Life cycle sustainability assessment of electricity production technologies: a structured review and future research perspectives

This paper presents a comprehensive and up-to-date systematic review of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) studies on emerging electricity production technologies conducted between 2014 and 2023. A systematic review was conducted using the Scopus database for the period between 2014 and 2023 and an initial 1658 documents were screened, with 448 meeting the inclusion criteria based on empirical LCSA of electricity production alternatives. The review highlights that while solar energy is the most frequently analyzed (30 % of studies), emerging technologies such as hydrogen and liquefied natural gas remain significantly underrepresented. Although LCSA is intended to incorporate environmental, economic, and social dimensions, approximately 80 % of the studies focused solely on environmental impacts, with minimal integration of socioeconomic analysis or explicit alignment with global frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (only 2 % made such connections). Many studies also lacked a system-wide perspective, focusing narrowly on individual technologies and failing to explore trade-offs or synergies across electricity systems. Most assessments (over 80 %) relied on process-based life cycle models, with limited application of hybrid methods that combine process-based and multiregional input-output analysis to capture broader carbon and resource footprints. In terms of decision-making support, only 36 % of the reviewed studies employed traditional tools like sensitivity analysis or simulation, while the use of advanced methods such as optimization, artificial intelligence, and machine learning remains limited. This review synthesizes current practices, identifies methodological and thematic gaps, and proposes a more integrated framework for evaluating system-level sustainability impacts. It also offers practical insights for aligning electricity system planning with long-term sustainability goals, particularly SDG 7, by incorporating a broader range of technologies and data-driven analytical approaches.