The energy policy of the Republic of Cyprus

This paper presents the energy policy of the Republic of Cyprus government controlled areas from 1960 till 2006. It describes the sectors of electricity, petroleum, natural gas and renewable energy sources. It also deals with the marine layers of oil and with environmental aspects.     

Olympic Games promote the reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases in Beijing

Global climate change is one of the most serious global environmental problems faced by humankind at present. Serious attention should be paid and precautions should be taken before disasters occur. The amount of CO₂ emissions in China has increased during the past few years and the Chinese government and people have attached great importance to this phenomenon and treated it seriously. With the instruction of scientific development viewpoint, Beijing has made significant progress in emissions reduction through technological innovation, industrial structure adjustment, promoting energy efficiency and utilization of renewable energy, and absorption of CO₂ using forest and wetland, since bidding for Olympic Games. At the same time, energy conservation and emissions reduction measures taken in the construction of Beijing Olympic stadiums just incarnate the Beijing Green Olympics.     

Policies to reduce energy use and environmental emissions in the transport sector : A case of Delhi city

This paper aims to analyze factors influencing energy consumption pattern and emission levels in the transport sector of Delhi, and extrapolates total energy demand and the vehicular emissions, using a computer-based software called ‘Long Range Energy Alternative Planning’ (LEAP) and the associated ‘Environmental Database (EDB)’. The study is restricted to passenger modes of transport in Delhi and does not include the freight model. Travel demand is first estimated by analyzing data on vehicle population, average distance travelled, and occupancy level. Next, data on travel demand, proportion of travel demand catered by road and rail, modal split, occupancy and fuel efficiency are compiled within the LEAP framework, in order to estimate the energy demand in Delhi. In addition, emission factors are compiled under EDB module of the LEAP structure to estimate the resultant pollution loading. The LEAP model is run under five alternative scenarios to estimate the current consumption of gasoline and diesel oil in Delhi and forecast the same for the years 1994/1995, 2000/2001, 2004/2005 and 2009/2010, respectively. Under each scenario, the model also estimates emissions of CO, HC, NO_x, SO₂, Pb and TSP. The total emissions are translated into concentration levels attributable to the passenger transport to get an indication of air quality in Delhi. This is accomplished by the use of proportional air quality model. Finally, scenario results are analyzed to study the impact of different urban transport policy initiatives that will reduce the growth of fuel demand and emissions. The prime objective is to arrive at an optimal transport policy that limits the future growth of fuel consumption as well as air pollution.     

Reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from global dairy processing facilities

Global butter, concentrated milk, and milk powder products use approximately 15% of annual raw milk production. Similar to cheese and fluid milk, dairy processing of these products can be energy intensive. In this paper, we analyzed production and energy data compiled through extensive literature reviews on butter, concentrated milk, milk and whey powder processing across various countries and plants. Magnitudes of national final and primary specific energy consumption (SEC) exhibited large variations across dairy products; in addition, the final SEC of individual plants and products exhibited significant variations within a country and between countries. Furthermore, we quantified national energy intensity indicators (EIIs) accounting for dairy product mixes and technological advancement. The significant variations of SEC and EII values indicate a high degree of likelihood that there is significant potential for energy savings in the global dairy processing industry. Based upon the study samples, we estimate potential energy savings for dairy processing industry in selected countries, and estimates annual reduction of 9–14 million metric-ton carbon-equivalent¹ could be achieved if measures are implemented to lower SEC values by 50–80% in half of global dairy plants. The paper calls for publication of more energy data from the dairy processing industry.     

An energy development strategy for the USSR Minimizing greenhouse gas emissions

The second largest national consumer of commercial energy in the world, the USSR also emits large quantities of energy-related CO₂. This study uses four long-term scenarios of energy use and related emissions to investigate opportunities for reducing the USSR's greenhouse gas emissions over the next 30 years. This paper shows that if no measures are taken to control these emissions, CO₂ and methane will increase by 1.5 to 2 times the 1990 level by the year 2020. However, this growth can be restrained dramatically through structural changes in the Soviet economy, improved energy efficiency and interfuel substitutions. Abating emissions of carbon in the USSR would entail the widespread implementation of energy policies and, for more substantial reductions, higher investments from the Soviet economy. Achieving these goals would also require broad support from the international community.     

