Carbon taxation in Russia: Prospects for a double dividend and improved energy efficiency

This study analyses the sectoral and macroeconomic impact of carbon taxes on the Russian economy, one of the world's most energy- and carbon-intensive economies, while assessing the hypothesis of a double dividend. Substituting carbon taxes for labour taxes can reduce GHG emissions and enhance welfare by improving the efficiency of the tax system — a strong double dividend. The analyses confirm, when capital is not internationally mobile, that a double dividend is likely to occur under (i) a high elasticity of labour supply, (ii) high elasticities of substitution between labour and the capital-energy aggregate, (iii) low elasticities of substitution between capital and energy. It is the tax-shifting effect between capital and labour that is crucial. In contrast, welfare losses resulting from the environmental tax reform may be substantial if capital is internationally mobile.     

PEM water electrolysis: Innovative approaches towards catalyst separation,recovery and recycling

We report the development of a facile recycling process for catalyst coated membranes (CCMs) used in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers. After performance evaluation in an assembled electrolysis cell, ultrasonication is used to provide high-yield recovery of not only the noble-metal catalyst materials, but also of the fluoropolymer membrane itself, without the release of hazardous gases. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electrochemical characterization are used to confirm the retention of catalyst particle size, and of the performance of the recycled CCMs. Furthermore, our projections indicate that, if this approach is widely employed, existing resources of noble metals will prove sufficient for the gigawatt-scale implementation of PEM water electrolyzers. This has profound implications for the achievement of current targets for reducing the consumption of precious metals for applications in electrolyzers, fuel cells and other energy storage devices.     

Energy taxation and the double dividend effect in Taiwan's energy conservation policy—an empirical study using a computable general equilibrium model

Faced with pressure from greenhouse gas reductions and energy price hikes, the Taiwan government is in the process of developing an energy tax regime to reflect environmental external costs and effectively curb energy consumption, as well as mitigate CO₂ emissions through an adequate pricing system. This study utilizes a CGE model to simulate and analyze the economic impacts of the draft Energy Tax Bill and its complementary fiscal measures. Under the assumption of tax revenue neutrality, the use of energy tax revenue generated for the purpose of reducing income tax is the best choice with double dividend effects since it will effectively stimulate domestic consumption and investment, and, consequently, mitigate the negative impacts of the distortionary tax regime. The double dividend effect is less significant, however, when the supplementary measures being used are for government expenditure. Nevertheless, all supplementary measures have effectively reduced energy consumption, which means they have delivered at least the first dividend—in the sense of CO₂ emissions control. It has been verified in this study that having adequate public-finance policy measures is the key to realizing the double dividend effect.     

Energy taxes as a signaling device: An empirical analysis of consumer preferences

This paper presents an econometric study dealing with household demand in Sweden. The main objective is to empirically examine the differences in consumer reaction to the introduction of, or the change, in environmental taxes. Main focus is on environmental taxes as a signaling device. The hypothesis is that the introduction of an environmental tax provides new information about the properties of the directly taxed goods. This in turn may affect consumer preferences for these goods, hence altering the consumption choice. The result from the econometric analysis shows that all goods have negative own-price elasticities, and positive income elasticities. Concerning the signalling effect of environmental taxes the results are somewhat ambiguous. The tax elasticity for energy goods used for heating seems to be significantly higher than the traditional price elasticity, whereas the opposite seems to be the case for energy goods used for transportation.     

Feebates,rebates and gas-guzzler taxes: a study of incentives for increased fuel economy

US fuel economy standards have not been changed significantly in 20 years. Feebates are a market-based alternative in which vehicles with fuel consumption rates above a “pivot point” are charged fees while vehicles below receive rebates. By choice of pivot points, feebate systems can be made revenue neutral. Feebates have been analyzed before. This study re-examines feebates using recent data, assesses how the undervaluing of fuel economy by consumers might affect their efficacy, tests sensitivity to the cost of fuel economy technology and price elasticities of vehicle demand, and adds assessments of gas-guzzler taxes or rebates alone. A feebate rate of $500 per 0.01 gallon per mile (GPM) produces a 16 percent increase in fuel economy, while a $1000 per 0.01 GPM results in a 29 percent increase, even if consumers count only the first 3 years of fuel savings. Unit sales decline by about 0.5 percent but sales revenues increase because the added value of fuel economy technologies outweighs the decrease in sales. In all cases, the vast majority of fuel economy increase is due to adoption of fuel economy technologies rather than shifts in sales.     

