Environmental impact consolidated evaluation of energy systems by an LCA-NETS scheme

The issue of LCA environmental impacts produced from energy systems is presently being discussed; they are directly involved in fossil fuel depletion, global warming, air pollution, rain acidification, etc. In evaluating various kinds of energy systems from the lack concept, an identical standard measure is to be introduced, as there are many different causes for generating environmental loads to the environment and the respective causes have their respective characteristics. Consequently, the authors have proposed an integrated scheme called the ESS (Eco-load Standardization Scheme) to express the amount of environmental load from different causes, using an identical standard based on objective data. This is a ‘Loader–Receiver Tolerant Balance Theory’, which indicates the balance of the maximum tolerance value that the Loader can discharge or consume with the maximum tolerable value by the Receiver. This ESS employs the NETS (Numerical Eco-load Total Standard) as the unit for expressing quantitatively the integrated and standardized environmental load. This LCA-NETS scheme is applied to different energy systems such as various kinds of power plants and co-generation systems, and the LCA evaluations are discussed for further ecological improvement.