IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/inecol/v27y2023i1p182-195.html

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of residential battery storage systems: A German case study

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel Fett
  • Christoph Fraunholz
  • Philipp Schneider

Abstract

Battery storage systems (BSSs) are popular as a means to increase the self‐consumption rates of residential photovoltaics. However, their environmental impact is under discussion, given the greenhouse gas emissions caused by the production and the efficiency losses during operation. Against this background, we carry out a holistic environmental assessment of residential BSSs by combining a partial life cycle assessment for the production phase with a detailed simulation of 162 individual German households for the operational phase. As regards the production phase, we only find small differences between the carbon footprints of different cell chemistries. Moreover, we can show that the balance of plant components have a comparable impact on the global warming potential as the cell modules. In terms of the operational phase, our simulations show that BSSs can compensate at least parts of their efficiency losses by shifting electricity demand from high‐emission to low‐emission periods. Under certain conditions, the operational phase of the BSSs can even overcompensate the emissions from the production phase and lead to a positive environmental impact over the lifetime of the systems. As the most relevant drivers, we find the exact emissions at the production stage, the individual household load patterns, the system efficiency, and the applied operational strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel Fett & Christoph Fraunholz & Philipp Schneider, 2023. "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of residential battery storage systems: A German case study," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(1), pages 182-195, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:27:y:2023:i:1:p:182-195
    DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13344
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13344
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jiec.13344?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Braeuer, Fritz & Finck, Rafael & McKenna, Russell, 2020. "Comparing empirical and model-based approaches for calculating dynamic grid emission factors: An application to CO₂-minimizing storage dispatch in Germany," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 44, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    2. Nicole A. Ryan & Jeremiah X. Johnson & Gregory A. Keoleian & Geoffrey M. Lewis, 2018. "Decision Support Algorithm for Evaluating Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Electricity Generation in the United States," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(6), pages 1318-1330, December.
    3. Nadia Belmonte & Carlo Luetto & Stefano Staulo & Paola Rizzi & Marcello Baricco, 2017. "Case Studies of Energy Storage with Fuel Cells and Batteries for Stationary and Mobile Applications," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Rebecca E. Ciez & J. F. Whitacre, 2019. "Examining different recycling processes for lithium-ion batteries," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(2), pages 148-156, February.
    5. Klingler, Anna-Lena, 2017. "Self-consumption with PV+Battery systems: A market diffusion model considering individual consumer behaviour and preferences," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 1560-1570.
    6. Boßmann, T. & Staffell, I., 2015. "The shape of future electricity demand: Exploring load curves in 2050s Germany and Britain," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P2), pages 1317-1333.
    7. Anders Arvesen & Steve Völler & Christine Roxanne Hung & Volker Krey & Magnus Korpås & Anders Hammer Strømman, 2021. "Emissions of electric vehicle charging in future scenarios: The effects of time of charging," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(5), pages 1250-1263, October.
    8. Schopfer, S. & Tiefenbeck, V. & Staake, T., 2018. "Economic assessment of photovoltaic battery systems based on household load profiles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 229-248.
    9. Fett, Daniel & Fraunholz, Christoph & Keles, Dogan, 2021. "Diffusion and system impact of residential battery storage under different regulatory settings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    10. Fett, Daniel & Fraunholz, Christoph & Keles, Dogan, 2021. "Diffusion and system impact of residential battery storage under different regulatory settings," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 55, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    11. Quoilin, Sylvain & Kavvadias, Konstantinos & Mercier, Arnaud & Pappone, Irene & Zucker, Andreas, 2016. "Quantifying self-consumption linked to solar home battery systems: Statistical analysis and economic assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 58-67.
