A geography-based critique of new US biofuels regulations

Major US electric utility climate pledges have the potential to collectively reduce power sector emissions by one-third

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction in the electricity sector: Implications of increasing renewable energy penetration in Ghana's electricity generation mix

For all its cachet, you might think that hybrid drivetrain technology is inherently green. But only 13 of 34 hybrid vehicles assessed achieve better than a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and just 3 exceed a 40% reduction, according to an evaluation by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).1 Moreover, reductions in GHG emissions do not necessarily correlate with reductions in other toxic emissions. Like any engine output–improving technology, hybrid technology can boost both fuel efficiency and power—but the more you boost one, the less you can boost the other. That dichotomy spurred the UCS to develop its “hybrid scorecard,” which rates each hybrid according to how well it lives up to its promise of reducing air pollution.2 All the vehicles were from model year 2011 except for one, the 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid. First the UCS scored each hybrid on how much it reduced its GHG emissions relative to its conventional counterpart, on a scale of zero (least reduction) to 10 (greatest reduction). These scores reflect the percentage in fuel efficiency gain. For example, the Toyota Prius gets 50 mpg3 compared with 28 mpg for the comparable Toyota Matrix. This represents a 44.0% reduction in GHG emissions, earning the Prius a GHG score of 9.4. At the bottom of the scale, the 21-mpg hybrid VW Touareg reduces GHG emissions only 10% over the 19-mpg conventional Toureg, for a score of 0.0. With a 46% improvement, the luxury Lincoln MKZ Hybrid had the greatest reduction over its conventional counterpart. The UCS also scored hybrids for absolute emissions (rather than relative to the conventional model) of air pollutants including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. These scores, on a scale of zero (dirtiest) to 10 (cleanest), are based on California certifications for tailpipe emissions. As the scorecard showed, a vehicle that emits less heat-trapping gases may not necessarily emit less of other air pollutants. For example, the Mercedes Benz S400 Hybrid scored 9 on air pollution reduction, alongside the Prius and the Lincoln MKZ, but only 1.3 on GHG emissions. HYBRID SCORECARD: Top 10 Nonluxury Hybrids by Total Environmental Improvement Score “Hybrid technology doesn’t add additional challenges [to reducing exhaust pollutants] that can’t be addressed through design of the vehicle’s emission controls,” says Don Anair, senior vehicles analyst at the UCS. “Numerous manufacturers of hybrids are meeting the lowest emissions levels. Hybrid manufacturers who aren’t delivering the lowest smog-forming emissions have chosen not to do so.” Each vehicle’s air pollution and GHG scores were averaged into a total “environmental improvement score,” again with the MKZ and the Prius leading the pack, and the Touareg scraping bottom. The UCS also scored “hybrid value” (the cost of reducing GHG emissions in dollars per percent reduction) and “forced features” (options you must buy with the hybrid whether you want them or not). HYBRID SCORECARD: Top 10 Luxury Hybrids by Total Environmental Improvement Score Luke Tonachel, vehicles analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, compliments the scorecard for illustrating that hybrid technology is not automatically green. He says, “We should improve the efficiency of all vehicles, and [hybrid technology] is just one technology that can get us there if applied with that goal in mind.” Nonetheless, Jamie Kitman, the New York bureau chief for Automobile Magazine, questions the wisdom of emphasizing percentage improvement in gas mileage rather than absolute miles per gallon. At 21 mpg, the hybrid Cadillac Escalade 4WD represents a 29% improvement over the 15-mpg conventional model, saving nearly 2 gallons per 100 miles. But the hybrid Escalade is still a gas guzzler, and Kitman says he wishes people would see through the marketing that encourages them to buy SUVs and “crossovers” rather than ordinary cars, which are more efficient than either. Says Anair, “The scorecard shows that automakers can pair hybrid technology with advanced emission controls to help tackle climate change while reducing the health impacts from breathing polluted air.” However, he adds, alluding to the stark variation in how much hybrid technology boosted fuel efficiency, “Not all automakers are delivering on the full promise of this technology.”

