Life Cycle Assessment Electricity Supply Using SF₆ Technology

Abstract

Whereas there are known technical and economical advantages of using SF₆technology in electricity supply systems, the potential environmental effects of applying this technology has not been quantified in detail up to now. From this background, a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on the supply of electricity using different switchgear technology has been carried out, which showed the following main results:

• Already on the level of switchgear bays the use of SF₆-technology results in reductions of the area needed and energy losses and thereby also in a decrease of emissions contributing to acid rain and nutrification of rivers and seas. The total global warming potential can be decreased subject to low SF₆ losses and in bays with a high loading.

• For an electricity supply grid of a city with 140,000 inhabitants the use of SF₆-technology showed to be favourable in all environmental aspects studied (area used, energy needed, acid rain, nutrification and global warming potential) as compared to conventional SF6-free-technology.

• SF₆-technology provides particular flexibility in the basic design and in case of extension or re-arrangements of electricity supply grids. Thus, the length of the medium-voltage-cables can be reduced resulting in lower transmission losses. This fact is the main reason for the environmental advantages of SF₆-technology, provided the SF₆ losses are adequately controlled

The study has been performed and critically reviewed according to ISO 14040.