Abstract
Life cycle assessment is a crucial tool in evaluating systems performances for sustainability and decision-making. This paper provided environmental impact of integrating renewable energy systems to the utility-grid based on a baseline optimized energy production data from “HOMER” for renewable systems modelling of a site in northern Nigeria. The ultimate goal was to ascertain the best hybrid option(s) in sustaining the environment. Different assumptions and scenarios were modelled and simulated using Ganzleitlichen Bilanz (GaBi). Uncertainty analysis was ensured to the impact data based on pedigree-matrix and Excel-program, as well as overall policy relevance. The results of the impact categories revealed first scenario (i.e., conventional path-based) with the highest impacts on global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), human toxicity potential (HTP), and abiotic depletion potential (ADPfossils). The lowest impacts arise in the renewable-based scenarios for all the considered categories except the Ozone-layer depletion potential Category where the highest contribution falls in the third scenario (i.e., photovoltaic (PV)/biomass-biogas system) although all values being infinitesimal. In quantitative terms, the reduction in the GWP from the highest being the first scenario to the lowest being the fourth scenario (i.e., wind/biomass-biogas system) was 96.5%. Hence, with the outstanding contributions of the hybrid renewable systems, adopting them especially the lowest impact scenarios with expansions is relevant for environmental sustainability.
Highlights
Energy production and utilization are strongly necessary for development, and are considered as key indicators to industrialization
This paper provided environmental impact of integrating renewable energy systems to the utility-grid based on a baseline optimized energy production data from “HOMER” for renewable systems modelling of a site in northern Nigeria
The global warming potential arising from the release of greenhouse gases (i.e., CO2, CH4, N2O, and Volatile organic compounds (VOC) among others, but majorly CO2) is a critical criterion in the power systems decision
Summary
Energy production and utilization are strongly necessary for development, and are considered as key indicators to industrialization. The kind of energy services to pursue has a strong impact on sustainable development. By definition, sustainable development is an improvement that fulfils the need of the present, as well as the future generation without compromising their ability [1]. The sustainable development fundamentally covered three pillars, that is social, economic and environmental pillars. It is evident that the global population continues to rise drastically, leading to drastic increase in energy demand, which requires energy supply and ensuring a sustainable environment for socio-economic development at all levels [2]. It is strongly noted that human survival and their living standard level strongly depend on their environment either directly or indirectly. It is obvious as to how the three pillars are strongly intertwined
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