In this study, a holistic well-to-wheel (WtW) life cycle assessment of the production and utilization of short oligomers of OME _3–5 as produced via a Power-to-Liquid (PtL) pathway has been conducted.

Renewable energy systems are especially challenging both in terms of planning and operation. Energy system models that take into account not only the costs but also a wide range of environmental impacts support holistic planning. In this way, burden-shifting caused by greenhouse gas mitigation can be identified and minimised at an early stage. The Life cycle Assessment based ENergy Decision support tool LAEND combines a multi-criteria optimising tool for energy system modelling and an integrated environmental assessment for the analysis of decentral systems. By a single or multi-objective optimisation, considering costs, environmental impact indicators as well as weighted impact indicator sets, the model enables the determination of optimal investment planning and dispatch of the analysed energy system. The application of LAEND to an exemplary residential quarter shows the benefit of the model regarding the identification of conflicting goals and of a system that compensates for the different objectives. The observed shift of environmental impacts from the use phase to the production phase of the renewable electricity generators points further to the importance of the integration of the entire life cycle.

Due to the urgent need to mitigate the consequences of climate change, emerging technologies such as artificial photosynthesis could be crucial. To enable an environmental sustainability assessment of this early‐stage technology, recent methods in prospective Life Cycle Assessment are applied and extended with break‐even sensitivity analysis to evaluate the minimum requirements of the technical parameters as well as Monte Carlo simulations to include uncertainties in the model. This study focuses on two CO ₂ ‐removal technologies based on artificial photosynthesis: photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction for producing synthesis gas (H ₂ +CO) and photoelectrochemical carbon dioxide reduction for producing hydrogen peroxide and methane (H ₂ O ₂ &CH ₄ ). The results indicate that while artificial photosynthesis could be environmentally beneficial, it is highly dependent on the scenarios used in the prospective background database and system design parameters, both of which can alter the technology ranking. While prospective Life Cycle Assessment incorporating break‐even sensitivity analysis and uncertainty analysis can guide technology development by identifying minimum parameter requirements and theoretical competitiveness, these analyses can significantly affect the outcomes by producing a wide range of results, making interpretation challenging. Thus, these analyses are crucial and highlight the need for further research, particularly to improve result interpretation and communication.