IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/recore/v119y2017icp47-59.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Comparative life cycle assessment of regional electricity supplies in China

Author

Listed:
  • Ding, Ning
  • Liu, Jingru
  • Yang, Jianxin
  • Yang, Dong

Abstract

In this study, we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the power sector in 31 provinces in China, with a focus on five major types of power (namely, thermal power, hydropower, solar photovoltaic power (solar power), nuclear power, and wind power). The scope of the life cycle included resources extraction, processing, infrastructure construction, power generation, and transmission. Key results include the following. (1) There are differences in the life cycle global warming potential (GWP) of the five power sources at the national level. In particular, thermal power discharges 19, 66, 123, and 164 times more emissions than solar power, hydropower, wind power, and nuclear power, respectively. (2) There are differences in the GWP of 1kWh of thermal power between provinces and national average. Eighteen provinces have higher GWP comparing with the national average. (3) There are differences in the life cycle GWP of hybrid power between different provinces. Inner Mongolia and Qinghai have the largest and the smallest GWP for 1kWh of hybrid electricity supply, respectively. We also analyzed GWP map caused by total power generation in China. This life cycle inventory of different types of power in provinces can provide technical support for power supply management, energy conservation, and emission reduction at both provincial and state levels. The inventory also provides a basic database for LCAs of materials, products, and industries.

