In the European Union’s journey towards energy transition, the circular economy is set to play a pivotal role. The new Circular Economy Action Plan (COM(2020)98) emphasizes the importance of integrating circularity into the revisions of national energy and climate plans. Accurately measuring system circularity is crucial for planning effective actions and achieving tangible goals.
In this context, our research aimed to develop a metric for assessing the circularity of the electricity sector. The initial phase involved proposing a definition of a “circular energy system” and identifying the circular economy principles that support this definition. Based on this theoretical framework, we developed two tools for evaluating the circularity of power systems: one at the macro level, applicable to a country’s electricity generation sector, and another at the micro level, tailored for individual photovoltaic plants.
Both tools utilize indicators across four key areas: “enabling factors,” “sector structure and operational phase,” “end-of-life management,” and “environmental impact.” These indicators provide a comprehensive assessment of system circularity, considering the entire life cycle and aligning with defined circularity principles. The evaluation scale categorizes the system under review as “emerging,” “initiated,” “consolidated,” or “circular” based on the score obtained.
We applied these tools at the macro level to assess the Italian electricity generation sector as of 2019, and at the micro level to evaluate an Italian company managing photovoltaic plants. The findings indicate that the national electricity generation sector is at an “initiated” stage in its circular transition, while the specific company is classified as “emerging.” Both case studies identified potential areas for improvement.
The results highlight the need for deeper exploration of certain evaluation areas to develop indicators with accessible, complete, and regularly updated data. At the macro level, the establishment of systems to enhance the speed and accuracy of data collection for both measurement and periodic circularity updates is particularly important.