Quantifying the potential impacts of China's power-sector policies on coal input and CO2 emissions through 2050: A bottom-up perspective

This study evaluates four recent policies for China's power sector—mandatory renewable targets, green dispatch, carbon capture and sequestration development, and coal-fired generation efficiency improvements—and quantifies their energy and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions reduction potential through 2050 using bottom-up energy modeling and scenario analysis. We find renewable targets and green dispatch have crucial interlinked impacts on energy and CO₂ emissions that could change the shape and peak year of China's power-sector emissions outlook. Without either renewable targets or green dispatch, coal will likely continue dominating China's power mix and could delay the power-sector CO₂ emissions peak to the late 2030s.     

Towards a common carbon footprint assessment methodology for the water sector

This paper describes the carbon footprint methodology used in assessing the global warming potential of the Dutch water sector. The assessment includes CO₂ emissions from energy consumption and methane and nitrous oxide emissions from water treatment processes. There is, however, debate on the amounts and mechanism of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and a standardised approach is discussed. As a result of this approach, the contribution of GHG emissions to the total carbon footprint of the Dutch water sector appeared to be relatively high. Next to the lack of common emission factors for GHG and chemicals used, there is also no agreed‐upon approach related to the system boundaries and scope of carbon footprinting of the water cycle. For reasons of benchmarking and monitoring of climate change reduction targets, a common carbon footprint assessment methodology for the water sector will be required.     

Carbon curves for the assessment of embodied carbon in the wastewater industry

The water and wastewater industry has been tasked with reducing its greenhouse gas (or carbon) emissions. A key component of any emissions reduction strategy is emissions measurement. While operational emissions are reported by the sector on an annual basis, there is a lack of robust data on embodied carbon. The aim of this paper was to develop a practical solution for assessing the embodied carbon in wastewater assets. The analysis revealed a linear relationship between carbon emissions and capital investment in the construction of wastewater treatment works (1.3 tCO₂/£1000) and wastewater pumping stations (0.3 tCO₂/£1000). Carbon emissions from sewer construction were found to increase linearly with increasing pipe diameter, with ductile iron pipelines responsible for higher emissions than polyethylene. Operational carbon is the major component in the whole life carbon of wastewater treatment works, but future decarbonisation of the electricity grid may increase the relative importance of embodied carbon.     

Clean energy transition in the Turkish power sector: A techno-economic analysis with a high-resolution power expansion model

The Turkish power sector achieved rapid growth after the 1990s in line with economic growth and beyond. However, domestic resources did not support this development and therefore resulted in a high dependency on imported fossil fuels. Furthermore, the governments were slow off the mark in introducing policies for increasing the share of renewable energy. Even late actions of the governments, as well as significant decreases in the cost of wind and especially solar technologies, have recently brought the Turkish power sector into a promising state. A large-scale generation-expansion power-system model (TR-Power) with a high temporal resolution (hours) is developed for the Turkish power generation sector. Several scenarios were analyzed to assess their environmental and economic impacts. The results indicate that a transition to a low-carbon power grid with around half of the electricity demand satisfied by renewable resources over 25 years would be possible, with annual investments of 3.97–6.88 billion in 2019 US$. Moreover, TR-Power indicates that the shadow price of CO₂ emissions in the power sector will be around 17.1 and 33.8 $/per tCO2 by 2042, under 30% and 40% emission reduction targets relative to the reference scenario.     

The dynamic impact of carbon reduction and renewable support policies on the electricity sector

Carbon reduction and renewable energy policies are implemented in Europe to improve the sustainability of the electricity sector while achieving security of supply. We investigate the interactions between these policies using a dynamic investment model. Our analysis indicates that both policies are necessary to achieve a sustainable power sector. However, renewable energy generation significantly affects carbon markets and could lead to very low prices. These would attract investments in carbon intensive technologies, locking the sector into future higher emissions. To contrast this effect, policy makers may introduce a floor price in the carbon market or adjust the emissions quota periodically.     

