LiSET: A framework for early-stage life cycle screening of emerging technologies

While life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool often used to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and technologies, the amount of data required to perform such studies make the evaluation of emerging technologies using the conventional LCA approach challenging. The development paradox is such that the inputs from a comprehensive environmental assessment has the greatest effect early in the development phase, and yet the data required to perform such an assessment are generally lacking until it is too late. Previous attempts to formalize strategies for performing streamlined or screening LCAs were made in the late 1990s and early 2000s, mostly to rapidly compare the environmental performance of product design candidates. These strategies lack the transparency and consistency required for the environmental screening of large numbers of early‐development candidates, for which data are even sparser. We propose the Lifecycle Screening of Emerging Technologies method (LiSET). LiSET is an adaptable screening‐to‐LCA method that uses the available data to systematically and transparently evaluate the environmental performance of technologies at low readiness levels. Iterations follow technological development and allow a progression to a full LCA if desired. In early iterations, LiSET presents results in a matrix structure combined with a “traffic light” color grading system. This format inherently communicates the high uncertainty of analysis at this stage and presents numerous environmental aspects assessed. LiSET takes advantage of a decomposition analysis and data not traditionally used in LCAs to gain insight to the life cycle impacts and ensure that the most environmentally sustainable technologies are adopted

Regionalized climate footprints of battery electric vehicles in Europe

The climate mitigation benefits of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) relative to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) are highly dependent on the carbon intensity of the electricity consumed during their production and use-phase. A consistent and dynamic approach to grid-mix regionalization of BEV life-cycle assessments in Europe is therefore necessary to offer accurate guidance to consumers and policy makers. To this end, we present ReDyFEV, a simple open-source software tool that can be used to calculate attributional, regionalized lifecycle climate impacts of BEVs in Europe for user-defined time periods, including near real-time. We determine the national lifecycle carbon footprints across all EU states for four BEV size segments and compare them to those of fossil-fuelled vehicles of similar sizes. Simplified sensitivity analyses investigate the effect of lifetime assumptions, electricity demand in battery production, and of relocating battery production to Europe on the carbon footprints of BEVs

Nanotechnology for environmentally sustainable electromobility

Electric vehicles (EVs) powered by lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) or proton exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cells (PEMFCs) offer important potential climate change mitigation effects when combined with clean energy sources. The development of novel nanomaterials may bring about the next wave of technical improvements for LIBs and PEMFCs. If the next generation of EVs is to lead to not only reduced emissions during use but also environmentally sustainable production chains, the research on nanomaterials for LIBs and PEMFCs should be guided by a life-cycle perspective. In this Analysis, we describe an environmental life-cycle screening framework tailored to assess nanomaterials for electromobility. By applying this framework, we offer an early evaluation of the most promising nanomaterials for LIBs and PEMFCs and their potential contributions to the environmental sustainability of EV life cycles. Potential environmental trade-offs and gaps in nanomaterials research are identified to provide guidance for future nanomaterial developments for electromobility

Identifying key assumptions and differences in life cycle assessment studies of lithium-ion traction batteries with focus on greenhouse gas emissions

The various studies that consider the life cycle environmental impacts of lithium-ion traction batteries report widely different results. This article evaluates the inventory data and results to identify the key assumptions and differences in the studies. To aid the identification, we compile the reported life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of batteries. The studies find production-related emissions in the range of 38-356 kg CO2-eq/kWh. One of the main sources of the large variations stems from differing assumptions regarding direct energy demand associated with cell manufacture and pack assembly. Further differences are due to assumptions regarding the amount of cell materials and other battery components. The indirect emissions associated with the use phase depend on the conversion losses in the battery, the energy required to transport the weight of the battery, and the carbon intensity of the electricity. Of the reviewed studies assessing the use phase, all estimate energy use associated with conversion losses while only one considers the mass-induced energy requirement. Although there are several industrial end-of- life treatment alternatives for lithium-ion batteries, very few studies consider this life cycle stage. Studies using the “recycled content” approach report emissions in the range of 3.6-27 kg CO2-eq/kWh battery, while studies using the “end-of-life" approach report emission reductions in the range of 16-32 kg CO2- eq/kWh battery. The uncertainty associated with the end-of-life results is high as the data availability on industrial process is limited. Based on our findings, we discuss how the life emissions of lithium-ion traction batteries may be reduced

