147164 20260217205540.0 doi 10.1016/j.energy.2024.133987 sideral 141000 ART-2024-141000 eng Torrubia, Jorge Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0001-9282-1428 Non-renewable and renewable levelized exergy cost of electricity (LExCOE) with focus on its infrastructure: 1900-2050 2024 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted This study develops the concept of the levelized exergy cost of electricity (LExCOE), evaluating key global electricity technologies from 1900 to 2050. It distinguishes the origin of the exergy (non-renewable and renewable) with focus on the infrastructure. Using this indicator, we studied the non-renewable resource use of these technologies in exergy cost terms. LExCOE decreased from 3.71 to 3.09 MJ/MJ between 1900 and 1960, then further to 2.33 MJ/MJ by 2010 due to the improvements in non-renewable plants performance. Between 2020 and 2050, the International Energy Agency's Net-Zero scenario is followed. Thus, the non-renewable exergy cost of fuels would decrease by 98.8 %, leading to a reduction in LExCOE to 1.05 MJ/MJ in 2050. However, the annual non-renewable exergy cost of infrastructure would increase by 133–237 %, due to the higher contribution of photovoltaic and wind infrastructure (1.8–0.067 MJ/MJ), compared to fossil technologies (0.032–0.024 MJ/MJ). Thus, the energy transition reduces the overall fossil exergy costs but increases their contribution in the infrastructure since manufacturing industry relies on fossil fuels. Furthermore, this transition will increase the demand for certain metals, which would require a review of its use in society, increase the recycling rates and continuously improve of the material efficiency of renewable energies. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICINN-RESTORE PID2023-148401OB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EUR/TED2021-131397B-I00 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es 9.4 2024 THERMODYNAMICS 3 / 79 = 0.038 2024 Q1 T1 ENERGY & FUELS 31 / 182 = 0.17 2024 Q1 T1 2.211 2024 Building and Construction 2024 Q1 Civil and Structural Engineering 2024 Q1 Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2024 Q1 Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law 2024 Q1 Energy Engineering and Power Technology 2024 Q1 Fuel Technology 2024 Q1 Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering 2024 Q1 Energy (miscellaneous) 2024 Q1 16.5 2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Valero, Antonio Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-0702-733X Valero, Alicia Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0003-3330-1793 5004 590 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Ingeniería Mecánica Área Máquinas y Motores Térmi. 313 (2024), 133987 [9 pp.] Energy Energy 0360-5442 4480101 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/147164/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2548576 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/147164/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:147164 articulos driver 2026-02-17-20:35:52 ARTICLE