THE RELATION BETWEEN EXERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY ACCORDING TO LITERATURE

A thorough investigation of literature about the relation between exergy and sustainability was conducted in September 2010. An overview of opinions and methods in the field of exergy analysis and sustainability is briefly presented. Exergy analysis has several advantages compared to energy analysis, but a careful underpinning of the relation between exergy and sustainability has not yet been found. Sustainability consists of environmental, economic and social sustainability. Especially the social aspect of sustainability is not, or just minimally, taken into account in the methods found in literature. During future research, the consequences of involving exergy analysis in decisions regarding future energy supply will be investigated with respect to the three aforementioned aspects of sustainability