Carbon footprint and water footprint of electric vehicles and batteries charging in view of various sources of power supply in the Czech Republic

In the light of recent developments regarding electric vehicle market share, we assess the carbon footprint and water footprint of electric vehicles and provide a comparative analysis of energy use from the grid to charge electric vehicle batteries in the Czech Republic. The analysis builds on the electricity generation forecast for the Czech Republic for 2015–2050. The impact of different sources of electricity supply on carbon and water footprints were analyzed based on electricity generation by source for the period. Within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the carbon footprint was calculated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, while the water footprint was determined by the Water Scarcity method. The computational LCA model was provided by the SimaPro v. 8.5 package with the Ecoinvent v. 3 database. The functional unit of study was running an electric vehicle over 100 km. The system boundary covered an electric vehicle life cycle from cradle to grave. For the analysis, we chose a vehicle powered by a lithium-ion battery with assumed consumption 19.9 kWh/100 km. The results show that electricity generated to charge electric vehicle batteries is the main determinant of carbon and water footprints related to electric vehicles in the Czech Republic. Another important factor is passenger car production. Nuclear power is the main determinant of the water footprint for the current and future electric vehicle charging, while, currently, lignite and hard coal are the main determinants of carbon footprint.Web of Science63art. no. 3

Comparative life cycle assessment of current and future electricity generation systems in the Czech Republic and Poland

Purpose The purpose of the study was to perform a comparative life cycle assessment of current and future electricity generation systems in the Czech Republic and Poland. The paper also outlines the main sources of environmental impact for the different impact categories for the electricity generation technologies analyzed. The analyses covered the years 2000-2050, and were conducted within the framework of the international programme Interreg V-A Czech Republic-Poland, Microprojects Fund 2014-2020 in the Euroregion Silesia. Methods Environmental assessment was done using the life cycle assessment (LCA) and ReCiPe Midpoint and Endpoint methods, which allowed the presentation of different categories of environmental impact and damage. The LCA was based on ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, using SimaPro 8.2.3 software with the Ecoinvent 3.2 database. The analyses cover both the current electricity production structures in the Czech Republic and Poland, and the projected energy production. Results and discussion The LCA analyses performed for the energy systems under consideration in the Czech Republic and Poland enabled a comparative analysis of current and forecast energy systems in these countries, as well as identification of the main sources of environmental impact. Comparative analysis of the LCA results showed that current and future electricity generation systems in Poland caused higher environmental impact there, than in the Czech Republic. Conclusions The assessment of the life cycle of electricity sources showed that the main determinant of the negative impact on the environment of energy systems in both Poland and the Czech Republic was the consumption of solid fuels, and in particular, the consumption of lignite. It is important to highlight that this is the first attempt of a comparative LCA of electricity production in the Czech Republic and Poland. This is also the first approach that contains analyses of the life cycle assessment of both present and future energy systems. The economic assessment and eco-efficiency of current and future electricity generation systems in European Union countries will be addressed in future research.Web of Science23112177216

Impact of Road Transport Means on Climate Change and Human Health in Poland

Operation of means of transport is one of major sources of environmental impact. The goal of this article was to analyse the greenhouse gas emissions and to assess the impact of operation of means of road transport in Poland on human health using the life cycle assessment technique based on an analysis of emission of dust and gas pollutants. Road transport was assessed by taking the following means of transport into account: passenger cars, other cars with weight of up to 3,500 kg, lorries, buses, motorcycles, mopeds and tractors. The analysis covered various dust and gas pollutants, including the emission of CO2, CO, N2O, CH4, NOx, NMVOC, PM and SO2. Using the IMPACT 2002+ life cycle impact assessment method, transport was assessed in a breakdown into the following impact categories: greenhouse gas emission and damage to human health, including damage caused by organic and inorganic compounds. It has been evidenced that the highest emissions of dust and gas pollutants are caused by passenger cars, which is mainly due to the number of vehicles of this type traversing Polish roads. The main cause of climate changes due to road transport is CO2 emission, while NOx emission is the main factor determining individual categories of damage to human health. The negative environmental impact is primarily related to the operation of combustion engine vehicles. Diesel oil and petrol are currently the main fuels used in Polish transport. In order to reduce their impact on the environment one should intensify the efforts aimed at increasing the share of alternative fuels in transport

Carbon footprint and water footprint of electric vehicles and batteries charging in view of various sources of power supply in the Czech Republic

In the light of recent developments regarding electric vehicle market share, we assess the carbon footprint and water footprint of electric vehicles and provide a comparative analysis of energy use from the grid to charge electric vehicle batteries in the Czech Republic. The analysis builds on the electricity generation forecast for the Czech Republic for 2015&ndash 2050. The impact of different sources of electricity supply on carbon and water footprints were analyzed based on electricity generation by source for the period. Within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the carbon footprint was calculated using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method, while the water footprint was determined by the Water Scarcity method. The computational LCA model was provided by the SimaPro v. 8.5 package with the Ecoinvent v. 3 database. The functional unit of study was running an electric vehicle over 100 km. The system boundary covered an electric vehicle life cycle from cradle to grave. For the analysis, we chose a vehicle powered by a lithium-ion battery with assumed consumption 19.9 kWh/100 km. The results show that electricity generated to charge electric vehicle batteries is the main determinant of carbon and water footprints related to electric vehicles in the Czech Republic. Another important factor is passenger car production. Nuclear power is the main determinant of the water footprint for the current and future electric vehicle charging, while, currently, lignite and hard coal are the main determinants of carbon footprint. Document type: Articl

The importance of green public procurement on the example of construction investments and transport