The contribution of foreign direct investment to clean energy use,carbon emissions and economic growth

The paper investigates the contributions of foreign direct investment (FDI) net inflows to clean energy use, carbon emissions, and economic growth. The paper employs cointegration tests to examine a long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables and fixed effects models to examine the magnitude of FDI contributions to the other variables. The paper analyzes panel data of 19 nations of the G20 from 1971 to 2009. The test results indicate that FDI has played an important role in economic growth for the G20 whereas it limits its impact on an increase in CO₂ emissions in the economies. The research finds no compelling evidence of FDI link with clean energy use. Given the results, the paper discusses FDI's potential role in achieving green growth goals.     

Life cycle analysis of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for road transportation fuels in China

Life cycle analysis is considered to be a valuable tool for decision making towards sustainability. Life cycle energy and environmental impact analysis for conventional transportation fuels and alternatives such as biofuels has become an active domain of research in recent years. The present study attempts to identify the most reliable results to date and possible ranges of life cycle fossil fuel use, petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions for various road transportation fuels in China through a comprehensive review of recently published life cycle studies and review articles. Fuels reviewed include conventional gasoline, conventional diesel, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, wheat-derived ethanol, corn-derived ethanol, cassava-derived ethanol, sugarcane-derived ethanol, rapeseed-derived biodiesel and soybean-derived biodiesel. Recommendations for future work are also discussed.     

Policies to reduce energy use and carbon emissions in the UK

The UK differs from may other industrialized nations in that its carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from energy use have declined in recent years despite relatively rapid economic growth. In all sectors but transport, substantial reductions have already occurred in the level of carbon emissions per unit of GDP output. At the same time, a number of official and unofficial studies have pointed out that the UK has one of the largest remaining potentials amongst comparable industrialized countries for achieving further CO₂ reductions through the implementation of cost-effective energy efficiency and fuel switching measures. This paper discusses past and present patterns of energy use and carbons emissions in the UK. The analysis then examines historical trends in UK energy policy and presents policy options for further reducing the UK's energy-use and carbon emissions in the future.     

Reducing the fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions of the US vehicle fleet

The unrelenting increase in the consumption of oil in the US light-duty vehicle fleet (cars and light trucks) presents an extremely challenging energy and environmental problem. A variety of propulsion technologies and fuels have the promise to reduce petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. Even so, achieving a noticeable reduction on both fronts in the near term will require rapid penetration of these technologies into the vehicle fleet, and not all alternatives can meet both objectives simultaneously. Placing a much greater emphasis on reducing fuel consumption rather than improving vehicle performance can greatly reduce the required market penetration rates. Addressing the vehicle performance–size–fuel consumption trade-off should be the priority for policymakers rather than promoting specific vehicle technologies and fuels.     

ACROPOLIS: An example of international collaboration in the field of energy modelling to support greenhouse gases mitigation policies

Energy models are considered as valuable tools to assess the impact of various energy and environment policies. The ACROPOLIS initiative, supported by the European Commission and the International Energy Agency, used up to 15 energy models to simulate and evaluate selected policy measures and instruments and then compare their impacts on energy systems essentially in terms of costs of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction and energy technology choice. Four case studies are formulated considering policies and measures on renewable portfolio schemes and internationally tradable green certificates, emissions trading and global GHG abatement target, energy efficiency standards and internalisation of external costs. The main focus of the project is on the electricity sector. From a large set of quantified results, ACROPOLIS provides an international scientific consensus, on some key issues, which could be useful in assessing and designing energy and environment policies at the world, European and national/regional levels. It concludes that the Kyoto targets (and their continuation beyond 2010 in specific scenarios) could be achieved at a cost around 1% of GDP through global emissions trading, indicating also that this flexibility mechanism is a more cost-effective instrument for GHG mitigation than meeting the goal domestically without trade. It demonstrates that internalising external costs through a price increase reduces local pollutants (SO_x, NO_x, and others) and it produces other benefits such as triggering the penetration of clean technologies in addition to the curbing of CO₂ emissions.     

Comparison of well-to-wheels energy use and emissions of a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle relative to a conventional gasoline-powered internal combustion engine vehicle

The operation of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEVs) is more efficient than that of gasoline conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), and produces zero tailpipe pollutant emissions. However, the production, transportation, and refueling of hydrogen are more energy- and emissions-intensive compared to gasoline. A well-to-wheels (WTW) energy use and emissions analysis was conducted to compare a HFCEV (Toyota Mirai) with a gasoline conventional ICEV (Mazda 3). Two sets of specific fuel consumption data were used for each vehicle: (1) fuel consumption derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) window-sticker fuel economy figure, and (2) weight-averaged fuel consumption based on physical vehicle testing with a chassis dynamometer on EPA's five standard driving cycles. The WTW results show that a HFCEV, even fueled by hydrogen from a fossil-based production pathway (via steam methane reforming of natural gas), uses 5%–33% less WTW fossil energy and has 15%–45% lower WTW greenhouse gas emissions compared to a gasoline conventional ICEV. The WTW results are sensitive to the source of electricity used for hydrogen compression or liquefaction.     

