Implementation of uncertainty analysis and moment-independent global sensitivity analysis for full-scale life cycle assessment models

Life cycle assessment (LCA) models and databases have increased in size, resolution, and complexity, requiring analysts to rely on an ever-increasing number of uncertain model inputs. Such increased complexity calls for systematic approaches to assessing the uncertainty of the output results of LCA models and the sensitivity of LCA model outputs to the model's uncertain inputs. In this contribution, we provide a theoretical basis and present a practical software implementation that combines uncertainty analysis and moment-independent global sensitivity analysis, which can be readily applied to full-scale LCA models. We implemented our approach in the Activity-Browser open source LCA software and it is made available for use in LCA studies. We demonstrate the approach and software implementation with a case study of crystalline silicon photovoltaics.

Automated summary

Life cycle assessment (LCA) models and databases have become more complex, requiring systematic methods to evaluate the uncertainty and sensitivity of their results. This paper presents a software implementation that can be applied to full-scale LCA models. The approach and software implementation are demonstrated through a case study on crystalline silicon photovoltaics.