This study is focused on the optimization of the annual cost and environmental impact related to the supply of natural gas and electricity of an urban microgrid through the installation of components as renewable energy sources, energy storage units and converters. As input parameters of the optimization model, the energy demand of a medium density urban district was estimated, while average costs and emissions of equipments were collected in market reports and literature. The outputs of the model are the optimal size and the schedule of each component. Moreover, optimization analysis was carried out for two different scenarios, comparing Italian and Vietnamese cost and environmental features, in order to understand how the optimization process is affected by different input conditions.
Energy is engaged in the supply chain of many economic sectors; therefore, the environmental impacts of the energy sector are indirectly linked to those of other sectors. Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) is an appropriate methodology to examine the direct and indirect environmental impacts of a product due to technological, economic or social changes. To date, different methodological approaches are proposed, combining economic and environmental models. This paper reviews the basic concept of CLCA and the coupling of economic and environmental models for performing CLCA in the energy sector during the period 2006–2020, with the aim to provide a description of the different tools, highlighting their strengths and limitations. From the review, it emerges that economic modelling tools are frequently used in combination with environmental data for CLCA in the energy sector, including equilibrium, input-output, and dynamic models. Out of these, the equilibrium model is the most widely used, showing some strengths in availability of data and energy system modelling tools. The input-output model allows for describing both direct and indirect effects due to changes in the energy sector, by using publicly available data. The dynamic model is less frequently applied due to its limitation in availability of data and modelling tools, but has recently attracted more attention due to the ability in modelling quantitative and qualitative indicators of sustainability.
The existing policy for greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement aims at decarbonisation of the power sector. The interrelations between the power sector and other economic sectors raise a question of whether the GHG emission reduction policy in the power sector is as effective as it is claimed. Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has been developed to assess the environmental impacts of any industrial/productive sector in relation with changes in the policy and its indirect impacts on other economic sectors. This review is conducted on CLCA studies in the power sector in terms of system boundaries expansion and socio-economic interactions and the ability to quantify indirect environmental impacts. It is indicated that CLCA expanded the system boundaries by applying mutatis mutandis assumption to include several affected products with various scales of change. Economic modelling tools are frequently applied to make assumptions on the extent of change. The applications of these tools also help to identify the environmental profile of product systems and the socio-economic changes such as economic growth and consumer behaviours. Thanks for the expansion of system boundaries and inclusion of socio-economic interactions, the total environmental impacts of power sector are comprehensively quantified. The variations of the total environmental impacts, with different magnitude of change, were observed in several reviewed case studies. In term of GHG emissions, some products become cleaner, for example battery; however, in most of the cases, the power system in general becomes more polluted when indirect impacts on other economic sectors are included.
Over the last 15 years, photovoltaics (PV) in Vietnam has experienced development. The increased installed capacity of PV requires more land for installation sites as well as for manufacturing the plants’ component and waste treatment during the plants’ decommissioning. As a developing country, in which more than 80% of the population’s livelihood depends on agriculture, there are concerns about the competition of land for agriculture and solar development. This paper estimates the life-cycle land-use requirement for PV development in Vietnam, to provide the scientific-based evidence for policy makers on the quantity of land required, so that the land budget can be suitably allocated. The direct land-use requirement for PV ranges from 3.7 to 6.7 m2 MWh−1 year, and the total fenced area is 7.18 to 8.16 m2 MWh−1 year. Regarding the life-cycle land use, the land occupation is 241.85 m2a and land transformation is 16.17 m2 per MWh. Most of the required land area is for the installation of the PV infrastructure, while the indirect land use of the background process is inconsiderable.
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