Technology Assessment Group
The Technology Assessment group is part of the multi-disciplinary Laboratory for Energy systems Analysis (LEA) at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and is the continuation of the former GaBE Project. Technology Assessment incorporates a comprehensive range of research areas to achieve three main objectives:
- To improve understanding and thereby enable comparisons of current energy technologies and future energy options for the electricity, heating and transport sectors based on environmental, economic and socially relevant factors.
- To provide quantitative, systematic, and interdisciplinary assessments of energy technologies and energy supply strategies through the development and application of consistent methodological frameworks and databases.
- To support rational decision-making for sustainable development in the Swiss and international energy sectors, and to communicate balanced research findings to decision-makers and stakeholders.
Figure 1: Analytical framework for comprehensive technology assessment.
Latest News
Life cycle assessment of cars – new web tool helps consumers and researchers
Decision support for car buyers: Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a web tool called the Carculator that can be used to compare the environmental performance of passenger cars in detail.
"Electric is already the right choice today"
An interview on automotive power systems with Christian Bauer, a scientist at PSI's Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis who specialises in life cycle and sustainability analyses.
Make way for electric cars
Petrol, diesel, fuel cell or electric – which is the automobile of the future? A PSI study has examined the overall climate impact of various vehicle engines in use today and also projected it to the year 2040.
Latest Publications
- Romain Sacchi and Christian Bauer (2020). Should we neglect cement carbonation in life cycle inventory databases? The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.
- Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Brian Cox, Chris Mutel, Detlef P. van Vuuren, David Font Vivanco, Sebastiaan Deetman, Oreane Y. Edelenbosch, Jeroen Guinée and Arnold Tukker (2020). When the Background Matters: Using Scenarios from Integrated Assessment Models in Prospective Life Cycle Assessment, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 24(1), 64-79.
- Brian Cox, Christian Bauer, Angelica Mendoza Beltran, Detlef P. van Vuurend and Christopher L. Mutel (2020). Life cycle environmental and cost comparison of current and future passenger cars under different energy scenarios, Applied Energy, Vol. 269, 115021.