Environmental Assessment of Energy
Related Products and Energy Systems
Across Their Life Cycle
N. Espinosa and Y. J. Suh
Abstract In a global context, where several international and national policies
attempt to define strategic energy plans that address environmental sustainability, it
is necessary to adopt a holistic perspective. In this session, we want to stimulate
inputs on how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models can capture the complex
management challenges in the whole energy sector. In that sense, the various
sectors related to energy (namely heat, power, etc.) will become more interrelated,
which will be challenging to deal with in Life Cycle Management (LCM). The next
decades, LCM modelling of energy systems will have to be quite innovative in
order to create realistic models. Furthermore, if LCA wants to do real LCM, the
methodology should be widened to e.g. include long-term environmental
implications.
1 Introduction
In the global energy context, where several international and national policies
attempt to define strategic energy plans that address environmental sustainability, it
is necessary to adopt a holistic perspective.
A comprehensive quantification of environmental impacts in the energy sector
can be done by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Current developments in
energy systems and energy products are limited in their scopes with strong focus on
greenhouse gas accountings with disregard for other environmental problems like
the impacts of chemical pollution and particulate matters on human health and
ecosystems. The session aims to address the importance of rooting environmental
sustainability assessments with broad impact coverage into energy planning to
N. Espinosa (&)
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Inca Garcilaso s/n,
41092 Seville, Spain
e-mail: nieves.espinosa@ec.europa.eu
Y. J. Suh
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon, Korea
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_25
223
Related Products and Energy Systems
Across Their Life Cycle
N. Espinosa and Y. J. Suh
Abstract In a global context, where several international and national policies
attempt to define strategic energy plans that address environmental sustainability, it
is necessary to adopt a holistic perspective. In this session, we want to stimulate
inputs on how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models can capture the complex
management challenges in the whole energy sector. In that sense, the various
sectors related to energy (namely heat, power, etc.) will become more interrelated,
which will be challenging to deal with in Life Cycle Management (LCM). The next
decades, LCM modelling of energy systems will have to be quite innovative in
order to create realistic models. Furthermore, if LCA wants to do real LCM, the
methodology should be widened to e.g. include long-term environmental
implications.
1 Introduction
In the global energy context, where several international and national policies
attempt to define strategic energy plans that address environmental sustainability, it
is necessary to adopt a holistic perspective.
A comprehensive quantification of environmental impacts in the energy sector
can be done by means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Current developments in
energy systems and energy products are limited in their scopes with strong focus on
greenhouse gas accountings with disregard for other environmental problems like
the impacts of chemical pollution and particulate matters on human health and
ecosystems. The session aims to address the importance of rooting environmental
sustainability assessments with broad impact coverage into energy planning to
N. Espinosa (&)
European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Inca Garcilaso s/n,
41092 Seville, Spain
e-mail: nieves.espinosa@ec.europa.eu
Y. J. Suh
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon, Korea
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Benetto et al. (eds.), Designing Sustainable Technologies,
Products and Policies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66981-6_25
223