Carbon-intensive Technologies Research Articles

Decarbonization In the Steel Industry, Resource Management and Environmental Impact Assessment

The steel industry, as one of the basic global industries, plays a very important role in the production of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. Considering the necessity of the global decarbonization process and the big challenges facing the steel sector in Iran, the stakeholders must discover ways to achieve the decarbonisation of the Iranian steel sector. In this context, we present an initial exploration of this perspective, where the general focus is towards using suitable substitute materials, using more scrap steel and changing existing recycling methods to remove more impurities (e.g., vehicle disassembly). instead of crushing them, which challenges material separation). better design and material substitution; increasing energy efficiency; Changing carbon-intensive technologies to net zero; etc., which have the potential to accelerate the transition towards decarbonization of steel and thus strengthen and promote the vital process of decarbonization in the steel sector. New technologies are being developed that will significantly reduce carbon emissions in the iron and steel sector. Ways in which the uptake of more sustainable technology can be stimulated, including their orientation.

Too big to succeed? Institutional inertia in low-carbon district heating experiment

The energy transitions are in an acceleration phase, where less carbon intensive technologies emerge, but their applicability is uncertain creating a need for real-life experimentation. Cities have become a focal context, where novel constellations of technologies and practices are introduced to reconfigure patterns of production and consumption. One area of urban energy governance gaining increasing attention especially in a Northern context is the low carbon transition in district heating systems that provide the majority of heating in the residential sector and has been primarily built around combustion technologies relying on fossil energy reserves. This article analyses a bidirectional low heat experiment in district heat in Finland by examining what are the dimensions of institutional inertia and how it impacts the reconfiguration of an urban energy system. Institutional inertia emerges from the technical innovation itself, land-use planning practices, the absence of formal regulations and via organisational inertia in the implementation of the experiment. We find that visions about the innovation can become constraints of the experiment, which limit learning and reshaping of innovation, thus preventing radical transformation of the district heating system and watering down the initial target of the experiment. We contribute to the conceptualisation of institutional inertia within the energy transition.

Of hopeful narratives and historical injustices – An analysis of just transition narratives in European coal regions

In recent years, the public discourse on the phase-out of carbon-intensive technologies and practices has come to a near consensus that a “just transition” is required. Yet, this term seems to have as many meanings as there are stakeholders using it. The purpose of this paper is to unpack the different meanings that regional stakeholders assign to it and the underlying dimensions of in(justice) that they invoke in their political communication.To this end, we employ a policy narrative analysis to study and compare the political discourse in four European coal and carbon-intensive mining regions: Ida-Virumaa (Estonia, oil shale), the Rhenish mining region (Germany, lignite), Upper Silesia (Poland, hard coal) and Western Macedonia (Greece, lignite). Specifically, we address the following research questions: Which narratives are characterising the political discourse around just transition? Which (in)justices are being invoked? Which patterns, similarities or differences are recognizable between regions?We found that hopeful narratives describing structural change as an opportunity to reinvent the region are prevalent in all regions. Strong narratives of resistance only prevail in Upper Silesia and Ida-Virumaa where a phase-out decision has not yet been adopted. In terms of injustices, we find surprisingly little evidence that injustices related to the immediate effects of the transformation (e.g. lay-offs and compensation for workers and companies) play an important role. Instead, the aspects related to the historical injustices produced by the legacy industrial system prevail. And perhaps most importantly, questions about access and allocation of the opportunities of the imminent transition are key and should be addressed more explicitly.

