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Disaggregating the Power Generation Sector for Input‐Output Life Cycle Assessment
Author(s) -
Vendries Algarin Jorge,
Hawkins Troy R.,
Marriott Joe,
Scott Matthews H.,
Khanna Vikas
Publication year - 2015
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/jiec.12207
Subject(s) - industrial ecology , work (physics) , process (computing) , electric power industry , life cycle assessment , electric power , power (physics) , environmental economics , electricity generation , set (abstract data type) , industrial organization , computer science , business , economics , production (economics) , electricity , microeconomics , sustainability , engineering , ecology , electrical engineering , mechanical engineering , biology , operating system , programming language , physics , quantum mechanics
Summary The electric power industry plays a critical role in the economy and the environment, and it is important to examine the economic, environmental, and policy implications of current and future power generation scenarios. However, the tools that exist to perform the life cycle assessments are either too complex or too aggregated to be useful for these types of activities. In this work, we build upon the framework of existing input‐output (I‐O) models by adding data about the electric power industry and disaggregating this single sector into additional sectors, each representing a specific portion of electric power industry operations. For each of these disaggregated sectors, we create a process‐specific supply chain and a set of emission factors that allow calculation of the environmental effects of that sector's output. This new model allows a much better fit for scenarios requiring more specificity than is possible with the current I‐O model.