Embodied Energy and Life Cycle Assessment

Embodied Energy as Indicator of Building Environmental Behavior. Taking into Account Building Elements Durability

by Adriana Sferra

Published in AIVC 23rd conference - EPIC 2002 AIVC (in conjunction with 3rd European Conference on Energy Performance and Indoor Climate in Buildings) - 23-26 October 2002 - Lyon - France - vol 3

The paper deals with a complete procedure for the calculation of material embodied energy in the building sector using... more The paper deals with a complete procedure for the calculation of material embodied energy in the building sector using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach; the calculation of embodied energy for building material and components during the design phase takes into account both material durability and frequency of maintenance interventions. As a case study an evaluation of embodied energy for three different types of external walls is reported: external insulation coated, single stratum and multi strata. The described methodology has been developed as a part of BEEPS (Building Environmental and Energetic Performance System) programme, in cooperation with Italian Environmental Ministry.

Towards real energy economics: Energy policy driven by life-cycle carbon emission

by Joshua Pearce

R. Kenny, C. Law, J.M. Pearce, “Towards Real Energy Economics: Energy Policy Driven by Life-Cycle Carbon Emission”, Energy Policy 38, pp. 1969–1978, 2010.

Alternative energy technologies (AETs) have emerged as a solution to the challenge of simultaneously meeting rising... more Alternative energy technologies (AETs) have emerged as a solution to the challenge of simultaneously meeting rising electricity demand while reducing carbon emissions. However, as all AETs are responsible for some greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during their construction, carbon emission “Ponzi Schemes” are currently possible, wherein an AET industry expands so quickly that the GHG emissions prevented by a given technology are negated to fabricate the next wave of AET deployment. In an era where there are physical constraints to the GHG emissions the climate can sustain in the short term this may be unacceptable. To provide quantitative solutions to this problem, this paper introduces the concept of dynamic carbon life-cycle analyses, which generate carbon neutral growth rates. These conceptual tools become increasingly important as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy by reducing fossil fuel combustion. In choosing this method of evaluation it was possible to focus uniquely on reducing carbon emissions to the recommended levels by outlining the most carbon-effective approach to climate change mitigation. The results of using dynamic life-cycle analysis provide policy makers with standardized information that will drive the optimization of electricity generation for effective climate change mitigation.

3D-mapping optimization of embodied energy of transportation

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce, Sara J. Johnson, and Gabriel B. Grant, “3D-Mapping Optimization of Embodied Energy of Transportation”, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 51 pp. 435–453, 2007.

The recent development of Google Earth, an information service that provides imagery and three dimensional data... more The recent development of Google Earth, an information service that provides imagery and three dimensional data depicting the entire Earth, provides an opportunity to use a new method of navigating information to save energy in the real world. Google Earth uses Keyhole Markup Language (KML) for modeling and storing geographic features and information for display in the Google Earth Client. This paper will analyze the potential of this novel and free geographic mapping service to reduce embodied energy of transportation in two ways. First, at the consumer level, Google Earth will be studied to map the automobile route that uses the least fuel and maintains vehicles at their individual maximum fuel efficiency velocities. The same analysis for single destination trips could be used to optimize fleet vehicle routes such as garbage or recycling collection trucks. The secondary benefit of ecological education will also be explored. Fuel used could be converted into monetary units based on the current price of gas, pollution/ greenhouse gas emissions, or ecological footprints to improve driving habits. Secondly, KML overlays will be analyzed for use of determining: i) raw material and products availability as a function of location, and ii) modes of transportation as a function of emissions. These overlays would enable manufacturers access to an easily navigable method to optimize the life cycle of their products by minimizing transportation embodied energy. The most efficient transportation methods and travel routes could be calculated. This same tool would be useful for architects to obtain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating points for the green design of buildings. Overall, the analysis completed finds that the flexibility and visual display of quantitative information made available by Google Earth could have a significant impact at conserving fuel resources by reducing the embodied energy of transportation on a global scale.

Assessment of the Embodied CO2eq in Buildings towards a Sustainable Building Design and Construction

by Aidan Duffy

Embodied Energy Analysis: A Sustainable Construction Design Assessment Tool

by Aidan Duffy

Five past midnight, or sustainable architecture beyond the thick layer of rockwool

by Lionel Devlieger

published in:
'Flanders Architectural
Yearbook 06-07' (Vandermarliere, K., Degerickx, I., Dehullu, E. & Kwakkenbos, L. eds.), Antwerp, Vlaams Architectuurinstituut, 2008, pp. 36-39.

A critical review of the wave of sustainability claims in the architectural debate between 2006 and 2007. Published in... more A critical review of the wave of sustainability claims in the architectural debate between 2006 and 2007. Published in the 'Flanders Architectural Yearbook', the equivalent, for Dutch-speaking Belgium, of the Yearbook Architecture in the Netherlands.

The Problem of the Competitiveness of Nuclear Energy: A Biophysical Explanation

by François Diaz Maurin

This Working Paper intends to provide a sound explanation for the systemic problem of low competitiveness of nuclear energy.

Parts of this working paper are under process for publication in different international peer reviewed journals soon.

Refer to as:
F. Diaz Maurin: The Problem of the Competitiveness of Nuclear Energy: A Biophysical Explanation, Working Papers on Environmental Sciences
http://www.recercat.net/handle/2072/169668
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Edifici Cn, Campus UAB
08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
Tel: (+34) 935812974
http://icta.uab.cat
icta@uab.cat

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/)

In this study I try to explain the systemic problem of the low economic competitiveness of nuclear energy for the... more In this study I try to explain the systemic problem of the low economic competitiveness of nuclear energy for the production of electricity by carrying out a biophysical analysis of its production process. Given the fact that neither econometric approaches nor onedimensional methods of energy analyses are effective, I introduce the concept of biophysical explanation as a quantitative analysis capable of handling the inherent ambiguity associated with the concept of energy. In particular, the quantities of energy, considered as relevant for the assessment, can only be measured and aggregated after having agreed on a pre-analytical definition of a grammar characterizing a given set of finite transformations. Using this grammar it becomes possible to provide a biophysical explanation for the low economic competitiveness of nuclear energy in the production of electricity. When comparing the various unit operations of the process of production of electricity with nuclear energy to the analogous unit operations of the process of production of fossil energy, we see that the various phases of the process are the same. The only difference is related to characteristics of the process associated with the generation of heat which are completely different in the two systems. Since the cost of production of fossil energy provides the base line of economic competitiveness of electricity, the (lack of) economic competitiveness of the production of electricity from nuclear energy can be studied, by comparing the biophysical costs associated with the different unit operations taking place in nuclear and fossil power plants when generating process heat or net electricity. In particular, the analysis focuses on fossil-fuel requirements and labor requirements for those phases that both nuclear plants and fossil energy plants have in common: (i) mining; (ii) refining/enriching; (iii) generating heat/electricity; (iv) handling the pollution/radioactive wastes. By adopting this approach, it becomes possible to explain the systemic low economic competitiveness of nuclear energy in the production of electricity, because of: (i) its dependence on oil, limiting its possible role as a carbon-free alternative; (ii) the choices made in relation to its fuel cycle, especially whether it includes reprocessing operations or not; (iii) the unavoidable uncertainty in the definition of the characteristics of its process; (iv) its large inertia (lack of flexibility) due to issues of time scale; and (v) its low power level.

Materials–A Key CH 2 Focus

by Dominique Hes