Live-Life cycle assessment of the electric propulsion ship using solar PV (original) (raw)

Life cycle assessment (LCA) – from analysing methodology development to introducing an LCA framework for marine photovoltaic (PV) systems

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016

Previously, life cycle assessment (LCA) focussing on principles or applications has been considerably reviewed. Still, an up-to-date review on LCA methodology development (rather than application) in a chronological order which embraces all life-cycle phases is lacking. The objectives of this article include scrutinising methodology development of conventional LCA phase by phase, providing clarification on goal and scope definition and life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis, discussing recent substantial development on life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methodology and interpretation, and introducing an LCA framework for marine photovoltaic (PV) systems. For the study presented here, literature on LCA methodology development was categorised into Sample Groups A, B and C, comprising 15 review articles published in the last decade, 95 pieces of other literature types (with 83% journal articles), and 38 additional materials necessary for complementing an in-depth discussion respectively. A threefold analysis was performed to scrutinise and compare the literature in these sample groups. The analysis shows that for Sample Group A, the focus has steered from overarching LCA of all-embracing life cycle phases to single phase and then sole engagement with a specific topic; and for Sample Group B, 44% has reported the scientific endeavour on LCIA compared to other life cycle phases. Following clarification on system boundary, cutoff and existing LCI approaches including attributional, consequential, process based, input-output (IO) based etc., the methodology development of impact categories (covering impacts of water use, noise and working environment), uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are discussed. In addition, classification involving series and parallel mechanisms, LCIA development for space use, odour, non-ionising radiation and thermal pollution, rebound effects, renewability of resources, dynamic of environment and future scenario modelling in LCA context are identified as research needs and areas for future development. In compliance with ISO Standards and based on the findings, an LCA framework for marine PV systems (which exemplify the state-of-the-art development of renewable and sustainable energy in marine industry) is introduced to enhance the practical applicability and usefulness of the findings to LCA researchers.

Dynamic energy modelling for ship life-cycle performance assessment

Ocean Engineering, 2015

This paper summarises related work undertaken by the EC-funded Research Project TARGETS, which focuses on assessing energy efficiency by a direct approach. Energy flows onboard ships are considered in the time domain for complete ship energy systems simulation, allowing for interactions at system and component levels and accounting for different configurations, operating profiles, itineraries and environmental conditions. The approach and tools form the basis for life-cycle energy management considerations, addressing design, operation and retrofitting. To demonstrate the methodology leading to the evaluation of performance-based energy efficiency and its anticipated impact on ship design and operation, a case study for containership is carried out. Results are presented and discussed, demonstrating considerable advantage in adopting a more systematic and scientific approach to address Energy Efficiency of ships.

Review on Life Cycle Assessment of Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Energies

The photovoltaic (PV) sector has undergone both major expansion and evolution over the last decades, and currently, the technologies already marketed or still in the laboratory/research phase are numerous and very different. Likewise, in order to assess the energy and environmental impacts of these devices, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies related to these systems are always increasing. The objective of this paper is to summarize and update the current literature of LCA applied to different types of grid-connected PV, as well as to critically analyze the results related to energy and environmental impacts generated during the life cycle of PV technologies, from 1st generation (traditional silicon based) up to the third generation (innovative non-silicon based). Most of the results regarded energy indices like energy payback time, cumulative energy demand, and primary energy demand, while environmental indices were variable based on different scopes and impact assessment methods. ...

Life Cycle Performance Assessment Tool Development and Application with a Focus on Maintenance Aspects

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

Ships are among the most complex systems in the world. The always increasing interest in environmental aspects, the evolution of technologies and the introduction of new rule constraints in the maritime field have compelled the innovation of the ship design approach. At an early design stage, there is the need to compare different design solutions, also in terms of environmental performance, building and operative costs over the whole ship life cycle. In this context, the Life Cycle Performance Assessment (LCPA) tool allows an integrated design approach merging the evaluation of both costs and environmental performances on a comparative basis, among different design solutions. Starting from the first tool release, this work aims to focus on the maintenance of the propulsion system, developing a flexible calculation method for maintenance costs prediction, based on the ship operational profiles and the selected technical solution. After the improvement, the whole LCPA tool has been a...

