and renewable energy chains and conventional as well as innovative drivetrain technologies for transport systems. LCA requires analyzing complete “energy chains” or “transport chains”, from raw materials extraction through processing, transport, energy conversion or vehicle operation, and waste management. The cumulative results of the inventories, depicting the “true” environmental impact of products, allow fair comparisons of the environmental performance of energy and mobility services to be made. The environmental inventories are also used in the estimation of impacts and associated external costs using the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) methodology. The environmental profiles of energy and transport technologies are essential inputs to the group’s implementation of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA).

Selected project results

CARMA - Carbon management in power generation

CARMA Website: http://www.carma.ethz.ch/

Within the framework of future energy scenarios, the CARMA project aims to explore the potential and feasibility of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) systems in Switzerland. Furthermore, it aims to exploit available expertise to develop new CCS technologies and know-how that might be applied in Switzerland and worldwide. The technology assessment group is responsible for the environmental and economic assessment of CCS technologies potentially implemented in the power sector and other industries in Switzerland within the next decades. Based on this assessment and also taking into account social criteria, a wide range of technological options for reduction of the Swiss greenhouse gas emissions – covering also the residential and the mobility sector – will be evaluated in future scenarios in order to identify potential trade-offs in implementing sustainable strategies.

Life cycle assessments are carried out for fossil and biomass power generation as well as cement production in 2025 and 2050. The implementation of CCS significantly reduces the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of CCS power plants compared to their reference plants (Figure 1). The reduction is lower than implied by the CO2 capture rate due to the impacts of up- and downstream processes and the increased fuel use.

Figure 1: Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of the European electricity production from hard coal, lignite, natural gas and wood in 2025 and 2050 with and without CCS differentiated by the life cycle phases using the IPCC 2007 method (modified). Results in kg CO2-equivalents/kWhel. PC: Pulverised coal, IGCC: Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, ATR: Auto-Thermal Reforming; SNG: Synthetic Natural Gas.

Despite the increased fuel use and subsequent burdens, the CO2 transport and storage and the use additional equipment and chemicals, CCS plants show a reduction of the overall environmental impacts compared to their reference plant without CCS from a life cycle perspective (Figure 2). This reduction is nevertheless much smaller than the reduction in the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, which are primarily targeted by CCS.

Figure 2: Overall life cycle environmental burdens of the European electricity production from hard coal, lignite, natural gas and wood in 2025 and 2050 with and without CCS differentiated by impact category using ReCiPe method (modified). Results in ReCiPe (Europe Hierarchist/Average weighting) milli-points/kWhel. PC: Pulverised coal, IGCC: Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, ATR: Auto-Thermal Reforming; SNG: Synthetic Natural Gas.

THELMA - Technology-centered Electric Mobility Assessment

THELMA Website: http://www.thelma-emobility.net/

This project aims at understanding the multi-criteria, sustainability implications of widespread use of electric vehicles in Switzerland. The term “electric vehicles” includes hybrid cars, battery electric vehicles with and without a conventional engine as range extender, and also fuel cell (hybrid) vehicles. In the LCA task of this project, the Technology Assessment group is carrying out the evaluation of the environmental performance of vehicle technologies (2- and 4-wheelers) including the different fuel supply chains for fossil fuels, electricity, hydrogen and synthetic fuels with biogenic feedstocks. Besides analyzing currently available vehicles, the project is focusing on potential technology development and its implications of the associated environmental burdens until 2050. This task is performed in collaboration with the Life Cycle Assessment and Modeling unit at Empa.

Figure. 1: Greenhouse Gas emissions of current and near future passenger vehicles in the compact car class. On top: Six battery electric vehicles with two different battery types (lithium-ion and ZEBRA), each with three different electricity mixes for charging. Below: four fuel cell vehicles, fuelled with hydrogen from SMR of natural gas or electrolysis with three different electricity mixes. Further below: plug in hybrids, 80% of total distance driven with electricity (from three different power mixes), 20% with gasoline. At the bottom: conventional fossil fuelled vehicles.
ZEBRA: NiNaCl battery; RER: Europe, EU-27; FC: fuel cell; SMR: steam methane reforming of natural gas; EURO 5: current most stringent emissions standard in Europe.

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Recent publications

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

Bauer C., Frischknecht R., Eckle P., Flury K., Neal T., Papp K., Schori S., Simons A., Stucki M., Treyer K. (2012) Umweltauswirkungen der Stromerzeugung in der Schweiz. Eine Studie im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Energie BFE, ESU-services & PSI, Uster & Villigen. Download report.

Althaus H.J., Bauer C. (2011) Gegenüberstellung verschiedener aktueller Schweizer Ökobilanzstudien im Bereich Elektromobilität. Eine Studie im Auftrag der EKZ, Empa & PSI, Duebendorf & Villigen. Download report.

Bauer, C. (2011) Local and regional air pollution (chapter 9.3.4.2). In: Sathaye, J., O. Lucon, A. Rahman, J. Christensen, F. Denton, J. Fujino, G. Heath, S. Kadner, M. Mirza,H. Rudnick, A. Schlaepfer, A. Shmakin, 2011: Renewable Energy in the Context of Sustainable Energy. In IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation [O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, K. Seyboth, P. Matschoss, S. Kadner, T. Zwickel, P. Eickemeier, G. Hansen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow (eds)], Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Online: http://srren.ipcc-wg3.de/report

Simons A., Bauer C. (2011) Life Cycle Assessment of Hydrogen Production. In: Wilhelm E. and Wokaun A. (Eds.) Transition to Hydrogen: Pathways Toward Clean Transportation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Link.

Simons A., Bauer C., Heck T. (2010) The Quantification of Environmental Indicators for Sustainability Assessment of Future Electricity Supply Options. PSI report 10-10, ISSN 1019-0643, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland.

Bauer C., Schenler, W., Marcucci A., Hirschberg S., Burgherr P., Roth S., Zepf N. (2009) Systemvergleich von Strom- und Wärmeversorgung mit zentralen und dezentralen Anlagen. Eine Studie im Rahmen des „Energietrialog Schweiz“. Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Schweiz. Online: http://www.energietrialog.ch/cm_data/Axpo_PSI_zentral_dezentral_2009.pdf

Bauer C., Heck T., Dones R., Mayer-Spohn O., Blesl M. (2009) Final report on technical data, costs, and life cycle inventories of advanced fossil power generation systems. NEEDS deliverable n° 7.2 – RS 1a, NEEDS project, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium. Online: Download Report.

- For a complete list of TA publications click here.

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Contact persons

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