A renewable electricity system hybrid concentrated solar power/biomass power plantin Tunisia has been assessed. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Input-Output Analysis (IOA) methodologies have been performed to assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of this technology in the Tunisian context. Application of these methodologies allowed computing environmental footprint, and the total economic stimulation produced by the increase in the demand for goods and services needed to build and operate this kind of plant. Results show for system operates in closed digester conditions value of 18.5 gCO2eq per kWh. In an open digester system, levels of GHG emissions are similar to fossil electricity generation with 550 gCO2eq per Kwh. For socioeconomic impacts, the multiplier effect of the direct investment for production of goods and services amounts is 2.43. Domestic value added created was quantified in a 42% (0.15 (sic)2015/kWh) and employment creation in 532.9 FTE (0.006 FTE/MWh). Finally, the calculated abatement costs are low, 86 US$/tCO2eq. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that investments in this technology are then a cost-effective way of mitigating global warming emissions while also producing additional benefits in terms of value-added creation in the country and domestic employment generation.

Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have been increasingly used as a means to generate electricity on-site, and their diffusion will increase in the near future. The objective of this article is to carry out a sustainability assessment of a BIPV system installed in Turkey regarding the three pillars: environmental, economic and social potential impact, in order to develop different indicators. For the socioeconomic analysis, a Multiregional Input-Output (MRIO) method was used to estimate production of goods and services, value added creation and employment opportunities. For the environmental evaluation, an Environmental Footprint (EF) analysis was performed. The levelized electricity costs and the greenhouse gas emissions abatement costs were also calculated. Results showed that the socioeconomic effects are relevant, although only a 23% of these effects remain in Turkey. The environmental profile is also good in terms of climate change impacts, showing substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel alternatives for electricity generation. Regarding the life cycle stages of the technology, the highest environmental impacts are produced in the PV manufacturing processes. The electricity produced is still more costly than fossil-based technologies and in the highest range of PV technologies, but greenhouse gases abatement costs are not so high when compared to other references.

Novel renewable energy technologies in the Middle East and North Africa region can be developed through microgeneration systems aiming to supply local energy demands in a sustainable way. In this study, we carried out a sustainability assessment combining two reputable methodologies which have been applied to a facility comprising a hybrid solar/biomass micro-cogeneration organic ranking cycle system located in Morocco. We first applied a multiregional input–output analysis where economic issues such as the production of goods and services generated in all project's phases, as well as the added value and employment created, are estimated. Then, environmental impacts were assessed through a life cycle assessment (LCA). In terms of socioeconomic analysis, the total production of goods and services shows a value of 1.18 €2015/kWh. The added value and employment creation were 0.56 €2015/kWh and 0.05 full-time employees/MWh, respectively. The levelized cost of electricity results in 0.218 €2015/kWh and the multiplier effect amounts to 2.26. The largest increase in sectorial output is produced in the Moroccan electricity sector and the largest job creation takes place in the agriculture sector from the biomass supply. Regarding environmental results, LCA shows a climate change potential of 11.8 g CO2 eq/kWhel, of which more than 70

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015, provide a powerful framework for international efforts to achieve both human development and climate objectives. These SDGs underpin the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that officially came into force in January 2016 and define a path to end poverty, ensure prosperity and protect the planet and its inhabitants. By grouping these priorities into seventeen goals and by establishing measurable and timebound objectives, the SDG foster global awareness, political accountability, improved metrics, social feedback, and public pressures. SDG7 is a dedicated, stand-along goal on energy which aims at ”ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all”. In this sense, renewable technologies such as Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) can immediately contribute to this SDG. However, under the right framework conditions, CSP can also contribute to the achievement of other SDGs. For example, CSP may also support human development by facilitating access to basic services, improving human health and supporting income generation activities. Additionally, CSP may also contribute to sustainable economic growth by generating economic benefits such job creation and industrial development. To demonstrate such linkages, the purpose of this work is (i) based on literature review, present a preliminary list of the potential contributions that CSP deployment could have in the various SDGs, (ii) propose the Framework for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (FISA) as a possible methodological framework to assess various of such impacts as well as results of a case study application and, finally, (iii) suggest other complementary impact assessment frameworks that could be used to evaluate the rest of CSP potential impacts on the various SDGs. To conclude, for each one of the SDGs, this work also presents some preliminary recommendations aimed at fostering the positive contributions of CSP deployment while minimizing the potential negative impacts on the SDGs.

