Search

Today, in the global economy, characterized by a growing awareness of environmental issue, the life cycle costing analysis (LCCA) is receiving increasing attention in various sectors. This is a critical task for modern businesses. In fact, the procurement decisions for many products are made on their life cycle costs. In this context, the hydrogen technologies play an important role. Actually, even though they have been known for a long time, aspects of system analysis, energy economics, and ecology received much less attention. For those reasons, the aim of this work is twofold. First, this study aims to contribute to the development of a comprehensive study on LCCA of hydrogen energy technologies. Second, it aims to propose a simple framework, called “ABC” analysis based on life cycle cost approach and multicriteria decision analysis useful to carry out an integrated analysis to compare different results and to balance economic data.

Compound microbial fertilizer (CMF) uses organic waste as a raw material and is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional chemical fertilizers. However, further analyses of the environmental performance of CMF production are necessary. This study first evaluated the environmental impacts of CMF made from chemical fertilizers, organic wastes, and microorganisms, as well as economic costs. A case study, whose scope encompassed raw materials, transportation, and manufacturing stages was conducted on a fertilizer company in the Hubei Province of China through a combined “cradle-to-gate” life cycle assessment and life cycle cost methodology. Normalization of midpoint results indicated that impacts on fossil resource scarcity, water consumption, and terrestrial acidification are key contributors to the total impacts. The key stage analysis highlighted that the raw materials stage played a critical role (more than 48%) in the environmental performance of the CMF life cycle, followed by the transportation and manufacturing stages (less than 15%). Key substance analysis showed that monoammonium phosphate use is a hotspot and significantly increases the environmental burden of CMF production. Moreover, bentonite and pig manure were also identified as the key substances. Future improvements in the supply chain should focus on monoammonium phosphate, bentonite production, and pig manure extraction. Results of the sensitivity analysis confirmed that controlling pollution from monoammonium phosphate and bentonite should be a priority in realizing clean production. Additionally, an economic analysis indicated that the life cycle cost of CMF was 675.75 CNY/t and that raw material costs contributed the most to the total life cycle cost (over 70%). On the basis of these results, possible recommendations were proposed, such as promoting green procurement of main raw materials, improving the collection technology of pig manure, and extending the scale of CMF enterprises. This study can be significant in assisting relevant stakeholders with decision-making to ensure a balanced tradeoff between an environmentally friendly option and an economically feasible option.

Buildings play a major role in increasing energy consumption and bulk atmospheric emissions. Energy analysis must be taken into consideration because of increased global warming. In the present scenario, Glazed walls with gas infills are preferred for their aesthetic appearance by AEC designers (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) in commercial buildings. The environmental impact must be considered in the selection of glazing panels and framing materials of a building. In this work, a fully glazed commercial building (FGCB) is chosen and modelled using Autodesk-Revit (BIM software) and then simulated using Green Building Studio Software. The life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) and life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) results are compared to come out with energy-efficient and cost-effective material. The optimized energy usage of Double low-E glazing and Double reverse glazing with glass infill were compared with the existing single clear glass for their performance over its entire life cycle based on both energy usage, cost, and greenhouse gas emission by analysing its embodied and operating energy.

The application of top-of-rail friction modifiers (TOR-FMs) is claimed by their manufacturers as a well-established technique for minimising the damages in the wheel–rail interface. There are various methods for applying friction modifiers at the wheel–rail interface, among which stationary wayside systems are recommended by TOR-FM manufacturers when a distance of a few kilometres is to be covered. An on-board system is recommended when an area of many kilometres has to be covered and focus is more on particular trains. Trafikverket in Sweden is considering the implementation of the TOR-FM technology on the iron ore line. Directly implementing such technology can be inappropriate and expensive, because the life cycle cost of a TOR-FM system has never been assessed for the conditions of the iron ore line. In the present study, the life cycle cost is calculated for wayside and on-board application systems, by taking inputs from the research performed on iron ore line. The present research has taken the iron ore line as a case study, but the results will be applicable to other infrastructure with similar conditions. The results have shown that the wayside equipment is economically unfeasible for the iron ore line. In this case, the life cycle cost increases by 4% when the friction modifier is applied on all curves with a radius smaller than 550 m and by 19% when the friction modifier is applied on all curves with a radius smaller than 850 m. The on-board system used in this study is shown to be economically feasible, as it has a significantly lower operation and maintenance cost than the wayside equipment. The reduction in the maintenance (grinding and rail replacement) cost when the cost of the friction modifier application is added is 27% when the friction modifier is applied on curves with a radius smaller than 550 m and 23% when the friction modifier is applied on curves with a radius smaller than 850 m.

Geotechnical engineering work contributes to the total environmental impact and monetary cost occurring from the construction sector. Decisions made regarding geotechnical engineering aspects have a profound effect on the environmental impact and the monetary cost of the structure during its life cycle. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) are established methods for assessing the environmental impacts and monetary cost from construction works. This paper presents the results from a literature review of 56 published papers regarding the current situation of the use of LCA and LCCA methods in geotechnical engineering. It is found that only limited research has been published in applying LCA and LCCA to geotechnical engineering structures. Further research should focus on developing a framework using LCA and LCCA for geotechnical engineering structures and also identify and fill data gaps in computer software databases. This would help geotechnical engineers in their daily work to reduce the environmental impact and monetary costs throughout the life cycles of the designed structures.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the basics of life cycle cost analysis for use in an undergraduate, senior-level capstone, gas turbine engine design course. This paper will support the heightened interest within the military acquisition community that now requires life cycle cost analysis to be included in the proposals submitted by defense contractors. The capstone design course includes both the gas turbine engine cycle selection and engine component design that supports a particular aircraft application. While the students have been taught how to estimate the fuel costs, engine development costs, and the time-varying production costs of engines, they have not yet been provided instruction on how to factor all three types of costs into an engineering economics, time-value-of-money, present value analysis. This paper will fill that gap and serve as a resource for the students who must now consider life cycle cost as an element in their design decision matrix along with engine performance, technical risk, and development time. The typical case compares an engine where the upfront development and production costs associated with a more advanced level of technology are high early on in the life cycle but over time has a lower fuel cost compared to an engine with a lower development and production cost but with a higher fuel cost. This paper illustrates how the aerodynamics, thermodynamics, and engineering economics can be brought together to inform and defend a decision about which of the two (or more) alternatives is best. The engineering economic analysis is spreadsheet based and uses inflation adjusted, total annual costs to calculate the present value for use in a decision matrix.

