12th Annual International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management

Sustainability Assessment for Non-Combustible Renewable Power Generation

Moses Jeremiah Barasa Kabeyi & Oludolapo Olanrewaju
Publisher: IEOM Society International
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Track: Optimization
Abstract

In this study, sustainability ranking is done for four predominant non-combustible renewable energy sources i.e.,
wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro. There are various indicators used to assess power generation technologies.
They include price/cost of generated electricity, full lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, availability of renewable
sources, energy conversion efficiency, land use requirements, water consumption and social and economic
impacts. The cost of electricity, greenhouse gas emissions and the efficiency of electricity generation have a wide
range for each technology option because of wide range of available technology options and varied geographical
dependence. The social impacts of energy sources are qualitatively based on the major individual impacts from
literature. Renewable energy technologies were then ranked against each indicator assuming that indicators have
equal importance for sustainable development. The study shows that wind power is the most sustainable, followed by hydropower, photovoltaic and then geothermal energy sources. However, wind has got higher land
requirements and relatively higher cost of generation.
Key words
Lifecycle analysis; sustainability, sustainable development; sustainable energy; renewable energy; energy
transitions

Published in: 12th Annual International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Istanbul, Turkey

Publisher: IEOM Society International
Date of Conference: March 7-10, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-7923-6131-9
ISSN/E-ISSN: 2169-8767