Decarbonization Energy Research Articles

Corporations and climate change: An overview

AbstractCorporations are primary emitters of greenhouse gases yet are also portrayed as key agents in responding to climate change. This overview article explains corporate responses to the climate crisis at three levels of analysis: (i) political (shaping the climate debate and influencing climate policy); (ii) organizational (enacting strategies and practices to address climate change); and (iii) individual (managers and employees caring about and acting on climate change in their personal and professional lives). Our synthesis of the burgeoning literature on corporations and climate change in the fields of management and organization studies, human geography, and political economy highlights how and why particular corporate responses have been enacted, encompassing managerial as well as more critical and radical understandings of business activities.This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Disciplinary Perspectives Climate Economics > Economics and Climate Change The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Institutions for Adaptation

IEEE Workshop on High-Power Electronics for Decarbonizing Energy Grids

IEEE Workshop on High-Power Electronics for Decarbonizing Energy Grids

Operative Benefits of Residential Battery Storage for Decarbonizing Energy Systems: A German Case Study

The reduction in PV prices and interest in energy independence accelerate the adoption of residential battery storage. This storage can support various functions of an energy system undergoing decarbonization. In this work, operative benefits of storage from the system perspective, namely, generation cost reduction and congestion mitigation, are investigated. Germany is chosen as a case study due to its strong reliance on variable renewable energy. For the analysis, an economic dispatch model with a high spatial resolution is coupled with a pan-European transmission grid model. It is shown that the system’s generation costs are highest when the assets are used only to maximize PV self-consumption, and the costs are lowest when the storage also reacts to the market dynamics. This amounts to a 6% cost reduction. Both operation strategies result in an equal level of grid congestion and infrastructure loading. This is improved with a strategy that accounts for regional peak reduction as a secondary objective. The high congestion level emphasizes that grid expansion needs to keep pace with the generation and electrification expansion necessary to decarbonize other sectors. Lastly, policymakers should enable multipurpose utilization, e.g., via the introduction of market-oriented retail electricity prices with intervention options for grid operators.

How does science and technology studies contribute to climate mitigation research? Advanced review of infrastructure as a concept and method

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to review how Science and Technology Studies (STS) has contributed to climate change mitigation research. We focus on large‐scale infrastructures as a key topic of both mitigation efforts and recent STS scholarship. The paper assesses the conceptual and methodological treatments in this field, uses literature evidence to identify research gaps, and suggests potential topics for future research. Our research firstly contributes to the use of STS approaches in the novel field of climate change mitigation infrastructure, asking how scholarship in the field has learned from STS and developed STS further. Second, we examine how infrastructures are approached in this literature and conclude that the reviewed works almost exclusively associate infrastructure with physical supply systems. This is paradoxical since several of them also advocate a socio‐technical perspective on infrastructures, which would require much more substantiation of the social aspects than they seem to provide. Third, we explore the fits between theoretical frameworks and methods in this field and discover a strong reliance on case studies, literature reviews, and theoretical‐conceptual discussions. This situation suggests that methodological advancements in STS infrastructure studies has still been untapped in this area.This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand

Life cycle assessment of bioproducts from bamboo residues with biphasic phenoxyethanol-acid based biorefinery technology

Utilizing bamboo residues to produce decarbonization energy products or materials diverts wastes from low-value treatment and supports the circular bioeconomy at the same time. This study develops a cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment (LCA) for a biorefinery converting bamboo residues into bioproducts (ethanol, polylactic acid (PLA), and bio-based wood adhesive) in China. To combat the low enzymatic hydrolysis performance of bamboo residues and valorize the lignin, this study adopts a biphasic pretreatment by coupling phenoxyethanol and sulfuric acid solution (1%) to achieve high fermentable sugar production. The LCA study is coupled with a process simulation for an industrial-scale biorefinery based on the experimental data. Our results show that the life-cycle Global Warming Potential (GWP) is 17.0–32.1 gCO2e/MJ for ethanol cases and 3.2–3.7 kgCO2e/kg for PLA cases, when biphasic pretreatment is adopted. The lower GWP values are achieved by using 1:1 phenoxyethanol: acid solution, though it has a lower product yield than 4:1 phenoxyethanol: acid solution cases. Without biphasic pretreatment, the GWP is 135.8 gCO2e/MJ ethanol and 4.4 kgCO2e/kg PLA. For the perspective of treating 1 dry t bamboo residues, with biphasic pretreatment, the GWP is −174 to −66 kgCO2e for ethanol cases and −542 to −432 kgCO2e for PLA cases. The lower GWP is also from using 1:1 phenoxyethanol: acid solution (1%). These GWP ranges are lower than conventional landfilling (2969 kgCO2e) and landfilling with landfill gas recovery (−28 kgCO2e).

