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Life beyond the grid: A Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment of household energy needs

Author

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  • Vogt Gwerder, Yvonne
  • Marques, Pedro
  • Dias, Luis C.
  • Freire, Fausto

Abstract

This paper presents a combined Life-Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) study on two off-grid houses in a rural village in Portugal to assess the sustainability of meeting electricity and heating needs in off-grid homes. The sustainability of meeting energy needs in the off-grid homes, compared to using the grid, was found to be dependent on the indicators under consideration, the technologies used in the homes, and household energy needs. We compared the current situation to four energy provisioning scenarios using Multi-Attribute Value Theory to rank alternatives based on their sustainability performance. The considered scenarios evaluated the impacts of extending and connecting the grid to the homes to allow for either: electricity consumption from the grid, or both consumption and injection of excess electricity generated to the grid. The results showed that meeting household electricity and heating needs in a sustainable way requires an analysis of the local context and available resources. Thus, a consideration of trade-offs is central to understanding the value of alternative possibilities for energy provisioning. This paper demonstrates that combining LCSA and MCDA procedures is useful for assessing sustainability impacts by incorporating decision maker’s preferences.

Suggested Citation

  • 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).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:255:y:2019:i:c:s0306261919315685
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113881
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    Cited by:

    1. Shukai Liu & Liang Dong & Ling Han & Jiajia Huan & Baihao Qiao, 2022. "Efficiency versus System Synergism: An Advanced Life Cycle Assessment for a Novel Decarbonized Grid System Innovation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, June.
    2. Shahin Bayramov & Iurii Prokazov & Sergey Kondrashev & Jan Kowalik, 2021. "Household Electricity Generation as a Way of Energy Independence of States—Social Context of Energy Management," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    3. Radim Rybár & Martin Beer & Tawfik Mudarri & Sergey Zhironkin & Kamila Bačová & Jaroslav Dugas, 2021. "Experimental Evaluation of an Innovative Non-Metallic Flat Plate Solar Collector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-16, September.
    4. Zeug, Walther & Bezama, Alberto & Thrän, Daniela, 2020. "Towards a holistic and integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of the bioeconomy: Background on concepts, visions and measurements," UFZ Discussion Papers 7/2020, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    5. Kamali Saraji, Mahyar & Aliasgari, Elahe & Streimikiene, Dalia, 2023. "Assessment of the challenges to renewable energy technologies adoption in rural areas: A Fermatean CRITIC-VIKOR approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    6. 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.

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