Energy
Life Cycle Engineering of energy systems is crucial for Life Cycle Assessments’ studies. Datasets from energy supply are deployed in almost every study about Life Cycle Assessment, at least as background data set.
The department of Life Cycle Engineering incorporates expertise in modeling fossil and renewable energy systems since 1989. This contains:
- Supply from different energy carriers (e.g. crude oil, natural gas, coal, biomass)
- Creation of country specific mixes for single energy carriers (e.g. natural gas mix Germany)
- Supply of the final energy by transformation to electricity, thermal energy and process steam
The following chart shows on screenshot the natural gas mix Germany, modeled in GaBi. It’s created modularly and hierarchically, shown in the form of a sankey-diagramme.
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GaBi-screenshot of the natural gas mix of Germany |
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For a detailed modeling, the technical processes of the renewable and non-renewable (fossil) energy supply have to be considered and analysed in detail. That means also that the conversion technology (e.g. the power plant technique) have to be analysed in detail. A user friendly implementation of technical systems in LCA is achieved by using generic models.
Our Expertise
- Provision of energy carriers (crude oil, coal, biomass), transport systems included (pipeline, tanker etc.)
- Power plants (Electricity, thermal energy, combined heat and power)
- Fuels and refinery technology
- Hydropower
- Photovoltaic
- Production of hydrogen and fuel cells
- Biofuels / Biogas
- Heating systems for buildings
