Energy-Efficient Technologies and Climate Change Policies: Issues and Evidence

Kaya identity for analysis of the main drivers of GHG emissions and feasibility to implement EU “20–20–20” targets in the Baltic States

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

Qatargas is working towards improving operational performance and energy efficiency to reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Qatargas' verified emissions inventory portfolio is providing data and trends, which are facilitating an understanding of key emission sources and areas of concern. This has provided Qatargas with a platform to progress a Technology Assessment Study with the objective of identifying opportunities to reduce GHG emissions through energy efficiency and operational improvements. The Technology Assessment Study included development of a screening criteria based on multiple factors such as indicative capital cost (uninstalled), annual reduction potential in tonnes CO2-e per year, cost savings and indicative marginal abatement cost, technical complexity, commercial demonstration/viability and organizational capability. Based on the above criteria, various technological options were explored to enhance process optimization and improve energy utilization. Thermodynamic analyses of energy processes across operations, mass and energy balances, and subsequent SANKEY diagrams were designed to analyze energy flows and their sinks. Correlation of energy flows and emissions, and use of marginal abatement cost analysis were some of the approaches taken to develop technically and economically feasible options for potential implementation. This paper presents these options and provides details on specific projects of interest which could potentially be implemented to achieve process optimization, enhanced energy efficiency and reduced GHG emissions. Introduction GHG emissions are becoming more closely linked to climate change in the minds of the public, stakeholders and regulatory agencies thus motivating companies to reassess their operations, become more energy efficient and reduce GHG emissions so as to positively contribute towards mitigating the effects of climate change. Qatargas understands that its operations contribute to the overall GHG emissions of the State of Qatar and that proactive action is required to manage these emissions. In this context, Qatargas has developed a GHG Management Strategy. The details of this strategy have been provided in a previously published paper (1). An overview of Qatargas' facilities and details on the Technology Assessment Study conducted as part of Phase 3 of Qatargas' GHG Management Strategy are provided below. Qatargas Facilities Overview Established in 1984, Qatargas pioneered the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry in Qatar and is the largest LNG producing company in the world, delivering 42 million tonnes per annum (MTA) of LNG worldwide from its production facilities in Qatar (see Table 1 for a breakdown of Qatargas LNG facilities per operating asset). Qatargas also operates a condensate refinery (Laffan Refinery) with a daily capacity to process ~146,000 barrel streams per day (BSPD) of condensate feed to produce kerojet, naptha, gasoil and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). Additionally, Qatargas operates common product storage and loading facilities on behalf of other end users within Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC) as part of its Ras Laffan Terminal Operations (RLTO).

Update of indicators for climate change mitigation in Greece

Increasing energy and protein use efficiency improves opportunities to decrease land use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions from dairy production

This paper aims to share the journey of Carbon Footprint reduction in Exploration and Production (E&P) in reducing carbon emissions on operated assets through the implementation of a Real-Time tool for Monitoring Green House Gases (GHG) Emissions and Energy Efficiency (EE). The objectives are to improve the processes efficiencies, track and aid to reduce the total emissions. The solution was designed to monitor GHG key sources using available real time data within facilities. It starts by tracking emissions coming from energy usage through fuel gas combustion and then addresses emissions resulting from energy loss, such as flaring, venting and liquid fuels. The tool has been successfully deployed across 34 operated sites, allowing the tracking of approximately 85% of GHG emissions from Scope 1 & 2 within the E&P Operated Assets’ perimeter. The implemented solution follows a highly standardized and scalable approach. A model is built once and then applied to hundreds of equipment and assets. Once deployed, the model continuously provides real-time data derived from calculations, analyses, and Key Performance Indicator (KPIs). These products increase operational efficiency and help decision-making process regarding emissions reduction. Additionally, transparency and traceability are ensured by granting users access to all data and calculation. The tool uses different inputs such as fluid composition, process design data and operating parameters. It delivers a comprehensive overview of emissions and performance, ranging from individual equipment to site and country levels. The solution also eases benchmarking carbon footprint in different systems and identifies corrective and mitigation actions for both design and operational philosophy. Furthermore, it allows to establish a relationship between GHG and Energy efficiency based on potential optimization to be carried-out on significant energy users. Headquarters and operating centers consistently rely on the solution's displays, which present performance indicators for daily discussions and used in operational decision-making. This solution enables operators to identify poorly performing equipment and capture undesired process deviations as well as metering inaccuracies that contribute to GHG emissions. As a result, these indicators improve operational excellence and revenues, while minimizing the environmental impact of our activities. The paper discusses the implementation process, highlights the capabilities of the digital tool, and demonstrates its value through use cases where a positive impact both GHG reduction and improved energy efficiency was measured. By leveraging existing resources and valorizing field data and software, we have successfully transformed our operational practices and brought them to higher standards in terms of environmental performance and lower carbon intensity.