The Paris Agreement is the first universal treaty on climate change that aims to embrace all states. Mexico’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) emission reduction targets demonstrate its endorsement to this Agreement and its commitment to address climate change. Mexican authorities have indicated that those technologies that simultaneously derive in reducing environmental impacts as well as in health and well-being co-benefits for the population should be given priority. In this context, this work applies the Framework for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (FISA) to analyze the impacts on the three sustainability dimensions associated to an alternative electricity mix scenario in which Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) electricity production in Mexico is partially substituted by Solar Thermal Electricity (STE). Results show that the substitution of 9.5 TWh of NGCC electricity by STE implies a reduction of 6 Mt of CO2eq emissions. Furthermore, positive socioeconomic impacts throughout the value chain would be produced in terms of an additionally added value creation in $87 million and $35 million generated in terms of new incomes. Finally, also as a result of this substitution, some existing social risks in Mexico would be reduced. In this way, results from the sustainability performance conducted in this work indicate that decision makers should pay more attention to the potential role and associated benefits that STE could play in the future Mexican electricity mix.

The aim of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive sustainability assessment of the electricity generation with two alternative electricity generation technologies by estimating its economic, environmental and social impacts through the "Framework for Integrated Sustainability Assessment" (FISA). Based on a Multiregional Input Output (MRIO) model linked to a social risk database (Social Hotspot Database), the framework accounts for up to fifteen impacts across the three sustainability pillars along the supply chain of the electricity production from Solar Thermal Electricity (STE) and Natural Gas Combined Cycle (NGCC) technologies in Mexico. Except for value creation, results show larger negative impacts for NGCC, particularly in the environmental pillar. Next, these impacts are transformed into "Aggregated Sustainability Endpoints" (ASE points) as a way to support the decision making in selecting the best sustainable project. ASE points obtained are later compared to the resulting points weighted by the reported priorities of Mexican decision makers in the energy sector obtained from a questionnaire survey. The comparison shows that NGCC achieves a 1.94 times worse negative score than STE, but after incorporating decision makers' priorities, the ratio increases to 2.06 due to the relevance given to environmental impacts such as photochemical oxidants formation and climate change potential, as well as social risks like human rights risks.

The aim of this paper is to conduct a sustainability impact assessment of the supply chain of a Solar Thermal Electricity (STE) project in Mexico using the “Framework for Integrated Sustainability Assessment” (FISA). The estimation of the economic, environmental and social impacts along the supply chain makes it possible to identify the sustainability hotspots both from direct effects as well as indirect effects while considering the international trade within the different project phases. Results show that the largest socioeconomic effects but also social risks would occur in Mexico mainly as a result of direct effects during the investment phase. On the contrary, most environmental impacts would take place outside Mexican borders, mainly caused by indirect activities related to the investment phase. The results from this assessment could help decisions makers take into account not only direct impacts of the Solar Thermal Electricity project but also the indirect ones occurred throughout the supply chain. Additionally, by equally accounting for the economic, environmental and social dimensions, the assessment could help them identify the sustainability hotspots and guide them towards implementing the required actions and measures to improve the sustainability performance of the project.

Decision makers interested in promoting sustainable development must simultaneously consider the environmental, economic and social implications of any action. This article proposes the Framework for Integrated Sustainability Assessment (FISA), a methodological framework for conducting a sustainability impact assessment of any investment project. Based on a Multiregional Input–Output (MRIO) framework, FISA links the extended MRIO results with social risk data from the Social Hotspots Database (SHDB) in order to integrate the social with the environmental and economic pillars. Resulting impacts are simultaneously considered and reported by means of FISA charts, making it possible to assess the different impacts within the three sustainability pillars across countries involved in the whole supply chain of investment projects. This methodological framework can be applied not only to compare the sustainability impacts of two alternative projects, but also to derive specific recommendations aimed at minimizing the harmful social, environmental and economic effects along the whole project supply chain.