Life cycle assessment of energy

In this chapter, the methods of life cycle assessment (LCA), which are commonly used to analyze the life cycle of a system or service from cradle to grave, are presented, discussed from various perspectives and applied to various energy systems and applications to really reflect the importance and potential use in comprehensive analysis and assessment studies. Such methods are crucial for the development of sustainable energy systems, which implies comprehensive analyses that go beyond thermodynamics. In this regard, the importance of such LCA studies for energy systems and applications becomes critical for a complete understanding, assessment, evaluation, and comparison. In this contribution, there are various methodologies, approaches and applications presented comprehensively, along with extended versions of LCA such as life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) and life cycle costing (LCC). Various case studies ranging from conventional to renewable resources for energy production and utilization are performed for comparison and assessment purposes. The case studies also focus on the environmental impacts of formic acid, liquid natural gas (LNG), ammonia, methanol, dimethyl ether (DME), and hydrogen production.