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Impact of Power Generation Mix on Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint Greenhouse Gas Results
Author(s) -
Marriott Joe,
Matthews H. Scott,
Hendrickson Chris T.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of industrial ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.377
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1530-9290
pISSN - 1088-1980
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-9290.2010.00290.x
Subject(s) - greenhouse gas , life cycle assessment , carbon footprint , electricity generation , renewable energy , electricity , environmental science , hydroelectricity , fossil fuel , environmental economics , energy mix , industrial ecology , climate change , life cycle inventory , natural resource economics , waste management , production (economics) , economics , power (physics) , sustainability , engineering , ecology , physics , quantum mechanics , biology , electrical engineering , macroeconomics
Summary The mix of electricity consumed in any stage in the life cycle of a product, process, or industrial sector has a significant effect on the associated inventory of emissions and environmental impacts because of large differences in the power generation method used. Fossil‐fuel‐fired or nuclear‐centralized steam generators; large‐scale and small‐scale hydroelectric power; and renewable options, such as geothermal, wind, and solar power, each have a unique set of issues that can change the results of a life cycle assessment. This article shows greenhouse gas emissions estimates for electricity purchase for different scenarios using U.S. average electricity mix, state mixes, state mixes including imports, and a sector‐specific mix to show how different these results can be. We find that greenhouse gases for certain sectors and scenarios can change by more than 100%. Knowing this, practitioners should exercise caution or at least account for the uncertainty associated with mix choice.