Transcript www.lca2go.eu

Boosting Life Cycle Assessment in
Small and Medium Enterprises
E-Learning course –
Photovoltaic Systems
03.12.2013
Authors: Antonio Dobon, Karsten Schischke, Jan Schneider, Jude Sherry
Editors: Florian Krautzer, Rainer Pamminger, Wolfgang Wimmer
Introductio
n
Lower your impact on the environment,
heighten the impact on your business
Improving the environmental performance across product’s life cycle can
pave the way to a successful business. Using LCA to go can provide with
the required information to better informed decision-making within the
business.
The objective is to lower the impact on the environment and reap the
following benefits:
1. Cost reductions
and
2. Secure supply chain
materials and reduce
3. Comply with legislation
responsibilities and
regulations
4. Increase and diversify sales
conscious
5. Achieve brand loyalty
customers
Home
Cut down on wastage during manufacturing
save costs by maximising efficiency
Identify supply risks of rare raw
their use in products
Manage environmental legal
avoid costly changes to comply with new
Reach new audiences in a fast-expanding
market and gain competitor advantage
Build trust and relationships with your
with a brand that cares
Definiti
Introductio
n
What is LCA to go?
Home
LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified LCA.
This simplification has been developed by LCA experts since the beginning
of the project in 2011.
The most relevant boundaries, data and impact categories across the
following sectors have been defined: Photovoltaic systems, industrial
machines, sensors, electronics, printed circuit boards, smart textiles and
bio-based plastics. This pre-identification greatly reduces the
complexity involved in undertaking a Life Cycle Based Environmental
Assessment.
LCA to go will enable:
• Photovoltaic systems planners, installers and designers to assess and
communicate the environmental benefits of their systems
• Plastic products manufacturers to assess the environmental and
financial performance of bio-based plastics in comparison to
conventional petroleum based plastics
• Smart textiles designers and manufacturers to assess the environmental
performance of their products
• Electronic products designers, assemblers and manufacturers to assess
and communicate the environmental benefits of reliable and long-lasting
products
• Industrial machines manufacturers to identify potential environmental
improvement options
• Industrial sensor providers to quantify the environmental and financial
Definiti
benefits of installing a sensor system
Introductio
n
What is a Product’s Life Cycle?
Every product interacts with the natural environment across its full life
cycle, that is, interaction during the material extraction, manufacturing,
distribution, use and end of life of the product.
Inputs (energy, water, raw materials, etc.) are taken from the natural
environment while outputs (air and water pollutants, solid waste, etc.)
are released into the environment. All of them are measured and analysed
through a life cycle based assessment establishing products environmental
performance.
Understanding product’s life cycle environmental performance, enables
identifying and prioritizing environmental improvement opportunities.
Home
Definiti
E-learning course on environmental assessment of
Photovoltaic systems with the LCA to go online tool
Introduction
Step by step e-learning:
Photovoltaics home
1. Define the scope
2. Collect data
3. Model the Life Cycle
4. Enter data
5. Review the result
6. Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Photovoltaics Case
Definitions
Sector specific course / Step 1
1.
Definition of the product &
scope
Substeps:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Define the goal of the study
Define the functional unit
Define the reference flow
Define the product system and the unit
processes
e. Draw a process tree
Home
2
Definiti
Step 1
1.a. Define the goal of the study
Why do I need to define a goal for my study?
Defining a goal helps you identifying the objectives, applications and
target audience of your study and will allow you to easily keep track of
these very important factors throughout the study.
How can I define a goal & what should be included in my goal definition?
A goal definition should have three parts. It should identify:
• The reason for undertaking the study (Why?);
• The target audience (Who?);
• The potential areas of application for the study (What?)
Can
The
the
the
Home
the goal be modified during the study?
goal should not be modified during the study. If changes occur during
study, a new goal should be defined and a new study (which can take
current study as a basis) should be made.
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 1
1.b. Define a Functional Unit
What is a Functional unit?
The functional unit is the amount of product/material and energy required
to accomplish a certain function.
• Example for packaging: Delivery of 1000 l of orange juice to the
supermarket with 1L beverage carton, 1.5L HDPE bottle, and 0,75L
glass bottle. The Functional unit here would be 1000 l of orange
juice.
• Example for energy consuming product: Provide 7500 h of internet
service with a modem type A, modem type B and modem type C
• Example for machinery: convert 1000 kg of pellets by extrusion
machine A and extrusion machine B
Why do I need to define a Functional unit and what is it used for?
The functional unit is used as a basis for comparisons between products,
materials and equipment. This will ensure that all studied systems are
fully comparable.
How can I define a functional unit?
The easiest way to define a functional unit is to identify clearly the
Functional
function(s) provided by the product to be analysed
and then unit:
assess if the
1m²
Main
products to be analysed can either accomplish the same function or not.
function:
Paint
Paint a
wall
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 1
1.c. Define a Reference Flow
What is a Reference flow?
A reference flow is the basis for calculation, required to accomplish a
certain function provided by a product/service.
• Paint example: Amount of paint required to paint 1m2 of wall.
Why do I need to define a Reference flow and what is used for?
This is essential in every LCA, since it is used as a basis for
comparisons. LCA users ensure with their use that systems under analysis
are fully comparable.
How can I define a Reference flow?
Example: if the function is to having painted 1 m² of wall with waterbased paint with a yield of 5 m²/L vs. a solvent-based paint with a yield
of 2.5 m²/L, therefore different amount of paint will be used to paint the
same wall surface. This is called reference flow and it is an essential
part for comparison
Amount of waterFunctional unit
1 m2
based paint
required for the
functional unit
Amount of solventbased paint
required for the
functional unit
Home
Definiti
1 m2/(5m2/L) = 0,2
L
1 m2/(2.5m2/L) =
0,4 L
Photovoltaics
Step 1
1.d Define a Product System and the
Unit Processes
What is a product system?
A product systems is the set of unitary processes necessary to perform the
function specified in the functional unit. All inflows and outflows shall
be defined. In practice, this is the whole life cycle diagram. See an
example for a PLA-based carrier bag below.
What is a unit process?
A unit process is the minimum element for which life cycle data on inputs
and outputs is available
What information do I need to define the product system and the unit
processes?
You will just need a clear idea on the main inflows and outflows related
to a certain product system
Corn
growing and
harvesting
(materials)
PLA
pellet
processin
g
Input of raw
materials
Input of water
Film
extrusion
PLA film
Printing
and diecut
Output of emissions to soil,
water or air, solid waste, etc.
Definiti
Use
Outflows between unitary
processes
Unit process
Input of energy
Home
Transport
and
delivery
Photovoltaics
End of
life
Step 1
1.e.i Draw a process tree
Why do I need to draw a process tree for my product system and how can I
use it?
