Publications and News

Allocation and characterisation factors for absolute environmental sustainability assessment

In this publications, we provide data and methods to implement planetary-boundaries-based absolute environmental sustainability assessments. In particular, we descibe how to come up with allocation factors for economic sectors within specified regions and how characterization factors can be implemented with ecoinvent within the Brightway2 environment. We hope that this publication will support the community in sustainability research.

Jan Marcus Hartmann, David Yang Shu, André Bardow, Niklas von der Assen

Life cycle assessment of solid calcium-looping direct air capture and its synergistic dual use for net-negative cement

Here, we assess calcium-looping direct air carbon capture and storage through a prospective life cycle assessment based on primary commercial-scale data. We show that the technology can deliver 85–96 % net carbon removal efficiency by 2050 while remaining within global sustainability boundaries. The effectiveness hinges once again on the availability of low-carbon electricity. We further identify a pathway to transform cement production into a net-negative process via calcium-looping DACCS, thus strengthening industrial decarbonization using existing industrial supply chains.

Vittoria Bolongaro, David Yang Shu, Noah McQueen, André Bardow

Beyond pipelines: Multi-modal CO₂ transport enables timely CO₂ capture, transport, and storage deployment

In this publication, we investigate how slow CO₂ pipeline deployment could affect capture, transport, and storage value chains. Using a CO₂ transport network optimization model, we introduce pipeline diffusion limits and apply them to our case study of Switzerland. Our results show that limited expansion rates could cause a 9% CO₂ sequestration deficit. We further demonstrate that non-pipeline transport can overcome these limits to meet policy goals with limited cost increases, making multi-modal transport a robust alternative to relying solely on pipelines.

Johannes Burger, David Yang Shu, André Bardow, Giovanni Sansavini

MIT PSE Seminar: Environmental life-cycle assessment for sustainable energy systems

Join my talk on life-cycle assessment for sustainable energy systems at the MIT PSE seminar on October 9, 2025. In this talk, I will share insights from two demonstrator projects that explore the environmental impacts of carbon capture and storage supply chains. We further discuss how integrating process-level environmental assessments into broader system-level analyses can reveal system-wide knock-on effects. Checkout the other talks we have organized for you in the MIT PSE seminar series.

David Yang Shu

2025-10-09

An Ecosystem of Carbon Dioxide Removal Reviews - Part 1: Direct Air CO2 Capture and Storage

We have contributed to this review on direct air CO₂ capture and storage, a key technology for carbon dioxide removal that will be essential in achieving and sustaining net-zero emissions. The review synthesizes current knowledge on DACCS, covering technology status, technoeconomic and environmental performance, policy, equity, public perception, and monitoring. It highlights that large-scale deployment of DACCS will require sustained government support, akin to the subsidies that enabled renewable energy expansion.

Mijndert Van der Spek, André Bardow, Chad M. Baum, Vittoria Bolongaro, Vincent Dufour-Décieux, Carla Esch, Livia Fritz, Susana García, Christiane Hamann, Dianne Hondeborg, Ali Kiani, Sarah Lueck, Shrey Kalpeshkumar Patel, Shing Bo Peh, Maxwell Pisciotta, Peter Psarras, Tim Repke, Paola Alejandra Sáenz-Cavazos, Ingrid Schulte, David Yang Shu, Qingdian Shu, Benjamin Kenneth Sovacool, Jessica Strefler, Sara Vallejo Castaño, Jin-Yu Wang, Matthias Wessling, Jennifer Wilcox, John Young, Jan Christoph Minx

Transition pathways to electrified chemical production within sector-coupled national energy systems

We investigated how the chemical industry can transition to net-zero emissions within a sector-coupled national energy system. Our findings show that electrification of chemical production happens later than in other sectors, beginning with methanol and progressing through ammonia, olefins, and aromatics. During the transition, a partially electrified, diversified chemical industry provides system flexibility and supports the integration of intermittent renewable energy.

