Integrated energy, cost, and environmental life cycle analysis of electricity generation and supply in Tehran, Iran

This paper conducts a joint life-cycle costing and life-cycle assessment to address the cradle-to-gate energy, cost, and midpoint/endpoint environmental impacts of Tehran's electricity generation/supply industry. According to the ReCiPe model, photovoltaic and biogas combined heat and power (CHP) technologies have the highest ecotoxicity, eutrophication, human toxicity, ionizing radiation, and mineral resource scarcity impacts. In comparison, fossil technologies, particularly gas turbines, have the highest midpoint global warming and particular matter and ozone formation impacts and endpoint damages to ecosystems, human health, and resources. As per the cumulative energy demand method, gas-turbine has the highest energy demand (16.08 MJ/kWh), while biogas-CHP has the lowest (1.38 MJ/kWh). In contrast, the biogas CHP has the highest electricity supply costs (1.07 USD/kWh), while hydropower has the lowest cost (0.39 USD/kWh) and midpoint/endpoint environmental impacts. The electricity industry's damages to ecosystems (1.99E-09 species.year/kWh) and human health (7.71E-07 DALY/kWh) majorly arise from power plants' global warming effects (0.603 kg-CO2/kWh), while resource damages (0.101 USD/kWh) primarily originate from their high nonrenewable energy demands (12.36 MJ/kWh). Despite small contributions to energy/environmental impacts, transmission/distribution networks account for 48.3% of overall electricity supply costs (1.44 USD/kWh). Findings suggest that displacing diesel from Tehran's electricity mix can significantly augment electricity supply sustainability.

Automated summary

This study conducts a life-cycle costing and life-cycle assessment for Tehran's electricity generation/supply industry. It finds that photovoltaic and biogas combined heat and power technologies have the highest environmental impacts, while gas turbines have the highest global warming and pollution impacts. The study also reveals that gas turbines have the highest energy demand, while biogas CHP has the highest electricity supply costs.