The interaction between the roof thermal insulation and the cool roof effects is assessed in order to determine an optimum combination of the two measures. Dynamic simulations and estimation of the annual energy requirements are performed using EnergyPlus. Two roof structures, three insulation materials and three reflectivity scenarios are considered while taking into account the ageing of the cool material. An energy-based optimization shows that the summertime benefits induced by the rise of reflectivity outweigh the winter penalties, and that the optimum value of the roof reflectivity is the highest possible value. Moderate roof insulation levels with cool roof surfaces of as high as possible reflectivity values are recommended in the Tunisian climate. A 20-year life-cycle cost analysis proves the cost-effectiveness of aged and restored cool roof scenarios for uninsulated roofs with a net saving up to 44.53 TND/m2 and a payback period of 3.4 years. In terms of maximum net savings and considering the environmental benefits of cool roofs, we recommend an optimum combination of the restored concrete-based roof and a 5.4 cm-rockwool thickness. A sensitivity analysis shows that the uncertainties in the economic parameters and changes in the set-point temperatures have a noticeable effect on the optimal parameters.

This article presents the Life-cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) and Energy Payback Time (EPBT) of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) thermal systems with reference to Indian weather conditions. The insolation and optimum tilt angle values are based on modified HDKR (Hay, Davies, Klucher, Reindl) model which accounts for hourly insolation considering shadow effect. Electrical and thermal performance of semi-transparent BIPV thermal system is evaluated for different mass flow rate of air through the duct with series combinations. EPBT and LCC of BIPV thermal systems are evaluated for three different orientations of PV modules i.e., optimum tilt angle, horizontal and vertical orientations by considering adverse effect of shadow. The cost of energy produced by the system ranges between 1.61 and 3.61 US$/kW h depending on the climatic conditions of the place and the EPBT of the system is found to be ranging between 7.30 years and 16.9 years which is lower than the expected service life (30 years) of the modules. Both LCCA and EPBT are increased because of shadow effect but these values are decreased due to air flow through the duct which is provided below the PV module. Thus, the BIPV thermal system is viable both financially and environmentally and this may be used as a major renewable energy source. A contour map of EPBT and LCA is presented for all state capital of India for BIPV thermal system oriented with optimum tilt angle.

The increasing quantities of plastic waste worldwide is an imminent problem with sever environmental impacts. Recent research was able to develop methodologies to recycle plastic waste and use it as a replacement to natural aggregates in concrete. This not only reduces the amount of unprocessed plastic waste, but also minimizes the need for natural aggregates; thus, which in turn reduces the environmental impacts of overexploiting aggregate quarries . The goal of this research is to assess the life cycle cost implications of utilizing green recycled plastic lightweight aggregates (PLA) – specifically those formed of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) - in concrete structures. To this end, the authors considered a concrete structure with multiple variable design parameters, and conducted structural design using conventional concrete and concrete with recycled plastic in an alternating way; with a total of 24 different scenarios. Then lifecycle cost analysis was conducted on these scenarios using construction cost, operation and maintenance, and end of life cost. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to quantify how the structural parameters and cost of key elements impact the cost effectiveness of the LLDPE-based PLA. The findings indicated that using LLDPE-based in concrete structures leads to savings in concrete and steel quantities up to 7.23% and 7.18% respectively depending on the structural configuration of the building. This leads to savings in life cycle costs up to 5.9% depending on the structural configuration and the discount rate. Also, the study revealed that structures with slab spans of around 4 and 5 m benefit the most from the use of LLDPE-based PLA; while those with smaller slab spans of 3 m benefit the least, and sometimes do not benefit at all – financially speaking. The outcomes of this research quantitatively validates the use of green recycled plastic aggregates as a substitute to the conventional aggregates in order to save the limited natural resources. Furthermore, the paper will contribute to the upcoming paradigm shift of utilizing recycled plastic in concrete and using concrete in general as a waste recycling system rather than just a building material; thus, minimizing the environmental impacts of both the concrete and plastic industries as well as helping developers reduce their life cycle costs.

A geothermal powered absorption cooling system is considered for cooling of buildings. The system is analyzed by thermodynamic performance parameters such as cooling load and coefficient of performance (COP). An economic analysis of the system is performed to assess cost structure, potential revenues, payback periods and life cycle cost analysis. Effect of geothermal water temperature on the annual cooling cost and payback periods are investigated. A liquid geothermal source at a temperature of 100 °C with a mass flow rate of 100 kg/s is considered for Izmir city of Turkey. The COP of the ammonia-water absorption cycle is determined to be 0.441. The number of degree-days for the cooling season is calculated to be 1791 °C and cooling load is calculated to be 12,870,000 kWh by the DD (degree − days) method. The annual potential revenue of geothermal cooling is estimated to be 653,818 $/yr with simple and discounted payback periods of 5.684 and 8.816 years. The geothermal cooling is provided an annual monetary benefit of 166,610 $/yr on the entire lifetime of the system by the life cycle cost analysis. So, the unit product cooling cost is calculated to be 0.01295 $/kWh, respectively.