Hydrogen production and utilization in oil and gas facilities

The transition to hydrogen as a cleaner energy carrier within oil and gas facilities presents a promising opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable energy practices. This review investigates the potential for hydrogen production and utilization in oil and gas operations, focusing on hydrogen-powered equipment and fuel cells as alternatives to conventional carbon-intensive technologies. The research explores the feasibility of integrating hydrogen into oil and gas processes, examining its role in decarbonizing operations through the replacement of diesel generators, compressors, and other machinery. Hydrogen production methods such as steam methane reforming (SMR) with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and electrolysis using renewable energy are analyzed to assess their viability in large-scale industrial applications. Additionally, the use of hydrogen fuel cells is explored as a means to provide reliable, low-emission energy for various on-site applications, including power generation, transportation, and heating. The review highlights both the technical and economic challenges associated with hydrogen adoption in oil and gas facilities, such as infrastructure development, hydrogen storage, and distribution. However, it also emphasizes the long-term benefits, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, compliance with global environmental regulations, and improved operational efficiency. By investigating hydrogen’s role as a cleaner energy carrier, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on transitioning the oil and gas industry towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.

Public support for phasing out carbon-intensive technologies: the end of the road for conventional cars in Germany?

ABSTRACT Limiting the global mean temperature increase to 1.5°C requires phasing out fossil fuel combustion almost entirely within the next three decades and replacing carbon-intensive technologies with low-carbon alternatives. Such socio-technical transitions are politically feasible only if public acceptance is sufficiently high. Here we investigate German citizens’ views on the phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) using a random forest (decision trees) classification and logistic regression model. We surveyed a demographically representative sample (N = 1,663) in 2021, finding that the majority of respondents (67%) approve of an ICEV phase-out by 2040 or hold a neutral stance. Acceptability is best predicted by the degree to which environmental problems are attributed to ICEVs, followed by respondents’ willingness to abandon cars altogether or adopt electric vehicles (EVs). Our results further indicate that acceptability can be increased by providing people with information that present EVs in a more favourable, and ICEVs in a less favourable light. When the European Commission proposed to ban the sale of ICEVs by 2035, we conducted a follow-up survey to investigate whether this had influenced acceptability in Germany – with the result that it had not. In terms of concrete policies, pull measures such as public transport or electric vehicle purchase subsidies are preferred by the public over more restrictive policies such as taxes or bans. The findings of this study shed light on different dimensions of public opinion and their important implications for policymaking and the political feasibility of this socio-technical transition. Insights from this research can help policymakers in designing effective yet widely acceptable transport decarbonization policies.

Electricity Production and Sustainable Development: The Role of Renewable Energy Sources and Specific Socioeconomic Factors

An eco-friendly and sustainable power production system constitutes the cornerstone of every country’s strategic plan to tackle climate change and enhance energy resource autonomy. Carbon dioxide abatement in electricity generation, in addition to being a necessary condition for t “green” energy transition, can contribute greatly to cleaner industrial production and sustainable development. Emphasizing this key role of the power sector, the present research focuses on shedding light on the impact of renewable energy resources (RES), per capita gross domestic product (GDP), electricity gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) and urbanization in the CO2 intensity, and the sustainability level of electricity production. The analysis is based on a comprehensive dataset of 31 countries including 26 European countries, U.S.A., Japan, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1995 until 2018. The econometric outcomes revealed the strong statistical significance of all variables and a plethora of causality relationships, upon which several policy suggestions are made. Interestingly, GDP per capita beyond a certain level can gradually become an aggravating factor for the electricity carbon footprint. Similarly, the vital role of RES in clean electricity production was confirmed as expected, yet surprisingly, this effect also appears to reverse after a certain percentage of total RES reliance. In contrast to urbanization, the electricity GFCF parameter is estimated to have an adverse effect on electricity CO2 intensity, indicating that the vast amount of new investments in the power sector concerns carbon-intensive technologies. Finally, a dynamic analysis is carried out, revealing to policy makers the necessary time frame after which the implementation of new energy policies can have the full impact on the carbon emissions of electricity generation.