An economic input-output life cycle assessment of food transportation in Thailand

This study applies an economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) approach for 180 industrial sectors of the Thai economy. The approach is used to evaluate energy consumption and CO₂ emissions of the agricultural sector for the entire supply chain and particularly focusing on transportation. Transportation emits the second largest amount of CO₂ by sector in Thailand. Road transportation is the dominant form of cargo transport, accounting for 80% of all modes. The results show that transportation emissions from all modes of cargo transport account for 1–6% of total supply chain emissions. The vegetable sector shares highest CO₂ emissions in transportation. By changing the transportation mode from road freight to rail, emissions could be expected to decline. If 50% of road transportation was shifted to rail, CO₂ emissions would drop by 30%.     

Sustainable energy pathways for land transport in Nigeria

We used a bottom-up optimisation model to explore the energy system implications of five alternative policy pathways for the Nigerian transport sector. Our study considered fuel switching, improved fuel economy, modal shifting, improved logistics, and carbon tax for the period 2010–2050. Results show that the alternative pathways will reduce energy demand and CO₂ emissions significantly. Particularly, we found that improved vehicle fuel economy and a carbon tax can lower Nigeria's CO₂ emissions by 42.8% and 26.9% respectively, in 2050 when compared with the reference case. Additionally, low-carbon pathways will enhance air quality, energy security, and the productive use of energy.     

The influence of injection parameters on the performance and emission characteristics of a DI diesel engine using biofuel-blended-pure diesel fuel

The transport sector is the most essential driver of growth and economic development, which is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, responsible for almost a quarter of the global carbon dioxide emissions. In this paper, the experiments were conducted for an injection timing of 21° with standard injection pressure of 220?bar at different proportions such as 20%, 40% and 60% of biodiesel blends with pure diesel fuel. Other parameters like injection pressure and mass flow rate are kept constant. The performance parameters for running the engine are 1500?rpm and a rated power of 4.4?kW. The performance test resulted in the increased BTE and reduction in the SFEC for B20 blend as compared to the other proportions. The emission characteristics show that the CO, UHC and NO_x were decreased for B20 when compared with the other proportions.     

The contribution of CO2 emissions to environmental stress in the Middle East: challenges and potential solutions

The increasing demand for water and electricity in the Middle East causes environmental stress. Along with the industrial sector, desalination and power plants are linked to fossil fuel combustion, which is chiefly responsible for increased carbon dioxide emissions. The magnitude of certain sustainable development indicators (such as the ecological footprint) has led to growing concern. This paper presents some of the challenges facing the transition to sustainable development.     

Life cycle primary energy use and carbon emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building

In this study the life cycle primary energy use and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building are analyzed. All life cycle phases are included, including acquisition and processing of materials, on-site construction, building operation, demolition and materials disposal. The calculated primary energy use includes the entire energy system chains, and carbon flows are tracked including fossil fuel emissions, process emissions, carbon stocks in building materials, and avoided fossil emissions due to biofuel substitution. The results show that building operation uses the largest share of life cycle energy use, becoming increasingly dominant as the life span of the building increases. The type of heating system strongly influences the primary energy use and CO₂ emission; a biomass-based system with cogeneration of district heat and electricity achieves low primary energy use and very low CO₂ emissions. Using biomass residues from the wood products chain to substitute for fossil fuels significantly reduces net CO₂ emission. Excluding household tap water and electricity, a negative life cycle net CO₂ emission can be achieved due to the wood-based construction materials and biomass-based energy supply system. This study shows the importance of using a life cycle perspective when evaluating primary energy and climatic impacts of buildings.     

