Sustainability performance of economic sectors based on thermodynamic indicators

Nowadays, various indicators of sustainability performance are used, usually grounded in economics, ecology, thermodynamics, and sociology. The main shortcoming of the commonly used indicators is their 'one-dimensional' character. This paper focuses on thermodynamic sustainability indicators, which also couple environmental and economic aspects. The performance of economic systems is evaluated using various indicators, ranging from exergy, which shows the thermodynamic efficiency, through Cumulative Exergy Consumption CExC, which couples exergy and life cycle analysis, up to Extended Exergy Accounting EEA, where also economic aspects are included. The analysis is illustrated for the Dutch energy sector and for the Dutch Society, including extraction, conversion, agriculture, industry, transportation, tertiary, and domestic sectors.