Evolution of Green Finance: A Bibliometric Analysis through Complex Networks and Machine Learning

A fundamental structural transformation that must occur to break global temperature rise and advance sustainable development is the green transition to a low-carbon system. However, dismantling the carbon lock-in situation requires substantial investment in green finance. Historically, investments have been concentrated in carbon-intensive technologies. Nonetheless, green finance has blossomed in recent years, and efforts to organise this literature have emerged, but a deeper understanding of this growing field is needed. For this goal, this paper aims to delineate this literature’s existing groups and explore its heterogeneity. From a bibliometric coupling network, we identified the main groups in the literature; then, we described the characteristics of these articles through a novel combination of complex network analysis, topological measures, and a type of unsupervised machine learning technique called structural topic modelling (STM). The use of computational methods to explore literature trends is increasing as it is expected to be compatible with a large amount of information and complement the expert-based knowledge approach. The contribution of this article is twofold: first, identifying the most relevant articles in the network related to each group and, second, the most prestigious topics in the field and their contributions to the literature. A final sample of 3275 articles shows three main groups in the literature. The more mature is mainly related to the distribution of climate finance from the developed to the developing world. In contrast, the most recent ones are related to climate financial risks, green bonds, and the insertion of financial development in energy-emissions-economics models. Researchers and policy-makers can recognise current research challenges and make better decisions with the help of the central research topics and emerging trends identified from STM. The field’s evolution shows a clear movement from an international perspective to a nationally-determined discussion on finance to the green transition.

Nexus between Cyclical Innovation in Green Technologies and CO2 Emissions in Nordic Countries: Consent toward Environmental Sustainability

Several economies have acknowledged that environmental degradation poses a serious danger to worldwide sustainable production and consumption. Policy makers concur that the increased use and production of carbon-intensive technologies has intensified the detrimental consequences of carbon dioxide emissions. In response, a number of nations have reacted by enacting stringent regulations and encouraging green technology innovations across corporate and governmental organizations. Evidence that already exists suggests that research and development is a cyclical process; nevertheless, the non-linear influence of shocks in research and development and innovation in green technologies on CO2 emissions in the Nordic nations has not been well investigated. Using panel data from 1995 to 2019, this research explores the asymmetric link between innovation in green technologies and CO2 emissions. The cointegration link between the chosen variables was validated using the Westerlund cointegration test and the Johansen–Fisher panel cointegration test. The findings of both tests confirm the presence of cointegration association between dependent and independent variables. The outcomes of CS-ARDL revealed that negative shocks in creating green technologies contribute to carbon dioxide emissions during recessions. Second, the findings supported the notion that innovation in green technology may reduce carbon dioxide emissions during times of economic expansion. Thirdly, the GDP increases the CO2 emissions, but the usage of renewable energy decreases CO2 emissions. In addition, the robustness analysis validated the consistency and precision of the existing findings. In summary, the findings suggest that the link between advances in environmentally friendly technologies and levels of carbon dioxide emissions were inversely proportional.

Mexico and U.S. power systems under variations in natural gas prices

This study examines the impact of natural gas prices on the power systems of Mexico and the United States. For this, we develop an integrated modeling framework by soft linking three different techno-economic bottom-up models of the power and energy systems, one partial equilibrium model of the natural gas sector, and a partial equilibrium model of the Mexican energy sector. Our results show several interesting results: high natural gas prices raise the use of carbon-intensive technologies in the short-term and boost renewable investments at longer time intervals, increasing emissions in earlier periods and reducing them thereafter. Regarding system costs, because of more capital-intensive green power and lower expenditures in raw energy carriers, capital costs rise and operating costs decrease in the long haul. Furthermore, we see an increase in natural gas demand when its price is low, reducing long-term capital and operating costs through cheaper energy inputs in natural gas facilities and a lower share of capital-intensive renewable facilities in the power system. Concerning emissions, low natural-gas prices decrease coal use in the United States, reducing anthropogenic emissions until the last stages of the optimization period. For Mexico, they show heterogeneous results across models. Policymakers can use this study's results to understand the influence of natural gas prices in the Mexican and United States energy sectors.