Suggested Citation

  • Ding, Ning & Liu, Jingru & Yang, Jianxin & Yang, Dong, 2017. "Comparative life cycle assessment of regional electricity supplies in China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 47-59.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:119:y:2017:i:c:p:47-59
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.07.010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344916301847
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.07.010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Varun, & Prakash, Ravi & Bhat, I.K., 2012. "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions estimation for small hydropower schemes in India," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 498-508.
    2. Nian, Victor, 2015. "Change impact analysis on the life cycle carbon emissions of energy systems – The nuclear example," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 437-450.
    3. Ou, Xunmin & Xiaoyu, Yan & Zhang, Xiliang, 2011. "Life-cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions for electricity generation and supply in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 289-297, January.
    4. Paul E. Hardisty & Tom S. Clark & Robert G. Hynes, 2012. "Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electricity Generation: A Comparative Analysis of Australian Energy Sources," Energies, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-26, March.
    5. Zhu Liu & Dabo Guan & Wei Wei & Steven J. Davis & Philippe Ciais & Jin Bai & Shushi Peng & Qiang Zhang & Klaus Hubacek & Gregg Marland & Robert J. Andres & Douglas Crawford-Brown & Jintai Lin & Hongya, 2015. "Reduced carbon emission estimates from fossil fuel combustion and cement production in China," Nature, Nature, vol. 524(7565), pages 335-338, August.
    6. Hong, Sanghyun & Bradshaw, Corey J.A. & Brook, Barry W., 2015. "Global zero-carbon energy pathways using viable mixes of nuclear and renewables," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 451-459.
    7. Xue, Bing & Ma, Zhixiao & Geng, Yong & Heck, Peter & Ren, Wanxia & Tobias, Mario & Maas, Achim & Jiang, Ping & Puppim de Oliveira, Jose A. & Fujita, Tsuyoshi, 2015. "A life cycle co-benefits assessment of wind power in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 338-346.
    8. Turconi, Roberto & Tonini, Davide & Nielsen, Christian F.B. & Simonsen, Christian G. & Astrup, Thomas, 2014. "Environmental impacts of future low-carbon electricity systems: Detailed life cycle assessment of a Danish case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 66-73.
    9. Cambero, Claudia & Hans Alexandre, Mariane & Sowlati, Taraneh, 2015. "Life cycle greenhouse gas analysis of bioenergy generation alternatives using forest and wood residues in remote locations: A case study in British Columbia, Canada," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 59-72.
    10. Singh, Bhawna & Bouman, Evert A. & Strømman, Anders H. & Hertwich, Edgar G., 2015. "Material use for electricity generation with carbon dioxide capture and storage: Extending life cycle analysis indices for material accounting," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 49-57.
    11. Hyung Chul Kim & Vasilis Fthenakis & Jun‐Ki Choi & Damon E. Turney, 2012. "Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Thin‐film Photovoltaic Electricity Generation," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 16(s1), pages 110-121, April.
    12. Adamczyk, Janusz & Dzikuć, Maciej, 2014. "The analysis of suppositions included in the Polish Energetic Policy using the LCA technique—Poland case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 42-50.
    13. Asdrubali, Francesco & Baldinelli, Giorgio & D’Alessandro, Francesco & Scrucca, Flavio, 2015. "Life cycle assessment of electricity production from renewable energies: Review and results harmonization," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1113-1122.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Elshkaki, Ayman, 2023. "The implications of material and energy efficiencies for the climate change mitigation potential of global energy transition scenarios," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    2. Qi Wu & Shouheng Sun, 2022. "Energy and Environmental Impact of the Promotion of Battery Electric Vehicles in the Context of Banning Gasoline Vehicle Sales," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-18, November.
    3. Zhang, Xiaoyue & Huang, Guohe & Liu, Lirong & Li, Kailong, 2022. "Development of a stochastic multistage lifecycle programming model for electric power system planning – A case study for the Province of Saskatchewan, Canada," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Shuang Li & Liao He & Bo Zhang & Yan Yan & Wentao Jiao & Ning Ding, 2022. "A Comprehensive Evaluation Method for Soil Remediation Technology Selection: Case Study of Ex Situ Thermal Desorption," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Ning Ding & Ning Liu & Bin Lu & Jianxin Yang, 2021. "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of aluminum based on regional industrial transfer in China," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(6), pages 1657-1672, December.
    6. Dahlia Byles & Salman Mohagheghi, 2023. "Sustainable Power Grid Expansion: Life Cycle Assessment, Modeling Approaches, Challenges, and Opportunities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-25, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ramirez, A.D. & Boero, A. & Rivela, B. & Melendres, A.M. & Espinoza, S. & Salas, D.A., 2020. "Life cycle methods to analyze the environmental sustainability of electricity generation in Ecuador: Is decarbonization the right path?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    2. Vega-Coloma, Mabel & Zaror, Claudio A., 2018. "Environmental impact profile of electricity generation in Chile: A baseline study over two decades," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 154-167.
    3. Yihsuan Wu & Jian Hua, 2022. "Investigating a Retrofit Thermal Power Plant from a Sustainable Environment Perspective—A Fuel Lifecycle Assessment Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, April.
    4. Besseau, Romain & Sacchi, Romain & Blanc, Isabelle & Pérez-López, Paula, 2019. "Past, present and future environmental footprint of the Danish wind turbine fleet with LCA_WIND_DK, an online interactive platform," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 274-288.
    5. Li, Xin & Chalvatzis, Konstantinos J. & Pappas, Dimitrios, 2018. "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from power generation in China’s provinces in 2020," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 93-102.
    6. Li, Mengyu & Zhang, Xiongwen & Li, Guojun & Jiang, Chaoyang, 2016. "A feasibility study of microgrids for reducing energy use and GHG emissions in an industrial application," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 138-148.
    7. Cao, Yijia & Wang, Xifan & Li, Yong & Tan, Yi & Xing, Jianbo & Fan, Ruixiang, 2016. "A comprehensive study on low-carbon impact of distributed generations on regional power grids: A case of Jiangxi provincial power grid in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 766-778.
    8. Wang, Like & Wang, Yuan & Du, Huibin & Zuo, Jian & Yi Man Li, Rita & Zhou, Zhihua & Bi, Fenfen & Garvlehn, McSimon P., 2019. "A comparative life-cycle assessment of hydro-, nuclear and wind power: A China study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C), pages 37-45.
    9. Ramirez, Angel D. & Rivela, Beatriz & Boero, Andrea & Melendres, Ana M., 2019. "Lights and shadows of the environmental impacts of fossil-based electricity generation technologies: A contribution based on the Ecuadorian experience," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 467-477.
    10. Gemechu, Eskinder & Kumar, Amit, 2022. "A review of how life cycle assessment has been used to assess the environmental impacts of hydropower energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    11. Adamantia Zoi Vougioukli & Eleni Didaskalou & Dimitrios Georgakellos, 2017. "Financial Appraisal of Small Hydro-Power Considering the Cradle-to-Grave Environmental Cost: A Case from Greece," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-20, March.
    12. Nugent, Daniel & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2014. "Assessing the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from solar PV and wind energy: A critical meta-survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 229-244.
    13. Zerrin Günkaya & Alp Özdemir & Aysun Özkan & Müfide Banar, 2016. "Environmental Performance of Electricity Generation Based on Resources: A Life Cycle Assessment Case Study in Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-14, October.
    14. Briones Hidrovo, Andrei & Uche, Javier & Martínez-Gracia, Amaya, 2017. "Accounting for GHG net reservoir emissions of hydropower in Ecuador," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 209-221.
    15. Busola D. Akintayo & Oluwafemi E. Ige & Olubayo M. Babatunde & Oludolapo A. Olanrewaju, 2023. "Evaluation and Prioritization of Power-Generating Systems Using a Life Cycle Assessment and a Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-18, September.
    16. Tonini, Davide & Vadenbo, Carl & Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard, 2017. "Priority of domestic biomass resources for energy: Importance of national environmental targets in a climate perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 295-309.
    17. Fangyi Li & Zhaoyang Ye & Xilin Xiao & Dawei Ma, 2019. "Environmental Benefits of Stock Evolution of Coal-Fired Power Generators in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-17, October.
    18. Shirzad, Mohammad & Kazemi Shariat Panahi, Hamed & Dashti, Behrouz B. & Rajaeifar, Mohammad Ali & Aghbashlo, Mortaza & Tabatabaei, Meisam, 2019. "A comprehensive review on electricity generation and GHG emission reduction potentials through anaerobic digestion of agricultural and livestock/slaughterhouse wastes in Iran," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 571-594.
    19. Man, Yi & Yan, Yukun & Wang, Xu & Ren, Jingzheng & Xiong, Qingang & He, Zhenglei, 2023. "Overestimated carbon emission of the pulp and paper industry in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    20. Federica Cucchiella & Idiano D’Adamo & Paolo Rosa, 2015. "Industrial Photovoltaic Systems: An Economic Analysis in Non-Subsidized Electricity Markets," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-16, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:recore:v:119:y:2017:i:c:p:47-59. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kai Meng (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/resources-conservation-and-recycling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.