Visualizing the single processes and their relation may help to understand
what exactly you have to consider when collecting data for your LCA.
Furthermore, the development of the process tree usually helps to “not
forget” parts of the product system and enables to structure the following
steps, such as data collection and life cycle modeling.
Where does a product life start, where does it end?
Again, this depends on the product that you are about to evaluate.
In general, the “start” begins with the raw materials or the energy needed
for the manufacturing of your product. This is important at it also shows
the “coverage” of decisions that you make during the design of the
product.
The end of life of the product usually falls together with its disposal
and/or recycling. That does not automatically mean that there is a
possibility to influence in what exactly happens at this stage.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 1
1.e.ii Draw a process tree
- 1.5 kg copper
- 13 kWh
electricity
- 15 l tap
water
- 0.3 m³ argon
Home
Process 1,
e.g.
casing
What is a process tree?
A process tree is a special
flowchart in which all relevant
material flows, energy flows,
emissions and other streams are
- 0.7 kg LDPE
Process 2, e.g.
depicted.
- 3 MJ process
plastic parts
If possible, they are assigned heat
molding
to a special process or step - 2 l distilled
within the life cycle stages of water
- 2.5 g
the product.
additives
The
process
tree
should - 0.2 m³ argon
Process 3,
represent all life cycle stages - 0.7 kWh
e.g.
needed to properly model the electricity
assembling
- 3 l tap water
product.
The process tree should refer to
a known quantity of product, and
if possible, to the functional
Process 4,
- …
unit.
…
On the right side can be checked
an example of the Process Tree
(should be taken into account
that there is no a “defined”
structure as the extent and
Photovoltaics
quantity of single
processes Definiti
- 4 MJ heat
- 30 g copper
scrap
- 15 l
wastewater
- 2 l
wastewater
- 0.05 kg LDPE
- 2 MJ heat
- 3 l
wastewater
- …
Sector specific course / Step 2
2.
Data Collection
Substeps:
a.Identify necessary data
b.Define the depth and quality
of data needed
c.Identify and track the data
quality
1
Home
3
Definiti
Step 2
2.a.i Identify necessary data
What data needs to be collected and how can this be done?
Several data is needed throughout all life cycle stages to model the
product life cycle properly.
Some data needs to be compiled by yourself, which defines your product or
system, but your data will be complemented by some background data on e.g.
electricity generation or upstream raw materials production.
If required for your sector, you might need to collect data as follows:
• For the Materials stage, identify the used materials. Data might come
from specifications or experts
• For the Manufacturing stage, data collection on:
•
•
•
•
Home
Electricity consumption during the manufacturing of parts and
assembly of the final product. Two options to carry out:
Measure the energy consumption directly at the production line
or devide the electricity consumption of the entire
production line through the number of produced units
• The generated waste during the manufacturing of parts and
assembly of the final product.
For the Distribution stage, data collection on shipping distances as
well as packaging used materials
For the Use stage, estimate lifetime and use patterns, determine the
country/region where the product or system is used
For the End of life stage, data collection on current disposal and
recycling practice and estimate the end of life route that might be
taken
Photovoltaics
Definiti
Step 1
2.a.ii. Identify necessary data:
Materials and Manufacturing
Home
What is a decision rule for mass inclusion? Why do I need it? How can be
defined?
A decision rule is a very easy rule aimed at excluding certain
materials/manufacturing processes which the contribution to the global
environmental impact is assumed as negligible.
rule:
Component
%wt based Decision
Example
for an internetWeight
mobile modem
on the bill
of materials
Exclude
all
(g)
materials,
ABS shell
75 47,0%
contributing less
than 1% of the total
PCB
50 31,3%
weight of the final
Display
23 14,4%
product.
These components can
0,5 W Resistors (x
8
5,0%
be excluded as they
12)
do not represent more
Chip A
2 1,3%
than 1% of total
Capacitor (x 5)
1 0,6%
materials to the
product system,
Chip C
0,5 0,3%
reducing
Cristal oscillator
0,02 0,0%
substantially the
efforts for data
Total
159,52 100 %
collection!!! Be
careful not to
exclude small amounts
Photovoltaics
Definiti of high
impact
Step 2
2.a.iii Identify necessary data:
Distribution, Use, End of life:
Multiple clients
I have a number of different clients, how do I account for this and what
data do I need?
Clients can be in a range of different locations, using and disposing the
product in different ways.
To deal with these differences, LCA uses different scenarios as shown in
Step 3.
The required data will depend on the scenario that is being investigated.
Example, if you Market
know share
where you
ship a certain product
determined
market
Distribution
Use
Endby
of life
share, then you may develop a table as shown below:
Country
(all by truck)
(Use profiles may vary (may vary depending
(Clients)
depending on the client)
on client)
[%]
[km]
[kWh / Year]
Poland
50%
1000
7,000
Incineration
France
40%
500
9,000
Landfill
Sweden
10%
2000
4,000
Recycling
Home
Subsequently, you can develop a hypothetical scenario, for example
assuming the following sales for one product unit: 50% to Poland, 40% to
France and 10% to Sweden.
Alternatively you can specify scenarios for specific clients.
Often, if there is no specific information (the exact transport distance
for example), there is a possibility to start with a conservative
Photovoltaics
Definiti
estimation and identification, whenever
it is relevant
for the LCA.
Step 2
2.b.i Define the depth and quality of
data needed
To what level of detail and to what accuracy should the data be collected?
The required level of detail depends on the importance of a certain
dataset.
If the overall result depends on one entry, the data should meet a high
level of accuracy. For example, this is extremely important when certain
entered values are multiplied by a very large factor. In these cases the
accuracy of an entered value has to be very high whereas for less
important data it is not required to invest large amounts of time to
achieve a high level of detail.
Frequently, only 10-15 data entries determine 80% or more of the result,
so efforts should be made to get these 10-15 data entries right.
Some examples:
• Electricity in the use phase: Frecuently highly relevant. It is of
great importance to enter the correct location and the corresponding
electricity grid mix. If a product is used for a long time over its
lifetime, this becomes even more relevant.
• Precious metals: Usually they are mined and processed with high
environmental impacts and occassionaly dominate the whole assessment.
It is of high importance to get the correct amount of precious metals.
• The amount of washing detergent needed in a single cycle becomes very
important if the product is designed to carry out thousands of washing
cycles over its lifetime.
Home
Definiti
Step 2
2.b.ii Define the depth and quality
of data needed
Can I first gather rough data to gain an understanding of the product‘s
environmental impact and add more detailed data later?