W artykule przedstawiono znaczenie zielonych zamówień publicznych zgodnie z nowymi wytycznymi Unii Europejskiej dla inwestycji budowlanych i transportu drogowego jako obszarów priorytetowych. Zwrócono uwagę na nowe wymagania zgodne z wytycznymi Komisji Europejskiej dotyczącymi aspektów prawnych zielonych zamówień publicznych oraz przedstawiono kryteria środowiskowe w cyklu życia budynków oraz pojazdów dla zielonych zamówień publicznych. Wskazano również na główne inicjatywy, które należy podejmować w obszarach budownictwa i transportu w kierunku spełnienia kryteriów zielonych zamówień publicznych.The article presents the importance of green public procurement in accordance with the European Union new guidelines for construction investments and road transport as priority areas. Attention was drawn to new requirements in line with the European Commission guidelines on the legal aspects of green public procurement and environmental criteria in the life cycle of buildings and vehicles for green public procurement were presented. The main initiatives that should be taken in the areas of construction and transport to meet the criteria of green public procurement were also indicated

Environmental footprints of current and future electric battery charging and electric vehicles in Poland

This paper presents the results of environmental footprints of the life cycle of electric passenger cars, with a current and future electric battery charging analysis in Poland. The shares of the sources of electricity generation in the energy systems of Poland in the years 2015–2050 were used to perform the chosen environmental footprints of current and future electric car battery charging. This article discusses the water and carbon footprints of electric passenger cars in Poland. The carbon footprint was determined usin the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method. The water footprint was calculated using the Hoekstra method. The environmental footprints were provided by the SimaPro 8 package with the Ecoinvent 3 database. The obtained results showed that the carbon footprint and water footprints of electric passenger cars in Poland are primarily related to the type of electricity used to charge electric car batteries. The results showed that current and future carbon footprint indicators of electric cars in Poland are lower than those for petrol cars, but the water footprint indicators of electric cars are higher than those for petrol cars. In the case of petrol cars, the main determinant of the carbon footprint is direct emission during the exploitation stage and the main determinant of the wate footprint is car production

Comparative life cycle impact assessment of chosen passenger cars with internal combustion engines

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of chosen internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). It addresses an LCA of both petrol-fuelled and diesel-fuelled passenger cars. The analyses pertained to the carbon footprint and respiratory inorganics related to the cars in question, considered against the relevant system from cradle to grave. The comparative analysis has shown that the carbon footprint of a diesel-fuelled car is lower than that of a petrolfuelled car. However, the environmental indicators of respiratory inorganics induced by diesel-fuelled cars are higher than those attributable to petrol-fuelled cars. The main determinant of carbon footprint for the life cycle of these ICEVs is the direct atmospheric emission of carbon dioxide associated with their operation. The main determinants of respiratory inorganics for the diesel passenger cars’ life cycle are nitrogen oxide emission and car production. As for the life cycle of petrol-fuelled passenger cars, the largest share of the respiratory inorganics indicator is attributable to the car production and petrol production

Determinanty oceny środowiskowej krajowych indywidualnych oczyszczalni ścieków uwzględniając perspektywę cyklu życia

The article presents results of an input-output data inventory and life cycle assessment (LCA) for individual wastewater treatment plants (IWWTPs), considering their whole life cycle, including the stage of construction, use and end-of-life. IWWTPs located in the area of a medium-sized town in Poland, were assessed from a systemic perspective. The research was conducted basing on actual data concerning performance of 304 individual wastewater treatment plants in Żory. Environmental assessment was conducted with ReCiPe and TRACI methods. Greenhouse gases (GHG) emission, eutrophication, fossil fuel and metal depletion were calculated. The LCA was conducted basing on ISO 14040 standard with SimaPro 8 software and Ecoinvent 3 database. The system boundary ranged from cradle to grave. It was shown that, at the construction stage, GHG emission depends on the amount of used cement, polyethylene, concrete, PVC and polypropylene. At the use stage, the GHG emission is determined by the sewage treatment technology and application of a bio-reactor in IWWTPs. At the construction stage, the fossil fuel depletion is determined by the amount of used polyethylene, PVC, cement, polypropylene and concrete; while the metal depletion is determined by the amount of used stainless steel, copper and cast iron. Data inventory and LCA of IWWTPs are presented for the fi rst time. Conclusions of the work may support decisions taken by local governments concerning wastewater management in their area and promote and support solutions of high ecological standards.W artykule przedstawiono wyniki inwentaryzacji danych oraz środowiskowej oceny cyklu życia (LCA) indywidualnych oczyszczalni ścieków (IWWTP), z uwzględnieniem całego ich cyklu życia, w tym etapu budowy, użytkowania i wycofania z eksploatacji. IWWTP zlokalizowane na terenie średniej wielkości miasta w Polsce, zostały ocenione z perspektywy cyklu życia. Wykazano, że na etapie budowy IWWTP emisja gazów cieplarnianych jest zależna od ilości użytego cementu, polietylenu, betonu, PCV i polipropylenu. Na etapie budowy zużycie paliw kopalnych zależy od ilości zużytego polietylenu, PCV, cementu, polipropylenu i betonu; natomiast zużycie metali zależy od ilości użytej stali nierdzewnej, miedzi i żeliwa. Na etapie użytkowania determinantami emisji gazów cieplarnianych są technologia oczyszczania ścieków i zastosowanie bioreaktora w IWWTP. Dane inwentaryzacyjne i analiza cyklu życia IWWTP są prezentowane po raz pierwszy w literaturze. Wnioski z pracy mogą służyć do podejmowania decyzji przez samorządy dotyczących gospodarki wodno-ściekowej na ich terenie oraz promowania i wspierania rozwiązań proekologicznych