Clarification on Uniform Efficiency Multiplier (1.18) Across Multiple Countries in Localised Electricity Profiles

Data & Construction Materials Generics
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Dear One Click LCA Support Team,
Support Team

@Steven , @Shaun , @Asha ,

I hope you’re all doing well.

I’m writing to kindly follow up and seek clarification on the Efficiency Multiplier (1.18) shown in the localised electricity profiles, especially in the context of several non-OECD countries.

After reviewing the localisation details for various countries in the IEA2022 electricity profiles—including Iran, Russia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India, Egypt, and China—I noticed that the efficiency multiplier value of 1.18 remains exactly the same across all of them.

Given that these countries have significantly different power generation mixes, infrastructure efficiencies, and industry structures, I would be truly grateful if you could help me understand:

:small_blue_diamond: 1. Why is the Efficiency Multiplier (1.18) constant across such diverse countries?

  • According to your methodology for electricity localisation, I would have expected this value to vary based on generation and upstream efficiency.
  • Is the 1.18 a global average, or a placeholder used in the absence of specific national data?

:small_blue_diamond: 2. Does the Emission Factor (e.g., 0.77 kg CO₂e/kWh for Iran) already account for transmission and distribution losses?

  • Or should I apply national T&D loss factors from IEA manually if I wish to assess life-cycle emissions in Stage B6 (operational energy use)?

:small_blue_diamond: 3. Source and Citation

  • Could you kindly share the source of the 1.18 multiplier and advise on how to reference it in an academic report?

This information is crucial for ensuring accurate reporting in my LCA work. If possible, I would deeply appreciate guidance from @Steven , who I understand has experience in this area.

Thank you very much for your time and for the excellent work you do at One Click LCA. I truly appreciate your support.

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Dear Mojtaba,

Thank you for your excellent questions.

Please check the article we wrote on our localisation system, while it does not describe the entire calculation method, it describes it in broad lines. Materials manufacturing localization

  1. The 1.18 multiplier is an upstream process efficiency factor. It doesn’t relate to the power plant or the grid, but rather to the energy “cost” of extracting, processing, and transporting the raw fuels before they ever reach the plant. For many non-OECD countries, specific national data for these upstream fuel-production processes isn’t available. Therefore, we use a standardized, robust average from the Ecoinvent database. The value signifies that for every 1 unit of fuel energy delivered, an additional 0.18 units were consumed in the supply chain.

  2. Yes, the emission factors you see already include T&D losses. The value represents the impact at the point of consumption. You should not add T&D factors manually, as this would lead to double-counting the emissions.

  3. You cannot cite the 1.18 value from a single report. For academic purposes, you could cite the methodology. Here is a recommended format: “The life cycle inventory data for electricity was calculated using One Click LCA, based on country-specific 2022 electricity production mixes from the International Energy Agency (IEA, 2023) and modeled with background processes from the Ecoinvent v3.8 LCI database.” This approach is transparent and accurately reflects how the final emission factor is derived.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.