Abstract
This paper provides an investigation into the sustainability of the electrical system in Spain. The analysis covers historic inventories of power generation, installed capacity and technology mix since 1990 and also contemplates four alternative projections for 2030 and 2050. The sustainability is evaluated using eight indicators that provide objective information about the environmental (climate change, fossil depletion, ozone layer depletion, terrestrial acidification, human toxicity and photochemical smog), economic (levelized cost of electricity) and socio-economic (direct employment) performance of the system. The results show an increase in the magnitude of the environmental impacts between 1990 and 2008, due to a growing power demand triggered by economic expansion. After 2008, the environmental performance improves due to the economic recession and the penetration of renewable energies. Overall, the cost of power generation remains rather stable as rising expenses generated by renewables are compensated by a progressive reduction in the cost of fossil technologies. Direct employment generation has been strongly stimulated by the upsurge in renewables that has taken place in Spain after 2008. Regarding future scenarios, the results evidence that the most ambitious projections in terms of renewable penetration perform best in terms of environmental performance, employment generation and reduced costs (€/MWh). The significance of these benefits was particularly clear in the 2050 scenario. In the long term, the scenario considering higher fossil fuel contributions (ST) performed worst in all sustainability indicators.
Highlights
Electricity is regarded as a fundamental commodity in modern societies
The sustainability of the Spanish electricity system has been calculated using three methodologies based on a life cycle approach: attributional life cycle assessment (LCA) for the environmental dimension, levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for the economic dimension and direct life cycle employment generation for the socio-economic dimension
The results show that most of the LCOE in the Spanish electricity system correspond to the capital cost of building the infrastructures (52%), followed by fuel costs (37%) and to a lesser extent the operation and management of the plants (11.1%)
Summary
Electricity is regarded as a fundamental commodity in modern societies The availability of this energy vector is inextricably associated with economic prosperity, social progress and human development [1]. The industrial and commercial activity associated with the life cycle of a power plant (construction, operation, extraction and processing of fuels, decommissioning) will surely contribute to economic growth and job creation [3,4]. These actions will be responsible for the deterioration of the surrounding environment, the magnitude of which would depend primarily on the generation technologies employed and the overall demand
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
