According to the European Union, buildings account for about 40% of the EU's energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions related to energy, this means buildings are the major energy consumer in Europe. Thus, energy systems that supply buildings, and so cities and towns, with heat, cooling, hot water and electricity are clearly a hot spot for the anthropogenic impact on climate change. The amended Renewable Energy Directive EU/2023/2413 sets a new EU-level target binding by 2030 of at least 42.5% - but aiming for 45% - renewables in the energy mix. Thus the Directive will guide the energy transition that will transform European energy systems. NEST - Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition is an EU-funded research project on energy for the future and energy transition. Inside NEST, Task 8.5.2 studies methodologies for developing sustainable energy systems for future final use. However, the impact on climate change is not the only one that may be caused by energy systems. So, in accordance with the principle of doing no significant harm, a broader range of potential environmental impacts needs to be studied and this is the aim of Task 8.5.2. Unit 3 of Task 8.5.2 is developing an open-source tool to support decision-making regarding energy systems (production, distribution and use) in urbanized areas. The tool will be built on decision-support algorithms based on the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to minimize the potential environmental impacts of final energy use in an urban context. This paper describes the scope of such LCA model of an urban energy system. It is a cradle-to-grave model developed with a modular-archetypical approach, namely based on the definition of building blocks for all the different components of an urban energy system. This approach allows the model to capture the different functions of an energy system, i.e. generation, distribution and use. Particularly, with respect to use the use of archetypes for the different end-users will allow for an easier and more flexible data collection and modelling.
NEST Task 8.5.2: Framework of the LCA Model of an Urban Energy System
De Franceschi Saverio;Jabara Marco;Manzardo Alessandro
2024
Abstract
According to the European Union, buildings account for about 40% of the EU's energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions related to energy, this means buildings are the major energy consumer in Europe. Thus, energy systems that supply buildings, and so cities and towns, with heat, cooling, hot water and electricity are clearly a hot spot for the anthropogenic impact on climate change. The amended Renewable Energy Directive EU/2023/2413 sets a new EU-level target binding by 2030 of at least 42.5% - but aiming for 45% - renewables in the energy mix. Thus the Directive will guide the energy transition that will transform European energy systems. NEST - Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition is an EU-funded research project on energy for the future and energy transition. Inside NEST, Task 8.5.2 studies methodologies for developing sustainable energy systems for future final use. However, the impact on climate change is not the only one that may be caused by energy systems. So, in accordance with the principle of doing no significant harm, a broader range of potential environmental impacts needs to be studied and this is the aim of Task 8.5.2. Unit 3 of Task 8.5.2 is developing an open-source tool to support decision-making regarding energy systems (production, distribution and use) in urbanized areas. The tool will be built on decision-support algorithms based on the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to minimize the potential environmental impacts of final energy use in an urban context. This paper describes the scope of such LCA model of an urban energy system. It is a cradle-to-grave model developed with a modular-archetypical approach, namely based on the definition of building blocks for all the different components of an urban energy system. This approach allows the model to capture the different functions of an energy system, i.e. generation, distribution and use. Particularly, with respect to use the use of archetypes for the different end-users will allow for an easier and more flexible data collection and modelling.
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