Yes, get a first impression of the ecoprofile of your product before
deciding which data should be improved. If you are not sure at the outset
of the analysis, which environmental hot spots to expect, go through the
assessment with some default data or worst case assessments. Check the
results. Refine data entries. Get a feeling for most sensitive data
entries. Refine the assessment step by step. Some typical environmental
profiles:
Materials
Materials
Manufact
uring
End of
life
A TV set consumes much
more energy in use than
in production.
Modelling the use stage
is most important.
Home
Materials
Manufact
uring
End of
life
End of
life
A mobile phone is
optimised for energy
efficiency and battery
lifetime, but
constitutes of a high
share of electronics
parts. Modelling of the
electronics components
is important.
Definiti
Manufact
uring
A sensor system,
which monitors
industrial processes
might reduce the
power consumption of
a process line, which
by far outweighs its
own environmental
footprint. Modelling
the secondary effects
Step 2
2.c.i Identify and track the data
quality
What is meant by data quality?
Data quality essentially is an indicator of how good the given dataset is,
as well as, the related results of modelling which represent the „real“
life cycle of a product or system.
As long as data comes directly from the product and production line, the
quality will be high, but frequently, the source for processes and life
cycle stages are not under your direct control. Then data quality comes to
play a crucial issue.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 2
2.d.ii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
Typically data quality has five dimensions:
(1) Reliability
Is the data based on measurements, verified by anybody or only
estimated?
(2) Completeness
How large is the sample the data is based on? Is it
representative?
(3) Correlations in Time
How old is the data?
(4) Correlations in Geography
Does the data stem from the region, where my components are
produced or does the data refer to some other locations?
(5) Correlations in Technology
Are components and raw materials processed with the same
technology as for the system to be assessed?
Home
Keep in mind: The Data Quality Indicator in the „LCA to go“ tool is meant
to assess the quality of YOUR data entries, not of the background data in
the tool. The user has to judge, whether a background dataset is
appropriate for the intended use! Even a high quality background dataset
applied to the wrong raw material Definiti
yields a wrong Photovoltaics
result.
Step 2
2.d.iii Identify and track the data
quality
How is data quality defined and what is the Data Quality Indicator?
continued…
In a simplified version, the assessment of the data quality is aggregated
in one of three possible Data Quality Indicator scores:
Reliability
Completeness
Correlations in Time
Correlations in
Geography
Correlations in
Technology
Home
DQI
scor
e
Definiti
Robust
high
Indicative
Data
quali
ty
Illustrative
low
Photovoltaics
Step 2
2.d.iv Identify and track the data
quality
Why is data quality and keeping track of data quality important?
Assessing the data quality helps you
• to get an impression, how reliable your overall assessment result is,
and
• to improve your data collection strategy to enhance the Environmental
overall quality
impact
Environmental
impact
of the assessment
Examples:
Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
Indicative data for Distribution
tive
is „nice to have“ but „indicative“
level for Manufacturing is
critical and should be improved!
Home
Data
quality
Robust
Indicati
ve
Illustra
tive
 ok, life cycle stages
with highest impact feature
high data quality
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Sector specific course / Step 3
3.
Model the Life Cycle
Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into
a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
2
Home
4
Definiti
Step 3
3.a.i Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
How can I best review the data and identify data gaps?
Use a table to track data gaps is the easiest solution for doing that. Put
there which data is necessary and optional as well as the assumptions you
made.
Life
cycle
stage
raw
material/
substance
Unit
Data
gap
Data
needed?
58
g
No
Yes
My company
ABS resin
220
g
No
Yes
Literature
Glass
fibre
125
g
No
Yes
Literature
Injection
moulding
of ABS
195
g
Yes
Yes
Copper
Materials
Amount
Materials
preproces
ses
Home
Definiti
Assumption
I do not know the precise
figures to estimate the
processing
of
the
ABS
Shell, so I will assume a
general injection moulding
process to estimate the
impacts
related
to
the
processing of ABS resin to
produce the internet modem
shell
Photovoltaics
Source
Literature
Step 3
3.a.ii Review available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary
Can I make assumptions to fill these data gaps with estimates?
Yes, of course. Assumptions are needed to reduce data collection efforts
and must be clearly stated for a proper interpreation of results.
How can I relate the data to my functional unit?
Using the reference flow. Please see Step 1.c
What’s better?
I cannot find
suitable LCA
data regarding
the production
of an ABS shell
for an internet
modem!!!!!!
Home
Assumption:
consider the total
weight of the ABS
shell and
calculate the
processing by
assuming a general
injection moulding
process
Definiti
 A final result
which does not
consider the
impacts of
producing the
ABS shell
 Achieving a
more complete
total result
which includes
a conservative
estimate for
the process
Photovoltaics
Step 3
3.b.i Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Sweden
Why are scenarios needed and when
46 g
are they used?
CO2-eq./kWh
There are several factors that
influence the impact at the Use
stage.
• Typically you have no control
on how the product is used and
different clients may use the
681 g
product in different ways
CO2-eq./kWh
• You may not have information on
the actual use
• The impact from the same use
96 g
intensity may be different in
CO2-eq./kWh
different countries.
That is why you need to set up
scenarios with due care and
communicate your assumptions
transparently.
As shown on the right, the
environmental burden of
CO2 emission factors of electricity
electricity consumption depends on
generation
the type and efficiency of power
(UK DEFRA 2012)
plants in the country. Several
Definiti
scenarios can be developed,
France
Home
Poland
Step 3
3.b.ii Develop Scenarios for the Use stage
Why are scenarios needed and when are they used?
See an example of Fujitsu and how they depict the results of a computer
LCA. Depending on the location of use, the overall carbon footprint
changes significantly:
Home
Definiti
Sector specific course / Step 4
4.
Data entry
Substeps:
a. Enter data in the LCA to go online tool
b. Understand why the data is needed and
what happens with the entered data
3
Home
5
Definiti
Step 4
4.a.i Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Where can I find the tool?
You can access the tool from the project website
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in . You will need to register and create
an account first before entering data.
Home
Definiti
Step 4
4.a.ii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
Customized life
cycle for each
sector
Home
Definiti
Step 4
4.a.iii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“
for further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
Sectoral
guidance
on data
entries
Home
Definiti
Model
your
product
life
cycle
Selfassessment
of the
quality of
your data
entries
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset
Step 4
4.a.iv Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your product
life cycle
Comprehensive data
entry templates to
model the life
cycle stages one
by one
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 4
4.a.v Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
How can I enter data into
the LCA to go tool?
