Life Cycle Assessment of Batteries for Energy Applications
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "D2: Electrochem: Batteries, Fuel Cells, Capacitors".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2026) | Viewed by 230
Editors
Interests: environmental and social life cycle assessment (LCA) of batteries and energy systems
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rapid deployment of battery energy storage systems is a necessity for the global energy transition, enabling the large-scale integration of renewable energy sources and grid flexibility. While the environmental impacts of mobile batteries have been extensively studied, the sustainability performance of stationary batteries has received less attention, beyond simplified indicators such as carbon footprint alone. Also, the technology choices, system design, operational strategies, and end-of-life management are critical to the sustainability of energy storage systems. Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is a critical tool to robustly evaluate the environmental, economic, and social implications of battery technologies for energy applications. By fostering rigorous and forward-looking research, this Special Issue aims to support more sustainable battery deployment in future energy systems.
The Special Issue aims to advance the state of the art in LCSA of batteries used in stationary energy storage systems. Contributions are welcome to offer thorough, transparent, and detailed evaluations of the entire battery life cycle. Perspectives on end-of-life management, including potential second-life applications, are also encouraged. The use of original primary data, detailed inventories, and real-world operating conditions is also strongly encouraged. Studies exploring system-level implications and the role of the Digital Battery Passport in improving data availability, traceability, and transparency across the battery value chain are also expected.
The scope of the Special Issue encompasses lithium-based batteries and beyond, including emerging and alternative chemistries, assessed through environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), prospective LCA, social LCA (sLCA), and LCSA. Submissions should move beyond climate change indicators to address broader environmental impacts, resource use, and potential social implications.
Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:
- Life cycle impacts of first-life and second-life stationary battery applications;
- End-of-life strategies such as recycling, repurposing, and disposal;
- Operational strategies including V2G and V2X when applied to stationary systems;
- Assessments at different scales, from single assets based on real-world data to large-scale system-level analyses.
Dr. Maeva Lavigne Philippot
Dr. Daniele Costa
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- life cycle assessment
- life cycle sustainability assessment
- social life cycle assessment
- prospective LCA
- battery energy storage
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