Petra Sieber

I am a  doctoral candidate at the Department of Energy and Technology,
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). My research concerns the
development of LCA methodology for assessing the climate impact of land use and bioenergy, with particular focus on surface albedo change.

Courses on Life Cycle Assessment, Energy Systems and Sustainable Food Systems. Supervision of Bachelor and Master theses.

My research aims to improve the understanding of how land use change affects the climate via surface albedo, and how this effect compares to other climate impacts in crop production and energy systems. Changing surface reflectance is a mechanism through which humans directly impact the Earth's radiation balance. It is comparable to the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration, but has received less attention in project evaluation and decision making.

Biomass as an energy source can decrease dependency on fossil fuels and contribute to climate change mitigation by storing carbon in biomass and soil. However, expanding biomass production gives rise to new environmental impacts from land use and land conversion. As a scenario of growing bioenergy supply in Sweden, my research looks into the introduction of energy crops such as short rotation coppice willow on fallow land. 

I work with field measurements, satellite products, GIS and computer modelling to determine albedo and impacts on climate. My work combines a life cycle approach with temporal dynamics in a bioenergy system. I am interested in experimenting with different metrics to better display the timing and spatial scope of climate relevant processes.

My PhD project is is part of STandUP for Energy, a collaboration initiative between Uppsala University (UU), The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Luleå University of Technology (LTU).

MSc in Engineering, Environment and Bio-Resources Management, specialisation in Waste Management (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 2016)

BSc in Engineering, Environment and Bio-Resources Management, specialisation in Resource Economics (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 2013)

Sieber P., Ericsson N., Hammar T., Hansson P.‐A. (2020). Including albedo in time‐dependent LCA of bioenergy. GCB Bioenergy, 12(6), 410-425. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12682

Sieber P., Ericsson N., & Hansson P.-A. (2019). Climate impact of surface albedo change in Life Cycle Assessment: Implications of site and time dependence. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 77, 191-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2019.04.003

My OrcidID: 0000-0003-2626-9502

Blog: Food Systems Group at SLU