The social profitability of rural roads in a small open economy: Do urban agglomeration economies matter?

The effects of a rural roads programme depend on labour mobility, how the programme is financed, and agglomeration economies. If financed by a rural poll tax and cross-price effects and agglomeration economies are sufficiently small, the wage will rise, with some return migration. Taxes on trade act as countervailing distortions, yielding urban households some relief. Rural-urban commuting promotes the exploitation of agglomeration economies; taxes on international trade are then inferior to a poll tax. The change in the value, at producer prices, of the rural sector's net supply vector can be a poor measure of the programme's social profitability.     

Residual learning rates in lead-acid batteries: Effects on emerging technologies

The low price of lead-acid, the most popular battery, is often used in setting cost targets for emerging energy storage technologies. Future cost reductions in lead acid batteries could increase investment and time scales needed for emerging storage technologies to reach cost-parity. In this paper the first documented model of cost reductions for lead-acid batteries is developed. Regression to a standard experience curve using 1989–2012 data yield a poor fit, with R² values of 0.17 for small batteries and 0.05 for larger systems. To address this problem, battery costs are separated into material and residual costs, and experience curves developed for residual costs. Depending on the year, residual costs account for 41–86% of total battery cost. Using running-time averages to address volatility in material costs, a 4-year time average experience curve for residual costs yield much higher R², 0.78 for small and 0.74 for large lead-acid batteries. The learning rate for residual costs in lead-acid batteries is 20%, a discovery with policy implications. Neglecting to consider cost reductions in lead-acid batteries could result in failure of energy storage start-ups and public policy programs. Generalizing this result, learning in incumbent technologies must be understood to assess the potential of emerging ones.     

Systematic approach for recognizing limiting factors for growth of biomethane use in transportation sector – A case study in Finland

In this paper, limiting factors for increased use of biomethane as a transportation fuel are studied. The aim of this research is to recognize and estimate the limiting factors for biomethane utilization in the transportation sector. The limiting factors are studied by using calculation models from Life cycle perspective and literature reviews. According to the results, the main limiting factors can be classified into the following categories: production potential, technology, economy or policy. For biomethane utilization in Finland, the main limiting factors seem to be the lack of distribution infrastructure in northern parts of the country and the uncertain economical feasibility for agricultural biomass producers and for vehicle owners. From the political perspective, the external costs for petrol operated vehicles are higher than for biomethane operated vehicles. Reductions from the external costs could be used by political decisions as a base to support the growth of biomethane in the transportation sector which could lead to GHG emission reductions. A similar systematic approach can also be used to study limiting factors for other transportation energy systems.     

Assessing the cost-effectiveness of electric vehicles in European countries using integrated modeling

Electric vehicles (EVs) are considered alternatives to internal combustion engines due to their energy efficiency and contribution to CO₂ mitigation. The adoption of EVs depends on consumer preferences, including cost, social status and driving habits, although it is agreed that current and expected costs play a major role. We use a partial equilibrium model that minimizes total energy system costs to assess whether EVs can be a cost-effective option for the consumers of each EU27 member state up to 2050, focusing on the impact of different vehicle investment costs and CO₂ mitigation targets. We found that for an EU-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction cap of 40% and 70% by 2050 vis-à-vis 1990 emissions, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are cost-effective in the EU only by 2030 and only if their costs are 30% lower than currently expected. At the EU level, vehicle costs and the capability to deliver both short- and long-distance mobility are the main drivers of BEV deployment. Other drivers include each state’s national mobility patterns and the cost-effectiveness of alternative mitigation options, both in the transport sector, such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) or biofuels, and in other sectors, such as renewable electricity.     

