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Life cycle assessment and energy payback time of a standalone hybrid renewable energy commercial microgrid: A case study of Town Island in Hong Kong

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  • Wang, Richard
  • Lam, Chor-Man
  • Hsu, Shu-Chien
  • Chen, Jieh-Haur

Abstract

Microgrid solutions can incorporate clean renewable energy and operate autonomously to power remote areas unreachable by the main grid. While microgrids have thus attracted the interest of many electricity operators, some suggest that renewable energy is not as environmentally friendly as it is claimed to be. This study investigates the life cycle environmental impacts and energy payback time (EPBT) of a microgrid through a life cycle assessment (LCA) case study of the Town Island Microgrid, the first standalone hybrid renewable energy commercial microgrid in Hong Kong. The environmental performance of the Town Island Microgrid was further tested against 2 electrification options, including an on-site diesel generator system and a grid extension. Our results indicate that the Town Island Microgrid is the least impactful in 8 impact categories out of 12. For instance, the global warming potential (GWP) of the diesel generator system and the grid extension was 4.3 times and 7.8 times greater than that caused by the microgrid, respectively. The EPBT for the microgrid was 9.2 years, while the grid extension and the diesel generator EPBT values were 6.4 and 10.1 times longer than that of the microgrid, respectively. In conclusion, the case study provides substantial evidence that a microgrid solution can deliver a significantly superior life cycle environmental performance than other common electrification options.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Richard & Lam, Chor-Man & Hsu, Shu-Chien & Chen, Jieh-Haur, 2019. "Life cycle assessment and energy payback time of a standalone hybrid renewable energy commercial microgrid: A case study of Town Island in Hong Kong," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C), pages 760-775.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:250:y:2019:i:c:p:760-775
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.183
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    5. Kockel, Christina & Nolting, Lars & Goldbeck, Rafael & Wulf, Christina & De Doncker, Rik W. & Praktiknjo, Aaron, 2022. "A scalable life cycle assessment of alternating and direct current microgrids in office buildings," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    6. Shah, Talha Hussain & Shabbir, Altamash & Waqas, Adeel & Janjua, Abdul Kashif & Shahzad, Nadia & Pervaiz, Hina & Shakir, Sehar, 2023. "Techno-economic appraisal of electric vehicle charging stations integrated with on-grid photovoltaics on existing fuel stations: A multicity study framework," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 209(C), pages 133-144.
    7. Bruno Domenech & Laia Ferrer-Martí & Facundo García & Georgina Hidalgo & Rafael Pastor & Antonin Ponsich, 2022. "Optimizing PV Microgrid Isolated Electrification Projects—A Case Study in Ecuador," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-24, April.
    8. Martinopoulos, Georgios, 2020. "Are rooftop photovoltaic systems a sustainable solution for Europe? A life cycle impact assessment and cost analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    9. Federico Rossi & Maria Laura Parisi & Sarah Greven & Riccardo Basosi & Adalgisa Sinicropi, 2020. "Life Cycle Assessment of Classic and Innovative Batteries for Solar Home Systems in Europe," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-27, July.
    10. Richard Wallsgrove & Jisuk Woo & Jae-Hyup Lee & Lorraine Akiba, 2021. "The Emerging Potential of Microgrids in the Transition to 100% Renewable Energy Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-28, March.
    11. Miao, Huiying & Yu, Yadong & Kharrazi, Ali & Ma, Tieju, 2023. "Multi-criteria decision analysis for the planning of island microgrid system: A case study of Yongxing island, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    12. Papageorgiou, Asterios & Ashok, Archana & Hashemi Farzad, Tabassom & Sundberg, Cecilia, 2020. "Climate change impact of integrating a solar microgrid system into the Swedish electricity grid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    13. Kong, Minjin & Hong, Taehoon & Ji, Changyoon & Kang, Hyuna & Lee, Minhyun, 2020. "Development of building driven-energy payback time for energy transition of building with renewable energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).

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