Regionalized climate footprints of battery electric vehicles in Europe

The climate mitigation benefits of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) relative to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) are highly dependent on the carbon intensity of the electricity consumed during their production and use-phase. A consistent and dynamic approach to grid-mix regionalization of BEV life-cycle assessments in Europe is therefore necessary to offer accurate guidance to consumers and policy makers. To this end, we present ReDyFEV, a simple open-source software tool that can be used to calculate attributional, regionalized lifecycle climate impacts of BEVs in Europe for user-defined time periods, including near real-time. We determine the national lifecycle carbon footprints across all EU states for four BEV size segments and compare them to those of fossil-fuelled vehicles of similar sizes. Simplified sensitivity analyses investigate the effect of lifetime assumptions, electricity demand in battery production, and of relocating battery production to Europe on the carbon footprints of BEVs

Emissions of electric vehicle charging in future scenarios: The effects of time of charging

Electrification of transport is an important option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Although many studies have analyzed emission implications of electric vehicle charging, time-specific emission effects of charging are inadequately understood. Here, we combine climate protection scenarios for Europe for the year 2050, detailed power system simulation at hourly time steps, and life cycle assessment of electricity in order to explore the influence of time on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electric vehicle charging for representative days. We consider both average and short-term marginal emissions. We find that the mix of electricity generation technologies, and thus, also the emissions of charging, vary appreciably across the 24-h day. In our estimates for Europe for 2050, an assumed day-charging regime yields one-third-to-one-half lower average emissions than an assumed night-charging regime. This is owing to high fractions of solar PV in the electricity mix during daytime and more reliance on natural gas electricity in the late evening and night. The effect is stronger during summer months than during winter months, with day charging causing one-half-to-two-thirds lower emissions than night charging during summer. Also, when short-term marginal electricity is assumed, emissions tend to be lower with day charging because of contributions from nuclear electricity during the day. However, the results for short-term marginal electricity have high uncertainty. Overall, our results suggest a need for electric vehicle charging policies and emission assessments to take into consideration variations in electricity mixes and time profiles of vehicle charging over the 24-h day

Impact of fuel selection on the environmental performance of post-combustion calcium looping applied to a cement plant

Calcium looping CO2 capture is a promising technology to reduce CO2 emissions from cement production. Coal has been seen as a logical choice of fuel to drive the calcium looping process as coal is already the primary fuel used to produce cement. This study assesses the impact of using different fuels, namely coal, natural gas, woody biomass and a fuel mix (50% coal, 25% biomass and 25% animal meal), on the environmental performance of tail-end calcium looping applied to the clinker production at a cement plant in North-western Europe. Process modelling was applied to determine the impact of the different fuels on the mass and energy balance of the process which were subsequently used to carry out a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental performance of the different systems. Using natural gas, biomass or a fuel mix instead of coal in a tail-end calcium looping process can improve the efficiency of the process, as it decreases fuel, limestone and electricity consumption. Consequently, while coal-fired calcium looping can reduce the global warming potential (life cycle CO2 emissions) of clinker production by 75%, the use of natural gas further decreases these emissions (reduction of 86%) and biomass use could results in an almost carbon neutral (reduction of 95% in the fuel mix case) or net negative process (−104% reduction in the biomass case). Furthermore, replacing coal with natural gas or biomass reduces most other environmental impact categories as well, mostly due to avoided impacts from coal production. The level of improvement strongly depends on whether spent sorbent can be utilized in clinker production, and to what extent sequestered biogenic CO2 can reduce global warming potential. Overall, the results illustrate the potential of using alternative fuels to improve the environmental performance of tail-end calcium looping in the cement industry

Impact of fuel selection on the environmental performance of post-combustion calcium looping applied to a cement plant