节能型浮式生产储油装置惰气系统

为最大限度地利用FPSO上热站锅炉的烟气,减少FPSO上惰气系统能源消耗,对惰气系统配置及控制方式进行了改进。即惰气系统采用1台烟气模式、1台柴油模式,并与之对应配置2套完全独立的惰气总管,和1套公共控制系统。惰气系统工作时,烟气模式优先运行,烟气量不足时,柴油模式运行,产生的惰气作为烟气模式的补充。采用这种惰气系统,不但对FPSO热介质加热炉产生的烟气可以充分利用,减少柴油消耗量,节约惰气系统燃料成本,而且可以同时进行外输及洗舱作业,提高生产时率。     

Maldistribution in air–water heat pump evaporators. Part 1: Effects on evaporator,heat pump and system level

This paper presents an approach to quantify the effect of evaporator maldistribution on operating costs of air–water heat pumps. In the proposed simulation model maldistribution is induced by two parameters describing refrigerant phase and air flow distribution. Annual operating costs are calculated based on heat pump performance at distinct operating conditions. Results show that percentage increase of operating costs is similar for the three considered climate zones, even though the effect of maldistribution on heat pump performance varies with operating conditions. Differences in terms of absolute cost increase for the climate zones arise mainly due to a varying number of operating hours. Absolute cost increase is considerable in the average and especially colder climate zone and can only partly be reduced by enlarging the evaporator.     

Regional consortia and transaction costs for sanitation services in Brazil

Studies on public cooperation usually focus on its impact on the service costs experienced by service providers. However, engagement in public cooperation in service provision often seeks other outcomes, like service coverage (measured by the population served) rather than simply minimizing service expenditure. Moreover, public cooperation by local governments, as either ‘providers’ or owners, generates transaction costs arising from negotiation, monitoring, agency costs and the enforcement of cooperative agreements. However, to date, little empirical effort has been directed at determining the impact of transaction costs on service provision owners and service outcomes. This paper addresses this gap in the empirical literature by examining the relationship between cooperative agreements between Brazilian municipalities for water and wastewater provision and service coverage in the light of transaction costs. We find that transaction costs are higher for cooperative providers due primarily to low service coverage levels, especially in sewage services that demand high investment in assets with high specificity. However, lower expenditures may occur after initial up-front investment.     

Mathematical modelling and simulation of the thermo-catalytic decomposition of methane for economically improved hydrogen production

The demand for low-emission hydrogen is set to grow as the world transitions to a future hydrogen economy. Unlike current methods of hydrogen production, which largely derive from fossil fuels with unabated emissions, the thermo-catalytic methane decomposition (TCMD) process is a promising intermediate solution that generates no direct carbon dioxide emissions and can bridge the transition to green hydrogen whilst utilising existing gas infrastructure. This process is yet to see widespread adoption, however, due to the high catalyst turnover costs resulting from the inevitable deactivation of the catalyst, which plays a decisive role in the feasibility of the process. In this study, a feasible TCMD process was identified and a simplified mathematical model was developed, which provides a dynamic estimation for the hydrogen production rate and catalyst turnover costs over various process conditions. The work consisted of a parametric study as well as an investigation into the different process modes. Based on the numerous simulation results it was possible to find the optimal process parameters that maximise the hydrogen production rate and minimise the catalyst turnover costs, therefore increasing the economic potential of the process and hence its commercial viability.     

稀乙烯制乙苯和纯乙烯制乙苯装置成本和能耗对比

干气制乙苯技术能有效地利用乙烯资源,提高炼油厂效益、降低乙苯产品的生产成本,随着生产技术水平的提高和市场需求的不断增加,干气制乙苯装置逐渐增多,本文对比了广州石化干气制乙苯装置和苯乙烯装置乙苯单元的生产成本和能耗。     

中心城区泵站旱天放江特征及削减潜力分析

中心城区泵站旱天放江产生的臭味已成为严重影响河道水质景观、居民环保投诉的主要问题。该文通过对上海市中心城区近五年泵站放江水量和污染物浓度的分析,明确了旱天放江量近年呈显著下降趋势,旱流放江量是旱天放江减排的重点,雨水泵站是下一步旱天放江控制的重点;泵站旱天放江污染物浓度与当地生活污水水质相近。对于旱流放江和试车放江,可采用工程性措施和管理性措施削减其放江量。中心城区旱天放江有削减潜力的泵站82座,其中应用工程性措施和管理性措施分别能削减旱天放江量约867.95万和908.21万m3,预计总削减量约占2012年旱天放江总量的71.55％。