Taming of the few—The unequal distribution of greenhouse gas emissions from personal travel in the UK

Greenhouse gas emissions from personal transport have risen steadily in the UK. Yet, surprisingly little is known about who exactly is contributing to the problem and the extent to which different groups of the population will be affected by any policy responses. This paper describes an innovative methodology and evaluation tool for profiling annual greenhouse gas emissions from personal travel across all modes of travel. A case study application of the methodology involving a major survey of UK residents provides an improved understanding of the extent to which individual and household travel activity patterns, choice of transport mode, geographical location, socio-economic and other factors impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Air and car travel dominate overall emissions. Conversely, land-based public transport accounts for a very small proportion of emissions on average. There is a highly unequal distribution of emissions amongst the population, independent of the mode of travel, location and unit of analysis. The top 10% of emitters are responsible for 43% of emissions and the bottom 10% for only 1%. Income, economic activity, age, household structure and car availability significantly influence emissions levels. Key policy implications of the results are discussed. The paper concludes by suggesting potential applications of the methodology and evaluation tool.     

The unrecognized contribution of renewable energy to Europe's energy savings target

We show that renewable energy contributes to Europe's 2020 primary energy savings target. This contribution, which is to a large extent still unknown and not recognized by policy makers, results from the way renewable energy is dealt with in Europe's energy statistics. We discuss the policy consequences and argue that the ‘energy savings’ occurring from the accounting of renewable energy should not distract attention from demand-side energy savings in sectors such as transport, industry and the built environment. The consequence of such a distraction could be that many of the benefits from demand-side energy savings, for example lower energy bills, increase of the renewable energy share in energy consumption without investing in new renewable capacity, and long-term climate targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80%, will be missed. Such distraction is not hypothetical since Europe's 2020 renewable energy target is binding whereas the 2020 primary energy savings target is only indicative.     

Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy balances of sugarcane ethanol production in Mexico

The purpose of this work was to estimate GHG emissions and energy balances for the future expansion of sugarcane ethanol fuel production in Mexico with one current and four possible future modalities. We used the life cycle methodology that is recommended by the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which distinguished the following five system phases: direct Land Use Change (LUC); crop production; biomass transport to industry; industrial processing; and ethanol transport to admixture plants. Key variables affecting total GHG emissions and fossil energy used in ethanol production were LUC emissions, crop fertilization rates, the proportion of sugarcane areas that are burned to facilitate harvest, fossil fuels used in the industrial phase, and the method for allocation of emissions to co-products. The lower emissions and higher energy ratios that were observed in the present Brazilian case were mainly due to the lesser amount of fertilizers applied, also were due to the shorter distance of sugarcane transport, and to the smaller proportion of sugarcane areas that were burned to facilitate manual harvest. The resulting modality with the lowest emissions of equivalent carbon dioxide (CO_2e) was ethanol produced from direct juice and generating surplus electricity with 36.8 kgCO_2e/GJ_ethanol. This was achieved using bagasse as the only fuel source to satisfy industrial phase needs for electricity and steam. Mexican emissions were higher than those calculated for Brazil (27.5 kgCO_2e/GJ_ethanol) among all modalities. The Mexican modality with the highest ratio of renewable/fossil energy was also ethanol from sugarcane juice generating surplus electricity with 4.8 GJ_ethanol/GJ_fossil.     

The efficient use of energy: Tracing the global flow of energy from fuel to service

The efficient use of energy is a key component of current efforts to reduce carbon emissions. There are two factors which are important when assessing the potential gains from energy efficiency technologies: the scale of energy flow and the technical potential for improvement. However, most efficiency analyses consider only the potential gains from known efficiency technologies, while ignoring the complex flow of energy through the chains of conversion devices. In response, this paper traces the global flow of energy, from fuels through to the final services, and focuses on the technical conversion devices and passive systems in each energy chain. By mapping the scale and complexity of global energy flow, the technical areas which are likely to deliver the largest efficiency gains can be identified. The result is a more consistent basis for directing future research and policy decisions in the area of energy efficiency.     