A survey on energy consumption in rural households in the fringes of Xian city

A survey, in the form of a questionnaire, of energy consumption patterns in residential households in the rural fringe of Xian city was undertaken during the winter of 2003/2004. More than 200 households were sampled during the survey. The status of fuel consumption, including the use of biomass fuels for cooking and space heating, was investigated. The types of stoves, purpose of the stove use, and characteristics of the residential houses and residents were also reported and analyzed.The purpose of the survey was to clarify the status of energy consumption and to estimate emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in rural areas of China, from the environmental perspective of climate change and indoor to continental scale air pollution. In rural areas of China, biomass (wood and agricultural waste, such as stalks, corn canes and twigs, branches of wood) is the type of fuel most commonly used. It emits several air pollutants: particulate matter (PM), CO, NMHCs, CH₄ and high levels of black carbon (BC) – a greenhouse effect aerosol, and organic carbon (OC) – a cooling effect aerosol. However, CO₂ emissions from biomass burning are assumed to be zero because of carbon neutrality.From this survey it would then be possible to analyze the fundamentals of emission reduction potential, for air pollutants and greenhouse gases, from the rural household sector in China.     

Performance and emission characteristics of cashew nut shell oil on the CI engine

This article is an effort to address the need for a non-cooking oil-based biodiesel. Here, the experimental work is done on a single cylinder, direct injection CI engine using cashew nut shell oil biodiesel blends under constant speed. The cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) biodiesel is blended with the diesel fuel and used as biodiesel blend. Blends used for testing are B20, B40 and B60. The effect of the fuels on engine power, brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and exhaust gas temperature was determined by performance tests. The influences of blends on CO, CO₂, HC and NO_x emissions were investigated by emission tests. The BTE values of biodiesel are closer to diesel. Compared to diesel, all the biodiesel blends gave lesser unburnt hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke emissions. Slightly higher NO_x emissions were found in CNSL biodiesel blends, which is typical of the other biodiesels.     

轻钢结构建筑物化阶段碳排放及减排的研究

建筑行业碳排放量占社会碳排放总量的40%左右,其中,建筑物化阶段的碳排放总量最大,且强度高,该阶段碳减排是建筑减排的重要突破口。目前,大部分建筑减排研究主要针对传统现浇钢筋混凝土建筑,对于轻钢结构建筑的研究较少,针对轻钢建筑物化阶段碳排放的研究更少。本研究构建了轻钢建筑物化阶段碳排放计算模型,选取北京某轻钢结构建筑为案例,通过计算物化阶段的碳排放,分析建材生产、运输、施工建造各阶段的碳排放,发现轻钢结构建筑在各阶段有较大的减排潜力,并提出相应的减排措施。     

Sustainable development of renewable energy on Wangan Island,Taiwan

This study investigated the potential of achieving energy autonomy in Wangan Island, based on the use of renewable energy. The simulation results of air pollutants indicate that there could be a 30–40% reduction in emissions because of an improvement in energy efficiency. The reduction of CO₂ emissions exceeded 50% in two scenarios of energy integration systems after energy efficiency was improved. Renewables could replace costly diesel for electricity generation on Wangan, and become a successful condition example of sustainable development. Roadmaps are needed for Wangan to scale up its applications of renewables, whether in the power or transportation sectors. This requires support from central government and reform in regulatory arrangements in the energy sector.     

Clean-energy policies and electricity sector carbon emissions in the U.S. states

State governments in the United States have enacted various clean-energy policies to decarbonize electric utilities, diversify energy supplies, and stimulate economic development. With a panel data set for 48 continental states from 1990 to 2008, fixed-effect panel regressions are estimated to test the impacts of clean-energy policies on total carbon emissions, electricity consumption, and carbon intensity. The results indicate that supply-side policy tools, such as RPS and EERS, are negatively correlated with carbon intensity in the electricity sector. More aggressive policies are needed to reduce total carbon emissions.     

Impacts of green deal policies on the Nordic power market

This study analyzes how the Green Deal affects the Nordic electricity and district heat market, considering carbon pricing alone and in combination with policy measures such as a coal phaseout, a renewable target, or an electrification strategy. Our findings show that the Green Deal targets significantly increase CO₂ prices and power price variability. The Green Deal has a minor impact on Nordic electricity production, while a switch to increased power-to-heat is observed in the district heating sector. However, if the EU ETS is supplemented with other policies, generation mix, producer revenues, and CO₂- and power prices are significantly impacted.     

