Environmental performance of next-generation batteries
Prospective life cycle assessment of sodium-ion, lithium-ion and other emerging battery technologies, including scenarios for large-scale deployment and advanced recycling routes.
About
Resources, Recycling and Sustainability of Energy Systems (RRySES)
RRySES brings together expertise in economics, technology assessment and industrial ecology to explore how energy and transport systems can be transformed towards climate neutrality while making efficient use of resources.
The group has a strong track record in life cycle assessment of low-carbon technologies, prospective assessment of emerging energy storage systems, and the evaluation of decarbonisation policies at different scales.
Methodologically, we combine process-based and hybrid LCA with prospective scenario analysis, techno-economic modelling and socio-economic impact evaluation to inform policy, industry and civil society.
Research focus
- Sustainability assessment of electricity, heating and transport pathways
- Environmental and resource implications of battery and hydrogen technologies
- Design of circular value chains and recycling strategies for critical materials
- Distributional and socio-economic impacts of decarbonisation policies
- Methods for prospective and dynamic life cycle assessment
Research topics
Core research topics
Our work spans several interconnected topics in the sustainability assessment of energy and transport systems. Below are some of the main research lines currently developed within RRySES.
Decarbonisation pathways for electricity and heat
Integrated environmental and economic assessment of power system decarbonisation pathways, considering hourly marginal electricity mixes, flexibility options and sector coupling.
Sustainable fuels and transport systems
Comparative assessment of low-carbon fuels and propulsion options for road and maritime transport, including bio-based fuels, e-fuels and electrification strategies.
Socio-economic impacts of circular strategies
Evaluation of the employment, distributional and welfare impacts of circular economy strategies in energy and mobility, linking environmental indicators with socio-economic outcomes.
Team
RRySES team
RRySES is a multidisciplinary team combining expertise in life cycle assessment, economics, policy evaluation and data science. The group works closely with national and international partners on batteries, energy systems and transport decarbonisation.
Focus on life cycle assessment of energy systems, environmental impacts of batteries, recycling and circularity, and carbon footprint accounting under EU battery regulation.
Works on life cycle assessment and recycling of emerging battery chemistries, including sodium-ion batteries, within the EPISODE project and related activities.
Specialist in policy impact evaluation, energy poverty and social justice. Contributes econometric expertise and policy analysis to RRySES projects.
Works on scaling and prospective life cycle assessment of emerging battery technologies, with a focus on sodium-ion batteries and future deployment scenarios.
Focuses on the socio-economic and distributional impacts of transport electrification in Spain, applying econometric and machine-learning approaches.
Works on the social justice dimensions of vehicle electrification, combining impact evaluation methods with machine learning and data analysis.
Expert in econometrics, energy policy and policy evaluation. Collaborates with RRySES on the analysis of transport policies and decarbonisation measures.
Projects
Selected projects
TRAPS — Transport Poverty in Spain
TRAPS investigates how vehicle fleet electrification and transport decarbonisation policies in Spain affect transport poverty and territorial justice, using high‑resolution data and advanced econometric and machine‑learning methods.
EPISODE — Sodium-ion batteries for stationary storage
EPISODE develops and assesses sustainable sodium‑ion battery systems for stationary energy storage, including prospective life cycle assessment, recycling strategies and integration into future energy systems.