Due to their small size and low energy demand, light electric vehicles (LEVs), such as electric moped scooters, are considered as a space efficient and eco-friendly alternative for mobility in cities. However, the growth of electric moped scooter sharing services raises the question of how environmentally friendly this business model is, considering the entire lifecycle. Due to the dynamic market and insufficient availability of public data on the business processes of sharing services only a few studies on the impact of shared electric mopeds are available. Especially there is a lack of research on the impacts of key operational logistic parameters of the sharing system. This paper aims to fill this gap by conducting a life cycle assessment using the example of an electric moped scooter manufactured and used in sharing services in Germany, based on different operating scenarios. The results show that e-moped sharing has a similar environmental impact on global warming potential, in terms of passenger kilometers, as public transport, especially if long product lifetimes as well as efficient operation logistics are realized.
This paper aims to assess the environmental and economic impact when it comes to the presumed end of life for solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. A recycling option is compared to the reuse of the PV panels in the two impact categories: costs for the consideration of economic feasibility and global warming potential (GWP 100) for the consideration of the environmental impact. The evaluation is carried out with a parametric life-cycle-assessment-based model that was designed to be adaptable for evaluating different scenarios by changing the parameters to fit the given cost structure or climate zone in which the panels are being used. The recycling option involves market-established methods for recycling the old panels and replacing them with new ones. The reuse case involves testing and reusing the old panels, taking a certain rejection rate into account. The most significant parameters for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are the rejection rate, the solar radiation and thus the capacity utilization as well as the expected lifetime of the newly manufactured panels and their greenhouse gas emissions during production. The results indicate that in most cases greenhouse gas emissions can be saved compared to the recycling option. The costs for reuse compared to recycling depend on the rejection rate and the expected lifetime for both the panels, that can be reused and the new panels. The comparison of the costs for reuse and recycling contains some uncertainties since the testing of panels has yet to be commercially established and automized. The model developed in this paper allows for the holistic evaluation of individual reuse and recycling scenarios. The results can thus be used to determine decision-making for better economic and environmental outcomes.
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