The latest version of ecoinvent will include numerous new and updated datasets as well as improvement to the overall usability of the database. The new version now contains over 11,500 datasets. This is a substantial increase compared to version 3.1 which was released just a little over a year ago.
These are the many additions, updates and improvements that ecoinvent users will be able to enjoy soon:
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. We are committed to provide you with relevant and up-to-date data. Therefore, thanks to extensive work from the Paul Scherrer Institute, only two years later version 3.2 features another update of the electricity sector using the newest grid mixes and the latest available data on electricity production.
The update includes over 2,200 datasets, covering 89% of the world's electricity production in 56 countries. The annual production volumes for all technologies were updated, which means ecoinvent 3.2 now uses the latest electricity mix data.
Moreover, new technologies such as combined heat & power (CHP) production for hard coal, lignite, oil and natural gas plants as well as new geothermal generation are now also included. The update did not only cover the existing electricity regions but further detail was provided by adding countries, such as Iceland and Estonia.
Another feature users will be happy to see are market groups. The creation of market groups for electricity provides more ease of use by combining the electricity mixes for bigger regions in one dataset, such as UCTE, ENTSO-E, Asia, or the USA. More details on this new feature is provided below.
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 of China therefore just did not seem to do it justice. Version 3.2 will include electricity production data for 32 Chinese regions, as well as mixes for different grids within China and for China as a whole. With this data you will be able to gain more detailed information on the differences in environmental impacts of the electricity production of all Chinese regions.
Nowadays goods and foodstuffs are increasingly traded on a global scale, even if they are easily perishable. 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.
Besides the above mentioned additions of electricity data and refrigerated transport version 3.2 will also feature new data in the areas of the cement, wood and waste treatment. Especially noteworthy are the European aluminium production datasets which were updated with the support of the European Aluminium Association.
Version 3.2 will feature market groups, a new type of dataset that facilitates readability and modifying datasets. Market groups exist for a selection of regions, countries and products. If you are, for example, interested in knowing the electricity mixes
for the regions of UCTE, ENTSO-E or whole continents, you can find that information in the market group dataset. In this way e.g. electricity mixes that are commonly used together are grouped for ease of use and convenience.
A newsletter on the day of the release will inform you in more detail where all information related to the new version can be found on our website. This will include a change report, providing details on the changes and additions made between ecoinvent 3.1 and 3.2 as well as a change comparison file ensuring a smooth transition to the latest version.