1)Create a new product
2)Go to „Introduction“ for
further
sectoral guidance or
directly to
„Data entry“
3)„Data entry“: Make
entries for your product
life cycle
Calculate
results; will
show results
only, if you
have entered
a complete
dataset
4)Click „Next step“ to
move to the next life
cycle stage
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 4
4.a.vi Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
All your entered data is saved under your account, once you click
or
you will find your products listed under „My Products“ in the top right
corner
online trainee
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 4
4.a.vii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Just click on the „status“
button to return to your
data entries any time
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 4
4.a.viii Enter data in the LCA to go online
tool
Can I save the data and return to finish the data entry at a later time?
Click on the duplicate
icon to make a copy of
your product entries for
calculating a variant
Can the data be seen by a third party?
No. Your data is stored on the web server of the online tool, but it is
only accessible with your account details.
The user password is encrypted and even the host is not able to read it.
Therefore, only the user can access their own data.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 4
4.b.i Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What happens with the entered data?
Your entered data is used as input parameters for a mathematical model.
This model links your entered data with background datasets to calculate
the results for your product.
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
data
entry
Home
Internal
data
model
1
2
3
Internal
database
dataset
1
dataset
2
dataset
3
Materia
ls
Manufa
cturin
g
Results
4
Definiti
Photovoltaics
End of
life
Step 4
4.b.ii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
Where does the internal data model come from?
The data models for each sector individually have been developed in the
“LCA to go” project. These data models provide the link between technical
terms and the environmental data in the background.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 4
4.b.iii Understand why the data is
needed and what happens with the
entered data
What background datasets are used and why?
The tool comes with some background datasets to
ease your work: The datasets comprise
environmental data related to some consumption
metrics.
The most typical example are the country
specific emission factors for electricity:
•
kg of greenhouse gas emissions of
power generation in a given
country, aggregated as CO2equivalents per kWh electricity
consumed by a product or process
This data stems from broadly accepted and
publicly available sources, such as the
International Energy Agency.
Home
Further data sets allow to link your consumption
data or design data with the anticipated
environmental impacts. This is meant to help
you: Instead of inquiring throughout the supply
chain the “real” environmental impacts of your
product, you are provided with ready-made data
as a sound approximation of “your” reality.
Photovoltaics
Definiti
Sector specific course / Step 5
5.
Review the result
Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the
available impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots
and the robustness of the result
c. Collect and enter additional data where
necessary
4
Home
6
Definiti
Step 5
5.a.i Understand the result
How is the result displayed?
Results are displayed in the LCA to go tool in three different ways:
1) Data table („Detailed
Results“)
2) Bar charts (“Graphic Results”)
3) pdf report
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 5
5.a.ii Understand the result
What are Environmental impact categories, how are they defined and why are
they used?
Environmental impacts are any change to the environment, whether adverse
or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organization’s or
product’s environmental aspects. The environment is complex, and so is the
range of environmental impacts. A non-exhaustive list of environmental
impacts frequently seen in conjunction with Life Cycle Assessments are:
•
Global Warming
•
Resource Depletion
•
Human Toxicity
•
Ecotoxicity
•
Acidification
•
Eutrophication
•
(Loss of) Biodiversity
•
Ozone Depletion
•
Summer Smog
If you want to know more about any of these impact categories, follow the
links to the wikipedia entries.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 5
5.a.iii Understand the result
How to compare environmental impact categories against each other?
The challenge is, that it is hardly possible to value one kind of impact
against another. There are some approaches to normalize and weigh
environmental impacts with some kind of environmental “points”, but that
doesn’t help to understand the environmental issue behind the assessment.
The “LCA to go” consortium screened the relevancy of individual impact
categories for individual sectors and the tool simplifies things by
neglecting the less relevant ones.
You should keep in mind, that there is some (minor) risk to overlook an
important impact.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 5
5.a.iv Understand the result
What is a Key Environmental Performance Indicator and why is it used?
Key Environmental Performance Indicators (KEPIs) quantify potential
environmental impacts, benefits or metrics of high relevancy for a given
sector. KEPIs are the environmental result of an assessment, which allow a
benchmarking or a comparison of scenarios.
Examples are:
•
Energy-break-even-point (payback of energy invested in
production of photovoltaic systems)
•
Environmental-break-even-point (after which operation time
are the production related global warming gas emissions set
off by saved CO2 emissions)
•
Carbon footprint of a photovoltaic system over full lifetime
(positive)
•
Carbon emissions of a computer life cycle per year of usage
•
Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) of a machine tool over ist
entire lifetime
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 5
5.b.i Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
What is an environmental hotspot?
If you want to use the assessment for design improvements, for discussing
a project with a client or to implement a sustainable business strategy,
you might need to know more than just a carbon footprint figure.
You should know, where it comes from to initiate improvements.
Following again the 80:20 principle you should target at the 20% input
parameters, which drive 80% of your impacts. These are your environmental
hotspots.
Some examples:
•
For a mobile electronics product it is not the package,
although recycled cardboard is very popular, it is the
electronics: Printed circuit board and semiconductors
•
For a PV system it is the overall system efficiency and solar
cell production
•
For a sensor system used in energy-intensive industries don‘t
bother for too long about the production of the sensor
system, pay attention to the positive use stage impact
•
For a machine tool, do not worry too much about the assembly
and welding together of the parts, the important hotspot is
the energy used in the 15-25 years that it is in use to
produce goods.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 5
5.b.ii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How to deal with environmental hotspots?
When developing the tool, we had in mind already the hot spots, but check
for your product, how sensitive the result is to the entered data:
•
What drives your impacts?
•
How to minimise overall impacts?
Try to find out, what are the three most important factors and check: Have
you got the power to make a change?
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 5
5.b.iii Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How robust are the results?
The Data Quality Indicators (DQIs) will help you to judge the robustness
of your results: Are those life cycle stages with the highest relevancy
those with the best data quality? If not, make a brief sensitivity
analysis:
Enter for those parameters, which seem to be of high relevancy minimum and
maximum estimates and check results again. Does the overall result change
much?
Materia
ls
Home
Definiti
Manufa
cturin
g
Distribut
ion
Use
Photovoltaics
End of
life
Step 5
5.b.iv Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How robust are the results?
Enter for those parameters, which seem to be of high relevancy minimum and
maximum estimates and check results again. Does the overall result change
much?
Materia
ls
Home
Definiti
Manufa
cturin
g
Distribut
ion
Use
Photovoltaics
End of
life
Step 5
5.b.v Identify major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data
How robust are the results?
Enter for those parameters, which seem to be of high relevancy minimum and
maximum estimates and check results again. Does the overall result change
much?
