Life Cycle Carbon Footprint Assessment of 12 kV C4F7N Gas-Insulated Switchgear Systems

The C4F7N eco-friendly switchgear shows significant application potential, and quantifying its carbon footprint can accelerate the low-carbon transition in the power industry. A life cycle assessment (LCA) model for a 12 kV C4F7N eco-friendly switchgear is established in this study, and the carbon footprint across four stages—raw material acquisition, transportation, operation, and recycling—is accurately quantified. Sensitivity analysis of key raw material parameters and Monte Carlo simulation are used to further quantify the impact of uncertainty in these key sensitive parameters. Results indicate that the operational stage contributes the most to the switchgear’s carbon footprint, amounting to 24,794.77 kgCO2e, mainly due to electricity consumption. Within this stage, C4F7N gas leakage contributes minimally at 2.21 kgCO2e. The raw material acquisition stage follows with 3005.57 kgCO2e, where C4F7N gas, aluminum, and stainless steel are identified as the primary contributing materials. Sensitivity analysis shows that electricity, C4F7N, aluminum, and stainless steel are the resources that have the greatest impact on the switchgear’s carbon footprint. Compared with traditional SF6 switchgear, the C4F7N switchgear has a 23.8% lower total carbon footprint, with its total carbon footprint reaching 26,771.58 kgCO2e compared to 35,136.48 kgCO2e for SF6 switchgear. This advantage stems largely from C4F7N’s much lower global warming potential—2090 versus 25,200 for SF6—which reduces gas-related emissions by 96.6%. These findings substantiate the practical viability of C4F7N-based eco-friendly switchgear and provide strategies for the power sector to achieve a low-carbon transition.