Cost and impact of weak medium term policies in the electricity system in Western North America

We study the cost and lock in of carbon intensive technologies due to weak medium-term policies. We use SWITCH WECC—a power system capacity expansion optimization model with high temporal and geographical resolution. We test three carbon cap scenarios. For each scenario, we optimize the power system for a medium timeframe (2030) and a long timeframe (2050). In the medium timeframe optimizations, by 2030 coal replaces gas power. This occurs because the long optimization foresees the stronger carbon cap in 2050. Therefore, it is optimal to transition towards cleaner technologies as early as 2030. The medium-term optimization has higher costs in 2040 and 2050 compared to the long optimization. Therefore, to minimize total costs to reduce emissions by 80 % in 2050, we should optimize until 2050 or have stronger carbon cap policies by 2030 (such as 26 % carbon emissions reductions from 1990 levels by 2030 across the WECC).

District Heating De-Carbonisation in Belgrade. Multi-Year transition plan

A large share of the city of Belgrade is heated by a District Heating network. Established in 1965, the network delivers 3.6 TWh to more than 20 million square meters of households industries and businesses, by means of a 1460km-long network. The system has been continuously upgraded and adapted to new technologies and already operates at relatively low temperature, with modernized substations. However, the delivered heat is still produced mainly by means of carbon intensive technologies. Conscious of the need to de-carbonise the city, a multi-year transition plan was established, where large investments have been secured, comprising greater interconnection levels, installation of large solar thermal plants and waste incineration plants, and the conversion of a power plant into CHP, among others. In this paper, the criteria for the selection of the technologies, the identification of enabling investments, interaction with stakeholders, securing of financing, and status of the plan are presented. After the execution of the de-carbonisation roadmap, it is expected that the DH system will reduce its carbon intensity by 50%.

Revisiting carbon lock-in in energy systems: Explaining the perpetuation of coal power in Japan

Carbon lock-in hampers the realisation of sustainable energy systems. It occurs when carbon-intensive technologies, markets and institutions co-evolve and become wedded to historical trajectories despite environmentally superior technologies being available. Multiple material and non-material causes are discussed in literature on socio-technical or energy transitions and carbon lock-in. However, these are yet to be synthesised into a comprehensive framework to guide the empirical identification of lock-in factors. Also, empirical understanding into how various causes of lock-in can interact is limited. To deepen understanding into the various types of socio-technical lock-in affecting energy transitions, we develop an encompassing analytical framework accounting for material, human, non-material and exogenous factors. In addition to carbon lock-in and path dependency, we synthesise diverse literature encompassing sustainability transitions, energy policy, innovation and firm management, economics and political economy. The resultant framework provides a finer-grained and more comprehensive understanding of lock-in than previous studies. Using Japan as a case study, we then apply this framework with two questions in mind: (i) What factors are contributing to the perpetuation of coal power in Japan? and ii) What opportunities emerge to overcome these? The empirical analysis is informed by triangulated data involving 46 semi-structured interviews and diverse documents. Our findings reveal a wide array of interacting factors that contribute to the perpetuation of coal-power in Japan and several emerging opportunities to tackle these. They also demonstrate our framework’s utility as a heuristic that scholars could apply to other cases to increase empirical understanding into the multiple causes of socio-technical lock-in.

The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK

AbstractThe decline of carbon intensive technologies is a key element in the ongoing energy transition and our attempts to tackle climate change. At the same time, our understanding of technology decline and of the associated policies and politics is still limited. This paper builds on the sustainability transitions perspective, a novel approach to analyze socio‐technical transformation, including the complex interplay of policy and technology change. We study the decline of coal‐fired power generation in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2017 by analyzing the discourse in The Guardian. We find scientists and environmental NGOs criticizing coal for climate and health reasons. Government and incumbent businesses tried to re‐legitimate coal but eventually, their resistance collapsed and coal was almost completely abandoned in just a few years. Particularly devastating for coal were failed promises around carbon capture and storage, rapid diffusion of wind energy, and pressure from various policies. This study contributes to better understanding the contested nature of decline, and the interplay of discursive struggles, technology change, and public policy in sustainability transitions.