Energy efficiency is concerned with the ratio of benefits gained from an energy related operation or activity in comparison to the actual energy utilized in deriving that benefits. In essence energy efficiency means doing more with less energy and it involves all aspects of energy production This study investigated energy efficiency as a key driver of environmental sustainability in oil and gas sector in Nigeria. Inefficiency in energy use has brought a significant negative impact by increasing cost of production and emission of green house gases. The implications of this is that the cost of oil and gas operations will be high thereby reducing the profitability and increasing emission by green house gases. The study methodology used literature review and case study of other countries with focus on the oil and gas sector. The findings revealed that energy consumption in oilfields found significant potential for reducing costs through energy efficiency improvements and contributing to climate change mitigation through reducing green house gases emissions. Moreover, reducing oilfield energy costs reduced the overall cost of oil production. Efficiency gains lead to reduced emission, simply changes to field equipment or operating procedures can yield major efficiency gains in oil and gas operation. It is concluded the adoption of energy efficiency in energy intensive sectors with huge carbon foot print such as oil and gas sector will serve to decarbonize the economy and accelerate the nation towards climate change mitigation and sustainable development. The key to increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental costs is having the right drivers through education, policy and legislation, financial incentives and technological advances. These drivers need to be integrated with both management and technology of the business to drive down cost. It will be crucial for oil and gas companies to improve energy efficiency in all the production process.

Climate change mitigation policies involve a combination of strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These strategies include transitioning to renewable energy sources, implementing taxation policies to discourage carbon-intensive activities, and enhancing energy efficiency across various sectors. In this study, an analysis covering the period between 1988 and 2022 was conducted to evaluate Türkiye's climate change mitigation policies. In this analysis, kernel based least squares, which is a machine learning method, and quantile regression techniques were used for estimation. It is concluded that environmental taxes, one of the variables in the model, reduce carbon emissions in line with the literature. Renewable energy is also a useful tool for reducing carbon emissions. The other variables, energy efficiency and per capita energy use, are found to increase carbon emissions. In the literature, the idea of using environmental tax revenues for energy efficiency investments is often emphasized. However, the results of energy efficiency in Türkiye are contrary to expectations. This means that climate change mitigation and adaptation policies will not have the same results in all countries and these policies should be determined according to local conditions. While determining climate change policies in Türkiye, alternative policies related to energy consumption should be discussed due to the negative effects of energy efficiency and per capita energy use.

Energy-related GHG emission in agriculture of the European countries: An application of the Generalized Divisia Index

Energy-related activities are a major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A growing body of knowledge clearly depicts the links between human activities and climate change. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil and other human activities has released carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other heat-trapping GHG emissions into the atmosphere and thus increased the concentration of atmospheric CO2 emissions. The main human activities that emit CO2 emissions are (1) the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity, accounting for about 37% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 31% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, (2) the combustion of fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel to transport people and goods, accounting for about 31% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 26% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, and (3) industrial processes such as the production and consumption of minerals and chemicals, accounting for about 15% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 12% of total ...

