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@PHDTHESIS{Benitez:1054352,
      author       = {Benitez, Alicia},
      title        = {{A}ssessing the {E}nvironmental {I}mplications of
                      {O}ffshore {W}ind {E}nergy {A}dvancements on the {F}uture
                      {G}erman {E}lectricity {S}ector},
      volume       = {693},
      school       = {Duisburg-Essen},
      type         = {Dissertation},
      address      = {Jülich},
      publisher    = {Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag},
      reportid     = {FZJ-2026-01794},
      isbn         = {978-3-95806-885-8},
      series       = {Schriften des Forschungszentrums Jülich Reihe Energie $\&$
                      Umwelt / Energy $\&$ Environment},
      pages        = {xi, 176},
      year         = {2026},
      note         = {Dissertation, Duisburg-Essen, 2025},
      abstract     = {Climate change mitigation requires the rapid
                      defossilisation of the German electricity sector. While
                      energy system models are extensively used to evaluate
                      climate change mitigation strategies, they generally
                      consider environmental aspects in a limited manner, often
                      focusing on direct operational emissions. To overcome this
                      limitation, this thesis aims to investigate how the
                      environmental impacts of energy systems can be evaluated
                      through an integrated approach that combines Life Cycle
                      Assessment into an energy system model. Integrating both
                      methodologies enables a more comprehensive evaluation by
                      including upstream and downstream environmental impacts and
                      indicators related to ecosystems, human health and
                      resources. However, the integration is challenging due to
                      data inconsistencies. A core contribution of this thesis is
                      developing a systematic process to compile and automate
                      input parameters to ensure a consistent collection of data
                      relevant to both methodologies. The integration approach
                      enables the generation of consistent scenarios that are
                      tested within the model. The modelled use case is a
                      simplified representation of the European electricity system
                      and is built on Calliope, an open-source Python-based
                      framework for energy system modelling. This thesis conducts
                      a more detailed analysis of Germany within the model,
                      focusing on offshore wind due to its strategic role in the
                      country's renewable energy expansion and the significant
                      technological advancements expected by 2030 and 2050, which
                      existing integration approaches fail to capture. For the
                      first time, this thesis develops and tests an integrated
                      approach that systematically harmonises prospective life
                      cycle, economic, and technical data with the technological,
                      geographical, and temporal scope of both Life Cycle
                      Assessment and the energy system modelling. This approach
                      enables the evaluation of technologies, particularly
                      offshore wind, within a broader electricity system while
                      resolving methodological inconsistencies. The primary
                      scientific contribution of this thesis lies in the
                      methodological innovation that allows for the systematic
                      alignment of assumptions between environmental and economic
                      indicators and the assessment of trade-offs between cost and
                      environmental impacts. For instance, the results show that
                      while offshore can reduce the impact on greenhouse gas
                      emissions in 2030 by up to 80 $\%$ compared to current
                      levels, the associated investment, however, is up to 40 $\%$
                      higher than other technological alternatives. In addition,
                      offshore wind can increase impacts on ecotoxicity, and water
                      use due to its used materials and manufacturing processes.
                      This integrated modelling approach facilitates not only the
                      assessment of trade-offs between cost and environmental
                      indicators, but also the provision of deeper insights into
                      the implications of future technologies and supports more
                      informed decision-making for a sustainable energy
                      transition.},
      cin          = {ICE-2},
      cid          = {I:(DE-Juel1)ICE-2-20101013},
      pnm          = {1111 - Effective System Transformation Pathways (POF4-111)
                      / 1112 - Societally Feasible Transformation Pathways
                      (POF4-111)},
      pid          = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-1111 / G:(DE-HGF)POF4-1112},
      typ          = {PUB:(DE-HGF)3 / PUB:(DE-HGF)11},
      doi          = {10.34734/FZJ-2026-01794},
      url          = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/1054352},
}