The importance of considering resource availability restrictions in energy planning: What is the footprint of electricity generation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)?

Global warming urges governments to decarbonise their energy portfolios. Many governments have indistinctly transited away from fossil fuels towards renewable energies. However, a sustainable turnaround calls for limiting the overall impact of this transition on environmental resources and the economy. This study identifies the most desirable energy alternatives for the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries based on their environmental and economic footprints using the Relative Aggregate Footprint (RAF) indicator. The RAFs of eleven widespread electricity generation technologies are computed for each country by considering the availability of four resources - energy, water, land, and the economy - which were weighted according to the national resource availability conditions. The results indicate that the MENA region must adapt their electricity mix to mitigate the impacts of climate change with respect to resource availability conditions, especially their scarce water resources. Due to the specificities of this region, deploying biomass and large-scale hydropower may lower greenhouse gases but significantly alter the impact on other valuable natural resources. Therefore, wind, geothermal, and nuclear power plants seem more desirable for a transition away from carbon-intensive technologies while their secondary effects on other resources (e.g. nuclear energy's possible water and environmental impacts) must be carefully considered.

Time Value of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis.

Life cycle assessment is a fundamental tool used to evaluate the environmental impact of products. Standard life cycle assessment methodology ignores the impact of greenhouse gases relative to when they are emitted. In this paper, we present a method for leveraging the social cost of greenhouse gases to account for the temporal impacts of emissions in life cycle assessment and techno-economics. To demonstrate, we use this method to analyze the present value of the monetized impacts of emissions across multiple electricity generation technologies. Results show that accounting for time increases the present value across all but one of the technologies considered. Carbon intensive technologies show the highest increase, with coal rising between 26% and 62% depending on social cost scenario. Additionally, we demonstrate a second method that combines temporally resolved greenhouse gas emissions with techno-economic analysis. Considering temporal impacts of emissions within techno-economic analysis increases the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) across all technologies considered. Carbon intensive technologies increase significantly, with the LCOE from coal rising between 37% and 263% depending on the social cost scenario. The proposed methods show that temporal resolution in life cycle assessment is critical for comparing the monetized impacts of greenhouse gas emissions across technologies.

Методологические Вопросы Оценки Инвестиционных Рисков в Проекты Ослабляющие Зависимость Российской Экономики От Природных Ресурсов и Обеспечивающих Переход На Низкоуглеродное Развитие (Methodological Issues of Assessing Investment Risks in Projects Weakening the Dependence of the Russian Economy on Natural Resources and Providing a Transition to Low-Carbon Development)

Russian Abstract: В работе проанализирована роль рентных доходов в российской экономике, продемонстрирована коинтеграция роста ВВП и цен на нефть в предыдущие 15 лет. На примере сравнительной оценки низкоуглеродной и углеродоемкой технологий проиллюстрирована методология оценки инвестиционных проектов основанная на применении метода реальных опционов. English Abstract: The work analyzes the role of rental incomes in the Russian economy demonstrates the cointegration of GDP growth and oil prices in the previous 15 years. On the example of a comparative assessment of low-carbon and carbon-intensive technologies, the methodology for evaluating investment projects based on the application of the real options method is illustrated.

REVENUE RECYCLING AND COST EFFECTIVE GHG ABATEMENT: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS USING A GLOBAL MULTI-SECTOR MULTI-REGION CGE MODEL

