Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of a Thai Island's Diesel/PV/Wind/Hybrid Microgrid (2014)

Undergraduates: John Burrows, Dr. Shabbir Gheewala Cameron Smith, Jessica Smith, Amberli Young, Tiffany Young, John Burrows, Eric Scheier

Faculty Advisor: Richard Kamens
Department: Environmental Studies

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Hybrid microgrid systems are an emerging tool for rural electrification. This study uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare the environmental impacts of a diesel, PV, wind, hybrid microgrid on the island of Koh Jig, Thailand with the electrification alternatives of grid extension and home diesel generators. The impact categories evaluated are: acidification potential (kg SO2 eq), global warming potential (kg CO2 eq), human toxicity potential (kg 1,4 DCB eq), and abiotic resource depletion potential (kg Sb eq). The results show that the microgrid system has the lowest global warming, human toxicity, and abiotic resource depletion potentials of all three scenarios. The use phase of the diesel generator and the extraction of copper are shown to significantly contribute to the microgrid¿s environmental impact. The relative environmental impact of the grid extension scenario is found to be proportional to the distance required for grid extension. Across all impact categories, the impacts from the home diesel generators are the largest. Sensitivity analyses show that maximizing the renewable energy fraction does not necessarily produce a more environmentally sustainable electrification scenario and that the diesel generator provides versatility to the system. While the environmental benefit of the microgrid increases as the installation community becomes more isolated, the choice of electrification scenario requires assigning relative importance each impact category.