Materia
ls
Home
Manufa
cturin
g
Distribut
ion
Use
End of
life
In this example overall
robustness is low,
sensitivity is high, make
related assumptions with due
care, preferably calculate
with a conservative
Photovoltaics
Definitiassumption
Step 5
5.c. Collect and enter additional
data where necessary
Home
Having identified environmental hotspots and the robustness of the result,
how do I decide what data I need to improve?
Make sure that you have the most robust data for the most important life
cycle stages. If you have identified an environmental hotspot but the data
is only “Indicative”, try to collect further data.
If you only have “Illustrative” data for a life cycle stage that might be
relevant, try to collect and integrate further data.
What can I do if I do not have access to more robust data?
Try to expand on the existing data by asking experts within your company
for their estimates. Check the feasibility of the data against published
figures from other manufacturers.
Can I follow the same step by step process when collecting and entering
more detailed data?
In principle, yes, though the second round of data collection should be
much quicker and less intensive because you can concentrate on a few data
gaps. Make sure you save the current result to see what changes the
improved data has brought about and whether it would be useful to go back
and ask for further data. You may use the “Duplicate” function in the tool
for this.
When is my study “finished”, how do I know when to stop collecting and
entering data?
Once you are happy that you have achieved the goal of your study. It is
clear that in an iterative process,
results can always
be improved. Once
Photovoltaics
Definiti
Sector specific course / Step 6
6.
Interpret the result & derive
improvements
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication
5
Home
Definiti
Step 6
6.a.i Draw conclusions from the
result
What conclusions can I draw from the result?
This brings us back to the initial point: What was the goal of the
assessment?
Now you can interpret the assessment result in the light of your goal:
•
If a rough environmental assessment was your goal, you are
basically done. Latest now you should think about your
communication strategy with respect to green credentials of
your product or service.
•
If a product improvement was your goal, you can now focus on
the hotspots, and check with the product designers, which
ideas they have for improvement, assess technical feasibility
and economics of related measures.
•
If the assessment was meant to inform a sales talk, extract
major findings and benefits identified, complement the
environmental assessment with a cost analysis. Some sectoral
tools cover such a cost calculation feature.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 6
6.a.ii Draw conclusions from the
result
What have I learned from the process of carrying out the environmental
assessment?
Besides the plain calculations there is more, that you presumably have
learnt from this exercise:
•
Thinking about your product from a new perspective, which
might even bring you to creative ideas, how to improve in
your business
•
Reflecting on life cycle stages you have not thought of
before, getting insights on these
•
Being prepared to talk about environmental aspects of your
product
Also large enterprises do not only undertake LCAs for “green washing”,
they draw internal lessons from the findings.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 6
6.b.i Derive appropriate improvement
measures
Which basic product types exists and how can I identify the basic product
type of my product?
In general, five different basic product types are distinguished: (Two
examples are shown)
exampl
Life Cycle for a Raw material
intensive product
e
1.Material intensive
2.Manufacturing intensive
exampl
e
3.Distribution intensive
4.Use intensive
Life Cycle
for a intensive
Use intensive product
5.End
of life
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 6
6.b.ii Derive appropriate improvement
measures
What is the general improvement strategy for
each basic product type?
It is important to identify the basic
product type to identify the appropriate
improvement strategy.
Several tools exist to help you define an
improvement strategy for your product. The
improvement strategy focuses on the major
improvement options which in turn consist of
several measures, which may or may not be
applicable to your product.
As an example for a use intensive product,
the following improvement strategy has been
taken from the ECODESIGN Pilot, one such
tool:
Source: www.ecodesign.at/pilot/
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 6
6.c.i Prepare the result for
communication
For what purposes can I use the result provided by the LCA to go tool?
You can use the results to make environmental claims, preferably stating
that calculations have been made with the LCA to go tool. Then it is
clear, how you calculated the environmental assessment.
The LCA to go tool provides you with a pdf report of the major results.
Any additional claims on e.g. absence of hazardous raw materials,
information about a dedicated take-back service, or the technical
specification have to be provided as a complementary piece of information.
If you want to have your assessment being verified by an external to
enhance credibility or just to be sure, please contact the LCA to go
consortium for assistance.
As LCA to go is meant to provide a swift access to life cycle thinking it
does not provide an LCA result in conformity with the standards ISO 14.040
and ISO 14.044. If you want to go for a full-size LCA study you should use
your experience with LCA to go as a starter, but you will have to change
over to any of the professional LCA tools presumably.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 6
6.c.ii Prepare the result for
communication
What information do I need to provide to make the result understandable to
my audience?
Depends on your audience! There are some companies, which make a pretty
good job to explain environmental issues on a very consumer-friendly
level. It is rather educating than communicating environmental
credentials. Others publish summaries of LCA studies.
For your inspiration, here are 4 examples what other small and large
companies communicate in the IT business…
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
Step 6
6.c.iii Prepare the result for
communication
Fairphone:
Engaging the user
community in LCA
issues and the
process to
compile
environmental
data
Fujitsu
Technology
Solutions:
Comprehensive
Life Cycle
Assessment
Whitepaper
MicroPro:
Combined
technical and
environmental
product
information
Apple:
Comprehensive
Environmental
Product
Declaration
As you go through these 4 examples,
take notes of what you like to have for
your communication strategy as well!
Home
Definiti
Step 6
6.c.iv Prepare the result for
communication
How can I best highlight the main conclusions?
So what is on your “want-to-have” list now?
We shrunk the assessment down to some scientifically highly relevant
KEPIs, but you have to consider, what are the expectations of your target
audience, internally and externally.
Home
Definiti
Photovoltaics
PV. Case study: Photovoltaics
Step by step guide to environmental
assessment with the LCA to go tool:
1. Define the scope for the env. ass. of the
Photovoltaic system
2. Collect data on the LC of the Photovoltaic
system
3. Model the Life cycle of the Photovoltaic system
4. Enter data of the Photovoltaic system into the
online LCA to go tool
5. Review the result for the Photovoltaic system
6. Interpret the result & derive improvements for
the Photovoltaic system
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV. Case study: Photovoltaics
PV.1. Define the scope
Substeps:
a.Define the goal of the study
b.Define the functional unit
c.Define the reference flow
d.Define the product system and the unit processes
e.Draw a process tree
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.1.a. Defining the Goal for an
environmental assessment of the
Photovoltaic System
Why: Supporting choice of components by evaluating
the environmental performance and possible design
improvements of a system
Who: Designers and engineers working on a project or
evaluating the performance of a system already
running
In this case: Evaluating the designed system in
order to give the customer an impression on the
environmental footprint, options and related costs
(the latter to be done externally)
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.1.a. Defining the Goal for an
environmental assessment of the
Photovoltaic System
In order to improve comprehensibility, the ELearning will be based on a project report, taken
from a design software. The system design and
purpose indicate the goal and details about other
points comprised in Step 1.
