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Environmental Impact Evaluation of Distributed Renewable Energy System Based on Life Cycle Assessment and Fuzzy Rough Sets

Author

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  • Chengzhou Li

    (National Research Center for Thermal Power Engineering and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beinong Road 2, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Ningling Wang

    (National Research Center for Thermal Power Engineering and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beinong Road 2, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Hongyuan Zhang

    (Beijing Jingneng Power Co., Ltd, Chenjialin Road 9, Beijing 100025, China)

  • Qingxin Liu

    (National Research Center for Thermal Power Engineering and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beinong Road 2, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Youguo Chai

    (Beijing InBasis Technology Co., Ltd, Chenjialin Road 9, Beijing 100025, China)

  • Xiaohu Shen

    (National Research Center for Thermal Power Engineering and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beinong Road 2, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Zhiping Yang

    (National Research Center for Thermal Power Engineering and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beinong Road 2, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Yongping Yang

    (National Research Center for Thermal Power Engineering and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beinong Road 2, Beijing 102206, China)

Abstract

The distributed renewable energy system, integrating various renewable energy resources, is a significant energy supply technology within energy internet. It is an effective way to meet increasingly growing demand for energy conservation and environmental damage reduction in energy generation and energy utilization. In this paper, the life cycle assessment (LCA) method and fuzzy rough sets (FRS) theory are combined to build an environmental evaluation model for a distributed renewable energy system. The ReCiPe2016 method is selected to calculate the environmental effect scores of the distributed energy system, and the FRS is utilized to identify the crucial activities and exchanges during its life cycle from cradle to grave. The generalized evaluation method is applied to a real-world case study, a typical distributed energy system located in Yanqing District, Beijing, China, which is composed of wind power, small-scale hydropower, photovoltaic, centralized solar thermal power plant and a biogas power plant. The results show that the environmental effect of per kWh power derived from the distributed renewable energy system is 2.06 × 10 −3 species disappeared per year, 9.88 × 10 −3 disability-adjusted life years, and 1.75 × 10 −3 USD loss on fossil resources extraction, and further in the uncertainty analysis, it is found that the environmental load can be reduced effectively and efficiently by improving life span and annual utilization hour of power generation technologies and technology upgrade for wind turbine and photovoltaic plants. The results show that the proposed evaluation method could fast evaluate the environmental effects of a distributed energy system while the uncertainty analysis with FRS successfully and effectively identifies the key element and link among its life span.

Suggested Citation

  • Chengzhou Li & Ningling Wang & Hongyuan Zhang & Qingxin Liu & Youguo Chai & Xiaohu Shen & Zhiping Yang & Yongping Yang, 2019. "Environmental Impact Evaluation of Distributed Renewable Energy System Based on Life Cycle Assessment and Fuzzy Rough Sets," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:21:p:4214-:d:283848
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. Schmeling, Lucas & Schönfeldt, Patrik & Klement, Peter & Vorspel, Lena & Hanke, Benedikt & von Maydell, Karsten & Agert, Carsten, 2022. "A generalised optimal design methodology for distributed energy systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 1223-1239.
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