A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
D5.3 Final LCA report of the MegaRoller device
So far, very few studies have focused on the quantification of the environmental impacts of a wave energy converter. The current study presents a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study of the MegaRoller wave energy converter, aiming to contribute to decision making regarding the least carbon and energy intensive design choices. The LCA encompasses all life cycle stages from “cradle-to-grave” for the wave energy converter, including the panel, foundation, PTO and mooring system, considering its deployment in Peniche, Portugal. Background data was mainly sourced from the manufacturer whereas foreground data was sourced from the Ecoinvent database (v.3.4) and ReCiPe and CED impact assessment methods were applied. The LCA application to the MegaRoller device resulted in a global warming potential (GWP) of 33.8 gCO2 eq/kWh and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) of 432 kJ/kWh. This LCA is aligned with all previous studies on MRE technologies in concluding the main environmental impacts are due to materials use and manufacture, while Assembly & Installation and O&M do not show significant impacts. The impact of manufacture is mainly due to high amounts of material used, particularly steel. Energy and carbon payback periods were both estimated to be around 28 months. End-of-Life stage is currently excluded from operational boundaries of the majority of MRE developments and its inclusion in eco-design initiatives is challenged by uncertainties on a temporal, technological and business level such as uncertainties regarding recycling ratios. This report corroborated with previous studies by proving the importance of the End-of-Life scenario to the overall environmental performance and highlighted the need for further efforts to better understand how to model this stage. The scenario analysis showed that there are alternative process and design choices that may improve the energy consumption and GHG emissions throughout the life cycle. While some scenarios showed a modest influence, others such as varying recycling rates and alternative material for stainless steel resulted in significant variations in the overall results. The resulting GHG emissions and energy consumptions are generally comparable with earlier studies for wave and tidal technologies and are very low when compared other power generating technologies. Opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts in the final design of the MegaRoller wave energy converter could potentially lie in reducing the quantity of steel by studying alternatives for its replacement. This study confirms the effectiveness of LCA as a tool for assessing environmental impacts of marine renewable energy sources and comparing results with alternative energy sources and informing decisions for concept and product development
D5.3 Final LCA report of the MegaRoller device
So far, very few studies have focused on the quantification of the environmental impacts of a wave energy converter. The current study presents a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study of the MegaRoller wave energy converter, aiming to contribute to decision making regarding the least carbon and energy intensive design choices. The LCA encompasses all life cycle stages from “cradle-to-grave” for the wave energy converter, including the panel, foundation, PTO and mooring system, considering its deployment in Peniche, Portugal. Background data was mainly sourced from the manufacturer whereas foreground data was sourced from the Ecoinvent database (v.3.4) and ReCiPe and CED impact assessment methods were applied. The LCA application to the MegaRoller device resulted in a global warming potential (GWP) of 33.8 gCO2 eq/kWh and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) of 432 kJ/kWh. This LCA is aligned with all previous studies on MRE technologies in concluding the main environmental impacts are due to materials use and manufacture, while Assembly & Installation and O&M do not show significant impacts. The impact of manufacture is mainly due to high amounts of material used, particularly steel. Energy and carbon payback periods were both estimated to be around 28 months. End-of-Life stage is currently excluded from operational boundaries of the majority of MRE developments and its inclusion in eco-design initiatives is challenged by uncertainties on a temporal, technological and business level such as uncertainties regarding recycling ratios. This report corroborated with previous studies by proving the importance of the End-of-Life scenario to the overall environmental performance and highlighted the need for further efforts to better understand how to model this stage. The scenario analysis showed that there are alternative process and design choices that may improve the energy consumption and GHG emissions throughout the life cycle. While some scenarios showed a modest influence, others such as varying recycling rates and alternative material for stainless steel resulted in significant variations in the overall results. The resulting GHG emissions and energy consumptions are generally comparable with earlier studies for wave and tidal technologies and are very low when compared other power generating technologies. Opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts in the final design of the MegaRoller wave energy converter could potentially lie in reducing the quantity of steel by studying alternatives for its replacement. This study confirms the effectiveness of LCA as a tool for assessing environmental impacts of marine renewable energy sources and comparing results with alternative energy sources and informing decisions for concept and product development
D5.3 Final LCA report of the MegaRoller device
Apolonia, Maria (author)
2020-01-29
oai:zenodo.org:5749475
Paper
Electronic Resource
English
DDC:
690
| Online Contents | 1991
| Online Contents | 1991