A new life cycle cost (LCC) analysis method is presented to evaluate the long-term cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency features in buildings by accounting for the future costs associated with earthquake-induced damages in such features. Buildings situated in a seismic zone are possibly attacked by earthquakes over lifetime and their nonstructural elements such as energy-efficiency features may suffer from various levels of damage, requiring repair or replacement to restore a satisfactory level of building energy efficiency. However, existing LCC analysis methods have overlooked such earthquake-related cost, potentially leading to unreliable cost-effectiveness assessment of energy-efficient buildings. To address this problem, we propose a method to rigorously quantify the expected cumulative future cost due to the repair/replacement of earthquake-damaged energy-efficiency features and then integrate this cost into the LCC analysis. The new method is illustrated using a medium-sized office building located in a high seismic region with a Mediterranean climate. Costs associated with the initial installation as well as future energy consumption, environmental impacts, and seismic damages of two alternative types of window assembly with different levels of energy efficiency are calculated and compared. It is found that, with seismic damage cost considered, the cost-effectiveness of energy-efficiency features can be noticeably reduced and, equivalently, the payback time for building energy efficiency investment is prolonged.

The construction sector has become an important target for reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption and for kerbing resource depletion, because of its relevance in all these important areas. Many of the current energy related policies have their focus on new buildings but, due to the low rates of replacement of the existing building stock, it is crucial that the low energy performances of these buildings are improved. Most of these buildings, due to design and construction constraints, may not be able to reach the new energy efficiency standards, which many times involve complex construction works. Nevertheless, the achievement of significant reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions may not always require a highly efficient solution for the envelope. Other solutions, combining energy efficiency measures and the use of renewable energy, are also possible. In this context, the key research problem addressed in Annex 56 was to understand how far it is possible to go with energy conservation and efficiency measures and from which point the measures to foster renewable energy use become more economical taking into account the local context and the many restrictions the existing buildings face. Thus, a new methodology was developed to be used in the decision making process for energy related building renovation, allowing to find a cost-effective balance between energy consumption, carbon emissions and overall added value achieved in the renovation process. The methodology developed within IEA EBC Annex 56 project aims at defining, assessing and comparing energy renovation activities in a cost-effective way, optimizing the energy use and the carbon emissions reduction, mainly in residential buildings but also in non-residential buildings without complex HVAC technologies. The methodology explores the full range of cost-effective reduction of carbon emissions and energy use and takes into account also the additional benefits and the overall added value achieved by the building within the renovation process., The work within IEA EBC is co-funded by different national authorities and the individually participating national organisations - universities and private companies. Without their contributions, this work had not been possible., info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This study aims to evaluate the effect of pre-overlay condition on pavement performance and develop deterministic and probabilistic approaches to analyse the cost-effectiveness of pavement overlay alternatives. Pavement-condition data collected from Pavement Management System were used to analyse the service life of pavement overlay with different pre-overlay conditions and overlay thicknesses. Deterministic and probabilistic life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) was first conducted to compare life-cycle cost (LCC) of different overlay treatments. Statistical test proves that the estimated overlay life for major rehabilitation is significantly higher than the overlay life for minor rehabilitation. Deterministic LCCA results show that there is a threshold of pre-overlay surface distress index (SDI) where the LCC is equal between major and minor rehabilitation treatments. Sensitivity analyses show that the cost ratio between major and minor rehabilitation treatments has significant influence on the threshold of S...

Various technologies have been applied on roofs to reduce the air-conditioning load in buildings during summer or in tropical areas, including cool paint, roof ventilation, mass and reflective insulation. These technologies help to reduce roof temperatures or heat transmission effectively in summer at different economic costs. It is desirable to evaluate the cost effectiveness of different roofing technologies, especially in the tropical climate. This work analyzes the heat gains of concrete-based roofs combined with different roofing technologies, as well as the cost effectiveness of these technologies in the tropical climate of Singapore. The transient roof temperatures and heat transmissions are predicted using Complex Fast Fourier Transform (CFFT) method, and the impacts of roof ventilation on heat gain are predicted using correlations proposed for convective resistance prediction via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The daily heat gains of different roof components are hence predicted, and Life-cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is performed to evaluate the payback periods of different roofing technologies, including cool paint, expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), radiant barrier (RB), and roof (natural and forced) ventilation. It is concluded that the application of cool paint on unventilated roof shows the shortest payback period, and the combined use of RB and natural ventilation yields the largest energy savings in the long run. Compared with forced ventilated roofs, those passive roof technologies (cool paint, RB, air gap and EPS foam) without electricity requirement are more recommended, due to their cost effectiveness.

Probabilistic methods have gradually gained ground within engineering practices but currently it is still the industry standard to use deterministic safety margin approaches to dimensioning components and qualitative methods to manage product risks. These methods are suitable for baseline design work but quantitative risk management and product reliability optimization require more advanced predictive approaches. Ample research has been published on how to predict failure probabilities for mechanical components and furthermore to optimize reliability through life cycle cost analysis. This paper reviews the literature for existing methods and tries to harness their best features and simplify the process to be applicable in practical engineering work. Recommended process applies Monte Carlo method on top of load-resistance models to estimate failure probabilities. Furthermore, it adds on existing literature by introducing a practical framework to use probabilistic models in quantitative risk management and product life cycle costs optimization. Our main focus is on mechanical failure modes due to the well-developed methods used to predict these types of failures. However, the same framework can be applied on any type of failure mode as long as predictive models can be developed.

Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SREC) in the United States (U.S.) have become an important driver for promoting the solar photovoltaic (PV) system. However, the SREC price volatility is considered the major barrier for installing the solar PV system due to the uncertainty of the revenue from selling the SREC. To address this challenge, this study aimed to establish a base price for SREC in order to encourage the installation of residential solar PV systems in the U.S. Toward this end, this study conducted the life cycle cost analysis to establish the minimum SREC prices required for reaching the target payback period of the residential solar PV system in the U.S. In addition, this study conducted the comparative analysis from the perspectives of residents and state governments by considering the SREC prices. This study was conducted in four steps: (i) target selection; (ii) data collection; (iii) defining assumptions; and (iv) establishing the minimum SREC prices. The results showed that Massachusetts and New Jersey are the most superior state from the perspective of both residents and state governments. This study can help both residents and state governments to get financial advice for installing solar PV system and improving the SREC-related policies.