    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. Aniello, Gianmarco & Bertsch, Valentin, 2023. "Shaping the energy transition in the residential sector: Regulatory incentives for aligning household and system perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    2. Fett, Daniel & Fraunholz, Christoph & Keles, Dogan, 2021. "Diffusion and system impact of residential battery storage under different regulatory settings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    3. Olivella, Jordi & Domenech, Bruno & Calleja, Gema, 2021. "Potential of implementation of residential photovoltaics at city level: The case of London," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 577-585.
    4. Semmelmann, Leo & Konermann, Marie & Dietze, Daniel & Staudt, Philipp, 2024. "Empirical field evaluation of self-consumption promoting regulation of household battery energy storage systems," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    5. Han, Xuejiao & Garrison, Jared & Hug, Gabriela, 2022. "Techno-economic analysis of PV-battery systems in Switzerland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    6. Barbour, Edward & González, Marta C., 2018. "Projecting battery adoption in the prosumer era," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C), pages 356-370.
    7. Marion R. Dam & Marten D. van der Laan, 2024. "Techno-Economic Assessment of Battery Systems for PV-Equipped Households with Dynamic Contracts: A Case Study of The Netherlands," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-24, June.
    8. Ling, Chen & Yang, Qing & Wang, Qingrui & Bartocci, Pietro & Jiang, Lei & Xu, Zishuo & Wang, Luyao, 2024. "A comprehensive consumption-based carbon accounting framework for power system towards low-carbon transition," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    9. Villa-Arrieta, Manuel & Sumper, Andreas, 2019. "Economic evaluation of Nearly Zero Energy Cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 404-416.
    10. Lorenz, Christian & Bayer, Daniel R. & Pruckner, Marco & Staake, Thorsten & Hopf, Konstantin, 2026. "Do dynamic electricity tariffs change the gains of residential PV-battery systems? A simulation-based evaluation using data from 448 households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 209(PA).
    11. Freitas Gomes, Icaro Silvestre & Perez, Yannick & Suomalainen, Emilia, 2020. "Coupling small batteries and PV generation: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    12. Psimopoulos, Emmanouil & Bee, Elena & Widén, Joakim & Bales, Chris, 2019. "Techno-economic analysis of control algorithms for an exhaust air heat pump system for detached houses coupled to a photovoltaic system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 249(C), pages 355-367.
    13. Li, Yanxue & Gao, Weijun & Ruan, Yingjun, 2018. "Performance investigation of grid-connected residential PV-battery system focusing on enhancing self-consumption and peak shaving in Kyushu, Japan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 514-523.
    14. Emmanouil Psimopoulos & Fatemeh Johari & Chris Bales & Joakim Widén, 2020. "Impact of Boundary Conditions on the Performance Enhancement of Advanced Control Strategies for a Residential Building with a Heat Pump and PV System with Energy Storage," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-25, March.
    15. Say, Kelvin & Schill, Wolf-Peter & John, Michele, 2020. "Degrees of displacement: The impact of household PV battery prosumage on utility generation and storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    16. Russo, Marianna & Kraft, Emil & Bertsch, Valentin & Keles, Dogan, 2022. "Short-term risk management of electricity retailers under rising shares of decentralized solar generation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    17. Arnold, Fabian & Jeddi, Samir & Sitzmann, Amelie, 2022. "How prices guide investment decisions under net purchasing — An empirical analysis on the impact of network tariffs on residential PV," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    18. Fett, Daniel & Fraunholz, Christoph & Lange, Malin, 2023. "Provision of frequency containment reserve from residential battery storage systems: A German case study," Working Paper Series in Production and Energy 71, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Industrial Production (IIP).
    19. Nina Munzke & Felix Büchle & Anna Smith & Marc Hiller, 2021. "Influence of Efficiency, Aging and Charging Strategy on the Economic Viability and Dimensioning of Photovoltaic Home Storage Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-46, November.
    20. Andreolli, Francesca & D’Alpaos, Chiara & Kort, Peter, 2025. "Does P2P trading favor investments in PV–Battery Systems?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:inecol:v:27:y:2023:i:1:p:182-195. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1088-1980 .

    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.