Environmental Impact Assessment from Operating Co-generation Systems and Power Plants

*† ‡ § The issue of the environmental effect of energy system is presently being discussed; they are directly involved in global environmental problems. Design methodology of environmentally conscious products (ECP) or well known as design for environment (DfE) is the methodology usually followed to enhance the environmental performance. In addition, the life cycle assessment (LCA) is found to be a suitable method and a powerful tool for evaluating the environmental impacts numerically resulting from the activity through the lifecycle. The purpose of this paper is first to discuss the implementation of environmental management system (EMS) and its evaluation of environmental compatibility for power plants in the design phase. The energy flow and the environmental impacts numerically of distributed power supplies for a non-utility installation are analyzed, especially for hotels, office buildings, hospitals and houses. The LCA scheme is applied to the specified cogeneration energy systems consisting of gas turbines, wasted heat boilers, steam absorption refrigerators and heat exchangers. The environmental impacts of the power generation system are shown, and then minimizing the impacts on environment due to the CGS operation. The results of this study could be useful as recommendation for the further development of sustainable eco-energy supply systems.