Econconception in electrical engineering - Fundamental concepts

It is estimated that around 53 million tonnes of WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) will be generated worldwide in 2019 . And this could rise to 120 million tonnes by 2050, given the current state of human activity. Unsurprisingly, Western and developed countries are the biggest producers and exporters of WEEE. Inhabitants of these developed countries discard 17.7 kg/year.

The management of WEEE is directly linked to the materials of which it is made (which are highly heterogeneous) and their criticality. The European Commission defines around thirty critical materials, for which there is a risk of supply difficulties due to the geographical location of deposits, the energy required for extraction, and present and future needs. The stakes are also environmental: the pollution of the planet no longer needs to be proven, and the ecological degradation caused by the decomposition of hazardous elements, poisoning, suffocation or injury caused to wildlife when they absorb or cling to waste, are, alas, commonplace events. In 2015, only 1% of WEEE collected in France escaped destruction or landfill, to be reused.

In the energy sector today, power converters are designed to offer the best cost and/or volume under thermal constraints, or to offer the best efficiency under cost and/or volume constraints. However, we believe that climate and ecological emergencies require us to rethink the optimization of power converter design on the basis of the entire life cycle, taking into account the materials used, cumulative losses, embodied energy and impacts linked to their manufacture, as well as their deconstruction/recycling.

Electrical engineering devices have a special place in this essential quest for sustainable development. Firstly, because they represent a major link in the energy efficiency of industrial processes. Secondly, they are themselves consumers and producers of electrical energy, particularly of renewable origin, whose environmental impact must be minimized. And finally, their number is constantly growing, both at industrial and consumer level. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a suitable method for quantifying and analyzing the environmental impact of a given product.

The aim of this article is to set out the context for LCAs, and to describe some of the LCA tools, methods and data used in electrical engineering. We will also discuss the concepts of eco-optimization, eco-design and the circular economy of electrical systems. The article