Analytical review of contemporary carbon footprint and life cycle assessment methodologies for renewable energy technologies and prospects for their adaptation to Central Asian conditions

Abstract

Relevance: The review shows that CF and LCA methodologies for renewable energy technologies are globally well developed, but their regional applicability remains highly uneven, with Central Asia still underrepresented. The analysis identifies the main barriers to their transfer to regional conditions, including the absence of local life cycle inventory datasets, insufficient consideration of climatic degradation factors, and limited treatment of end-of-life scenarios. Priority research directions include the development of regional inventories, dynamic LCA approaches, and climate-adapted carbon footprint models for renewable energy systems in arid regions.

Aim: The aim of this review is to systematize contemporary carbon footprint and life cycle assessment methodologies for the principal renewable energy technologies and to identify the main methodological gaps, limitations, and prospects for their adaptation to the conditions of Central Asia.

Methods: The study applies a PRISMA-inspired systematic literature review approach. Publications from 2005–2025 were collected from major scientific databases of Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and eLibrary, screened according to predefined inclusion criteria, and 54 relevant studies were selected from approximately 450 identified sources for the final qualitative analysis.

Results: The review shows that CF and LCA methodologies for renewable energy technologies are globally well developed, but their regional applicability remains highly uneven, with Central Asia still underrepresented. The analysis identifies the main barriers to their transfer to regional conditions, including the absence of local life cycle inventory datasets, insufficient consideration of climatic degradation factors, and limited treatment of end-of-life scenarios. The priority directions for future research include the development of regional inventories, dynamic LCA approaches, and climate-adapted carbon footprint models for renewable energy systems in arid regions.