Assessing environmental impact: Micro-energy network optimization in a Chinese industrial park

Micro-energy systems contribute significantly to environmental improvement by reducing dependence on power grids through the utilization of multiple renewable energy sources. This study quantified the environmental impact of a micro-energy network system in an industrial park through a life cycle assessment using the operation of the micro-energy network over a year as the functional unit and “cradle-to-gate” as the system boundary. Based on the baseline scenario, a natural gas generator set was added to replace central heating, and the light pipes were expanded to constitute the optimized scenario. The results showed that the key impact categories for both scenarios were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, human carcinogenic toxicity, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity. The overall environmental impact of the optimized scenario was reduced by 68% compared to the baseline scenario. A sensitivity analysis of the key factors showed that electricity from the power grid was the key impact factor in both scenarios, followed by central heating and natural gas. Therefore, to reduce the environmental impact of network systems, it is necessary to further optimize the grid power structure. The research approach can be used to optimize micro-energy networks and evaluate the environmental impact of different energy systems.