Urban water cycle systems(UWCS), including water treatment facilities, distribution facilities, sewers, and wastewater treatment facilities, are energy intensive and significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making the reduction of GHG emissions and the transition to eco-friendly energy essential. This study identifies specific GHG emission sources at each stage of the UWCS and proposes detailed methods to achieve a 40% reduction in GHG emissions, implement RE100, and attain Net Zero by employing insets and offsets. This study develops scenarios for insets and offsets based on the baseline process of the UWCS, and investigates potential pathways to reduce GHG emissions by quantifying emissions from each process. Internal insets, which are self-implemented and technical measures, are prioritized, while external offsets are applied to compensate for the remaining emissions. Internal insets include the application of anaerobic digesters and combined heat and power(CHP), improvements in energy efficiency of equipment, reduction in water pipe leakage, implementation of water footprint labeling, and installation of on-site photovoltaic system. External offsets comprise renewable energy certificates(REC), power purchase agreements(PPA), green hydrogen fuel for vehicles, natural sequestration improvement, and emission trading system. GHG emissions at each stage within the UWCS are quantified using modeling software. Based on these results, the effectiveness of insets and offsets in achieving a 40% GHG emissions reduction, Net Zero, and RE100 goal is analyzed. The baseline total GHG emissions for the UWCS are estimated at 4,732.8 tCO2eq/yr, of which 56.8% is identified as targets for internal insets, and the remaining 43.2% is reduced through external offsets. A 40% GHG reduction can be achieved through internal insets, and Net Zero can be attained by incorporating additionally applying external offsets. The total power demand of UWCS facilities and equipment is calculated as 572.8 kW. Renewable energy is generated through anaerobic digesters and CHP(116.1kW) as well as on-site PV(395.0 kW), while RE100 compliance is achieved by securing an aditional 61.7 kW through REC/PPA. Achieving Net Zero and RE100 requires prioritizing strategies for insets, offsets and efficient resource allocation. For this, the technical feasibility and self-implementation potential of reduction efforts and the external conditions for offsets, should be carefully reviewed to optimize implementation strategies. GHG reduction and renewable energy utilization in the UWCS are key priorities for addressing the climate crisis and achieving sustainable water resource management, requiring technological innovation and institutional support. The comprehensive and systematic application of GHG insets and offsets is the optimal approach to achieving these goals. Furthermore, modeling software serves as a key tool for quantifying GHG emissions and formulating concrete, viable GHG reduction strategies. In addition to the technical and institutional approaches proposed in this study, achieving Net Zero and implementing RE100 requires the integrated consideration of economic factors in the future.

National and international agreements aim to limit climate change and thus call for a reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to nearly zero. A wide range of technologies promise to reduce the heat demand of buildings and also promote renewable energies. One of these technologies is the use of solid building structures as thermal storage, so called thermally activated building parts or TABS. Thermal simulations of such energy concept for a typical single-family house with 140 m² living space featuring a heat pump, a solar thermal collector and TABS show that the share of solar heat for heat supply can be increased, resulting in a decreased use of the heat pump and thus a lower demand of electric energy. This leads to reduced greenhouse gas emissions and lower operating costs. Furthermore, the simulations show that larger sizes of the TABS and the solar thermal collector lead to lower demand of electric energy. To secure a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and costs over the whole lifecycle of a building also production and dismantling, disposal and recycling must be considered. A Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Analysis shows that TABS in combination with solar heat reduce LCC, expressed as present values, by app. 34%. The reductions are mainly due to the lower operating costs of the heating system. Increasing the size of south-facing solar collectors leads to asymptotically decreasing costs. For the less favourable orientations to the West and East, the optimum size of the collector is between 30 and 40 m², depending on the orientation and the size of the TABS. A minimum size of the TABS must be available, while additional TABS do not lead to further reductions. Also in an ecologic sense, the use of TABS in combination with solar heat is beneficial. The simulations in this research show that the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the whole lifecycle can be reduced by 27%. Again, the reduction mainly results from the decreased demand of electric energy and only slightly higher GHG emissions from the production of the TABS. Larger collector sizes lead to asymptotically reduced GHG emissions, when south facing. In contrast, orientations to the East and West lead to increased GHG emissions as the size of the collector increases. Integrated systems of heat pumps, solar thermal collectors and TABS could also be considered for multi-family housing and other building types. Simulations of LCC and LCA offer a suited means for assessing economic and ecologic impacts of innovative buildings concepts and should be used on a wider scale, ideally in combination.