Patricia Mayer, Florian Joseph Baader, David Yang Shu, Ludger Leenders, Christian Zibunas, Stefano Moret, André Bardow

Demonstration of the DMX™ technology for carbon capture and storage in steel production: An environmental assessment

We investigated a megatonne-scale CCS supply chain applied to a steel plant. The study, based on detailed data generated in the DMX™ Demonstration in Dunkirk project, finds high life-cycle CCS efficiencies due to the low greenhouse-gas-intensity of local energy supply and efficient offshore transport. However, CCS must be considered within a portfolio of decarbonization strategies.

David Yang Shu, Leidy-Tatiana Vargas-Ibáñez, Guillaume Batôt, Fabrice Devaux, Vania Santos Moreau, Ludger Leenders, André Bardow

How to transport carbon dioxide with minimal environmental impacts today and tomorrow?

In this publication, we investigate the prospective environmental impacts of carbon dioxide transport methods in detail. Moving towards a future with large-scale carbon capture infrastructure, it is important to understand potential impacts and tradeoffs associated with carbon dioxide transport.

Julian Nöhl, Johannes Burger, Pauline Oeuvray, Viola Becattini, Jan Seiler, David Yang Shu, Marco Mazzotti, André Bardow

Design and Operation of Sustainable Net-Zero Energy Systems

In my doctoral thesis, I investigate the role of carbon capture, removal, and storage technologies in contribute to the transition to net-zero. We consider industry with hard-to-abate emissions, the operation and the design of energy systems, and the environmental impacts of the transition.

Finally defended!

I thank the examination committee, Andrea Ramírez Ramírez and Marco Mazzotti, and in particular, André Bardow for the guidance and for creating an extremely supportive learning environment at the EPSE group. Special thanks to my colleagues, friends, and family for their support. It was very fun🎉!

Towards Designing Sector-Coupled Energy Systems Within Planetary Boundaries

We assess net-zero sector-coupled energy system designs within the planetary boundaries framework for absolute environmental sustainability. Our assessment reveals that transitioning to net-zero reduces many environmental impacts, but may still leave planetary boundaries transgressed.

David Yang Shu, Jan Hartmann, Christian Zibunas, Nils Baumgärtner, Niklas von der Assen, André Bardow

Flexibility from industrial demand-side management in net-zero sector-coupled national energy systems

Using a generic, process-agnostic model, we determine the value of industrial demand-side management within larger energy systems. We show that demand-side management can reduce total energy system costs by up to 4.4% or 20% of industry-related energy costs. However, the value of demand-side management depends on the system’s flexibility alternatives.

Patricia Mayer, Mario Heer, David Yang Shu, Nik Zielonka, Ludger Leenders, Florian Joseph Baader, André Bardow

Overcoming the central planner approach – Bilevel optimization of the European energy transition

We model distributed decision making in the transition to net-zero energy systems via bilevel optimization. By comparing the results of the transition to a model following the central planner approach, we find that neglecting stakeholder representation in energy system models can result in miscalculations of the need for capacity expansion.

David Yang Shu, Christiane Reinert, Jacob Mannhardt, Ludger Leenders, Jannik Lüthje, Alexander Mitsos, André Bardow

Gordon Research Conference on CCUS in Les Diablerets

We had fun and great speakers at the GRC conference on CCUS that our group from ETH organized in Les Diablerets. On top of that our work on The role of carbon capture & storage to achieve net-zero energy systems was elected for the best poster award by the conference participants.

David Yang Shu, Sarah Deutz, Jan Hartmann, Benedikt Winter, Nils Baumgärtner, Ludger Leenders, André Bardow

The role of carbon capture and storage to achieve net-zero energy systems: Trade-offs between economics and the environment

We investigate the tradeoff between environment and economics in the transition to net-zero, focusing on the unique role of carbon capture and storage within a transitioning energy system.

