Life Cycle Assessment for Decarbonization in Energy Systems

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid transformation of global energy systems is essential to achieving international climate targets. While low-carbon technologies are widely promoted as key enablers of this transition, their full environmental performance across the entire life cycle must be rigorously assessed to avoid burden shifting and unintended trade-offs. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become a central tool for evaluating the true sustainability of energy technologies and system-level decarbonization strategies.

This Special Issue aims to present recent advances in methodological developments and practical applications of Life Cycle Assessment in the context of energy system decarbonization. In particular, we welcome high-quality contributions that provide critical, quantitative, and methodologically robust modelling and applications, addressing the environmental performance of energy technologies and system-level solutions.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• LCA-based assessment of renewable energy technologies
• Complete life cycle analysis of photovoltaic systems (PV)
• Environmental footprint of wind turbines
• Life cycle impacts of hydropower and geothermal systems
• Sustainability dilemmas of biomass and biogas systems
• LCA of energy storage and flexibility solutions
• Hydrogen-based energy systems and e-fuels
• Integrated energy systems and sector coupling
• Critical raw materials and resource efficiency
• Methodological developments in the field of LCA
• Emerging technologies and future energy systems

Dr. Viktoria Mannheim
Dr. Patrycja Walichnowska
Dr. Weronika Kruszelnicka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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