Recent advancements of layered double hydroxide heterojunction composites with engineering approach towards photocatalytic hydrogen production: A review

Photocatalytic hydrogen production has been considered as one of the most promising alternatives for providing clean, sustainable, and renewable energy sources. Tremendous investigation and efforts have been devoted to increase the efficiency of the solar to energy conversion of a photocatalyst. Layered double hydroxide (LDH) received scientific attention for its excellent compositional flexibility and controllable morphology, leading to the facile incorporation of the metal species into their layered structure. The unique multi-structure and the tunability of its band gap make LDH more prominent in the field of photocatalysis. This article highlights the recent developments in the fabrication of LDH-based photocatalyst nanocomposites and the engineering approaches for augmenting their photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiency. The thermodynamics and challenges in photocatalytic water splitting are deliberated to understand the pathways to construct efficient semiconductor photocatalysis system. The efficiency enhancement of LDH-based photocatalysts are comprehensively discussed by giving special attention to the heterojunction engineering of type I, type II, p-n junction, Z-scheme, S-scheme, and R-scheme. Fabrication of the hybrid LDH nanocomposites through band gap engineering and metal loading are summarised. The architectural and morphological tuning of LDH-based composite through the construction of the novel core-shell structure and layer-by-layer nanosheets are also demonstrated. Finally, the future recommendations are outlined to provide insights for their development in the photocatalysis field.     

Compressed natural gas vehicles: Motoring towards a cleaner Beijing

This paper first describes the state-of-the-art of compressed natural gas (CNG) technologies and evaluates the market prospects for CNG vehicles in Beijing. An analysis of the natural gas resource supply for fleet vehicles follows. The costs and benefits of establishing natural gas filling stations and promoting the development of vehicle technology are evaluated. The quantity of GHG reduction is calculated. The objective of the paper is to provide information of transfer niche of CNG vehicle and equipment production in Beijing. This paper argues that the development of CNG vehicles is a cost-effective strategy for mitigating both local air pollution and GHG.     

Implementing a practical fuelwood conservation policy: The case of Sri Lanka

Despite the almost universal recognition of the importance of fuelwood conservation and management in developing countries, the formulation and implementation of practical programmes has proved to be difficult. This paper describes the recent experience in Sri Lanka in establishing a National Fuelwood Conservation Programme (NFCP) within the overall context of a national energy strategy (NES). Among the important factors leading to a workable policy consensus were institutional reforms and the use of simple but plausible models to demonstrate the dire consequences of inaction.     

Hydrogen from hydrogen sulfide: towards a more sustainable hydrogen economy

The decomposition of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) with simultaneous hydrogen (H₂) generation offers a sustainable energy production option and an environmental pollution abatement strategy. H₂S is both naturally occurring and human-made. In the future, H₂S production is expected to increase due to increased heavy oil refining. Currently, H₂S is largely converted to sulfur and water using industrial processes such as the Claus process, however, it would be more useful and economical to convert H₂S to sulfur and H₂ instead. H₂ currently comes from the steam reforming of natural gas, which is an energy-intensive process. Because H₂ is a valued commodity and global consumption is expected to increase, alternative sources of H₂ and hydrogen conservation have become topics of active research. Alberta is an especially large consumer of H₂ due to its oil sands processing. H₂ from petroleum-based H₂S sources could be reused in petroleum upgrading, as a partial replacement of steam methane reforming. This review paper highlights some of the methods of H₂S utilization, such as partial oxidation, reformation and decomposition techniques and approaches that convert H₂S to sulfur, water and, more importantly, H₂. To date, almost no technologies exist that are suitable for converting H₂S to sulfur and H₂ for industrial-scale applications. Here, we survey the literature to identify the most promising approach.     