David Yang Shu, Sarah Deutz, Benedikt Alexander Winter, Nils Baumgärtner, Ludger Leenders, André Bardow

The 3D project and the environmental assessment of carbon capture and storage supply chains

How do carbon capture, transport, and storage projects perform from an environmental perspective? In this video, project leader Vania Santos-Moreau (IFPEN) and I present the Horizon 2020 project DMX™ Demonstration in Dunkirk (3D) and what our research shows on its environmental performance.

Vania Santos-Moreau, David Yang Shu

2023-03-14

Insights from Life-Cycle Assessment of the Carbon Capture and Storage Supply Chain from the DMX™ Demonstration in Dunkirk (3D) Project

Here, we conduct an LCA of a megaton-scale CCS supply chain designed within the Horizon 2020 project DMX™ Demonstration in Dunkirk (3D). The LCA is based on engineering studies for a CCS supply chain for a steel production plant in Northern France.

David Yang Shu, Helen Bewi Komesse, Sandra Beauchet, Ludger Leenders, Fabrice Devaux, Vania Santos Moreau, André Bardow

PATHFNDR Lunch Talk: What is “SecMOD”?

Christiane Reinert and I gave a short introduction to our open-source energy system modeling, optimization, and life-cycle assessment framework “SecMOD”. The seminar was hosted by the SWEET PATHFNDR project sponsored by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, which among others aims to provide feasible transition pathways for Switzerland, developing tools as well as pilot and demonstration projects.

Christiane Reinert, David Yang Shu

2021-09-24

COMANDO: A Next-Generation Open-Source Framework for Energy Systems Optimization

COMANDO is a flexible open-source Python package for component-oriented modeling and optimization of energy systems. Our open-source package allows to build and solve energy system models from modular components and can consider nonlinear, dynamic and discrete models.

Marco Langiu, David Yang Shu, Florian Joseph Baader, Dominik Hering, Uwe Bau, André Xhonneux, Dirk Müller, André Bardow, Alexander Mitsos, Manuel Dahmen

SecMOD: An Open-Source Modular Framework Combining Multi-Sector System Optimization and Life-Cycle Assessment

We present the open-source modeling, optimization and life-cycle assessment framework SecMOD for identifzing transition pathways for sustainable multi-sector energy systems.

Christiane Reinert, Lars Schellhas, Jacob Mannhardt, David Yang Shu, Andreas Kämper, Nils Baumgärtner, Sarah Deutz, André Bardow

DeLoop: Decomposition-based Long-term operational optimization of energy systems with time-coupling constraints

Time coupling is common in renewable multi-energy systems, resulting in hard-to-solve large-scale operational optimization problems. Here, we propose the DeLoop method to generate near optimal long-term schedules via decomposition.

Nils Baumgärtner, David Shu, Björn Bahl, Maike Hennen, Dinah Elena Hollermann, André Bardow

Model compendium, data, and optimization benchmarks for sector-coupled energy systems

A model compendium, realistic data sets, and two case studies for an industrial and a research campus energy system are presented. The case studies serve as open-source benchmarks for methods in the design and operational optimization of multi-energy systems.

Susanne Sass, Timm Faulwasser, Dinah Elena Hollermann, Chrysoula Dimitra Kappatou, Dominique Sauer, Thomas Schütz, David Yang Shu, André Bardow, Lutz Gröll, Veit Hagenmeyer, Dirk Müller, Alexander Mitsos

From peak power prices to seasonal storage: Long-term operational optimization of energy systems by time-series decomposition

Scheduling problems for multi-energy systems with time coupling constraints result in large-scale optimization problems. Here, we propose a time series decomposition method to obtain near optimal schedules.

Nils Baumgärtner, David Shu, Björn Bahl, Maike Hennen, André Bardow

Rigorous synthesis of energy systems by decomposition via time-series aggregation

Designing multi-energy systems involves large time series resulting in complex large-scale optimization problems. Here, we propose a decomposition method based on time series aggregation that rigorously solves the design problem within a specified optimality gap.

Björn Bahl, Julian Lützow, David Shu, Dinah Elena Hollermann, Matthias Lampe, Maike Hennen, André Bardow