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Ecological Scarcity Based Impact Assessment for a Decentralised Renewable Energy System

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  • Hendrik Lambrecht

    (Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC), Pforzheim University, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany)

  • Steffen Lewerenz

    (Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC), Pforzheim University, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany)

  • Heidi Hottenroth

    (Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC), Pforzheim University, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany)

  • Ingela Tietze

    (Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC), Pforzheim University, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany)

  • Tobias Viere

    (Institute for Industrial Ecology (INEC), Pforzheim University, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany)

Abstract

Increasing the share of renewable energies in electricity and heat generation is the cornerstone of a climate-friendly energy transition. However, as renewable technologies rely on diverse natural resources, the design of decarbonized energy systems inevitably leads to environmental trade-offs. This paper presents the case study of a comprehensive impact assessment for different future development scenarios of a decentralized renewable energy system in Germany. It applies an adapted ecological scarcity method (ESM) that improves decision-support by ranking the investigated scenarios and revealing their main environmental shortcomings: increased mineral resource use and pollutant emissions due to required technical infrastructure and a substantial increase in land use due to biomass combustion. Concerning the case study, the paper suggests extending the set of considered options, e.g., towards including imported wind energy. More generally, the findings underline the need for a comprehensive environmental assessment of renewable energy systems that integrate electricity supply with heating, cooling, and mobility. On a methodical level, the ESM turns out to be a transparent and well adaptable method to analyze environmental trade-offs from renewable energy supply. It currently suffers from missing quantitative targets that are democratically sufficiently legitimized. At the same time, it can provide a sound basis for an informed discussion on such targets.

Suggested Citation

  • Hendrik Lambrecht & Steffen Lewerenz & Heidi Hottenroth & Ingela Tietze & Tobias Viere, 2020. "Ecological Scarcity Based Impact Assessment for a Decentralised Renewable Energy System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-14, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:21:p:5655-:d:436710
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marco Raugei & Mashael Kamran & Allan Hutchinson, 2020. "A Prospective Net Energy and Environmental Life-Cycle Assessment of the UK Electricity Grid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-28, May.
    2. David J. Murphy & Michael Carbajales-Dale & Devin Moeller, 2016. "Comparing Apples to Apples: Why the Net Energy Analysis Community Needs to Adopt the Life-Cycle Analysis Framework," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-15, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shirley Thompson, 2023. "Strategic Analysis of the Renewable Electricity Transition: Power to the World without Carbon Emissions?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-34, August.
    2. Marcin Bukowski & Janusz Majewski & Agnieszka Sobolewska, 2023. "The Environmental Impact of Changes in the Structure of Electricity Sources in Europe," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-22, January.
    3. Silviu Nate & Yuriy Bilan & Mariia Kurylo & Olena Lyashenko & Piotr Napieralski & Ganna Kharlamova, 2021. "Mineral Policy within the Framework of Limited Critical Resources and a Green Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-32, May.

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