Holistic Analysis of the Impact of Power Generation Plants in Mexico during Their Life Cycle

Diana L. Ovalle Flores, Rafael Peña Gallardo (), Elvia R. Palacios Hernández, Carlos Soubervielle Montalvo and Adalberto Ospino Castro
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Diana L. Ovalle Flores: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Manuel Nava #8, Zona Universitaria, San Luis Potosí 78290, Mexico
Rafael Peña Gallardo: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Manuel Nava #8, Zona Universitaria, San Luis Potosí 78290, Mexico
Elvia R. Palacios Hernández: Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Chapultepec 1570, Privadas del Pedregal, San Luis Potosí 78295, Mexico
Carlos Soubervielle Montalvo: Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Manuel Nava #8, Zona Universitaria, San Luis Potosí 78290, Mexico
Adalberto Ospino Castro: Departamento de Energía, Universidad de la Costa, Calle 58 # 55–66, Barranquilla 080002, Colombia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: This paper assesses the environmental, technical, economic, and social impacts of the main energy generation technologies currently used in Mexico. The study used a life-cycle assessment and a multi-criteria decision-making method. The Analytical Hierarchy Process was employed to assess the social, technical, and economic impacts, while the life-cycle assessment examined the environmental effects. This study innovates the way of analyzing power plants since it provides a classification of these technologies considering different aspects, and the rankings can be obtained for each criterion and in a holistic way. According to the study’s findings, photovoltaics and nuclear power plants are the most environmentally friendly options for Mexico. Considering the economic aspects, solar and wind energy are classified as the best technologies for the country. From a technical point of view, the best power plants are combined cycle and thermoelectric plants. The power plants most accepted by society are efficient cogeneration and turbo gas. Finally, the overall ranking from the experts’ perspective for the development of Mexico shows that the best technologies are combined cycle and hydroelectric, with 14% and 12% acceptance, respectively.

Keywords: analytical hierarchy process; energy planning; LCA; MCDM; renewable energy; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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