Assessing the energy cycle and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of wheat production in small Egyptian farms is essential to improve wheat productivity to meet population growth and achieve sustainable development. This study aims to compare wheat production in terms of energy use and GHG emissions for different scenarios in the Delta of Egypt and to use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to optimize the wheat production system. Three common scenarios of the wheat production system (S-I, S-II, and S-III) from old lands with one scenario (S-IV) from newly reclaimed land were included in the study. Data were collected from small farmers through a face-to-face questionnaire and interviews in 2022–2023. The results showed that the third scenario (S-III) in the old lands had the lowest input energy consumption (42,555 MJ ha−1) and the highest output energy (160,418 MJ ha−1), with an energy use efficiency of 3.770. In comparison, the input and output energy for the newly reclaimed scenario (S-IV) were 37,575 and 130,581 MJ ha−1, respectively, with an energy use efficiency of 3.475. S-III was an optimum scenario due to its high energy indicators, such as energy productivity of 0.173 kg MJ−1. The total GHG emissions of S-III were the lowest in old lands with a value of 1432.9 kg CO2-eq ha−1, while S-IV had 1290.2 kg CO2-eq ha−1. The highest GHG emissions input was diesel fuel for machinery and irrigation, followed by manure, chemical fertilizers, and agricultural machinery use. Using mechanization in most farming operations for S-III and S-IV led to decreased losses of agricultural inputs with increasing outputs (yield and straw). Therefore, using them in wheat farming practices is recommended to increase the wheat farming system’s energy efficiency and GHG emissions.

Addressing the challenge of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a critical priority in global efforts to combat climate change. The primary aim is to assess the relationship between energy intensity, private investments in energy, renewable energy consumption, export-related factors, and their influence on CO2 and GHG emissions in Turkey. The study employs a multi-level approach using correlation and regression analyses to explore the impact of the selected variables. A Bayesian correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the strength of relationships between variables, and a regression model was used to test the significance of each factor. Data were gathered from official sources on energy intensity, renewable energy consumption, private investments in energy, and export-related variables in Turkey from 2007 to 2022. The study employed the JASP statistical software. The analysis showed that energy intensity and private energy investments are the most significant predictors of CO2 and GHG emissions. Energy intensity exhibited a strong negative correlation with CO2 emissions per capita (r = -0.717, BF₁₀ = 10.456) and GHG emissions (r = -0.802, BF₁₀ = 44.224), highlighting the critical role of energy efficiency in reducing emissions. Renewable energy consumption also played a role, though its influence was less pronounced than energy efficiency and investment. Based on the findings, it is recommended that policymakers prioritize energy efficiency improvements and create incentives for private investment in renewable energy technologies. Future studies should focus on sector-specific energy efficiency improvements and policy frameworks to enhance private sector engagement in clean energy initiatives.

Imposing versus Enacting Commitments for the Long‐Term Energy Transition: Perspectives from the Firm

Annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from residential energy use in the United States peaked in 2005 at 1.26 Gt CO2-eq yr−1, and have since decreased at an average annual rate of 2% yr−1 to 0.96 Gt CO2-eq yr−1 in 2019. In this article we decompose changes in US residential energy supply and GHG emissions over the period 1990–2015 into relevant drivers for four end-use categories. The chosen drivers encompass changing demographics, housing characteristics, energy end-use intensities, and generation efficiency and GHG intensity of electricity. Reductions in household size, growth in heated floor area per house, and increased access to space cooling are the main drivers of increases in energy and GHG emissions after population growth. Growing shares of newer homes, and reductions in intensity of energy use per capita, household, or floor area have produced moderate primary energy and GHG emission reductions, but improved generation efficiency and decarbonization of electricity supply have brought about far bigger primary energy and GHG emission reductions. Continued decline of residential emissions from electrification of residential energy and decarbonization of electricity supply can be expected, but not fast enough to limit climate change to 1.5 °C warming. US residential final energy demand will therefore need to decline in absolute terms to meet such a target. However, without changes in the age distribution, type mix, or average size of housing, improvements in energy efficiency are unlikely to outweigh growth in the number of households from population growth and further household size reductions.

Unravelling the potential of energy efficiency in the Colombian oil industry