The results from the simulation of the energy grid of an application case are transferred via an interface file to the LCPA tool. These intermediate results only consider the operational phase and for a full environmental assessment, e.g. the well to tank data for fuels are provided as stored in the so Fuel Table as part of the JOULES Knowledge Base. Additional information regarding costs for fuels (also stored in the fuel table) and investment costs, maintenance costs etc. are added to the LCPA model by the user. Following this approach, the three design concepts per application have been modelled and finally assessed using the LCPA-Tool.
The development of the LCPA-Tool was a core element within the JOULES project and its functionality has been successfully proven through in depth use in the 11 Application Cases and 3 Demonstrator Cases.