Integrated life cycle sustainability assessment with future energy mix: A review of methodologies for evaluating the sustainability of multiple power generation technologies development

One key driver of sustainable goal development is the transition to sustainable electricity resources. The sustainability impact assessment of power production evaluates all potential impacts on society, the environment, and the economy, as well as finds a reasonable solution to shift towards renewable. Given the multitude of quantitative and qualitative methodologies for sustainability analysis, alongside the absence of a unified procedure, selecting an appropriate method poses a significant challenge in conducting this task. Therefore, this paper conducts an extensive review of the methodologies employed for assessing the sustainability of power generation within the future energy mix, as reflected in scientific publications over the past decade (2013–2024). The main objective of this paper is to compare the methodologies and assess their efficiency as suitable tools for analyzing the sustainability of technologies in different geographical regions. The research methodology, following the screening process, selects 102 papers within the study’s scope to undergo a critical examination based on sustainability evaluation approaches. It also provides an overview of novel dynamic methods and the application of artificial intelligence in sustainability assessment. The primary findings indicate a deficiency in a standardized approach for sustainability evaluation within electrical technology. In addressing uncertainties in impact assessment due to various parameters, dynamic methods with multiple temporal accuracies are recommended over a static life cycle. The paper includes a case study comparing methods—multi-criteria decision-making, and ranking, scoring—in the Indonesian context. Considering 15 environmental, social, and economic indicators to evaluate the sustainability in Lombok, results indicate that hydropower, gas, and solar technologies exhibit the highest sustainability scores, respectively.