Environmental Benefits of Thermochromic VO₂ Windows: Life Cycle Assessment from Laboratory Scale to Industrial Scale

The research in energy efficient and sustainable technologies for buildings is currently an important issue because of their high‐energy consumption. In this regard, VO₂‐based thermochromic windows are showing promising results in terms of their energy savings ability. However, no previous study has investigated their life cycle environmental impacts and, in order to develop a sustainable product from its foundations, these environmental issues should be accounted since the early stage development. Therefore, the first objective of this work is to conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) of VO₂‐based technologies for passive thermal control. Moreover, a second objective is to address a more generic question related to the use of prospective LCA in early stage research in materials engineering laboratories. For this purpose, a comparative LCA between a VO₂‐based thermochromic window and a standard window is performed, studying the environmental impacts from the VO₂ production until the end‐of‐life. The nonrenewable and renewable cumulative energy demands as well as the impact on climate change are studied. Results show that there is a positive balance between the thermochromic and the standard window environmental impacts. Moreover, guidance to lower the environmental impacts associated to the production phase is given.