Carbon pricing generates revenues which can be recycled back into the economy in different ways to help mitigate the economic cost of abatement. These include, lump-sum transfers to households; reducing existing distortionary taxes, such as income taxes on labor and capital; investment in technology funds leading to energy/emissions efficiency improvements; and/or infrastructure developments that help expedite the adoption of low or lower carbon-intensive technologies. In this paper, we undertake illustrative simulations to explore how different revenue recycling options influence the overall economic outcome in terms of broad macroeconomic indicators, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or household welfare. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) multi-sector, multi-region Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model (EC-MSMR) is used to simulate various revenue recycling options. These simulations are undertaken for the U.S. economy. The main findings of the paper are: (i) using carbon revenue for a general income tax reduction or investment subsidy is more advantageous than a lump-sum transfer to U.S. consumers in terms of welfare or GDP; and (ii) using carbon revenue for a sector-based subsidy such as renewable energy is more disadvantageous than a lump-sum transfer to consumers. In terms of accumulated welfare effects, our results indicate that the best carbon revenue recycling option is the investment subsidy or capital income tax reduction in the longer horizon; labor tax reductions yield the best outcome in the shorter horizons.

Exploring the Characteristics of CO2 Emissions Embodied in International Trade and the Fair Share of Responsibility

This paper explores the characteristics of embodied CO2 emissions from the perspective of carbon inflows, carbon outflows, and the net effects, at both an aggregate and bilateral scale. We identify several important relationships in bilateral carbon flows, including China–EU, China–USA, Russia–EU, and China–Japan, which make China and Russia the largest carbon exporters and the EU and the USA the largest carbon importers. A further investigation of the sectors contributing to carbon flows shows that exports from the mineral, chemicals, metals, oil, transport, and other manufacturing sectors are the main cause of carbon outflows, while the intermediate inputs of the electricity and transport sectors are the primary cause of carbon outflows due to export production. Moreover, we propose an intensity-based shared responsibility strategy and find that China should take the most responsibility because it is responsible for nearly 32% of all embodied emissions, due to its less efficient and high carbon-intensive technologies. The USA and the EU follow China, with shares of 13.2% and 11.3%, respectively, owing to their heavy consumption. As a result, China and the USA contribute 31.8% and 20.6%, respectively, of the total global emissions, outweighing the aggregated contribution from all other countries/regions.

Climate impacts on hydropower and consequences for global electricity supply investment needs

Abstract Climate change is projected to increase hydropower generation in some parts of the world and decrease it in others. Here we explore the possible consequences of these impacts for the electricity supply sector at the global scale. Regional hydropower projections are developed by forcing a coupled global hydrological and dam model with downscaled, bias-corrected climate realizations. Consequent impacts on power sector composition and associated emissions and investment costs are explored using the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM). We find that climate-driven changes in hydropower generation may shift power demands onto and away from carbon intensive technologies. This causes significantly altered power sector CO2 emissions in several hydro-dependent regions, although the net global impact is modest. For drying regions, we estimate a global, cumulative investment need of approximately one trillion dollars (±$500 billion) this century to make up for deteriorated hydropower generation caused by climate change. Total investments avoided are of a similar magnitude across regions projected to experience increased precipitation. Investment risks and opportunities are concentrated in hydro-dependent countries for which significant climate change is expected. Various countries throughout the Balkans, Latin America and Southern Africa are most vulnerable, whilst Norway, Canada, and Bhutan emerge as clear beneficiaries.

The GRETA project: the contribution of near-surface geothermal energy for the energetic self-sufficiency of Alpine regions

The Alpine regions are deeply involved in the challenge set by climate change, which is a threat for their environment and for important economic activities such as tourism. The heating and cooling of buildings account for a major share of the total primary energy consumption in Europe, and hence the energy policies should focus on this sector to achieve the greenhouse gas reduction targets set by international agreements. Geothermal heat pump is one of the least carbon-intensive technologies for the heating and cooling of buildings. It exploits the heat stored within the ground, a local renewable energy source which is widely available across the Alpine territory. Nevertheless, it has been little considered by European policies and cooperation projects. GRETA (near-surface Geothermal REsources in the Territory of the Alpine space) is a cooperation project funded by the EU INTERREG-Alpine Space program, aiming at demonstrating the potential of shallow geothermal energy and to foster its integration into energy planning instruments. It started in December 2015 and will last three years, involving 12 partners from Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. In this paper, the project is presented, along with the results of the first year of work.