This research presents a method that accounts for variability in the principal design input variables for fully flexible highway pavements and assesses their effect on pavement performance. Variability is described by statistical terms such as mean and standard deviation and by its probability density distribution. Statistical characterisation of the variation of asphalt layer thickness, asphalt stiffness and subgrade stiffness is addressed. A model is then proposed that represents an improvement on the method of equivalent thickness for the rapid and repeated calculation of performance life. A Monte Carlo analysis is used to estimate pavement performance life to account for uncertainty of input variables and to calculate the probability of failure of a pavement structure. The output is a statistical assessment of the estimated pavement performance. Rather than the single deterministic result that would be derived by considering average values of input variables, a range of values and probabilities is found for any particular outcome. The probabilistic approach offers a way of incorporating risk assessment considerations that are vital for whole-life-cycle economic analysis and decisions. The paper investigates how variability affects the life-cycle cost of a pavement over a 60-year analysis period.

Distributed generation utilizes the locally available resources and power the load through low voltage networks forming a microgrid. Microgrid in Indian context can be classified into – off-grid where the microgrid works isolated with no main grid connection, grid backup where the microgrid is islanded and act as a backup to main grid and an on-grid system which works in tandem with the main grid. This paper discusses in detail the technical performance, energy and cost analysis of a grid back up photovoltaic system for five different battery technologies. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and life cycle energy analysis (LCEA) is done for the proposed microgrid system. It is further compared with other conventional grid backup systems such as diesel generator sets and Inverter battery backup systems to understand the effectiveness of renewable microgrid.

Cellulose pad direct contact evaporative coolers (CPDECs) were modeled and optimized. In this regard, a detailed method for evaluation of the initial cost was introduced. This model as well as thermodynamic, hydraulic and other economic ones were employed to minimize the life-cycle cost (LCC) and the annual water consumption (AWC) and maximize the annual average coefficient of performance (AACOP). It was assumed that the CPDEC was employed as the cooling system for a middle flat of a five-story residential building with floor area of 97.1 m2. Multi-objective optimization (MOO) imposing proper constraints including thermal comfort was done in two scenarios: design optimization process (DOP, applicable before production) and retrofit optimization process (ROP, for currently manufactured systems). From the different groups within the Koppen-Geiger climate classification system, the ones in which the CPDEC had the potential of usage were identified; a sample city from each group was selected, and the features of the optimized systems for that condition were obtained. It was found that for all applicable climates in ROP as well as classes ‘B’ and ‘C’ in DOP, the optimum specific contact area was 540 m2 m−3. Moreover, the features of the optimized system in ROP were affected by both climatic and economic parameters while in DOP the effect of climatic condition was much more than economic criteria. The results also showed that in comparison to the base case conditions, MOOs improved, in average, LCC, AWC, and AACOP 52.8%, 74.3% and 146.9% in the case of DOP and 20.9%, 64.6% and 70.1% in the case of ROP. These mean significant improvements were achieved by MOOs in the both scenarios.

Recycled materials have been used in roadway construction for years. Recently, with the advancement of material processing equipment and mix design technologies involving Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP), RAP’s use in pavement construction is increasing. RAP’s various desirable properties spur its use in sustainable development. These merits include energy conservation in mix production, cost savings in material consumption, and environmental protection. Although asphalt mix is considered to be recyclable – meaning RAP could be a sustainable material – in-depth studies verifying and quantifying its effectiveness are limited in the literature. Based on real-world data from pavements constructed with 35% RAP and virgin mixes, this study comprehensively evaluates the sustainability of RAP from three different aspects including cost, energy, and environment. The life cycle cost analysis based on RealCost and life cycle assessment based on PaLATE is used to compare RAP and virgin alternatives. The results sugge...

In a conventional economic analysis, the availability of system is considered as a constant value. However, some factors such as increasing components' failure rate due to degradation, reducing failure rates by replacement or repairing, and stops in operation because of overhauls change the availability during the lifetime of a system. Furthermore, due to overhauls and degradation, maintenance costs are not identical in different years. This paper presents a new approach for economic analysis of thermal systems in which change in the availability of system during its lifetime is considered. A combined gas turbine cycle and desalination is studied. The instantaneous availability of system is calculated using state space method with time-varying failure rates and considering overhauls. Then, the average availability of producing electricity and fresh water in each year of lifetime is applied to the economic analysis. In addition, maintenance costs are calculated according to the overhauls and the number of components repairs in each year. Finally, some economic indicators are compared in two cases of variable and constant availability, using the life cycle cost analysis method. Considering time-varying availability, increase in payback period is observed by 9 months and reduction in net present value by about $18 million.

This study aims to investigate the influence of the combination of different types of fuel and building material on energy savings into buildings. The yearly cooling transmission loads of the building were determined using the degree-day’s concept. The optimization was based on a life cycle cost analysis. Five different fuels (fuel oil, hydroelectricity, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas and solar energy), six insulation materials (foamed polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane, expanded and extruded polystyrene, rock and glass wool) and five wall structures (sundry earth block (SEB), hollow concrete block (HCB), compressed earth block (CEB), heavyweight concrete block (HWCB), and stone) were considered in calculations. The optimum insulation thicknesses, energy savings, and payback periods for different combinations were determined. As a consequence the result show that the optimum insulation thickness varies between 0.2 and 14 cm, energy cost savings shift between 3 and 155 $/m 2 , and payback periods change between 0.66 and 6.11 years depending on the fuel type, the insulation material and the wall type. The highest energy saving has been obtained by using hydroelectricity (86.7%), while de lowest was reached by using natural gas (13.8%) and the combination using solar energy was found to be more economic.

