Lifecycle assessment of electricity generation transition in ecuador

Abstract

Ecuador’s energy mix has greatly reduced its dependency on fossil fuels the last 15 years, down to a marginal role (5%) in electricity generation in 2017. The development plan for the Ecuadorian power network aims to keep adding hydropower to meet the increasing demand. A prospective lifecycle assessment (LCA) of the future power network (2012–2050) can determine the feasibility of the development plan and its environmental sustainability in the long run. For a quantitative analysis of the energy transition over the entire lifecycle, the simulation software® Global Emission Model of Integrated System (GEMIS) is used. The results show that the current development path of the Ecuadorian energy system reduces the emissions of CO2 per kWh generated by 65% due to the large share of renewable energies, mainly hydropower, which costs 1% of Gross Domestic Product. The obtained LCA footprints are similar to the literature benchmarks.