Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Stationary Battery Installations in Two Renewable Energy Projects

Johanna Pucker-Singer, Christian Aichberger, Jernej Zupančič, Camilla Neumann, David Neil Bird, Gerfried Jungmeier, Andrej Gubina and Andreas Tuerk
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Johanna Pucker-Singer: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, LIFE—Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8020 Graz, Austria
Christian Aichberger: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, LIFE—Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8020 Graz, Austria
Jernej Zupančič: Laboratory of Energy Policy, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Univerza v Ljubljani, Tržaška Cesta 25, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Camilla Neumann: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, LIFE—Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8020 Graz, Austria
David Neil Bird: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, LIFE—Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8020 Graz, Austria
Gerfried Jungmeier: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, LIFE—Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8020 Graz, Austria
Andrej Gubina: Laboratory of Energy Policy, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Univerza v Ljubljani, Tržaška Cesta 25, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Andreas Tuerk: Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, LIFE—Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Waagner-Biro Straße 100, 8020 Graz, Austria

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: The goal to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is spurring interest in renewable energy systems from time-varying sources (e.g., photovoltaics, wind) and these can require batteries to help load balancing. However, the batteries themselves add additional GHG emissions to the electricity system in all its life cycle phases. This article begins by investigating the GHG emissions for the manufacturing of two stationary lithium-ion batteries, comparing production in Europe, US and China. Next, we analyze how the installation and operation of these batteries change the GHG emissions of the electricity supply in two pilot sites. Life cycle assessment is used for GHG emissions calculation. The regional comparison on GHG emissions of battery manufacturing shows that primary aluminum, cathode paste and battery cell production are the principal components of the GHG emissions of battery manufacturing. Regional variations are linked mainly to high grid electricity demand and regional changes in the electricity mixes, resulting in base values of 77 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh to 153 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh battery capacity. The assessment of two pilot sites shows that the implementation of batteries can lead to GHG emission savings of up to 77%, if their operation enables an increase in renewable energy sources in the electricity system.

Keywords: energy storage; batteries; renewable energy; life cycle assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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