Local water harvesting, demand reduction and wastewater treatment measures at a building scale can help manage water resources around the Mediterranean. This study conducts a life cycle water, energy and cost analysis of rainwater and condensate water harvesting, water conservation, wastewater treatment and three combinations of these measures over 50 years, using an apartment building in Sehaileh, Lebanon. The measures’ performance is further investigated through a comprehensive sensitivity analysis that extends the applicability of findings. Reducing water demand in the building through efficient water fixtures and appliances can decrease annual water and primary energy use by 1 534 kL and 130 GJ, respectively, while saving 530 USD every year. Wastewater treatment requires 230 MJ and costs 0.97 USD per kL of water saved, necessitating subsidies to be competitive. Rainwater and condensate water harvesting cover 4.8% and 1% of the total demand, respectively, but can reduce infrastructure spending, avoid water leakage and reduce urban run-off. Combining all measures reduces mains water supply by up to 75% for 1 MJ/kL saved and zero life cycle cost. Finally, a metered, seasonal and demand-driven water pricing scheme is recommended to better relate building occupants with the intermittent and scarce nature of water around the Mediterranean.

Although post-combustion carbon capture (PCC) has been regarded as a near-commercial technology, the scale-up development of PCC the technology remains hindered by its severe thermodynamic and economic penalties. As a consequence, the solar-assisted carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is emerging recently, which poses a promising possibility to offset the power generation loss caused by the intensive energy consumption from PCC process. Nevertheless, the application potential of the solar-assisted CCS technology would highly depend on its realistic greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation benefit as well as its cost relative to alternative low carbon technologies. Thus, it is required to apply an improved assessment practice to recognize solutions for such sustainable power supply chains, considering an increasing threatening from climate change. In this study, solar-assisted post-combustion CCS processes are analyzed trough a life cycle approach, combing life cycle GHG assessment and life cycle cost analysis. A typical 300MWe coal-fired power plant in China is taken as the case study. Three scenarios are further analyzed: (1) base case integrated with CCS process; (2) base case integrated with CCS and solar-assisted reboiler heating process; (3) base case extended to CCS and solar-assisted repowering process. Results show that the solar-assisted repowering case has considerable advantage in both GHG mitigation potential and cost aspect with superior life cycle GHG reduction rate and life cycle cost of energy removed (LCOR) at 73.7% and 37.2$/ t c o 2 − e q respectively. While the solar-assisted reboiler heating case does not have evident competition superiority. It is further highlighted that the GHG emissions from the upstream and transportation stages are also critical for Chinese CCS chains.

Sustainability evaluation of pavement alternatives for given traffic loading and environmental conditions has always been a challenging task for pavement designers and managers. Pavement engineers and managers mainly use life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to make a decision while the recent focus of academic research and regulatory agencies was more on the life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of different pavement alternatives. LCCA and LCA for more recent technologies, such as geosynthetics, have been relatively less addressed so far. Moreover, uncertainties due to inadequate data can also reduce effectiveness of the decision making process during the planning phase. In this research, an integrated LCCA and LCA framework is developed for sustainability evaluation of different pavement alternatives based on an integrated economic and environmental trade-off analysis. The framework can effectively evaluate different pavement technologies, including flexible, concrete, geosynthetics, and their combinations under different subgrade characteristics and traffic conditions. The fuzzy composite programming (FCP) is used: (i) to deal with the uncertainties associated with limited data and vagueness in experienced judgment, (ii) to integrate the results obtained from LCCA and LCA, and (iii) for final ranking of pavement alternatives. For final selection, decision makers can trade-off between cost and environmental impacts over the life cycle of the pavement alternative. The study results indicate that geosynthetics can be used to enhance the pavement service life for low volume roads with optimized cost and minimum environmental impacts.

The increase of renewable energy sources (RES) installations all over the world during the past decades leads to a more sustainable energy scenario, however some drawbacks still persists and hinder the complete replacement of traditional fossil fuels. One of the main challenging issue is related to the intermittent production that generates serious problem in the power grids operations. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) represent one of the most promising technology which can help to overcome this issue, revolutionizing the way in which electrical power grids are designed and operate. The main aspects of these devices are related to the grid energy management, increasing the host capacity of RES, the system reliability and the users’ self-consumption. However, even energy storage systems present several pitfalls. They should be correctly maintained over the lifetime and they cannot be completely recycled at the end of their life, in addition, maintenance, decommissioning and disposal costs represent a significant share of the total cost. So as to consider these aspects in a holistic model the present work proposes a life cycle cost (LCC) model, which take into account all the most relevant cost components during the entire operation of the system.

Energy losses in district heating pipeline networks can be reduced considerably using insulation materials. In this study, the optimum insulation thickness of direct burial laying used in district heating pipeline networks, energy savings, and payback periods are calculated for various pipe diameters, fuel types and soil depth in the city of Xi’an/China by software MATLAB depending on Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) method. The results show that optimum insulation thicknesses vary between 0.060 and 0.121 m, energy savings vary between 36.395 $/ m and 194.682 $/m, and payback periods vary between 0.445 and 1.691 years. When the rock wool is used as the insulation material and the soil depth is 1 m, the highest value of energy savings is reached in 500 mm nominal pipe size for fuel-oil fuel type, while the lowest value is obtained in 100 mm for geothermal energy. Therefore, the selection of optimum thickness for different pipes diameters and fuels types is particularly vital for the economic and environmental advantages.

