A novel Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is presented in this study to model carbon emission reductions, specifically in the construction of a power grid that favours the integration of low-carbon technologies. Unlike traditional assessments, this research alone assesses emissions from the whole construction process through planning, material procurement, transportation, installation and the operation phases of the building; and does it uniquely by comparing emissions of traditional versus energy efficient systems, smart grid implementations, low carbon materials and electric vehicles. Flow through more combinations of low-carbon technologies and more plant system cases are found to result in a significant overall emission reduction of 17.5%. Furthermore, the study compares it with existing models, such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Carbon Footprint Analysis (CFA), and finds that life cycle analysis is a more efficient and accurate method for identifying emission-reduction potential. Therefore, this study offers an effective methodological blueprint for policymakers to develop regulations and incentives specifically tailored to incentivise sustainable construction practices and achieve global climate change mitigation and carbon neutrality.
Zhao et al. (Fri,) studied this question.