Local communities towards a sustainable energy future: needs and priorities

The local authorities demonstrate their willingness to implement sound local sustainable energy policies, especially through their participation in the Covenant of Mayors (CoM). However, in rural environments, namely areas outside of large cities and towns, fulfilling their CoM commitments, especially as regards the local energy planning at the medium- to long-term scale, can come with very different and sometimes challenging constraints. In this context, the main objective of this paper is the assessment of the local communities’ needs and priorities, so as to identify the key parameters that should be taken into consideration during the development of their Sustainable Energy Action Plan. The adopted approach was implemented in rural communities from four countries (Austria, Croatia, Greece and Portugal). From the results obtained, the need for a methodology, appropriately customised to the rural communities’ characteristics, was determined, addressing especially interested stakeholders who are not ‘experts’ in the field.     

Mobilizing cities towards a low-carbon future: Tambourines,carrots and sticks

In the transition towards a low-carbon future in Europe, cities' actions are of major importance due to the prominence of urbanization, both in terms of population and in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As a result, we need city authorities to act, by using their competences as policy makers as well as energy users. However, cities are still not moving as fast as one might expect, indicating the need for additional incentives to prompt local action. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present an overview of external incentives that might prompt cities to act and to highlight good practices that could be used in future initiatives.This paper first discusses how to evaluate the climate and energy performance of a city and how local authorities can contribute to its improvements. Moreover, it analyses the disincentives that local governments are confronted with, categorizing them as simple market failures, institutional failures and multi-agent failures. The paper then presents a survey of initiatives at national and EU levels to promote local action towards a low-carbon future; grouping them into tambourines, carrots and sticks. We focus on Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden because they are pioneering countries regarding energy policies for cities.     

Policies for the transition towards a hydrogen economy: the EU case

This paper reviews the current EU policy framework in view of its impact on hydrogen and fuel cell development. It screens EU energy policies, EU regulatory policies and EU spending policies. Key questions addressed are as follows: to what extent is the current policy framework conducive to hydrogen and fuel cell development? What barriers and inconsistencies can be identified? How can policies potentially promote hydrogen and fuel cells in Europe, taking into account the complex evolution of such a potentially disruptive technology? How should the EU policy framework be reformed in view of a strengthened and more coherent approach towards full deployment, taking into account recent technology-support activities?     

Green power accounting: Steps towards a European market for renewable electricity

If a member state wishes to comply with its indicative target for renewable electricity by importing it should be allowed to do so. The accounting of imports for the indicative targets is considered as a first step towards a European market for renewable electricity, which leads to a cost efficient compliance of targets set in Europe. In principle this is already possible, even without harmonizing national supporting systems. But in fact some elements of the European directive on renewable electricity (RES-E) need some clarification. Peter Niermeijer, Ecofys, and Rolf de Vos, GreenPrices argue which steps have to be taken in order to facilitate imports of green power.     

Change in public attitudes towards a Cornish wind farm: Implications for planning

While independently conducted polls suggest significant public support for wind energy, there are often objections to particular wind farm developments from the local population which can result in planning permission being declined and a restriction in the ability to meet renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets. The aim of the study was to determine whether the pre-construction opinions held by communities local to a wind farm change after an extended period following commissioning. Residents of St. Newlyn East, Cornwall, England, were asked to recall their opinions of Carland Cross wind farm in 1991 and 2006. Statistically significant changes in opinion were observed for attitudes regarding the wind farm's visual attractiveness and the importance of the energy security it provides. This study continues by exploring potential reasons for this in the context of recent literature on public attitudes towards renewable energy. The findings of this study support the proposals in the 2007 UK White Paper, Planning for a Sustainable Future, for community engagement early in the project process and for the requirement of infrastructure to be debated at the national level.     

Energy sprawl,land taking and distributed generation: towards a multi-layered density

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources is highly desirable to reduce air pollution, and improve energy efficiency and security. Many observers are concerned, however, that the diffusion of systems based on renewable resources may give rise to energy sprawl, i.e. an increasing occupation of available land to build new energy facilities of this kind. These critics foresee a transition from the traditional fossil-fuel systems, towards a renewable resource system likewise based on large power stations and extensive energy grids. A different approach can be taken to reduce the risk of energy sprawl, and this will happen if the focus is as much on renewable sources as on the introduction of distributed renewable energy systems based on micro plants (photovoltaic panels on the roofs of buildings, micro wind turbines, etc.) and on multiple micro-grids. Policy makers could foster local energy enterprises by: introducing new enabling rules; making more room for contractual communities; simplifying the compliance process; proposing monetary incentives and tax cuts. We conclude that the diffusion of innovation in this field will lead not to an energy sprawl but to a new energy system characterized by a multi-layered density: a combination of technology, organization, and physical development.     

