Integration of Recent Prospective LCA Developments into Dynamic LCA of Circular Economy Strategies for Wind Turbines

This study builds a bridge between the advancements from prospective life cycle assessments (pLCAs) and dynamic life cycle assessments (dLCAs) to improve the evaluation of circular economy (CE) strategies for long-lived products such as energy technologies. Based on a literature review of recent developments from pLCA and dLCA, an extended LCA methodology is proposed that provides guidance in the consideration and integration of technological and market dynamics across all major LCA steps of a dLCA, whose flows and impacts extend over a long period of time. This ensures a more accurate assessment of the impacts on global warming over time by explicitly incorporating temporal differentiation into goals and scopes, life cycle inventories, and interpretations. The methodology was applied to compare two CE measures for wind turbines: full repowering, including material recycling, and partial repowering. The analysis revealed that full repowering is the environmentally preferable option from the perspective of global warming potential, as the higher electricity output offsets the emissions associated with decommissioning and new construction. The findings were robust under various assumptions on future technological advancements, the underlying decarbonization scenario aligned with the Paris Agreement, and the application of discounting of future emissions. Ultimately, this work provides a practical yet adaptable approach for integrating future-oriented LCA methods into decision-making for more sustainable infrastructure and machinery.