A Comprehensive Assessment Methodology Based on Life Cycle Analysis for On-Board Photovoltaic Solar Modules in Vehicles

This dissertation presents a novel comprehensive assessment methodology for using on-board photovoltaic (PV) solar technologies in vehicle applications. A well-to-wheels life cycle analysis based on a unique energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, and economic perspective is carried out in the context of meeting corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards through 2025 along with providing an alternative energy path for the purpose of sustainable transportation. The study includes 14 different vehicles, 3 different travel patterns, in 12 U.S. states and 16 nations using 19 different cost analysis scenarios for determining the challenges and benefits of using on-board photovoltaic (PV) solar technologies in vehicle applications. It develops a tool for decision-makers and presents a series of design requirements for the implementation of on-board PV in automobiles to use during the conceptual design stage, since its results are capable of reflecting the changes in fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emission, and cost for different locations, technological, and vehicle sizes. The decision-supports systems developed include (i) a unique decision support systems for selecting the optimal PV type for vehicle applications using quality function deployment, analytic hierarchy process, and fuzzy axiomatic design, (ii) a unique system for evaluating all non-destructive inspection systems for defects in the PV device to select the optimum system suitable for an automated PV production line. (iii) The development of a comprehensive PV system model that for predicting the impact of using iii on-board PV based on life cycle assessment perspective. This comprehensive assessment methodology is a novel in three respects. First, the proposed work develops a comprehensive PV system model and optimizes the solar energy to DC electrical power output ratio. Next, it predicts the actual contribution of the on-board PV to reduce fuel consumption, particularly for meeting corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) 2020 and 2025 standards in different scenarios. The model also estimates vehicle range extension via on-board PV and enhances the current understanding regarding the applicability and effective use of on-board PV modules in individual automobiles. Finally, it develops a life cycle assessment (LCA) model (well-to-wheels analysis) for this application. This enables a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of an on-board PV vehicle application from an energy consumption, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission, and cost lifecycle perspective. The results show that by adding on-board PVs to cover less than 50% of the projected horizontal surface area of a typical passenger vehicle, up to 50% of the total daily miles traveled by a person in the U.S. could be driven by solar energy if using a typical midsize vehicle, and up to 174% if using a very lightweight and aerodynamically efficient vehicle. In addition, the increase in fuel economy in terms of combined mile per gallon (MPG) at noon for heavy vehicles is between 2.9% to 9.5%. There is a very significant increase for lightweight and aerodynamic efficient vehicles, with MPG increase in the range of 10.7% to 42.2%, depending on location and time of year. Although the results show that the plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) do not always have a positive environmental impact over similar gasoline vehicles considering the well-toiv wheel span, the addition of an on-board PV system for both vehicle configurations, significantly reduces cycle emissions (e.g., the equivalent savings of what an average U.S. home produces in a 20 month period). The lifetime driving cost ($ per mile) of a gasoline vehicle with adding on-board PV, compared to a pure gasoline vehicle, is lower in regions with more sunlight (e.g., Arizona) even of the current gasoline price in the U.S.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Battery- And Diesel Engine-Driven Ro-Ro Passenger Vessel

Journal of Maritime & Transportation Science, 2020

Emissions produced by the fuel combustion in marine engines are one of major causes of the marine environment pollution and have negative impact on both human health and the environment. That impact is more pronounced for vessels which mostly operate near ports and inhabited areas, such as ro-ro passenger ships. In order to evaluate the environmental impact of a ship, a life cycle assessment of a ro-ro passenger vessel operating in the Adriatic Sea has been performed. Two different power system designs were investigated, i.e. lithium-ion battery-driven vessel and diesel engine-driven vessel. The analyses were performed by means of general LCA software GREET 2018, where the life cycle for both power system designs is divided in two stages: constitutive parts of the first stage are processes from life cycle of fuel without its use in vessel, while vessel operation represents the second stage. The analysis showed that diesel engine-driven vessel emits 79.740 kg CO2-eq/nm, versus batter...

TECHNO-ECONOMIC APPROACH TO SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS ONBOARD MARINE VEHICLES

The world is facing the challenge of continuously increasing energy consumption. At the same time, the energy resources are getting scarcer. Despite a sudden significant drop of fuel prices worldwide, research activities that focus on reducing the dependence on fossil fuels as a traditional source of energy still have the preference in the field of shipping industry. The use of clean and renewable energies, such as solar energy for instance, is proposed as a method to improve the ship efficiency. Ships can get the benefits from solar energy due to the fact that most of their upper decks are always exposed to the Sun, especially in sunny water regions. The present paper discusses the effectiveness and challenges of installing solar panels for auxiliary power production on board a ship. As a case study, the research evaluates both economic and environmental benefits resulting from implementing such concept aboard a research vessel.

Results from numerical simulations to determine the performance of PV boats in an early design stage

In our paper, we present a new model for PV boats named RhinoSimSol, which is supposed to support simulation of the design of PV boats to evaluate PV boat performance in an early design stage. The model comprises various algorithms such as for solar trajectory and energy balance of PV boats to determine indicators of the PV boat’s performance in an early design stage. In order to determine these indicators, scenarios can be used which let the user chose various options, such as a sailing route, start time of sailing and time of year. In order to demonstrate the functionality of RhinoSimSol, we executed 54 simulations with various combinations of 9 PV modules and 6 batteries. The performance parameters we compared were 1) maximum average speed for a 30km trajectory, 2) autonomy of the PV system with an average speed of 12km/h and 3) the cost of the PV system components. The data which resulted from these 54 simulations were compared with monitoring data from a PV system on an existin...