Advancements in information technology have led to an increasing demand for data centers (DCs), and the energy consumption of DCs has gained attention worldwide. Many researchers have attempted to develop efficient DC cooling systems to reduce the energy required for cooling DCs, however, there are limitations in identifying the effect of such systems from the economic perspective. Subsequently, project owners find it difficult to decide whether to apply these systems to their particular DCs. The present research aims to analyze the economic performance of seven cooling strategies developed by the combinations of widely used DC cooling systems. The economic performance of each strategy is estimated by the life cycle cost analysis technique, and the analysis results show that Strategy 5 (A2_M: air-side economizer and supplementary cooling by a mechanical system) yields economic benefits of 26.84% in comparison to the conventional cooling system. The proposed research methodology and obtained results are expected to aid project owners in making effective decisions regarding the selection of an appropriate cooling strategy from an economic perspective.

Assessment of life cycle costs and environmental impacts of pavements has become an essential component of roadway design and asset management. The existing literature reveals that the economic and environmental sustainability of pavements depend on specific project characteristics. Hence, recent studies have called for real world case studies of pavement construction projects to better understand how the life cycle costs and environmental impacts of pavements vary based on different project characteristics. To this end, present study conducted comprehensive LCA and LCCA analyses to investigate the sustainability of different pavement alternatives for the SR 836-Southwest Extension Project in Miami, Florida. The study considered the agency costs and impacts as well as various use phase impacts and costs including those connected with pavement vehicle interaction and work zone traffic delays. In addition, the uncertainty related to the costs and impacts of construction and maintenance activities was assessed. The results indicated that at 90% confidence interval the flexible pavement design has lower cost and environmental impacts in the construction phase. However, when all phases are taken into consideration, the rigid pavement alternatives have lower environmental impacts and costs. The analysis also examined the sensitivity of the results to different parameters such as the discount rate and future traffic growth rate. The results of the sensitivity analysis indicated that the flexible pavement design has lower agency costs compared to rigid pavements at discount rates less than 4%. For discount rate values greater than 4.5%, the rigid pavement leads to lower life cycle costs.

This study aims to conduct the nonlinearity analysis of the shading effect on the technical–economic performance of the building-integrated photovoltaic blind (BIPB), which is designed as a preliminary study to evaluate the feasibility of the BIPB before its implementation. First, in terms of the technical performance of the BIPB, the shading effect due to the blind’s slat in the BIPB can have a nonlinear effect on the amount of electricity generation per unit area (AEGunit) from the BIPB. Particularly, as the width of the PV panel increases, the AEGunit from the BIPB tends to decrease. Second, in terms of the economic performance of the BIPB, the feasibility of the BIPB depends on the type of investment values. Specifically, as the width of the PV panel increases, the NPV25 (net present value at year 25) tends to increase; however, the SIR25 (saving-to-investment ratio at year 25) tends to decrease. That is, while the NPV25 is determined to be highest at US$82,869 when the width of the PV panel is 50 mm, the SIR25 is determined to be highest at 2.90 times when the width of the PV panel is 10 mm. The main findings of this study can be used to clearly define the design specifications of the BIPB before its implementation, which ensure to meet the client expectations on various objectives, such as technical performance (e.g., the AEGunit from the BIPB) and economic performance (e.g., NPV25 and SIR25).

Purpose The business case for facility expenditures is grounded in the knowledge that life-cycle economics is significant to the continued viability of the facility. The aim of this study is to develop an algorithm for life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and evaluate flooring products to inform decision makers about the long-term cost of ownership. Design/methodology/approach The protocol for executing an LCCA is defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, including defining the problem, identifying feasible alternatives and establishing common assumptions and parameters, as well as acquiring financial information. Data were provided by an independent third-party source. Findings The results of this study are twofold: assess functionally equivalent flooring alternatives to determine the best financial value and develop a replicable protocol and algorithm for LCCA. The study found that modular carpet was the best financial solution. As a tool for decision makers, this LCCA informs asset management about the long-term cost of ownership, providing a protocol for making practical, informed decisions for the lowest cost solution for functionally equivalent alternatives. Research limitations/implications Projecting LCCA beyond 15 years may have limited value based on potential changes in the financial climate. Further research should focus on the implications of changes in the discount rate over time and testing the algorithm on other building systems. Practical implications Maintenance costs are considerable when compared to initial cost of flooring. Equipment costs have a significant impact on long-term cost of ownership. Using LCCA to inform specifications and to determine the best solution for a building system such as flooring provides an evidence-based process for building design and facility management. Social implications Life-cycle costs have a significant impact on the financial health of an organization. Using LCCA to make informed decisions about facility design and specifications may contribute to increased financial stability and resources to benefit the organization’s long term goals. Originality/value This study contributes an algorithm instrument for buildings and building systems. The flooring tested with this protocol provides evidence to inform flooring selection based on lowest cost while considering other factors that inform appropriate selection of flooring materials.

The optimum size of Micro Gas Turbine Cogeneration Systems (MGT-CGSs) in a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in terms of its economic performance was investigated. A STP operating in a cold region was adopted as a model and was scaled down to obtain different size ratios. It was also assumed to operate in different regions to obtain different heat demand patterns. MGT-CGSs with power output capacity of 30, 65 and 200 kW were simulated to utilize biogas produced by the STP. Instead of multiple units of the same size of MGT-CGSs, combination of different sizes of MGT-CGSs was also investigated. Life Cycle Cost Analysis was carried out to compare the economic performance of MGT-CGSs. It was found that optimum combination of three types of MGTs (MGT-Combined) stated above had the highest power generated and efficiency. However, MGT-Combined also had larger power generation capacity and low usage ratio, thus resulting in higher capital investment. Although all configurations of MGT-CGSs can generate Net Present Value, optimum configuration was obtained when the rated fuel input of MGT-CGS is approximately equal to the biogas production of the STP. However, when heat demand fluctuates throughout the year smaller size of MGT is preferred.

