A carbon footprint analysis of renewable energy technology adoption in the modal substitution of high-speed rail for short-haul air travel in Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study presents a carbon footprint analysis of renewable energy technology adoption in the modal substitution of high-speed rail for short-haul air travel in Australia. The carbon footprint analysis of renewable energy technology adoption in such modal substitution establishes the efficacy of various renewable energy technologies in assisting CO2 emissions reduction on the Sydney–Melbourne city pair. Renewable energy technology efficacy, captured in the presented low-carbon pathways for high-speed transportation, provides an indication as to the CO2 emissions reduction potential of the technologies under consideration and their impact upon the environmental performance of the air and high-speed rail modes. These low-carbon pathways displayed a reduction in annual CO2 emissions throughout the longitudinal period ranging from moderate to significant. Furthermore, this study examines the cumulative effects of the considered renewable energy technologies upon the annual CO2 emissions production of the high-speed transportation system. A reduction of 56%–69% in annual life cycle CO2 emissions demonstrated the powerful mitigation potential of a combined air and high-speed rail transportation system in conjunction with renewable energy technologies adoption and a modal shift of 60%. Given this significant mitigation potential, the hybridization of the air and high-speed rail transportation systems with associated renewable energy technologies is considered. The effect of such hybridization would result in the formation of an integrated low-carbon, high-speed transportation system underpinned by the concept of “sustainable mobility” at the national level.