Mourad Ben Amor

Life cycle inventories of electricity supply through the lens of data quality: exploring challenges and opportunities

A bstractPurposeElectricity is one of the main contributors to global environmental impacts, and its role as an energy carrier is expected to grow substantially. Consequently, reliable and accurate inventories of material and energy flows associated with electricity supply are essential in environmental assessments. This article aims to summarize existing challenges and opportunities in the modeling of life cycle inventories (LCIs) of electricity supply from a data quality perspective.MethodsWe systematically review the state-of-the-art in LCI modeling of current and future electricity supply worldwide. The analysis is structured according to the data quality characteristics proposed in ISO 14044: 2006: representativeness, completeness, consistency, reproducibility, uncertainty, data sources, and precision.Results and discussionLooking at existing LCIs through the lens of data quality, we observe difficulties in obtaining temporally and technologically representative data, while geographically representative data is still unavailable for some regions. Moreover, meta-analyses encountered issues of reproducibility combined with a lack of consistency across studies, impeding interstudy comparability. Additionally, some flows such as upstream fugitive emissions have been underestimated. The aforementioned issues have a negative impact on the quality of LCIs. Here, we provide recommendations on how several methods such as equilibrium models, regression, or parameterization can be used to improve data quality, underpinned by more powerful data formats. Open-source models, data platforms, as well as a list of key parameters to be reported are suggested to facilitate reproducibility and enhance transparency of electricity LCIs.ConclusionsThere are several methods and resources that can be used to improve LCIs of electricity supply, enabling more ambitious and powerful analyses. Nonetheless, special care should be taken concerning tradeoffs between different data quality aspects. For instance, more complex and accurate models may result in a loss of transparency and reproducibility unless additional reporting efforts are conducted. Other approaches, such as systematic parameterization do not compromise data quality and should be used to improve the consistency and reproducibility of inventories.

Confronting the Challenges in Integrating Sustainable Development in a Curriculum: The Case of the Civil Engineering Department at Université de Sherbrooke (Canada)

Curriculum integration of sustainable development (SD) is an integral part of achieving integration of SD in higher education. Given the obvious connection between the fields of civil engineering and SD, curriculum integration of sustainability in the field of civil engineering has been attempted via various methods. As a part of curriculum integration in civil engineering, methods such as introduction of courses, course modules, project-based learning, and unconventional teaching methods have been adopted as a part of curriculum integration in civil engineering. However, there is a lack of consistent integration of the concepts of SD throughout the curriculum as observed in these integrations. Curriculum integrations are challenging and time-consuming and hence require certain protocol for effective integration that defines the entire integration approach. Therefore, the goal of this chapter is to provide a non-discipline specific curriculum integration approach, for consistent and effective integration of sustainability concepts. The approach presented in this chapter suggests the following steps (a) mapping of courses in a curriculum to identify the existent levels of integration as well as the scope of integration in each course, (b) setting up integration targets in each course, (c) developing an action plan to achieve the targets in each course, (d) evaluating student competencies in SD, and (e) assessment and monitoring of the integration, for effective integration of SD in education. The suggested approach is applied at the Department of Civil Engineering, Universite de Sherbrooke, and the successful application is presented as the results of this approach. As a part of curriculum integration at the Universite de Sherbrooke, the concept of life-cycle assessment (LCA) was introduced at various levels along the curriculum. In addition, LCA concepts were introduced and discussed in the context of different civil engineering courses using teaching modules. Students were also introduced to different LCA tools. In addition, a LCA tool was developed for the purpose of use in teaching modules. Finally, the desired impact on the student education and skill set, pedagogical methods for integration, methodologies to ensure project success as well as future funding for projects are discussed in the context of curriculum integration at Universite de Sherbrooke. Attention to the final steps is crucial for the improvement and longevity of the integration process.

Exploring Challenges and Opportunities of Life Cycle Management in the Electricity Sector

Electricity supply is often cited as a significant hot spot in life cycle assessment results, and consequently in life cycle management results. Despite its importance, however, practitioners continue to overuse generic LCI data and different simplified methodologies regarding electricity supply modeling. Such simplifications and inconsistencies can result in difficulties, e.g. to compare the findings of various studies. This chapter is intended to highlight issues on electricity supply modeling, methodological choices and data set selections. Attributional and consequential perspectives as well as systemic aspects of the electricity sector are also reflected. Finally, key challenges and opportunities are summarized and suggestions on how to deal with such problems are provided when possible.

Sustainable Development Integration Strategies in Higher Education: Case Study of Two Universities and Five Colleges in Quebec

With financial support from the provincial ministry for education, two universities and five colleges in Quebec are developing a project towards integrating sustainable development (SD) in the curriculum. This project is not only dedicated to teaching but is also expanded to: (1) professors’ support using various activities (conferences, workshops and short lectures); (2) program integrations; (3) the institutional level, as some institutions have adopted various politics and actions to foster SD in the curriculum and regarding their overall missions of research, community outreach and operations; and (4) regional collaboration between the seven academic partners, which is a unique characteristic of this project. This work is advocating an integrated strategy of variable geometry, as on one hand, it recognises the expertise of professors in their field while, on the other hand, it implements structuring actions throughout programs and institutions. As an example, a 2-day workshop is offered on a regular basis gathering teachers from various disciplines and brainstorming strategies beyond “binding” administrative boundaries. More recently, these practices helped in building a critical mass of practitioners in the field and launched a community of practice. Preliminary results show that the integration of SD in student education is not only accomplished through pedagogical and extracurricular activities but is also embodied in the overall student experience on campus. SD’s main stake is to grow into an institutional culture in which teaching, research and management activities mutually reinforce each other.