Is repair of energy using products environmentally beneficial? The case of high voltage electric motors

• Repair is advocated as a circular strategy to improve the environmental performance of products. Whether this holds for very long-lived and energy intensive products has not been addressed. This study compares environmental impacts of two high voltage motors of different energy efficiency and assesses their use extension by repair with life cycle assessment (LCA). Due to high energy use, long lifetime and intensive use, the use phase dominates all environmental impacts, even resource depletion. Therefore, a higher energy efficiency is more beneficial than extending the use by repair, and if the energy efficiency is slightly reduced, the repair is not beneficial. Therefore, product requirements and users and manufacturers of such products should ensure designs with high energy efficiency rather than making the product repairable. Finally, the results highlight the importance of including resource use from electricity production and transmission in LCA of the use extension of energy using products.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Naturresursteknik -- Annan naturresursteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Environmental Engineering -- Other Environmental Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Naturresursteknik -- Miljöledning (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Environmental Engineering -- Environmental Management (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Naturresursteknik -- Energisystem (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Environmental Engineering -- Energy Systems (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Annan elektroteknik och elektronik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

repair

circular economy

use extension

Life Cycle Assessment

resource depletion

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