D1.7 Report on the assessment of the environmental sustainability (V2)

The current deliverable addresses the environmental assessment of six virtual use cases through the application of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The main objective is to evaluate the integration of the RESTORE solution and renewable energy sources (RESs) within various plants connected to district heating and cooling (DHC) networks. The Use Case models combined with the RESTORE virtual tool, and developed on the IPSE Go platform, are based on data provided by the Use Case partners. additional details on the development of these models are available in Deliverables D5.4, D5.5, D5.6, D5.7, D5.8, and D5.9. The LCA calculations are based on the mass and energy balance data obtained from both modelling activities and relevant scientific literature. The system boundaries considered in the LCA include: i) Upstream processes, such as raw material supply chains (e.g., organic fluids, Therminol V66, oil, copper sulphate), equipment manufacturing, and energy generation; ii) operational processes, including charging and discharging cycles; iii) Downstream processes, such as recycling and reuse of materials (e.g., organic fluids (Cyclopentane, NOVEC 649), Therminol V66, oil, copper sulphate), wastewater treatment (WWT), and final waste management. Conventional LCA methodology has been employed to comprehensively address each of the four LCA steps: 1) definition of the goal and objectives of the intended study; 2) Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) – building the input and output inventory; 3) Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) – impact evaluation step; and 4) Interpretation – analysing the results while providing recommendations to further enhance the overall performance of the system. The ReCiPe 2016 impact assessment method has been employed to perform the impact analysis during the LCIA stage by following the Hierarchist (H) cultural perspective. LCA for Experts software (formerly known as GaBi software) version 10.8 has been used throughout this investigation.The results of the environmental analysis indicate that, during the charging phase, electricity is the dominant contributor to environmental impacts. It accounts for the highest share in both Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Fossil Depletion Potential (FDP), underlining the importance of increasing the use of RESs while reducing dependence on fossil-based resources. In the discharging phase, five out of six virtual use cases achieve negative emissions in GWP and FDP, primarily due to the electricity produced during this stage. The exception is Use Case VI, which shows positive emissions, largely explained by the significant contributions from the production of copper sulphate and organic fluid used. With respect to plant construction, the analysis reveals that its overall impact is considerably lower compared to the operational phases. Further details on the main impact drivers across key environmental categories, along with recommendations to reduce the environmental footprint, are provided in the present deliverable.