Calcium looping CO2 capture is a promising technology to reduce CO2 emissions from cement production. Coal has been seen as a logical choice of fuel to drive the calcium looping process as coal is already the primary fuel used to produce cement. This study assesses the impact of using different fuels, namely coal, natural gas, woody biomass and a fuel mix (50% coal, 25% biomass and 25% animal meal), on the environmental performance of tail-end calcium looping applied to the clinker production at a cement plant in North-western Europe. Process modelling was applied to determine the impact of the different fuels on the mass and energy balance of the process which were subsequently used to carry out a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental performance of the different systems. Using natural gas, biomass or a fuel mix instead of coal in a tail-end calcium looping process can improve the efficiency of the process, as it decreases fuel, limestone and electricity consumption. Consequently, while coal-fired calcium looping can reduce the global warming potential (life cycle CO2 emissions) of clinker production by 75%, the use of natural gas further decreases these emissions (reduction of 86%) and biomass use could results in an almost carbon neutral (reduction of 95% in the fuel mix case) or net negative process (−104% reduction in the biomass case). Furthermore, replacing coal with natural gas or biomass reduces most other environmental impact categories as well, mostly due to avoided impacts from coal production. The level of improvement strongly depends on whether spent sorbent can be utilized in clinker production, and to what extent sequestered biogenic CO2 can reduce global warming potential. Overall, the results illustrate the potential of using alternative fuels to improve the environmental performance of tail-end calcium looping in the cement industry

Impact of fuel selection on the environmental performance of post-combustion calcium looping applied to a cement plant

Calcium looping CO2 capture is a promising technology to reduce CO2 emissions from cement production. Coal has been seen as a logical choice of fuel to drive the calcium looping process as coal is already the primary fuel used to produce cement. This study assesses the impact of using different fuels, namely coal, natural gas, woody biomass and a fuel mix (50% coal, 25% biomass and 25% animal meal), on the environmental performance of tail-end calcium looping applied to the clinker production at a cement plant in North-western Europe. Process modelling was applied to determine the impact of the different fuels on the mass and energy balance of the process which were subsequently used to carry out a life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental performance of the different systems. Using natural gas, biomass or a fuel mix instead of coal in a tail-end calcium looping process can improve the efficiency of the process, as it decreases fuel, limestone and electricity consumption. Consequently, while coal-fired calcium looping can reduce the global warming potential (life cycle CO2 emissions) of clinker production by 75%, the use of natural gas further decreases these emissions (reduction of 86%) and biomass use could results in an almost carbon neutral (reduction of 95% in the fuel mix case) or net negative process (−104% reduction in the biomass case). Furthermore, replacing coal with natural gas or biomass reduces most other environmental impact categories as well, mostly due to avoided impacts from coal production. The level of improvement strongly depends on whether spent sorbent can be utilized in clinker production, and to what extent sequestered biogenic CO2 can reduce global warming potential. Overall, the results illustrate the potential of using alternative fuels to improve the environmental performance of tail-end calcium looping in the cement industry

Hvordan måle grønn konkurransekraft i norske kommuner og fylkeskommuner?

Norske kommuner og fylkeskommuner tar i økende grad en aktiv rolle i “det grønne skiftet”. Grønn konkurransekraft og bærekraftig verdiskaping er begrep som kobler klima, miljø og bærekraft tettere med næringsutvikling. Prosjektet "Veikart for grønn konkurransekraft i norske kommuner og regioner" er et samarbeid mellom to fylkeskommuner og fire kommuner som så et behov for å utvide forståelsen av disse begrepene for å ta mer hensyn til f.eks. miljømål satt gjennom EUs taksonomi. Denne ståstedsrapporten beskriver og kommenterer et utkast til et dynamisk indikatorsett for å måle og vurdere grønn konkurransekraft i norske kommuner og fylkeskommuner. Settet er basert på en revurdering og utvidelse av indikatorsettet presentert i rapporten "Kartlegging av grønn konkurransekraft i Trondheimsregionen" (Bysveen, Wiebe, Støa, & Johansen, 2020). Det er lagt opp slik at det dekker bredt, tatt i betraktning dagens kunnskap og tilgang til data, men kan enkelt justeres ved behov og ny kunnskap. Indikatorene bidrar til å vurdere status og måloppnåelse, å analysere endringer og trender eller å sammenligne mellom regioner. Arbeidet er også utgangspunkt for metodikk til å prognostisere fremtidig utvikling og vurdere effekter av ulike virkemidler på flere aspekter av grønn konkurransekraft.Hvordan måle grønn konkurransekraft i norske kommuner og fylkeskommuner?publishedVersio