• Energy Research

Today, options to reduce the climate impacts of high-speed passenger transport over hundreds of kilometres are limited to using low-carbon synthetic fuels in aviation and high-speed trains. In the future, alternatives like battery electric airplanes might be available. Further, vehicles operating in near-vacuum tubes, so-called “hyperloop systems”, could represent an alternative. Our first-of-its-kind environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), considering its construction, operation, and end-of-life, shows that such a hyperloop system is energy-efficient and can exhibit very low greenhouse gas emissions (<8 g CO2/pkm) if low-carbon sources provide electricity for its operation and relatively high occupation rates can be realised. The environmental performance of a hyperloop system can be regarded as very similar to that of a train offering the same transport service. Compared to air travel, environmental burdens can be substantially reduced (<5% impact on climate change compared to conventional aircraft). This fundamental finding holds despite uncertainties regarding technical properties and design choices, which reflect the current development status of the hyperloop.

Today, options to reduce the climate impacts of high-speed passenger transport over hundreds of kilometres are limited to using low-carbon synthetic fuels in aviation and high-speed trains. In the future, alternatives like battery electric airplanes might be available. Further, vehicles operating in near-vacuum tubes, so-called “hyperloop systems”, could represent an alternative. Our first-of-its-kind environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), considering its construction, operation, and end-of-life, shows that such a hyperloop system is energy-efficient and can exhibit very low greenhouse gas emissions (<8 g CO2/pkm) if low-carbon sources provide electricity for its operation and relatively high occupation rates can be realised. The environmental performance of a hyperloop system can be regarded as very similar to that of a train offering the same transport service. Compared to air travel, environmental burdens can be substantially reduced (<5% impact on climate change compared to conventional aircraft). This fundamental finding holds despite uncertainties regarding technical properties and design choices, which reflect the current development status of the hyperloop.

Abstract: In the race to achieve global climate neutrality, carbon intensive industries like the clinker and cement industry are required to decarbonize rapidly. The environmental impacts related to potential transition pathways to lowcarbon systems can be evaluated using prospective life cycle assessment (pLCA). This study conducts a pLCA for future global clinker production, integrating long-term transition pathways from the IMAGE integrated assessment model (IAM) to maintain global consistency. It systematically modifies the ecoinvent v3.9.1 database using the Python library premise to create future database versions representing future clinker production embedded in a future economy according to a 3.5 degrees C-baseline, a 2 degrees C-compliant and a 1.5 degrees C-compliant scenario. Our study indicates that climate change impacts of clinker production may decrease from about 1.03 kg CO 2 -eq/kg clinker in 2020 to 0.94 (3.5 degrees C-baseline), 0.20 (2 degrees C-compliant), and 0.16 (1.5 degrees C-compliant) kg CO 2 -eq/kg clinker in 2060 for the global average. This corresponds to a 10% (3.5 degrees C-baseline), 81% (2 degrees C-compliant) and 84% (1.5 degrees C- compliant) decrease by 2060 compared to 2020. Under these scenarios, global clinker production alone would require 5% -11% of the remaining end-of-century carbon budget for the 2 degrees C and 1.5 degrees C-target, respectively. While the climate change impacts are substantially reduced, our study also indicates that the transition pathways shift the burden towards other impact categories, such as ionizing radiation, ozone depletion, material resources and land use. Developing IAM-compatible scenarios for more product groups helps to increase the coherence of pLCA studies. As this study is based on an IAM heavily reliant on carbon capture and storage and bioenergy, future research should explore the effects of different technology pathways and alternative mitigation strategies.

Abstract: In the race to achieve global climate neutrality, carbon intensive industries like the clinker and cement industry are required to decarbonize rapidly. The environmental impacts related to potential transition pathways to lowcarbon systems can be evaluated using prospective life cycle assessment (pLCA). This study conducts a pLCA for future global clinker production, integrating long-term transition pathways from the IMAGE integrated assessment model (IAM) to maintain global consistency. It systematically modifies the ecoinvent v3.9.1 database using the Python library premise to create future database versions representing future clinker production embedded in a future economy according to a 3.5 degrees C-baseline, a 2 degrees C-compliant and a 1.5 degrees C-compliant scenario. Our study indicates that climate change impacts of clinker production may decrease from about 1.03 kg CO 2 -eq/kg clinker in 2020 to 0.94 (3.5 degrees C-baseline), 0.20 (2 degrees C-compliant), and 0.16 (1.5 degrees C-compliant) kg CO 2 -eq/kg clinker in 2060 for the global average. This corresponds to a 10% (3.5 degrees C-baseline), 81% (2 degrees C-compliant) and 84% (1.5 degrees C- compliant) decrease by 2060 compared to 2020. Under these scenarios, global clinker production alone would require 5% -11% of the remaining end-of-century carbon budget for the 2 degrees C and 1.5 degrees C-target, respectively. While the climate change impacts are substantially reduced, our study also indicates that the transition pathways shift the burden towards other impact categories, such as ionizing radiation, ozone depletion, material resources and land use. Developing IAM-compatible scenarios for more product groups helps to increase the coherence of pLCA studies. As this study is based on an IAM heavily reliant on carbon capture and storage and bioenergy, future research should explore the effects of different technology pathways and alternative mitigation strategies.

While previous research has focused on developing prospective LCI databases that build upon projections from integrated assessment models (IAMs), until now only attributional databases have been developed. To construct consequential LCI databases, a novel approach is required that can be applied consistently on a large scale. To this end, the heuristic approach from Bo Weidema was selected as a basis for this study. This approach has been validated before with historical data and was adapted in this study to identify the marginal suppliers in a prospective context. The different steps within the approach were analyzed and alternative techniques for each step within the heuristic method were proposed. The techniques were tested out on the future electricity sector using projections from two IAMs (IMAGE and REMIND). Results showed how sensitive the results are to which technique is selected in each step. The most sensitive step is the selection of the time interval, with even small changes resulting in a noticeable difference. In addition the results also showed a substantial difference between the IAM projections. The relevance and goals of the alternative techniques for each step were discussed to guide users on forming the heuristic method for their study.

While previous research has focused on developing prospective LCI databases that build upon projections from integrated assessment models (IAMs), until now only attributional databases have been developed. To construct consequential LCI databases, a novel approach is required that can be applied consistently on a large scale. To this end, the heuristic approach from Bo Weidema was selected as a basis for this study. This approach has been validated before with historical data and was adapted in this study to identify the marginal suppliers in a prospective context. The different steps within the approach were analyzed and alternative techniques for each step within the heuristic method were proposed. The techniques were tested out on the future electricity sector using projections from two IAMs (IMAGE and REMIND). Results showed how sensitive the results are to which technique is selected in each step. The most sensitive step is the selection of the time interval, with even small changes resulting in a noticeable difference. In addition the results also showed a substantial difference between the IAM projections. The relevance and goals of the alternative techniques for each step were discussed to guide users on forming the heuristic method for their study.

The map WIMBY_D2.4_eu_map_with_turbines_02-2025.html shows the net contribution to noise levels (L_den) from currently operating wind turbines in Europe, considering other anthropogenic noise sources (i.e., highways, railways, industries and airports). Data generated by the WindWhisper model (https://github.com/Laboratory-for-Energy-Systems-Analysis/windwhisper). This dataset excludes wind turbines with incomplete metadata and focuses on turbines with validated geographic and technical details (e.g., hub height, and power).