An Integrated Model to Conduct Multi-Criteria Technology Assessments: The Case of Electric Vehicle Batteries.
Environ Sci Technol
; 57(12): 5056-5067, 2023 03 28.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36913650
ABSTRACT
The large-scale adoption of low-carbon technologies can result in trade-offs between technical, socio-economic, and environmental aspects. To assess such trade-offs, discipline-specific models typically used in isolation need to be integrated to support decisions. Integrated modeling approaches, however, usually remain at the conceptual level, and operationalization efforts are lacking. Here, we propose an integrated model and framework to guide the assessment and engineering of technical, socio-economic, and environmental aspects of low-carbon technologies. The framework was tested with a case study of design strategies aimed to improve the material sustainability of electric vehicle batteries. The integrated model assesses the trade-offs between the costs, emissions, material criticality, and energy density of 20,736 unique material design options. The results show clear conflicts between energy density and the other indicators i.e., energy density is reduced by more than 20% when the costs, emissions, or material criticality objectives are optimized. Finding optimal battery designs that balance between these objectives remains difficult but is essential to establishing a sustainable battery system. The results exemplify how the integrated model can be used as a decision support tool for researchers, companies, and policy makers to optimize low-carbon technology designs from various perspectives.
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Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Fontes de Energia Elétrica
/
Tecnologia
Tipo de estudo:
Health_technology_assessment
/
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article