TwinVECTOR
Published September 22, 2025 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Empowering sustainability assessment of energy storage

Authors/Creators

  • 1. ROR icon Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  • 2. ROR icon Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies
  • 3. ROR icon Tomas Bata University in Zlín
  • 4. ROR icon University of Palermo
  • 5. ROR icon Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
  • 6. ENI S.p.A., Italy
  • 7. Institut NOWUM-Energy, Fachhochschule Aachen, Aachen, Germany
  • 8. ROR icon Forschungszentrum Jülich
  • 9. ROR icon Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas
  • 10. CENSE - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research
  • 11. CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute
  • 12. NOVA School of Science and Technology
  • 13. NOVA University, Lisbon, Portugal

Description

Energy storage (ES) plays a vital role in decarbonizing energy systems, yet its sustainability implications remain critical during its rapid deployment across mobile and stationary applications. This study presents the first systematic literature review focused on the assessment methods applied to ES systems in the sustainability context, by analyzing 205 peer-reviewed studies from the past five years. The review identifies Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as the most commonly employed methods, with a strong technological focus on hydrogen-based systems and batteries. In contrast, a limited number of studies consider social aspects in the sustainability context. An increasing trend toward integrated economic and environmental assessments is observed, though their coherence is often limited due to the absence of a standardized methodological framework. Most studies apply narrow system boundaries, frequently omitting critical life cycle stages such as the use phase and end-of-life. This paper provides a methodological overview of applied approaches, summarizes key indicators and gaps, and offers recommendations to enhance the comprehensiveness of ES sustainability assessments. Additionally, targeted suggestions are delivered for practitioners, method developers and policy actors to improve the quality and applicability of future assessment practices.

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Additional details

Funding

European Commission
StoRIES - Storage Research Infrastructure Eco-System 101036910
European Commission
TwinVECTOR - TWINNING FOR DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD-CLASS NEXT GENERATION BATTERIES 101078935

Dates

Accepted
2025-09-22