Comparative life cycle assessment of regional electricity supplies in China

•Life cycle assessment of power system in provincial level in China was conducted.•The difference in the life cycle environment impacts of powers between different provinces and national average level was reflected.•A GWP map of power industry in China was determined.•This study solved the problem of shortage of LCA data for provincial power systems and determined the environment impact of provincial power supply.

In this study, we conducted a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the power sector in 31 provinces in China, with a focus on five major types of power (namely, thermal power, hydropower, solar photovoltaic power (solar power), nuclear power, and wind power). The scope of the life cycle included resources extraction, processing, infrastructure construction, power generation, and transmission. Key results include the following. (1) There are differences in the life cycle global warming potential (GWP) of the five power sources at the national level. In particular, thermal power discharges 19, 66, 123, and 164 times more emissions than solar power, hydropower, wind power, and nuclear power, respectively. (2) There are differences in the GWP of 1 kWh of thermal power between provinces and national average. Eighteen provinces have higher GWP comparing with the national average. (3) There are differences in the life cycle GWP of hybrid power between different provinces. Inner Mongolia and Qinghai have the largest and the smallest GWP for 1 kWh of hybrid electricity supply, respectively. We also analyzed GWP map caused by total power generation in China. This life cycle inventory of different types of power in provinces can provide technical support for power supply management, energy conservation, and emission reduction at both provincial and state levels. The inventory also provides a basic database for LCAs of materials, products, and industries.