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.1.a. Defining the Goal for an
environmental assessment of the
Photovoltaic System
The following slides will show details related to
the exemplary system to be assessed in this Elearning course.
Data stems from an engineering tool such as PVsyst,
and is required as a starting point for the
environmental assessments.
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.1.b. Defining a Functional unit
for an environmental assessment of
the Photovoltaic System
In this case, the customer is a local Barcelona
school
and
has
ordered
a
power
generating
photovoltaic
system
to
partially
cover
the
building‘s roof. The total area is approximately 70
m².
As the customer plans to feed-in the generated
electricity, no batteries are needed. Inverters have
to be included according to effective peak power.
Due to efficiency concerns, the authorities advised
the engineers to use the most promising technology,
being in 2008 monocrystalline silicon.
The functional unit is therefore set to be
“A photovoltaic system comprising
monocrystalline modules, covering an area
of approximately 70m², feeding produced
electricity into the local grid”
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.1.c. Defining a Reference flow for
an environmental assessment of the
Photovoltaic System
The reference flow is the quantity of “product” needed
to fulfil the requirements of the functional unit.
In this case, the “product” is the entire system,
consisting of multiple components such as the modules,
the inverters, the batteries and other peripheral
components.
Usually, quantitative information can be taken from
engineering tools, such as PVsyst or RETScreen.
In the example the reference flows are the following:
• 36 monocrystalline modules (SUNTECH STP270S-24/Vb)
• 3 inverters (Sunny Boy SB 3000)
• On-Roof mounting structure (Module area 69,9m²)
• Cabling (Module area 69,9m²)
Other components such as meters are not included in the
assessment
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.1.d.Defining the Product system
and Unit processes for the
Photovoltaic System
Usually, a LCA comprises the following five life
cycle phases – processes have to be modelled for
each of these
Material
Manufactu
re
Distribut
ion
Use
End of
life
In the “LCA to go” they are replaced by the phases
of engineering progress
Project
Planning
Module
Specificat
ion
Production
countries
Electric
Components
Maintenanc
e
The “LCA to go” database will translate your entries
into life-cycle oriented data – except for End of
Life treatment of components
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.1.e. Drawing the process tree for
the Photovoltaic System
In order to understand what specific data influence the
results of your assessment, the available information
can be checked for the following:
Insolat
ion
Efficie
ncy
Power per area
Space
Power
Demand
Perfor
mance
Ratio
Module Area
Mounting
Location
Use Case
Technology
Mounting
Type
Mounting Structure
Electrical
Components
Built-in components and output
Manufacturing Efforts
(incl. Materials supply and energy input – taken from „LCA to go“ database)
Environmental performance
(relating the environmental impacts to generated electricity and highlighting impact hotspots)
Home
Mainte
nance
Lifetimes
Use Phase Supply
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV. Case study:
PV.2. Collect Data
Substeps:
a. Identify necessary data
b. Define the depth and quality of data needed
c. Identify and track the data quality
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.2.a. Identify necessary data for
the environmental assessment of the
Photovoltaic System
Location
Maintenance
Production
Modules
Electrics
General Project Planning
Home
Energy Output
Case Study
Photovoltaics
Necessary data
PV.2.a. Identify necessary data for
the environmental assessment of the
Photovoltaic System
Project
Planning
Module
Specificati
on
Production
Countries
Electric
Components
Data related
to the country
of use, such
as insolation,
expected
module
temperature
and emissions
(and energy)
factors
Detailed
specifications
; including
technology,
efficiency,
lifetime and
area or
expected power
output
Where are the
photovoltaic
modules being
produced? If
there is no
information
about this, a
world
production mix
is assumed
Specification
of inverters;
quantity,
capacity and
expected
lifetime of
used inverters
and/or charge
controllers
Technical
project data,
such as known
design
parameters
Performance
related data,
Home
such as the
Optimization
options, for
improvement
suggestions in
report
Specification
of batteries;
choose
technology,
lifetime,
capacity and
weight (if
known)
Maintenance
(optional)
Enter data if
you are
responsible
for
replacement of
components at
the end of
their lifetime
or the regular
cleaning of
modules
Specify the
duration of
the
maintenance
contract or
responsibility
for the system
Choose
maintenance
extent and
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.2.c.
Identify
data quality for the
environmental assessment of the
Robust
Indicative
Illustrative
Photovoltaic
System
Country of use
& radiation
The location is known
and
the
local
radiation taken from a
reliable source such
as PVGis
Location is approximately known,
the radiation therefore unsure but
taken from a reliable source
Either the location is
not known at all or its
solar
resources
are
estimated
Modules’
temperature
Specific
either
used
field or PR
number,
in
own
Temperature taken from a former
similar project or well estimated
and included in data
Temperature not known or
neither entered or used
in PR
Performance
ratio (PR)
Taken
from
a
simulation
such
as
PVsyst or calculated
according to the intool text
Estimated using information from a
former similar project or similar
to “Robust” but based on estimates
Use
of
a
standard
average value found in
literature or from not
similar project
Module
specifications
Efficiency
lifetime
datasheet
database
and
from
other
Use of LCA to go default values,
technology known
LCA
to
go
default
values,
for
exemplary
technology
Production
countries
Data from manufacturer
for
specific
technology
General information about specific
technology or manufacturer
Use of world mix data
taken from LCA to go
defaults
Inverters
Capacity according to
PV
peak
power
and
component existing and
lifetime known
Capacity is strictly taken from
calculated
peak
power
–
real
components’
size
unknown
or
lifetime
based
on
justified
estimates
Capacity is estimated or
number
of
inverters
unknown,
lifetime
roughly estimated
Batteries
Weight per piece is
taken from datasheet
of used components
Technology and capacity is known,
weight is calculated by LCA to go
routine
Capacity and/or number
is roughly estimated or
technology
not
definitive
Home
or
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.
Case study:
Photovoltaics
PV.3. Model the Life Cycle
Substeps:
a. Review available data and bring it into a useful
format, making assumptions where necessary
b. Develop Scenarios for the Use phase
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.3.a.
Review
available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary for a Photovoltaic System
In the LCA to go web tool, you will be
asked to enter data in various steps as
you can see on the screenshot displayed
here.
On the next couple of slides we will
introduce you to the needed information
and explain how you can get them.
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.3.a.
Review
available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary for a Photovoltaic System
Project
Planning
Home
Module
Specification
Production
countries
Electric
Components
Data for
production
countries can be
taken from
companies’
corporate
responsibility
reports, business
reports or more
basic information
sources such as
homepages
The overall
inverter capacity
needed can be
taken from the
system
specification.
