Life-Cycle GHG and Water Intensity Projections for Electricity Mixes

Life-cycle greenhouse gas and water intensity metrics quantify the environmental impacts of electricity generation. The dataset covers national and subnational electricity mixes for the United States, China, and the European Union, with systematic projections through 2050. Researcher Yan Du published this analysis in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in the global-warming-potential-to-water-consumption ratio across regions to identify synergistic reduction opportunities.
• Compare projected GHG intensity and water consumption intensity values for regional grids at three-year intervals from now to 2050.
• Assess the impact of technology-share ranges, generated via Monte Carlo simulation, on future environmental burdens in US electricity mixes.
• Decompose drivers of GHG and water intensities to inform region-specific energy transition policies.
• Evaluate how defossilization trajectories, such as China's coal-heavy profile or US policy shifts, affect the timing and magnitude of environmental benefit gains.

Strengths

• Provides systematic projections for electricity mixes through the year 2050.
• Includes a novel global-warming-potential-to-water-consumption ratio metric.
• Captures policy and technological uncertainties via Monte Carlo simulation for US regional grids.
• Covers three major economic regions: the United States, China, and the European Union.

Limitations

• The dataset is relatively small at 7.5 MB, indicating limited raw data volume.
• Specific row counts and column details are unknown, limiting precise assessment of scope.
• Geographic coverage is limited to three regions, excluding other parts of the world.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Yan Du.

Collection Method

Life-cycle assessment of electricity mixes with scenario projection and Monte Carlo simulation.

Time Range

Current operations to 2050.

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026, indicating recent projections.

Geography

United States, China, European Union (national and subnational levels).