Carbon Footprint of Power Transformer by Life Cycle Assessment

The power supply contributes a major source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Besides the electricity generation process, the electrical facility also contributes to significant direct and indirect carbon emissions. However, there is still a lack of measures to assess the level of carbon emissions from the facilities. In this paper, the model used for carbon footprint (CFP) assessment by life cycle assessment (LCA) towards power transformer was set. The model structure was optimized for ease of application according to the actual manufacturing process and site monitoring level of GHG emissions. After that, the CFP of a 220kV power transformer is studied according to the proposed method, and a quantitative CFP evaluation in the whole life cycle of the facility was conducted. Based on the CFP results on the manufacturing process, transportation process, operation, and end-of-life process of power transformer, it is revealed that the CFP aroused by operation and maintenance take up a large part. Regarding the manufacturing process, the CFP aroused by raw materials accounts for the most part. This study indicates that the decarbonization of raw materials and the improvement of operating efficiency could be major concerns in the optimization design of the power equipment CFP.