Make sure you
enter the capacity
per inverter in
Watts
The
maintenance
details can be
taken from a
project
contract or
from personal
contact
If you use charge
controllers for
batteries, treat
them as if they
were a 2nd type
of inverter
If the
definite
extent of
maintenance is
unknown, try
to estimate
according to
latest
projects
If you use
batteries and know
the specific type,
researching the
(wet) weight per
Distance from
maintainer to
the projected
system is
important as
For module area or
power demand,
respectively, data
can be entered in
various selectable
units
In case that you
use crystalline
silicon modules,
the first four
selections are
applicable
Optimization
parameters are not
to be taken from a
reference but are
used for
improvement
Be aware that the
production
country of a
crystalline cell
doesn‘t have to
be the same as
Maintenance
(optional)
Case Study
Photovoltaics
Could be used for meteo data
research if not included in
design software
Use
module
name
for research about
framing, lifetime
and specialties
Module
temperature to
be entered in
field
–
in
In this case, the this case it
module
area
is is
already
known. Choose this used in PR, so
option in “project keep
the
planning”
and default
enter the area in temperature
As the
specific model used
“module
spec’s”
seems to be known, research
about lifetime is easy
All
needed
„dimension“
information about the inverter
can be found here – convert to
W
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
If
you
can‘t
find
detailed
information
about radiation on your
modules, use values from
simulations such as this
If
you
can‘t
find
reliable information or a
datasheet
of
modules
used,
some
design
software may include a
database. Use this value
for
„module
specification“ then.
In case you are not too
sure about the entries
you’ve made in the tool,
this is an option for
double
checking
the
results – compare output
estimates of the LCA to
go tool with other values
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
The most reliable option
is to calculate the PR by
yourself. Then you know
what it includes (e.g.
module temperature) and
can justify the selection
of the value. If you
don’t have any experience
in
calculating
the
performance
ratio,
we
provide you a manual –
see the next slide!
In case you don’t know
how to do it, data from
simulations
can
be
a
suitable option too. Make
sure that the data it
bases on is correct and
find out what it includes
– in order to adjust it,
In
case
that
all
if needed.
orientation-related
effects were taken into
account
in
the
performance
ratio,
the
horizontal radiation can
be used for “Radiation,
yearly on PV module”.
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.3.a.
Review
available data and bring it
into a useful format, making assumptions
where necessary for a Photovoltaic System
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV. Case study: Photovoltaics
PV.4. Enter data
Substeps:
a. Enter data for different engineering steps for
the Photovoltaic System
b. What happens with the data entered for the
Photovoltaic System
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.4.a. Enter data for different engineering steps
for the Photovoltaic System
A video tutorial on how to enter data into the online tool for
Photovoltaic Systems can be found at:
Watch a demonstration video
(Youtube)
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.4.b. What happens with the data entered
for the Photovoltaic System
The data you enter is being processed to suit the
calculation
routine
for
environmental
performance
included in the tool. Simplified, the overall equation
can be said to be „Quantity of components multiplied by
the specific component‘s environmental impact (divided
by the system‘s output in electrical power)“. Here,
impact stands for carbon dioxide equivalent emissions
and primary energy demand. Both of these values are
included in a small database which underlies the
interface that you use in the web-tool.
A major specialty that you have to keep in mind is the
link between the values in the database and your webtool entries:
For example the modules’ manufacturer you choose does
not
only
influence
the
quality
(lifetime
and
efficiency) of the devices. The efforts related to
their production also is a function of the country
where it is done – as the electricity and heat used
during the processes “comes from different plants”,
manufacturing is linked to higher or lower emissions
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV. Case study: Photovoltaics
PV.5. Review the results
Substeps:
a. Understand the first result & the available
impact categories
b. Identify major environmental hotspots and the
robustness of the underlying data
c. Collect and enter additional data where necessary
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.5.a.i
Understand
the first result & the
available impact categories for the
Photovoltaic System
First of all, to make sure that you’ve entered all
data correctly, you will get a short summary of your
system. It also includes the main results. See this
on the next slide.
For the impact assessment, results are presented
using the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and
primary energy demand as KEPI (“Key Environmental
Performance Indicators”). Most likely, you are able
to influence the choice of components, not directly
the life cycle phase related impact – that’s why we
show you which component has which effect. Exemplary
diagrams can be found on the second next slide.
What you can see there as well is the practical use
of alternative, comprehensive performance indicators
such as the “Energy Payback Time” and “Carbon
Footprint per kWh of Electricity”.
These results show you “the impact” of your project.
After using the tool a couple of times, you will
also realize that it already suggests improvement
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics Understand
PV.5.a.ii
the first result & the
available impact categories for the
Photovoltaic System
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.5.a.iii
Understand the first result &
the available impact categories for the
Photovoltaic System
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.5.b.
Identify
major environmental
hotspots and the robustness of the
underlying data for the Photovoltaic System
Most likely, the highest contribution to the overall
impact will come from the used modules. The exact share
will vary according the technology chosen, the efficiency
of the modules and the performance ratio achieved. In
order to be sure about the most relevant components, you
should check the table as shown below. The second
important thing to look at is the „mix“ of data quality
and impact for a certain part of the installation. If
medium or low data quality (indicative, illustrative) and
high or unexpected impact come together, you are advised
to check assumptions and data entries carefully and
potentially to increase data quality.
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.5.c. Collect and enter additional data
where necessary for the Photovoltaic System
According to the previous slide, you may identify
relevant data gaps by reviewing the results of your
assessment.
If you do so, try to improve the situation. Here are
some advices on how get there:
• Try to find out which specific electric
components may be used – or at least
calculate their real capacity
• Look for technical datasheets of your used
modules. For the production countries,
contact your retailer or see manufacturers
homepage
• Use engineering tools or meteorological
databases to improve the radiation forecast
• Revise the details you have included in the
calculation of the PR or double check if a
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV. Case study: Photovoltaics
PV.6. Review the results
Substeps:
a. Draw conclusions from the result
b. Derive appropriate improvement measures
c. Prepare the result for distribution /
communication
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.6.a. Draw conclusions from the result
for the Photovoltaic System
Depending on the goal you pursue with the assessment, you
may draw different conclusions.
Mainly it depends on whether you just want to make a
„statement“ about the environmental performance or if you
aim at an improvement of the system.
For the first case – making a “statement” – your job is
most likely finished as soon as your data quality attaints
a satisfying level. You can now use the provided results
to inform yourself or your customers.
Check the next slide for details on “improving a system”
using the LCA to go tool.
g CO2/kWh
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.6.b.i
Derive
appropriate improvement
measures from the environmental assessment
of the Photovoltaic System
Now, let‘s take a look at the more challenging
option – improving a PV system.
