IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/endesu/v24y2022i2d10.1007_s10668-021-01559-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Systematic literature review on the application of life cycle sustainability assessment in the energy sector

Author

Listed:
  • T.E.T Dantas

    (Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC))

  • S.R Soares

    (Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC))

Abstract

Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) is an assessment method capable of supporting decision makers toward a more sustainable system. In this paper, a systematic literature review regarding LCSA application in the energy field was performed. The main challenges, methodological approaches, and sustainability indicators used to perform LCSA studies in this sector were highlighted. Peer-reviewed articles published until December 2020 were considered. The research portfolio consisted of 34 publications. According to the results, the energy sector functions as a platform for LCSA application and methodological development, as the number of studies applying this methodology in energy-related systems grew exponentially over the years. The review suggests that the choice of the life cycle concepts (system boundary, impact categories, etc.) is a critical point, as basically, every study presented different characteristics of life cycle studies. An even bigger diversity regarding sustainability indicators was found, especially regarding the social and economic pillars. A trend in the application of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to integrate results and facilitate decision- and policy-making processes was identified. Future studies could focus on the integration between LCSA other methods, identify solutions for the system boundaries interaction across sustainability dimensions, and develop further case studies, specially by combining LCSA and MCDA.

Suggested Citation

  • T.E.T Dantas & S.R Soares, 2022. "Systematic literature review on the application of life cycle sustainability assessment in the energy sector," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1583-1615, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:24:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10668-021-01559-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-01559-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-021-01559-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10668-021-01559-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Tarne & Marzia Traverso & Matthias Finkbeiner, 2017. "Review of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and Potential for Its Adoption at an Automotive Company," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-23, April.
    2. Christina Wulf & Jasmin Werker & Christopher Ball & Petra Zapp & Wilhelm Kuckshinrichs, 2019. "Review of Sustainability Assessment Approaches Based on Life Cycles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-43, October.
    3. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    4. Yijiao Wang & Guoguang Zhou & Ting Li & Xiao Wei, 2019. "Comprehensive Evaluation of the Sustainable Development of Battery Electric Vehicles in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-27, October.
    5. Maxim, Alexandru, 2014. "Sustainability assessment of electricity generation technologies using weighted multi-criteria decision analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 284-297.
    6. Nuri Cihat Onat & Murat Kucukvar & Omer Tatari, 2014. "Towards Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Passenger Vehicles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(12), pages 1-38, December.
    7. Matthias Finkbeiner & Erwin M. Schau & Annekatrin Lehmann & Marzia Traverso, 2010. "Towards Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 2(10), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Guillermo San Miguel & María Cerrato, 2020. "Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of the Spanish Electricity: Past, Present and Future Projections," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-20, April.
    9. Kabayo, Jeremiah & Marques, Pedro & Garcia, Rita & Freire, Fausto, 2019. "Life-cycle sustainability assessment of key electricity generation systems in Portugal," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 131-142.
    10. Ruqun Wu & Dan Yang & Jiquan Chen, 2014. "Social Life Cycle Assessment Revisited," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(7), pages 1-27, July.
    11. Man Yu & Anthony Halog, 2015. "Solar Photovoltaic Development in Australia—A Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-35, January.
    12. Li, Tianqi & Roskilly, Anthony Paul & Wang, Yaodong, 2018. "Life cycle sustainability assessment of grid-connected photovoltaic power generation: A case study of Northeast England," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 465-479.
    13. Najmul Hoque & Wahidul Biswas & Ilyas Mazhar & Ian Howard, 2020. "Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Energy Sources for the Western Australian Transport Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-33, July.
    14. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    15. Akber, Muhammad Zeshan & Thaheem, Muhammad Jamaluddin & Arshad, Husnain, 2017. "Life cycle sustainability assessment of electricity generation in Pakistan: Policy regime for a sustainable energy mix," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 111-126.
    16. Inês Ribeiro & Florinda Matos & Celeste Jacinto & Hafiz Salman & Gonçalo Cardeal & Helena Carvalho & Radu Godina & Paulo Peças, 2020. "Framework for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Additive Manufacturing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, January.
