No abstract

Abstract:Actual commitments by suppliers-in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) supply chain-to reduce their energy use are rare. The upstream supply chain is also very complex for electronic/ICT products and therefore challenging to control and measure for use by Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of products and upstream Scope 3 footprints of companies. In LCAs primary measured data over time are rarely used. The purpose of this research is to propose a method for identification, measurement and analysis of specific energy (electric power) and CO2-eq. savings in the supply chain of an ICT Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The aim is also to find the share of the supply chain savings-of energy use and CO2-eq. emissions-compared with a telecom carriers' total supply chain spend for an identified contract. It is described how three suppliers of a large ICT OEM are engaged-via a contractual requirement-to identify and commit to substantial energy, cost and CO2-eq. savings. First streamlined LCAs are performed-of four specific products-identifying the most impacting parts from a CO2-eq. perspective. Second specific suppliers and factories are identified. Third visits are done in which energy assessments are made, savings identified, implementation costs quantified, and net cost saving opportunities are calculated. The suppliers are also trained in the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). The last steps include quantifications and analyses of Energy and Conservation Measures (ECMs), final agreement of net CO2-eq. and cost savings followed by actual implementation and monitoring with IPMVP. All in all these efforts are estimated to help save around 27,000 MWh energy and around 25,700 tonnes CO2-eq. annually. For a five-year rollout contract around 1.5 times more CO2-eq. can be saved than emitted. More than 1% of the telecom carrier's annual energy consumption and Scope 3 'Purchased goods and services' emissions can be saved. This shows a clear indication of the possibilities of the proposed approach. Broadly speaking, the methodology presented is a potentially replicable model that can be used by ICT OEMs to make significant cuts within their supply chain, while lowering their suppliers' operational cost base. By using the proposed methodology it is possible to address specific suppliers and engage them via a contractual requirement to identify and commit to specific savings to the benefit of ICT OEMs and telecom carriers both. In order to improve the current practice, the next step is to integrate the savings framework into an end-to-end dynamic framework based on LCA.

Abstract:The global energy usage driven by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) cloud services is set to soar, with the wireless cloud computing being at the core of the radio technology trend. At the same time the market for renewable energy supply is growing fast. In this context the aim of a new radio base station (RBS) site solution concept (i-Site) is to optimize energy costs, speed of deployment, and site equipment such as the number of photovoltaic (PV) modules. The present study provides the first example of a screening Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) estimating the future eco-environmental benefits of i-Site for support of an RBS in a South African radio access network. This study uses advanced attributional life cycle assessment (AALCA) showing the effect of changing battery type and diesel fuel markets on the results. Despite high uncertainty and best case scenario, the LCIA confirms the hypothesis that the environmental loadings and potential eco-environmental impacts will decrease when changing from traditional Site (tSite) to i-Site. Avoiding diesel combustion and introducing an electricity efficient air cooling solution for i-Site (loop thermosyphon and DC Fan) explain the results. The AALCA based sensitivity check, including battery and diesel fuel markets, do not change the conclusion that i-Site seemingly is a better solution than t-Site from an eco-environmental point of view.

Current life cycle mid-point impact assessment practice uses several different mid-point indicators for terrestrial acidification (TA). More than a few methods use a mid-point category indicator of mole proton equivalents. The present research shows that the current mid-point TA indicators-the proton equivalents methods-are not precise as the acid strength is not considered. First the inventory result for one million tonnes solid steel manufacturing output is calculated based on literature. Then the acidifying compounds-which can form acids-are identified. Then the following are proposed: formed acids, the number of protons formed, mole protons per gram acidifying compound and eventually the product of the acidity constant of acids formed and mole protons per gram acidifying compound. After, three different mid-point TA indicators are multiplied with the inventory result: i) the proton equivalents method excluding carbon dioxide, ii) the proton equivalents method including carbon dioxide, and finally iii) the proton equivalents/acidity constant method including carbon dioxide. The results show that the present acid strength based mid-point indicator for TA improves the understanding and can act as a sensitivity check of state-of-the-art mid-point TA results. Carbon dioxide emitted to air is insignificantly contributing to mid-point TA indicator results which are based on proton release and acid strength. Hydrogen chloride emitted to air is one of the main contributors to mid-point TA indicator results which are based on proton release and acid strength. By using the acid strength as basis for the TA mid-point indicator, a more universal method for comparing the TA potential for gases is achieved. The next step is to clarify how acidity constant based mid-point TA indicators work with normalization of acidification such as distance to target methods and environmental cost accounting methods.