It is expected that the rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems can realize net-zero energy solar buildings (nZESBs), but it is not enough by itself. To realize 100% of nZESBs, the smart photovoltaic system blind (SPSB) was proposed to generate electricity in the PV system and to reduce indoor cooling demands through the shading effect in the blind system. Before its implementation, this study aims to investigate the impact of the proposed SPSB on nZESBs, which is conducted in three ways (i.e., technical, economic, and political analyses). The detailed results can be summarized as follows: (i) technical analysis: when applying the SPSBCIGS&2-axis (which represents the SPSB with the copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) PV panel and the two-axis tracking system), its energy self-sufficiency rate was determined to be 1.25–2.31 times superior to other alternatives; (ii) economic analysis: in terms of the NPV25 (net present value at year 25), SPSBCIGS&2-axis was determined to be 1.41–2.97 times superior to others; in terms of the SIR25 (savings-to-investment ratio at year 25), 1.14–1.26 times; and in terms of the break-even point, 1.4–3.0 years; and (iii) political analysis: the grid-connected utilization plan including solar renewable energy certificates (GCincl.SREC plan) was determined to improve the economic profitability of the proposed SPSB.

Purpose From on-board automotive diagnostics to real-time aircraft state of health, the implementation of health monitoring and management systems are an increasing trend. Further, reductions in operating budgets are forcing many companies and militaries to consider new operating and support environments. Combined with longer service lives for aircraft and other systems, maintenance and operations processes must be reconsidered. The majority of research efforts focus on health monitoring techniques and technologies, leaving others to determine the maintenance and logistics impact on the systems. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This research analyzes the impact of a health monitoring system on a squadron of aircraft. Flight, maintenance and logistics operations are stochastically modeled to determine the impact of program decisions on supply metrics. An arena discrete event simulation is utilized to conduct this research on 20 components on each of the 12 aircraft modeled. Costs and availability are recorded for comparison across three sparing scenarios to include economic order quantity (EOQ) for baseline and health monitoring cases and a just-in-time (JIT) health monitoring set of simulations. Findings Data are presented for EOQ and JIT supply methods. A comparison of health monitoring enabled supply to current methods shows cost savings and availability gains. The different methodologies are compared and discussed as a trade-space for programmatic decisions. Originality/value This work demonstrates the ability of health monitoring systems and condition based maintenance to affect supply ordering decisions. The development of trade-spaces within operating environments is demonstrated along with the ability to conduct cost benefit analyses.

Optimal application of pavement preservation or preventive maintenance is critical for highway agencies to allocate the limited budget for different treatments. This study developed an integrated life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) model to quantify the impact of pavement preservation on agency cost and vehicle operation cost (VOC) and analyzed the optimal timing of preservation treatments. The international roughness index (IRI) data were extracted from the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) program specific pavement studies 3 (SPS-3) to determine the long-term effectiveness of preservation treatments on IRI deterioration. The traffic loading and the initial IRI value significantly affects life extension and the benefit of agency cost caused by pavement preservation. The benefit in VOC is one to two orders greater in magnitude as compared to the benefit in agency cost. The optimal timing calculated based on VOC is always earlier than the optimal timing calculated based on agency cost. There are considerable differences among the optimal timing of three preservation treatments.

In the context of increasing concerns for sustainable development new comprehensive methods are developed by builders and architects in order to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is one of these methods, perhaps the most functional one for the evaluation process. Using this LCCA contributes to the integration of the design process and helps identify opportunities for energy efficiency, such as appropriate zoning, natural lighting and design optimization of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). It also helps in finding the best solutions for reducing overall costs. LCCA is very little known in Romania and quasi unused practice for building design and for this reason the present paper contains a broad overview of the methodology and it’s uses highlighting its main advantages and a case study of the building design intended for laboratory research. The analyzed building is one of the 12 identical buildings of Transilvania University Research and Development Institute from Brasov.

Green buildings are gaining popularity in Australia with the applications of Green Star rating scheme. However, the credit for using timber materials in the rating scheme, while timber being a significantly used material in the fast growing residential construction industry, does not adequately guide designers and builders on the selection of the best timber types for residential applications from the life cycle perspective. This research presents the analysis on the life cycle cost of timber materials in their various applications for residential buildings in Australia and thereby provides guidance on how to best meet the requirement set out in the timber credit in the Green Start rating scheme. Structured interviews were used to collect the data on the cost of timber materials in their lifetime from builders, tradesmen and other residential construction professionals. Three sets of cost information were received under each application, for the individual timber species against three conditions (low, medium and extreme weather) with reference to residential buildings. Based on life cycle cost analysis results, the most suitable timbers for different applications are recommended.

Ongoing climate action programs are prompting more stringent energy performance standards for buildings. Consequently, energy retrofitting of existing buildings has become a common climate action initiative around the world. Building owners are keen to assess the technical and financial feasibility of energy retrofitting in pre-project planning stages. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) involves assessment of the economic cost of an asset or a service. LCCA, which is a data-intensive process, is heavily affected by data uncertainties; however, traditional deterministic LCCA models are oblivious to data uncertainty and this can have a significant effect on the final decision. As a solution, this paper proposes a novel LCCA approach for building energy retrofits. The proposed approach calculates life cycle cost (LCC) by adopting fuzzy set theory. In order to illustrate the proposed methodology, a case study was conducted for a public building operated in the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. Two energy retrofit alternatives − a major retrofit and a deep retrofit − were compared using the proposed fuzzy set theory-based approach and the traditional deterministic LCCA approach. Even though the deterministic result had a strong membership to the fuzzy membership function of the LCC, the range of possible LCC is wide. Use of the fuzzy-based approach would enable the forecasting of possible future LCC as a result of changes in macro-economic factors. This information would allow building managers to plan for adverse future scenarios.

