Staying up-to-date: Complete update of the electricity sector
With the release of ecoinvent version 3.0 in May 2013 electricity production data for countries from all over the world were added, leading the database to reach a global coverage of over 90%.
We are committed to provide our users with relevant and up-to-date data. Therefore, only two years later, version 3.2 will feature another update of the electricity sector using the newest grid mixes and available data on electricity production.
Getting more detailed: Electricity data for 32 Chinese regions
China is the world's most populous country with a fast-growing economy that has led it to be the largest energy consumer and producer in the world. Having electricity production datasets only on a country level for the whole China therefore just did not seem to do it justice.
Version 3.2 will include more electricity production data for 32 Chinese regions. So users will be able to gain more detailed information on the differences in environmental impacts of the electricity production of all relevant Chinese regions.
Leading edge: Refrigerated transport
Nowadays when goods are increasingly traded on a global scale, the environmental significance of freight transport within a product's supply chain has grown as well.
Version 3.2 will address this demand by including data on refrigerated transport. The refrigerated transport is available for all different modes of transport: ship, train, aircraft and truck.
More ease of use thanks to new market groups
Version 3.2 of the ecoinvent database features market groups, a new type of dataset that facilitates readability and modifying datasets. Market groups exist for a selection of regions (North America, Europe, UCTE , ENTSO-E), countries (Canada, United States, China) and products (electricity high and medium voltage, heat, natural gas).
For example, instead of being connected to around 30 small inputs of electricity from every European country, a European dataset will tap into one market group for European electricity, representing the total electricity consumption. If the users are interested to know what proportion of electricity comes from each country they can find that information in the market group dataset.
Even more data
Besides to the above mentioned additions of electricity data, refrigerated transport and new markets group version 3.2 will also feature new data in the areas of the cement, wood and waste treatment. These will be highlighted in a later newsletter.