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">In recognizing the potential for large, damaging impacts from climate change, California enacted Executive Order S-03-05, requiring a reduction in statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Given that the transportation light-duty vehicle (LDV) segment accounts for 28% of the state's GHG emissions today, it will be difficult to meet the 2050 goal unless a portfolio of near-zero carbon transportation solutions is pursued. Because it takes decades for a new propulsion system to capture a large fraction of the passenger vehicle market due to vehicle fleet turn-over rates, it is important to accelerate the introduction of these alternatives to ensure markets enter into early commercial volumes (10,000s) between 2015 and 2020.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph"> This report summarizes the results and conclusions of a modeling exercise that simulated GHG emissions from the LDV sector to 2050 in California. Specifically, the analysis addressed two policy questions: (1) what fraction of the on-road fleet in 2050 needs to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) <sup><span class="xref">1</span></sup> in order for the LDV sector to achieve an 80% GHG reduction, and (2) what annual ZEV sales are necessary between 2015 and 2025 to initiate these fleet volumes? </div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Two scenarios were developed revealing how difficult it will be to achieve this goal. Scenario 1 achieves a 66% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050 using aggressive assumptions. This scenario assumes ZEV sales reach a quarter of a million units annually by 2025 and become 100% of new vehicle sales by 2050. Scenario 2 was developed to show what would be required to achieve the full 80% GHG goal. To achieve this, two key parameters were modified with more aggressive and less certain assumptions. A steeper ZEV sales projection was simulated that achieves half a million ZEVs annually by 2025 and becomes 100% of new vehicle sales by 2040. Additionally, the availability of biofuels was increased to 1.7 billion gallons gasoline equivalent (BGGE), where it was limited to 1 BGGE in Scenario 1.</div></div>

IntroductionRemote digitally-supported care can drive carbon emission reductions, as well as increase access to health and patient comfort. IBD Home®, incorporating a PIFU pathway, minimises face-to-face appointments and relocates testing...

A life-cycle assessment (LCA) of corn ethanol was conducted to determine the reduction in the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of corn ethanol compared to gasoline by integrating biomass fuels in a 190 million liter (50 million gallon) per year dry-grind corn ethanol plant to replace fossil fuels (natural gas and grid electricity). The biomass fuels studied are corn stover and ethanol co-products [dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), and syrup (solubles portion of DDGS)]. The biomass conversion technologies/systems considered are process heat (PH) only systems, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, and biomass integrated gasification combined cycle (BIGCC) systems. The key inventory components of the LCA are corn production, stover production, ethanol production, fertilizer inputs, truck transport, co-product credits, ethanol transport to blending, biomass fuel conversion systems, and combustion of anhydrous ethanol (E100). The life-cycle GHG emission reduction for corn ethanol compared to gasoline (97.7 g CO2e/MJ gasoline) is 42.5% for PH with natural gas, 61.3% for PH with corn stover, 82.2% for CHP with corn stover, 81.6% for IGCC with natural gas, 127.7% for BIGCC with corn stover, and 119.1% for BIGCC with syrup and stover. These GHG emission estimates do not include indirect land use change effects. GHG emission reductions for CHP, IGCC, and BIGCC include power sent to the grid which replaces electricity from coal. BIGCC results in greater reductions in GHG emissions than IGCC with natural gas because biomass is substituted for fossil fuels. In addition, underground sequestration of CO2 gas from the ethanol plant’s fermentation tank could further reduce the life-cycle GHG emission of corn ethanol by 31.5% compared to gasoline.

