Life Cycle Assessment-Based Carbon Footprint Accounting Model and Analysis for Integrated Energy Stations in China

To achieve its carbon neutrality goal, China has invested broadly in energy infrastructure and the emerging integrated energy stations (IESs) projects will bring enormous opportunities. Accurate carbon emission accounting for IESs is challenging in view of the complexity of the manufacturing process and uncertainty in construction and operation processes. To overcome these challenges, this paper develops a novel quantitative carbon footprint analysis model for IESs from a lifecycle perspective, with production and materialization, construction, operation and maintenance, and disposal and recycling phases considered. The method is applied on a 110 kV wind power IES project in China, to analyze and calculate lifecycle carbon emissions, identify the key influence factors of carbon footprints and provide suggestions for carbon reduction. The findings can identify key influence factors and provide suggestions for carbon reduction for the development of IES projects.