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Environmental Payback of Renovation Strategies in a Northern Climate—the Impact of Nuclear Power and Fossil Fuels in the Electricity Supply

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  • Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas

    (School of Technology and Business Studies, Dalarna University, 791 88 Falun, Sweden
    Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden)

  • Ola Eriksson

    (Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, 801 76 Gävle, Sweden)

  • Thomas Olofsson

    (Department of Applied Physics and Electronics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess how the use of fossil and nuclear power in different renovation scenarios affects the environmental impacts of a multi-family dwelling in Sweden, and how changes in the electricity production with different energy carriers affect the environmental impact. In line with the Paris Agreement, the European Union has set an agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by means of energy efficiency in buildings. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 80% of Europe’s population will be living in buildings that already exist. This means it is important for the European Union to renovate buildings to improve energy efficiency. In this study, eight renovation scenarios, using six different Northern European electricity mixes, were analyzed using the standard of the European Committee for Standardization for life cycle assessment of buildings. This study covers all life cycle steps from cradle to grave. The renovation scenarios include combinations of photovoltaics, geothermal heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, and improvement of the building envelope. The results show that while in some electricity mixes a reduction in the global warming potential can be achieved, it can be at the expense of an increase in radioactive waste production, and, in mixes with a high share of fossil fuels, the global warming potential of the scenarios increases with time, compared with that of the original building. It also shows that in most electricity mixes, scenarios that reduce the active heat demand of the building end up in reducing both the global warming potential and radioactive waste, making them less sensitive to changes in the energy system.

Suggested Citation

  • Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas & Ola Eriksson & Thomas Olofsson, 2019. "Environmental Payback of Renovation Strategies in a Northern Climate—the Impact of Nuclear Power and Fossil Fuels in the Electricity Supply," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2019:i:1:p:80-:d:301009
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ola Eriksson, 2017. "Nuclear Power and Resource Efficiency—A Proposal for a Revised Primary Energy Factor," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-10, June.
    2. Verbong, Geert & Geels, Frank, 2007. "The ongoing energy transition: Lessons from a socio-technical, multi-level analysis of the Dutch electricity system (1960-2004)," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 1025-1037, February.
    3. Linus Malmgren & Kristina Mjörnell, 2015. "Application of a Decision Support Tool in Three Renovation Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(9), pages 1-18, September.
    4. Verbruggen, Aviel, 2008. "Renewable and nuclear power: A common future?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(11), pages 4036-4047, November.
    5. Ricardo Ramírez-Villegas & Ola Eriksson & Thomas Olofsson, 2019. "Life Cycle Assessment of Building Renovation Measures–Trade-off between Building Materials and Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, January.
    6. Mattias Gustafsson & Richard Thygesen & Björn Karlsson & Louise Ödlund, 2017. "Rev-Changes in Primary Energy Use and CO 2 Emissions—An Impact Assessment for a Building with Focus on the Swedish Proposal for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-14, July.
    7. Petrovic, Bojana & Myhren, Jonn Are & Zhang, Xingxing & Wallhagen, Marita & Eriksson, Ola, 2019. "Life cycle assessment of a wooden single-family house in Sweden," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pomponi, Francesco & Hart, Jim, 2021. "The greenhouse gas emissions of nuclear energy – Life cycle assessment of a European pressurised reactor," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).

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