A study on opportune reduction in greenhouse gas emissions via adoption of electric drive vehicles in light duty vehicle fleets

In persuasion of global commitment of the country on reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission, India’s ‘National Mission on Sustainable Habitat’ has included promotion of energy efficiency in residential and commercial sector and has envisaged that energy use in buildings varies significantly across income groups, building construction typology, climate and several other factors. Though substantial energy savings can be achieved in the housing sector through implementation of various carbon mitigation options, it was stated that the incremental cost of implementing energy efficient measures is estimated to vary between 3 and 5% for residential houses. The challenge before the engineers, architects and other professionals associated with building construction sector is to find out appropriate technologies that will ensure reduction of GHG emission without increasing cost of construction. As majority of construction in government sector will come from construction of small residential house belonging to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) as part of government’s commitment to provide housing for all by 2020, assessment of GHG reduction potential of various cost-effective construction technologies is very essential to provide guidance to the stakeholders. This paper has surveyed various prevalent construction technologies in different parts of the country, analyzed the cost and embodied GHG emission for construction of the building envelope by collecting data through extensive search of literature and information obtained from construction sites. It has been found that there is ample scope of adoption of location-specific, cost-effective and eco-friendly construction technologies for construction of houses for EWS which are capable of reduction of GHG emission without any increase in cost of construction. The technologies can meet the commitment of the country at international level on reduction of GHG emission without any extra burden to state exchequer.

Taking Stock of Strategies on Climate Change and the Way Forward: A Strategic Climate Change Framework for Australia

Supply chain solutions are based on first-mile and last-mile deliveries; their efficiency significantly influences the total cost of operation. Drone technologies make it possible to improve first-mile and last-mile operations, but the design and optimization of these solutions offers new challenges. Within the frame of this article, the author focuses on the impact of integrated first-mile/last-mile drone-based delivery services from trucks, analyzing the impact of solutions on energy efficiency, the environmental impact and sustainability. The author describes a novel model of drone-based integrated first-mile/last-mile services which makes it possible to analyze the impact of different typical solutions on sustainability. As the numerical examples and computational results show, the integrated first-mile-last-mile drone-based service from trucks could lead to a significant reduction in energy consumption and a reduction in virtual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which would lead to a more sustainable logistics system. The numerical analysis of the scenarios shows that the increased application of drones and the integration of first-mile and last-mile delivery operations could decrease energy consumption by about 87%. This reduction in energy consumption, depending on the generation source of electricity, significantly increases the reduction in greenhouse gas emission.

Harmonizing the quantification of CCS GHG emission reductions through oil and natural gas industry project guidelines

Energy efficiency is widely accepted as a tool to achieve reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. And reductions in GHG emissions are necessary in order to control the effects of climate change resulting from increased GHG emissions. With these statements the assemblage that explains the need for energy efficiency is supposedly complete. But that simply is not the case. Energy efficiency is not only pursued for reasons other than GHG emission reductions but is often pursed by actors that actually reject the entire notion of human-caused climate change and/or reject GHG emissions as a cause for climate change. In this paper I explore how and why actual actors decouple energy efficiency from climate change and examine some of the factors actors include in their decisions to pursue energy efficiency that are not related to climate change.

Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands (HFCWs) are capable of eliminating organic matter and nitrogen while emitting less methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) than free water surface flow wetlands. However, the simultaneous removal of pollutants and reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from high-strength wastewater containing high levels of organic matter and ammonium nitrogen (NH4 +-N) has not get been investigated. The influent COD concentration affected the efficiency of nitrogen removal, GHG emissions and the presence of iron from iron ore, but the COD and TP removal efficiencies remained unaffected. CO2 and CH4 fluxes were significantly influenced by influent COD concentrations, whereas less N2O emissions were obtained during 7d. The highest CO2 and CH4 fluxes, along with the GHG emissions, were observed in HFCWs with COD concentrations of 375.6 mg/L and NH4 +-N concentrations of 159.0 mg/L at a COD/N ratio of 2.4. Conversely, the lowest CH4 (–1.72 mg/m2/h) and N2O fluxes (0.13 mg/m2/h) were recorded in HFCWs with COD concentrations of 375.6 mg/L and NH4 +-N concentrations of 162.4 mg/L at a COD/N of 4.5, although nitrogen removal was weak in these HFCWs. HFCWs at a COD/N ratio of 3.6 exhibited greater removal of nitrogen and other pollutants, along with a lower global warming potential (GWP). In conclusion, the concentrations of organic matter and NH4 +-N in wastewater affected both pollutant removal and GHG emissions. The simultaneous enhancement of pollutant removal and the reduction of GHG emissions can be achieved in HFCWs with a COD/N ratio of 3.6.