Research area 01 of 05
Energy Systems
How energy is generated, stored, delivered and used — analyzed across the full life cycle.
How we study it
Energy sits underneath every other system on the matrix. Center research applies life cycle assessment and systems modeling to generation, storage and end-use technologies so that decisions about the grid, buildings and vehicles can be compared on consistent terms rather than in isolation.
Focus within this system
- Life cycle assessment of generation and storage technologies
- Grid and end-use interactions
- Energy demand in buildings and transportation
Trade-off storyline
Where an energy technology's impacts occur
A short, qualitative walk-through of how the boundary you choose changes the answer you get.
Step 01 · Boundary
A generation technology can be judged on what comes out of a smokestack, or on its full life cycle. The second boundary includes materials, manufacturing and end of life.
Step 02 · Shift
Widening the boundary usually moves impact rather than removing it: operational emissions fall while material and manufacturing burdens rise.
Step 03 · Consequence
Comparisons are only meaningful when both options are measured against the same boundary — which is why the Center reports the boundary alongside the result.
Go deeper
Evidence behind this system
Published research, factsheets and teaching materials from the Center's library.
Factsheets
Short, regularly updated briefs that summarize a system or technology in a few pages, written to be read by non-specialists and cited with confidence.
OpenPublications
Peer-reviewed articles, reports and dissertations from Center faculty, staff and students. More than 1,000 publications have been produced by the Center.
OpenData & Educational Materials
Teaching materials and supporting resources that make the Center's analytical methods usable in classrooms and practice.
Open