下肢缺血性疾病介入治疗的临床疗效分析

【摘要】 目的　 评价下肢动脉缺血性疾病的血管造影诊断价值及介入治疗效果。方法　　　对７５例下肢动脉缺血性疾病患者行下肢动脉血管造影检查,并对检查结果进行评估,测量狭窄段血管的长度及狭窄率,将其中同意行介入治疗的３０例患者（３９条患肢）纳入介入治疗组,治疗使用球囊导管进行扩张,对下肢动脉严重狭窄者行自膨式支架置入术。将拒绝行介入治疗的４５例患者（６０条患肢）纳入保守治疗组,采用内科保守药物治疗。临床随访６　～　３６个月,观察术中血管再通及治疗后患者下肢缺血症状改善情况。对介入治疗组和保守治疗组临床疗效进行比较。结果 介入治疗组技术成功率为１００％,临床有效率为９０．０％,１年内发生再狭窄而导致截肢率为１０．０％;保守治疗组临床有效率为６２．２％,截肢率为３７．８％,两组间差异有统计学意义（Ｐ ＜ ０．０５）。介入治疗组３年开通率为５７．７％,截肢率为２３．１％。结论　　　介入治疗下肢动脉缺血性疾病可明显改善患者临床症状,提高临床有效率,是治疗下肢动脉缺血性疾病的有效方法。
     

Review of trans-Mediterranean power grid interconnection: a regional roadmap towards energy sector decarbonization

Climate change is becoming an important issue in all fields of infrastructure development. Electricity plays a core role in the decarbonized energy system’s path to a regional zero-emission pattern. A well-built trans-Mediterranean backbone grid can hedge the profound evolution of regional power generation, transmission, and consumption. To date, only Turkey and the Maghreb countries(i.e., Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) are connected with the Continental European Synchronous Area. Other south-an...     

Non-alloy Mg anode for Ni-MH batteries: Multiple approaches towards a stable cycling performance

Mg attracts much research interest as anode material for Ni-MH batteries thanks to its lightweight, cost-effectiveness and high theoretical capacity (2200 mA h g^?1). However, its practical application is tremendously challenged by the poor hydrogen sorption kinetics, passivation from aggressive aqueous electrolytes, and insulating nature of MgH₂. Mg-based alloys exhibit enhanced hydrogen sorption kinetics and electrical conductivity, but significant amount of costly transition metal elements are required. In this work, we have, for the first time, utilized non-alloyed but catalyzed Mg as anode for Ni-MH batteries. 5 mol.% TiF₃ was added to nanosized Mg for accelerating the hydrogen sorption kinetics. Several strategies for preventing the problematic passivation of Mg have been studied, including protective encapsulation of the electrode and utilizing room-temperature/high-temperature ionic liquids and an alkaline polymer membrane as working electrolyte. Promising electrochemical performance has been achieved in this Mg–TiF₃ composite anode based Ni-MH batteries with room for further improvements.     

Household energy use: a study investigating viewpoints towards energy efficiency technologies and behaviour

Improving the energy efficiency of our homes presents an excellent opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase thermal comfort. However, a shortfall exists between the full potential and realised adoption of energy efficiency measures, a phenomenon termed the ‘Energy Efficiency Gap’. To better understand the energy efficiency gap, this research identified household viewpoints towards energy and stated preferences towards energy efficiency technologies and behaviour. The research was carried out through interviews and a Q study in the cities of Manchester and Cardiff, alongside a questionnaire. The results revealed a range of nuanced viewpoints, which mapped onto three principal household themes: energy use in terms of the environment, energy in relation to money and apathy towards energy. A key finding was the small number strong correlations between distinct energy viewpoints and specific energy efficiency technologies or behaviours. This result implies that being environmentally aware and actively concerned about energy efficiency does not in itself lead to a stated desire, or even, intention to install energy-efficient technologies. The wider implication is that households that hold proactive energy efficiency viewpoints based on environmental concern may still require specifically targeted incentives to encourage the uptake of energy efficiency measures, i.e. their proactive and environmental beliefs are not alone enough to motivate them to improve the energy efficiency of their home.