Life-cycle Cost Analysis for a hydroelectric energy system

Abstract

Energy is a critical factor in contributing to the growth of many developing and developed countries worldwide. Hydroelectric energy remains one of the most vital renewable energy sources worldwide as it contributes to more than 16% of the global electricity generation. The study investigates the impact of varying the masses of sandstone, basalt, and limestone on reducing the energy, CO2 footprint, and overall costs of the system. Additionally, 6 different alternatives with varying masses of sandstone, basalt, and limestone were investigated. In this study, alternative 5 involved increasing the mass of limestone and decreasing the mass of the basalt. It was found that this resulted in the lowest CO2 footprint and total energy. Furthermore, alternative 2 involved increasing the mass of sandstone and decreasing the mass of the basalt. The study results show that alternative 2 was found to yield the lowest cost; however, it was relatively close to the cost found in alternative 5. In order to further reduce the CO2 footprint and total energy of the system, end-of-life (EOL) was investigated for alternative 5. The EOL potential successfully reduced the total energy and CO2 footprint by 3.1 MJ and 203 tonnes, respectively.