Evidence of supply security and sustainability challenges in Nigeria’s power sector

The increasing mismatch between the demand and supply of power in Nigeria raises concerns about the ability of this country to meet its vital energy security and sustainability targets in a demography-growing environment. This paper assesses how these three factors comove over the long run. While Nigeria provides an illustrative case, a multivariate framework including population dynamics, the demand for electricity, and CO₂ emissions from the power and heating sector is set with actual time-series data spanning the last five decades. Two independent estimation strategies are conducted: a time-series analysis (i.e., Least Squares with breaks regression) is complemented with Machine Learning experiments (i.e., ML Clustering method). In general, both methodologies’ outputs stress the engine role of the population in driving the demand for power over the long run.     

低碳建筑新时代的机遇

资源短缺和人们日益关注碳排放的问题将对与建筑环境相关的各行业产生重大影响。为此,世界各地陆续探究以监管手段、经济上的奖惩、碳交易、碳税等措施处理有关问题。碳交易的运作模式源自美国专为处理地区污染问题而设的碳排放权交易。2009年12月在哥本哈根举行的气候峰会说明了,要达成关于减少CO2排放的全球共识是很困难的。然而,由于城市居民已开始感受到气候变化所带来的影响,这次峰会可能会激发地区或城市采取行动。城市的决策过程往往较国家甚或全球政治组织的决策更为迅速有效。城市大可从其建筑环境入手,为应对气候变化出一份力。外界对建造业有所期望,而建造行业在这个低碳建筑新时代充满机遇。本文探讨的问题还包括政策及订价的配合,以及先行者的机遇。     

Estimation of the carbon footprint of the Galician fishing activity (NW Spain)

The food production system as a whole is recognized as one of the major contributors to environmental impacts. Accordingly, food production, processing, transport and consumption account for a relevant portion of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with any country. In this context, there is an increasing market demand for climate-relevant information regarding the global warming impact of consumer food products throughout the supply chains. This article deals with the assessment of the carbon footprint of seafood products as a key subgroup in the food sector. Galicia (NW Spain) was selected as a case study. The analysis is based on a representative set of species within the Galician fishing sector, including species obtained from coastal fishing (e.g. horse mackerel, Atlantic mackerel, European pilchard and blue whiting), offshore fishing (e.g. European hake, megrim and anglerfish), deep-sea fishing (skipjack and yellowfin tuna), extensive aquaculture (mussels) and intensive aquaculture (turbot).The carbon footprints associated with the production-related activities of each selected species were quantified following a business-to-business approach on the basis of 1 year of fishing activity. These individual carbon footprints were used to calculate the carbon footprint for each of the different Galician fisheries and culture activities. Finally, the lump sum of the carbon footprints for coastal, offshore and deep-sea fishing and extensive and intensive aquaculture brought about the carbon footprint of the Galician fishing activity (i.e., capture and culture). A benchmark for quantifying and communicating emission reductions was then provided, and opportunities to reduce the GHG emissions associated with the Galician fishing activity could be prioritized.     

Impact of energy efficiency measures on the CO2 emissions in the residential sector,a large scale analysis

Like all industrialised countries, Belgium accepted to diminish its greenhouse gas emissions in the frame of the Kyoto agreement. On top of the list figures CO₂. A major emission source for CO₂ is burning fossil fuels. As the residential sector accounts for 28% of the country’s annual energy consumption and as this consumption mainly concerns fossil fuels, it has an equally important share in the CO₂ release. Hence, at first sight, the best policy for a decrease is by improving the energy efficiency. The question to be solved, however, is which improvement could generate the reduction needed?This study discusses a methodology and comments simulations that help in answering that question. The results are not as simple as one should like. The housing stock in fact acts as a conservatory system. For the case being, the impact of energy efficient new construction on the CO₂ release remains quite marginal if the period considered does not extend beyond a decade. The effect becomes significant only over a longer period, on condition that more stringent energy efficiency measures are combined with a shift from new construction to retrofit and reconstruction. Also a diminishing increase in the number of households may help in reducing energy consumption and CO₂ release.