The rise of embodied energy and why it matters

Life cycle assessments of powered products have typically highlighted the dominance of use-phase impacts. However, in recent years, the use-phase efficiency of many products has been improving. For example, heating... [ view full abstract ]

Life cycle assessments of powered products have typically highlighted the dominance of use-phase impacts. However, in recent years, the use-phase efficiency of many products has been improving. For example, heating requirements in a modern passive house are 90% lower than a typical European house built in the 1970s. Similar improvements in the use-phase can be found for domestic appliances like refrigerators. Looking forward, further use-phase efficiency improvements are likely to be enabled through the extensive use of (currently) energy-intensive materials such as aerated concrete in construction, aluminum and CFRP in transport (for example, the Volkswagen XL1), and carbon nanotubes across a range of lightweight and conductivity critical applications. Similarly, many renewable energy technologies (such as single crystal photovoltaic panels) rely on the use of energy-intensive materials. This talk will examine the historic trends towards high specification and energy intensive manufacturing, as well as elucidate the need for active research into sustainable manufacturing

In this talk we focus on examining the rise of products’ embodied energy across a range of sectors, seeking to: (1) Establish if the rise in embodied energy is significant across all economic sectors and if it will significantly negate use-phase efficiency improvements; (2) Develop a framework in which the trade-off between embodied and use-phase energy requirements can be optimized; (3) Examine the production of energy-intensive products and materials and identify trends that make these materials so energy-intensive. For example, common trends may include high process temperatures, a low production rate, or high factory (non-process) energy requirements (caused by the necessity of factors such as high ventilation rates). The talk concludes by exploring some potential avenues of research which may reduce these impacts.