Hybrid life cycle assessment of energy use in laptop computer manufacturing

Along with the rapidly increasing number of personal computers, the energy consumption associated with a computer has attracted increasing attention. However, different Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies of computers report qualitatively different results. This analysis estimates the energy needed to manufacture a laptop computer using hybrid LCA. Reasons for focusing specifically on laptop computers include: a) their share of the computer stock is rapidly increasing and b) laptop design is qualitatively distinct from their desktop counterpart.