This article reports the effects of air gap on insulation thickness and life cycle costs for different diameter steel pipes. The life cycle cost analysis based on heat degree days is used as a calculation method. Under climatic conditions in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, using several fuel types and various insulation materials, the annual total costs, energy saving and payback period are evaluated for the insulation of different diameter pipes and also for use of an air gap. The results show that under all conditions, the lowest optimum insulation thickness was found for natural gas and XPS insulation material. Considering all variable parameters in the analysis, optimum insulation thickness, energy cost savings and payback periods for all air gap values varied within the intervals 0.3-25 cm, 20 to 423 $/m-yr and 0.8-2.2 years, respectively. In conclusion, in terms of the effect of air gap on insulation thickness and life cycle costs, for small diameter pipes air gap is effective, whereas for large diameter pipes the insulation thickness plays significant role. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis in the field of building renovation is considered an important decision support of the design process in order to compare the effectiveness of different energy efficiency measures (EEMs). Nevertheless, data uncertainty is a well-recognised issue associated with LCC deterministic calculation methods and probabilistic methodologies could instead provide a more effective decision support. This paper proposes a Monte Carlo based methodology for uncertainty quantification that combines parametric building simulation and LCC analysis, showing a great potential in the possibility of combining several EEMs and undertake the uncertainty calculation with low computational costs and high accuracy of the result. The work aimed to identifying and quantifying the main uncertain inputs of the LCC assessment and developing a tools suite to automate the process of evaluation of the energy impact due to the combination of several EEMs and quantification of the uncertainty distribution of the output. Results from the application to a case study are mainly intended to illustrate the methodology application and underline the impact that input uncertainties may have on the output variable. The difficulty to identify the robust EEMs is particularly due to the great influence of macroeconomic parameters uncertainty used in the calculation.

Over 80% of Alberta's electricity supply comes from fossil fuels; coal fired plants made up 43%. Alberta has announced its climate leadership plan , in which it is going to end electricity from coal and move towards sustainable power production. All categories of renewable energy sources, including bioenergy are expected to significantly contribute to the transition and transformation of Alberta's fossil-intensive electricity. As Alberta searches for measures to phasing out coal power plants, understanding the environmental and economic impact of alternatives can support decision-making. The main purpose of this research was to determine a cost-effective way of achieving environmental sustainability status in electricity generation. An environmental life cycle costing approach was applied to compare three biomass-based alternative scenarios, which represented energy transition and transformation in Alberta's electricity sector, with the prevailing scenario of coal-fired energy. All alternative energy scenarios showed environmental life cycle improvement from 47 to 92% for global warming, 46–90% for human health, and 47–91% for ecosystem impacts, when compared to a reference coal-fired generation scenario. On the other hand, the coal-fired electricity generation scenario demonstrated approximately 63–83% lower life cycle cost impact than alternative scenarios. The life cycle cost of wood biomass-based alternatives demonstrated 83–87% and 22–45% lower than the maximum and minimum average historical electricity generation cost for Alberta, respectively. Bioenergy can support the transition and transformation of coal power plants to a more sustainable power production.

As the climate has rapidly changed, the need for reducing carbon emissions in building sectors, especially in sustainable communities and cities has increased. A micro energy grid, a subset of the electricity, gas, and heat energy grid operating either as part of the macro energy grid or autonomously, can be a key solution for the development of sustainable and low carbon cities. Thus, the impact of micro energy grid on the carbon emissions reduction and implementation feasibility was investigated. The baseline micro energy grid model developed for a community in China was applied to four cities in different regions around the globe. Technical and economical analysis for the micro energy grid model were conducted considering climate conditions, tariff structures, carbon emission factors of energy sources and political environments. Based on the baseline micro energy grid model analysis for different locations around the globe, optimized micro energy grid models for different cities were investigated and several factors were derived for a successful implementation of the micro energy grid. Among various key success factors, energy tariff structure and governmental support were found to be most important to implement feasible micro energy grid model for sustainable and low carbon cities development.

Environmental issues have received ascending attention in recent years due to the increase of their negative effects. Greenhouse gas emission levels have experienced an exponential increase in the last decades mainly on account of the development of the building sector. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings is a proper tool to analyse the full environmental impact during their designed lifespan. Inventory databases have a shortage of local parameters in some countries and need to be developed constantly. Life cycle cost (LCC) analysis evaluates the global costs of an investment. Besides the initial cost of implementing a project, usage, maintenance, repair, replacement and demolition costs are also taken into account. The goal of the research presented in this paper is to evaluate the environmental impact of a highly energy efficient residential house, built in western Romania. Life cycle assessments of buildings show that in most cases the impact of operating phase is much higher than construction phase, but in case of highly energy efficient buildings, the results are slightly different. However, energy related processes play a major role in determining the impact of buildings. A cradle-to-grave life cycle analysis, using SimaPro software, offers a complete image of the studied building s environmental impact. The main objective is to determine the fraction of each component of the building with relevant contribution to the human health and ecosystems categories.

Electric vehicles (EV) have tremendous potential due to their ‘zero tail-pipe emission’ and low maintenance costs. However, a higher upfront cost comparing to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) threatens the popularity of EVs in Australia. Moreover, the uncertainties of the new technology are often responsible for unanticipated costs over the vehicle life cycle. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the economic feasibility of EVs in Australia. A Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis was conducted on the 2011 Nissan Leaf in order to estimate the total economic impact over its life cycle under Australian conditions.

Cooling load characteristics play a key role to the building, especially in self-sustained building. It is determined mainly by the building envelope thermal performance. This research investigates the effect of the building envelope on cooling load in low latitude and hot-humid area. In this paper, based on cooling load simulations, the effect of reducing the cooling load of building envelope and the life cycle cost was analyzed. In addition, the energy-saving system was established. For the life cycle cost analysis, the cost of each strategy was obtained through a survey in local stores. This paper determining the effect of external walls, windows, roof, shading on the building cooling load, and pointed out the optimum insulation thickness of roof and all orientation exterior wall. And the optimum window structure and exterior shading length was give.