Methodology and impact categories of environmental life cycle assessment in geothermal energy sector

AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, Department of Fossil Fuels, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

^* Corresponding author: mkz@agh.edu.pl

Abstract

The development of renewable energy sources, including geothermal energy, causes that more and more attention should be devoted to their environmental impact in a holistic approach. Currently, the impact of geothermal installations on the environment is analyzed in the context of emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere at the operational stage. Additionally, sustainable development and creating a responsible energy mix requires the use of tools that will provide precise information about the effectiveness of the proposed technological solutions and their impact on the environment. The LCA lifecycle assessment can be such a tool. The complexity of the investment process, which is the construction of a heating plant, a combined heat and power plant or power plant based on geothermal energy, results mainly from changing geological, topographical and environmental conditions. In such a case, the precise determination of the methodology and the definition of impact categories are crucial. The article is a review of the applied methodologies in the world, taking into account impact categories and databases used in conducting the LCA in the geothermal energy sector.