Assessing the Potential for Electrification of the Food Industry and Its Implications for Environmental Sustainability

Yoann Jovet, Alexis Laurent, Frédéric Lefevre and Marc Clausse ()
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Yoann Jovet: INSA Lyon, CNRS, CETHIL, UMR5008, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
Alexis Laurent: Section for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment, Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Frédéric Lefevre: INSA Lyon, CNRS, CETHIL, UMR5008, 69621 Villeurbanne, France
Marc Clausse: INSA Lyon, CNRS, CETHIL, UMR5008, 69621 Villeurbanne, France

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: Most studies on industrial heat decarbonization by electrification focus on energy and greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are additional potential environmental impacts to be considered to make a fair comparison. The aim of the proposed work is therefore to highlight the benefits and drawbacks of switching to electricity, using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to explore more environmental issues. In addition, in order to evaluate the environmental sustainability of this transformation, the LCA results are compared with sustainability thresholds defined with two different methods, on a global scale using the “sustainable levels” concept. The first method is based on the current environmental impacts of industrial processes, while the second considers the economic added value. Industrial heat production levels for the Danish and French food industries are used as case studies. The results show a large number of environmental trade-offs associated with electrification, some of which are leading to unsustainable levels. Sustainability thresholds based on economic added value ensure a fairer distribution between sectors, in particular by preventing the most virtuous sectors and processes from being penalized.

Keywords: energy transition; industrial heat decarbonization; heat pumps; sustainability; environmental assessment; planetary boundaries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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