We all agree that a web tool can’t finalize the
process of environmental optimization of an entire
electricity-generating PV system. But still, you can
draw conclusions on WHAT to optimize first: Where is
the biggest potential, what can be kept the way it
is – these are questions that you may answer using
the LCA to go tool.
Depending on the dimensioning starting point (known
area or known power demand), the results show you
improvement suggestions according to the available
optimization parameters:
• If the area is known and fixed, the
optimization
aims
at
improving
the
electricity yield
• If the power demand is known and fixed, the
optimization aims at reducing necessary
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics Derive
PV.6.b.ii
appropriate improvement
measures from the environmental assessment
of the Photovoltaic System
In this case, the diagram mainly suggests the optimization of
modules – regarding both: efficiency and lifetime. If you want to
take action on this is most likely dependent on your customer’s
expectations and the available budget. An exemplary, less
expensive option may be to improve the performance ratio by
prevent shading.
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics
PV.6.b.iii
Derive appropriate improvement
measures from the environmental assessment
of the Photovoltaic System
In the case of area reducing, the lifetime of
modules obviously doesn’t play a role. Concerning
other parameters, it’s a similar consideration of
effort to achieve and the effect of an improvement.
Home
Case Study
Photovoltaics Derive
PV.6.b.iv
appropriate improvement
measures from the environmental assessment
of the Photovoltaic System
The last option that you can use to check your system
for improvement options is to create two different
“products” using – for example – different module
technologies (e.g. poly- vs. monocrystalline). At the
final results page, you then have the possibility to
compare two or more systems.
To give you an idea
what
that
means,
imagine the following:
You
are
planning
a
project
at
a
place
with
high
share
of
diffuse
radiation
–
the performance ratio
of
different
technologies
varies
extremely
here.
Technologies
that
would result in higher
impacts
in
other
situations
may
be
Home
Case Study
PV.6.c.
Prepare the result for distribution
Photovoltaics
/ communication
of the environmental assessment of the
Photovoltaic System
If you want to use the results of the assessment to
inform a third party (e.g. customer or project
officer), you are free to do so.
To simplify the export of main results, the main
menu of the tool offers the possibility to download
a report which includes important diagrams and
information.
Home
Definitions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Home
Cradle to Gate
Data Quality Indicator
Environmental aspect
Environmental hotspot(s)
Environmental impact
Environmental management system (EMS)
Environmental performance
Impact category
LCA to go
Life Cycle
Life Cycle Thinking
Life Cycle stages
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises-SME
Robustness
Scenario
Definition: Cradle-to-gate
The cradle-to-gate concept is one variant of the Life Cycle Assessment.
The special thing is that not all five stages are included but only the
raw material extraction, production and distribution until a certain point
– the “factory gate”.
It does not take into account certain stages – most likely the “use” and
“end of life / disposal”. It may be used to enable future users of an LCA
(downstream in the supply chain) to include your assessment in theirs and
adjust the “use” and “end of life” stage according to their scope.
Home
Definiti
Definition: Data Quality Indicator
The Data Quality Indicator, short DQI, uses the origin, preciseness and
reliability of the input data to define its robustness and describes it in
three categories, Illustrative, Indicative or Robust.
Home
Definiti
Definition: Environmental aspect
Element of an organization’s activities, products or services that can
interact with the environment
Home
Definiti
Definition: Environmental hotspots
The Environmental hotspots are those areas of the life cycle, 20% of the
input parameters, drive 80% of your impacts.
Home
Definiti
Definition: Environmental impact
Any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or
partially resulting from an organization`s environmental aspect.
Home
Definiti
Definition: Environmental management
system (EMS)
Part of an organization’s management system used to develop and implement
its environmental policy and manage its environmental aspects
Home
Definiti
Definition: Environmental performance
Measurable results of an organizations management of its environmental
aspects
Home
Definiti
Definition: Impact category
Class representing environmental issues of concern to which life cycle
inventory analysis results may be assigned
Home
Definiti
Definition: LCA to go
LCA to go is an online tool that measures a product’s environmental
performance based on the principles of a simplified Life Cycle Based
Assessment (LCA). This simplification has been developed by LCA experts
since the start of the LCA to go project in 2011.
http://tool.lca2go.eu/users/sign_in
Home
Definiti
Definition: Life Cycle
Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system, from raw material
acquisition or generation from natural resources to the end of life
Home
Definiti
Definition: Life Cycle Thinking
According to the European Platform on LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), Life
Cycle Thinking (or LCT) is defined as:
„The concept of Life Cycle Thinking integrates existing consumption and
production strategies towards a more coherent policy making and in
industry, employing a bundle of life cycle based approaches and tools. By
considering the whole life cycle, the shifting of problems from one life
cycle stage to another, from one geographic area to another and from one
environmental medium or protection target to another is avoided.”
In other words, Life Cycle Thinking means that even if
responsible for one step in the supply chain (maybe product
related Life cycle stages should be taken into account when
environmental performance of your product. That prevents from
(and maybe bigger) problems by eliminating one and enables
sustainable decisions.
Home
Definiti
you‘re only
design), all
it comes to
creating new
you to make
Definition: Life cycle stages
In general, „Materials“,
„Manufacturing“, „Distribution“,
„Use“ and „End of life“ are defined
as the five life cycle stages of a
product. Keep in mind that
depending on your product, it may
be that not all of these are
„transparent“ for you.
If – for example – one produces
screws or nails, the „Use“ stage
will be completely in the dark. On
the other hand, deciding on the
used materials influences the
recyclability at the “End of life”
and efforts related to “Raw
Materials” extraction.
The life cycle built from the five
stages is shown on the right.
Home
Materials
End of life
Definiti
Use
Manufacturin
g
Distribution
Definition: Micro, small and mediumsized enterprises-SME
“The category of micro, small
and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) is made up of
enterprises which employ fewer
than 250 persons and which have
an annual turnover not
exceeding 50 million euro,
and/or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding 43 million
euro.” [EC 2005]
Next figure shows an overview
about the thresholds of SMEs
defined by the European
Commission.
Home
Source: EC 2005
Definiti
Definition: Robustness
Robustness describes the reliability and overall applicability of the
results. Robust results are results where the areas with the highest
impact are supported by the highest quality data possible.
Home
Definiti
Definition: Scenario
A scenario represents a possible situation applicable to the product in
distribution, use and/or disposal. Scenarios are useful because they allow
for the comparison of different possible situations the product may be
found in and to allow for an environmental assessment, even if the exact
distribution path, or use intensity or disposal method is unknown. Learn
more…
Home
Definiti