The rapid spread of shared micromobility services e.g. e-scooters raises questions about their ecological impacts. Previous Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) show that the ecological impacts of shared mobility services vary significantly depending on the sharing mode, the charging concept and the corresponding operating mode. Even though e-scooters could mitigate environmental issues of urban transportation due to their low energy consumption, studies show that service trips for charging and relocation and non-swappable batteries have overall negative environmental impacts. To identify key factors for an environmentally friendly e-scooter sharing infrastructure and operating mode, we conducted a comparative LCA in this study. We developed a method considering a holistic product service system (PSS) of e-scooter sharing including the whole life cycle to cover all environmentally relevant aspects of the sharing operation. In different scenarios, we compared electric stand-up scooters and electric moped scooters for different operational modes. These include free-float, station-based and hybrid sharing. Furthermore, charging methods and the underlying infrastructure with battery swapping stations are varied. The results show that greenhouse gas emissions are the lowest for two scenarios: A free-float sharing mode where batteries are swapped using an e-cargo bike and a hybrid sharing mode using self-service battery swapping stations (BSS).
The challenges of climate change and lack of access to electricity create an urgent need for sustainable energy infrastructure projects in developing countries. Sustainable impact investment schemes are a potential catalyst to finance such projects. A particularly sustainable financing option can be the Consumer Stock Ownership Plan (CSOP), combining the interests of impact investors and the local population. The infrastructure, e.g., a sustainable energy mini-grid, is owned by the investors and the local population at the same time. The population thus benefits from access to electricity and active participation in energy supply, while investors benefit from new forms of investment with social impact. However, CSOP is a complex model that requires a secure organisation and infrastructure. By integrating blockchain technology, the organisational structure of the model can be automatically managed via smart contracts, reducing the influence of intermediary institutions. This makes the investment more secure, transparent, and efficient. The paper outlines a concept for an impact investment CSOP model coupled with blockchain-based smart contracts as a scalable solution for sustainable energy infrastructure projects, in which the ownership of the infrastructure is transferred to the community over time. The model considers all relevant parameters before, during and after the life cycle of the energy infrastructure and aims to secure a sustainable long-term energy supply in developing countries through self-administration, educational measures, and participation of all stakeholders. In the next step, the concept developed in this paper will be applied to an energy infrastructure pilot project at the Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Centre in Ghana.
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