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Are district heating systems and renewable energy sources always an environmental win-win solution? A life cycle assessment case study in Tuscany, Italy

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  • Bartolozzi, Irene
  • Rizzi, Francesco
  • Frey, Marco

Abstract

Space heating and cooling pose fundamental challenges to the achievement of EU decarbonization targets. A comprehensive review of the recent literature acknowledged that district energy systems contribute substantially to the sustainability of energy in the building sector by improving the efficiency and integration of low energy sources. However, a holistic evaluation of the environmental performance of such systems is advisable during the planning and design stage.

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  • Bartolozzi, Irene & Rizzi, Francesco & Frey, Marco, 2017. "Are district heating systems and renewable energy sources always an environmental win-win solution? A life cycle assessment case study in Tuscany, Italy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 408-420.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:80:y:2017:i:c:p:408-420
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2017.05.231
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    7. Walker, Shalika & Labeodan, Timilehin & Boxem, Gert & Maassen, Wim & Zeiler, Wim, 2018. "An assessment methodology of sustainable energy transition scenarios for realizing energy neutral neighborhoods," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 2346-2360.
    8. Aresti, Lazaros & Christodoulides, Paul & Florides, Georgios A., 2021. "An investigation on the environmental impact of various Ground Heat Exchangers configurations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 592-605.
    9. Mainar-Toledo, M.D. & Castan, M.A. & Millán, G. & Rodin, V. & Kollmann, A. & Peccianti, F. & Annunziata, E. & Rizzi, F. & Frey, M. & Iannone, F. & Zaldua, M. & Kuittinen, H., 2022. "Accelerating sustainable and economic development via industrial energy cooperation and shared services – A case study for three European countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    10. Kaandorp, Chelsea & Miedema, Tes & Verhagen, Jeroen & van de Giesen, Nick & Abraham, Edo, 2022. "Reducing committed emissions of heating towards 2050: Analysis of scenarios for the insulation of buildings and the decarbonisation of electricity generation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    11. Michael-Allan Millar & Bruce Elrick & Greg Jones & Zhibin Yu & Neil M. Burnside, 2020. "Roadblocks to Low Temperature District Heating," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-21, November.
    12. Kaplan, P. Ozge & Witt, Jonathan W., 2019. "What is the role of distributed energy resources under scenarios of greenhouse gas reductions? A specific focus on combined heat and power systems in the industrial and commercial sectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 83-94.
    13. Camille Jeandaux & Jean-Baptiste Videau & Anne Prieur-Vernat, 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment of District Heating Systems in Europe: Case Study and Recommendations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-32, October.
    14. Nérot, B. & Lamaison, N. & Mabrouk, M.T. & Bavière, R. & Lacarrière, B., 2023. "Optimization framework for evaluating urban thermal systems potential," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    15. Soltero, Víctor M. & Quirosa, Gonzalo & Rodríguez, Diego & Peralta, M. Estela & Ortiz, Carlos & Chacartegui, Ricardo, 2023. "A profitability index for rural biomass district heating systems evaluation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    16. Pedinotti-Castelle, Marianne & Astudillo, Miguel F. & Pineau, Pierre-Olivier & Amor, Ben, 2019. "Is the environmental opportunity of retrofitting the residential sector worth the life cycle cost? A consequential assessment of a typical house in Quebec," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 428-439.

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