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Are Renewables as Friendly to Humans as to the Environment?: A Social Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Electricity

Author

Listed:
  • Shutaro Takeda

    (Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8306, Japan)

  • Alexander Ryota Keeley

    (Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

  • Shigeki Sakurai

    (Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8306, Japan)

  • Shunsuke Managi

    (Department of Urban and Environmental Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan)

  • Catherine Benoît Norris

    (Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA)

Abstract
The adoption of renewable energy technologies in developing nations is recognized to have positive environmental impacts; however, what are their effects on the electricity supply chain workers? This article provides a quantitative analysis on this question through a relatively new framework called social life cycle assessment, taking Malaysia as a case example. Impact assessments by the authors show that electricity from renewables has greater adverse impacts on supply chain workers than the conventional electricity mix: Electricity production with biomass requires 127% longer labor hours per unit-electricity under the risk of human rights violations, while the solar photovoltaic requires 95% longer labor hours per unit-electricity. However, our assessment also indicates that renewables have less impacts per dollar-spent. In fact, the impact of solar photovoltaic would be 60% less than the conventional mix when it attains grid parity. The answer of “ are renewables as friendly to humans as to the environment? ” is “ not-yet, but eventually .”

Suggested Citation

  • Shutaro Takeda & Alexander Ryota Keeley & Shigeki Sakurai & Shunsuke Managi & Catherine Benoît Norris, 2019. "Are Renewables as Friendly to Humans as to the Environment?: A Social Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Electricity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1370-:d:211207
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    8. Chatri, Fatemeh & Yahoo, Masoud & Othman, Jamal, 2018. "The economic effects of renewable energy expansion in the electricity sector: A CGE analysis for Malaysia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 203-216.
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    4. Mihail Busu, 2019. "The Role of Renewables in a Low-Carbon Society: Evidence from a Multivariate Panel Data Analysis at the EU Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-16, September.
    5. Mario Martín-Gamboa & Paula Quinteiro & Ana Cláudia Dias & Diego Iribarren, 2021. "Comparative Social Life Cycle Assessment of Two Biomass-to-Electricity Systems," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Batara Surya & Seri Suriani & Firman Menne & Herminawaty Abubakar & Muhammad Idris & Emil Salim Rasyidi & Hasanuddin Remmang, 2021. "Community Empowerment and Utilization of Renewable Energy: Entrepreneurial Perspective for Community Resilience Based on Sustainable Management of Slum Settlements in Makassar City, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-36, March.
    7. Adriana Rivera-Huerta & María de la Salud Rubio Lozano & Alejandro Padilla-Rivera & Leonor Patricia Güereca, 2019. "Social Sustainability Assessment in Livestock Production: A Social Life Cycle Assessment Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-22, August.
    8. Pasan Dunuwila & V. H. L. Rodrigo & Ichiro Daigo & Naohiro Goto, 2023. "Social Sustainability of Raw Rubber Production: A Supply Chain Analysis under Sri Lankan Scenario," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-21, July.
    9. Rebolledo-Leiva, Ricardo & Moreira, María Teresa & González-García, Sara, 2023. "Progress of social assessment in the framework of bioeconomy under a life cycle perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    10. Nur Izzah Hamna A. Aziz & Marlia M. Hanafiah & Shabbir H. Gheewala & Haikal Ismail, 2020. "Bioenergy for a Cleaner Future: A Case Study of Sustainable Biogas Supply Chain in the Malaysian Energy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-24, April.
    11. Begum Erten & Zafer Utlu, 2020. "Photovoltaic system configurations: an occupational health and safety assessment," Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 10(4), pages 809-828, August.
    12. Solano-Olivares, K. & Santoyo, E. & Santoyo-Castelazo, E., 2024. "Integrated sustainability assessment framework for geothermal energy technologies: A literature review and a new proposal of sustainability indicators for Mexico," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    13. Georgios Archimidis Tsalidis, 2020. "Integrating Individual Behavior Dimension in Social Life Cycle Assessment in an Energy Transition Context," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-20, November.
    14. Matevz Obrecht & Yigit Kazancoglu & Matjaz Denac, 2020. "Integrating Social Dimensions into Future Sustainable Energy Supply Networks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-18, August.

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