The iterative contribution and relevance of modelling to UK energy policy

This paper discusses the iterative provision of modelling insights on long-term decarbonisation scenarios for UK energy policy makers. A multi-year model construction process of the UK MARKAL-Macro-hybrid energy-economic model, and four subsequent major policy analyses illustrates the scope of this interaction. The initial set of modelling runs focused on the technical feasibility of long-term 60% carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction scenarios, the role of key technologies, and the underlying uncertainties. Furthermore subsequent modelling studies were aimed to generate insights on more stringent targets, and on issues and uncertainties that may make targets harder to achieve. Hence, this paper analyses the large number of long-term UK CO₂ reduction scenarios through a clustering approach on target stringency and barriers to implementation. Robust findings and key uncertainties are highlighted, including the critical role of the power sector, trade-offs between resources, sectors, key energy technologies and behavioural responses, and the increasing level and spread of CO₂ marginal prices and GDP impacts. The relevance and use of modelling insights to the UK energy policy process is shown in the continuation of the energy modelling–policy interface. This constitutes both ongoing model development, and nuanced scenario analysis designed to further explore key uncertainties in evolving policy issues.     

The Chinese nonferrous metals industry—energy use and CO2 emissions

China is the largest nonferrous metals producer in the world and largest consumer for six kinds of common nonferrous metals including copper, aluminum, zinc, lead, nickel and tin. This paper provides an overview of the nonferrous metals industry in China, from a CO₂ emissions reduction perspective. It addresses energy use disaggregated by energy carrier and by province. It focuses on an analysis of energy efficiency in the production of aluminum, copper and nickel. A few large-scale enterprises produce most of the aluminum, copper and nickel in China, and use manufacturing facilities that were built within the last 20 years or have recently upgraded their main production equipment and processes. The energy efficiency of these operations is not particularly low compared to international practice. A large number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) operate nonferrous metals production facilities which rank low in energy efficiency and therefore are highly energy intensive per unit of physical output. Backward production capacity would be phased out continuously by enforcing the energy intensity norms.     

Life cycle energy and greenhouse emissions analysis of wind turbines and the effect of size on energy yield

Wind turbines, used to generate renewable energy, are typically considered to take only a number of months to produce as much energy as is required in their manufacture and operation. With a life expectancy of upwards of 20 years, the energy produced by wind turbines over their life can be many times greater than that embodied in their production. Many previous life cycle energy studies of wind turbines are based on methods of assessment now known to be incomplete. These studies may underestimate the energy embodied in wind turbines by more than 50%, potentially overestimating the energy yield of those systems and possibly affecting the comparison of energy generation options. With the increasing trend towards larger scale wind turbines, comes a respective increase in the energy required for their manufacture. It is important to consider whether or not these increases in wind turbine size, and thus embodied energy, can be adequately justified by equivalent increases in the energy yield of such systems. This paper presents the results of a life cycle energy and greenhouse emissions analysis of two wind turbines and considers the effect of wind turbine size on energy yield. The issue of incompleteness associated with many past life cycle energy studies is also addressed. Energy yield ratios of 21 and 23 were found for a small and large scale wind turbine, respectively. The embodied energy component was found to be more significant than in previous studies, emphasised here due to the innovative use of a hybrid embodied energy analysis approach. The life cycle energy requirements were shown to be offset by the energy produced within the first 12 months of operation. The size of wind turbines appears to not be an important factor in optimising their life cycle energy performance.     

Prospects of India's energy and emissions for a long time frame

For any nation, sector-wise forecasts of energy demand and emissions are becoming valuable elements in devising its national and international policies relating to energy security, local environment, and global climate change. It is in this context that this work attempts to forecast India's possible energy demands and emissions adopting a key indicator approach on least cost generation expansion optimization methodology for a long time frame. This study developed key indicators for useful-energy demand for end-use sectors such as industry, commerce, and residence. Key indicators for transport sector and non-energy use sectors were developed on transport mobility demand and end-use fuel demand. The main drivers of these key indicators are socio-economic parameters. This work was conducted in a linear programmed (LP) TIMES G5 model on TIMES modeling framework for model horizon of 1990–2100. By the end of the 21st-century, India's energy demands are projected to be about 1825 Mtoe of primary energy, 1263 Mtoe of final energy consumption, 4840 TWh of electricity generations, 723 Mtoe of energy import, and 4414 Mt of CO₂ emissions.     

Technologies and costs of SO2-emissions reduction for the energy sector

The emissions limits, which are currently harder to meet than a few years ago, foster energy sector entrepreneurs to consider the possibilities of economically efficient emissions-reductions at their power plants. Within this paper the main methods of sulphur dioxide reduction will be described. The second problem considered in this paper is related to the economic aspect of emissions reduction. The choice of the method is often based on the comparison of costs associated with the appropriate methods. Therefore, for the technologies described, the average reduction costs will be presented and the most efficient way will be highlighted.