    17. Atilgan, Burcin & Azapagic, Adisa, 2016. "An integrated life cycle sustainability assessment of electricity generation in Turkey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 168-186.
    18. Vogt Gwerder, Yvonne & Marques, Pedro & Dias, Luis C. & Freire, Fausto, 2019. "Life beyond the grid: A Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment of household energy needs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    19. Onat, Nuri Cihat & Kucukvar, Murat & Aboushaqrah, Nour N.M. & Jabbar, Rateb, 2019. "How sustainable is electric mobility? A comprehensive sustainability assessment approach for the case of Qatar," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C), pages 461-477.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Christina Wulf & Jasmin Werker & Christopher Ball & Petra Zapp & Wilhelm Kuckshinrichs, 2019. "Review of Sustainability Assessment Approaches Based on Life Cycles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-43, October.
    2. Buchmayr, A. & Verhofstadt, E. & Van Ootegem, L. & Sanjuan Delmás, D. & Thomassen, G. & Dewulf, J., 2021. "The path to sustainable energy supply systems: Proposal of an integrative sustainability assessment framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    3. Oluwaseun Nubi & Stephen Morse & Richard J. Murphy, 2022. "Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Electricity Generation from Municipal Solid Waste in Nigeria: A Prospective Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Kabayo, Jeremiah & Marques, Pedro & Garcia, Rita & Freire, Fausto, 2019. "Life-cycle sustainability assessment of key electricity generation systems in Portugal," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 131-142.
    5. Louisa Pollok & Sebastian Spierling & Hans-Josef Endres & Ulrike Grote, 2021. "Social Life Cycle Assessments: A Review on Past Development, Advances and Methodological Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-29, September.
    6. Malaquias Zildo António Tsambe & Cássio Florisbal de Almeida & Cássia Maria Lie Ugaya & Luiz Fernando de Abreu Cybis, 2021. "Application of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment to Used Lubricant Oil Management in South Brazilian Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-16, December.
    7. Hannah Karlewski & Annekatrin Lehmann & Klaus Ruhland & Matthias Finkbeiner, 2019. "A Practical Approach for Social Life Cycle Assessment in the Automotive Industry," Resources, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-60, August.
    8. Claudiu Vasile Kifor & Niculina Alexandra Grigore, 2023. "Circular Economy Approaches for Electrical and Conventional Vehicles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-28, April.
    9. Nuri Cihat Onat & Murat Kucukvar & Anthony Halog & Scott Cloutier, 2017. "Systems Thinking for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment: A Review of Recent Developments, Applications, and Future Perspectives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-25, April.
    10. Najmul Hoque & Wahidul Biswas & Ilyas Mazhar & Ian Howard, 2020. "Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Energy Sources for the Western Australian Transport Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-33, July.
    11. Husnain Arshad & Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem & Beenish Bakhtawar & Asheem Shrestha, 2021. "Evaluation of Road Infrastructure Projects: A Life Cycle Sustainability-Based Decision-Making Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-26, March.
    12. Somayeh Rezaei Kalvani & Amir Hamzah Sharaai & Ibrahim Kabir Abdullahi, 2021. "Social Consideration in Product Life Cycle for Product Social Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-22, October.
    13. Peter Tarne & Marzia Traverso & Matthias Finkbeiner, 2017. "Review of Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and Potential for Its Adoption at an Automotive Company," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-23, April.
    14. Martina Zimek & Andreas Schober & Claudia Mair & Rupert J. Baumgartner & Tobias Stern & Manfred Füllsack, 2019. "The Third Wave of LCA as the “Decade of Consolidation”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-19, June.
    15. Busola D. Akintayo & Oluwafemi E. Ige & Olubayo M. Babatunde & Oludolapo A. Olanrewaju, 2023. "Evaluation and Prioritization of Power-Generating Systems Using a Life Cycle Assessment and a Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-18, September.
    16. Marwa Hannouf & Getachew Assefa, 2018. "A Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment-Based Decision-Analysis Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, October.
    17. Kucukvar, Murat & Haider, Muhammad Ali & Onat, Nuri Cihat, 2017. "Exploring the material footprints of national electricity production scenarios until 2050: The case for Turkey and UK," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 251-263.
    18. Kristina Henzler & Stephanie D. Maier & Michael Jäger & Rafael Horn, 2020. "SDG-Based Sustainability Assessment Methodology for Innovations in the Field of Urban Surfaces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-32, June.
    19. Nock, Destenie & Baker, Erin, 2019. "Holistic multi-criteria decision analysis evaluation of sustainable electric generation portfolios: New England case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 242(C), pages 655-673.
    20. Robin Hogrefe & Sabine Bohnet-Joschko, 2023. "The Social Dimension of Corporate Sustainability: Review of an Evolving Research Field," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:24:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10668-021-01559-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.