Policy for material efficiency in homes and cars: Enabling new climate change mitigation strategies

AbstractMaterial efficiency (ME), making products with less material or substituting with less carbon‐intensive material without a loss of functionality, can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and complement other strategies to mitigate climate change. Seven ME strategies for cars and homes in the G7 countries were recently modeled in a study by the International Resource Panel. Modeling indicates that ME strategies focusing on construction and use of homes could lower the overall cumulative emissions in the G7 between 2016 and 2060 by 8.5 Gt CO2e (20%), while ME strategies for the production and use of cars could reduce up to 12 Gt (24%). For both homes and cars, the strategy of more intensive use—where fewer or smaller products are required to provide the same basic service—showed the greatest potential. A review of existing ME policies reveals that attention to ME in climate policy has been limited. Policy toward ME has historically focused on waste management rather than GHG reduction. Ex post evaluation of policies that do exist, especially for recycling and related waste strategies, is infrequent. Framing efficient use of materials as a measure primarily intended for climate mitigation is relatively recent and uncommon. Production‐related policy opportunities have been neglected because using ME to reduce GHGs is novel in some sectors and because increased ME faces economic and social barriers. Rebound effects where reduction of the cost of housing or transportation can increase material consumption offsetting potential gains, a problem for all efficiency‐based approaches, is understudied and not currently addressed through policy.This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Policies, Instruments, Lifestyles, Behavior The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand

Development of multi-input multi-output converter for decarbonization energy system

Decarbonization energy systems include a range of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal. These sources generate electricity with minimal carbon emissions and can be used in various applications, including power generation, heating, and transportation. Therefore, the use of a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) converter is becoming increasingly important in decarbonization energy systems. This is because the integration of multiple renewable energy sources, requires a power converter that can manage multiple inputs and outputs efficiently. This paper presents the development of a MIMO converter using a single-phase matrix converter for decarbonization energy systems. The proposed converter is capable of integrating multiple renewable energy sources and can be used in a microgrid application, thus removing the need of multiple converters. The design and analysis of the converter are presented, including the selection of power switches and control strategy. The performance of the converter is evaluated through experimental results, demonstrating its effectiveness in managing multiple inputs and outputs using a single power converter circuit. The results indicate that the proposed converter is a promising solution for decarbonization energy systems, contributing to the development of sustainable energy systems.

Supply and Demand Drivers of Global Hydrogen Deployment in the Transition toward a Decarbonized Energy System.

The role of hydrogen in energy system decarbonization is being actively examined by the research and policy communities. We evaluate the potential "hydrogen economy" in global climate change mitigation scenarios using the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM). We consider major hydrogen production methods in conjunction with delivery options to understand how hydrogen infrastructure affects its deployment. We also consider a rich set of hydrogen end-use technologies and vary their costs to understand how demand technologies affect deployment. We find that the availability of hydrogen transmission and distribution infrastructure primarily affects the hydrogen production mix, particularly the share produced centrally versus on-site, whereas assumptions about end-use technology primarily affect the scale of hydrogen deployment. In effect, hydrogen can be a source of distributed energy, enabled by on-site renewable electrolysis and, to a lesser extent, by on-site production at industrial facilities using natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS). While the share of hydrogen in final energy is small relative to the share of other major energy carriers in our scenarios, hydrogen enables decarbonization in difficult-to-electrify end uses, such as industrial high-temperature heat. Hydrogen deployment, and in turn its contribution to greenhouse gas mitigation, increases as the climate objective is tightened.

Public policy and strategic business recommendations to accelerate adoption of stationary battery energy storage systems (BESS) in India

PurposeInterest in battery energy storage systems (BESS) is high, and technologies such as Li-ion (and other advanced chemistry) batteries in specific use cases are already economically viable. In this paper, the authors build further on the authors' previously published paper1 to estimate the potential positive impact that accelerated adoption of Li-ion batteries for stationary storage per the authors' identified already economically viable use cases, can have both on India's macro-economy and current account deficit as well as in helping meaningfully accelerate circular economy and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) benefits of green economy transition.Design/methodology/approachThe authors identified key challenges for development of BESS ecosystem and applied quantitative and qualitative assessment methodology for rapid adoption of BESS in India. The authors' study was validated through interviews with stakeholders and the authors summarize applicable findings for emerging countries such as India to encourage faster, wider adoption of energy storage.FindingsThe authors' study provides key policy recommendations to achieve a better balance in policy focus—not only for electronic vehicles (EVs) and utility-scale storage, but also for stationary behind-the-meter storage through key policy measures including placing a CESS on diesel generators (DGs), differential tariffs, encouraging advanced battery imports as a way to reduce crude oil imports, green financing and investments in de-carbonized energy breakthrough technologies (e.g. gravity-based energy storage systems). The authors recommend key technology priorities and strategic business rationale for private sector efforts by developing competitive advantages for non-battery hardware and software and expanding into emerging markets, with potential US$15–20+bn enterprise value.Originality/valueWhile the dominant discourse focuses on EVs and utility scale applications of storage, the authors' paper shows the larger near term opportunity for impact is in stationary storage that too in end-user adoption use cases.

Globalization and decarbonization: Changing strategies of global oil and gas companies

AbstractOil and gas (O&G) companies, as key players in the contemporary global energy landscape, have evolved within the context of a dynamic interaction between states and markets. However, their role is being transformed radically by two successive “global shifts”: economic globalization—driving energy demand growth patterns—and climate change—driving energy system transformation and decarbonization, both of which require them to reconsider their business strategies. Using an interdisciplinary lens that draws on human geography, strategy and international business, and international political economy, we propose an integrated conceptual framework for two periods—the 1990s–early 2010s and the post‐Paris Agreement era—to explore the nature of strategic responses by O&G companies to these global economic and environmental shifts. We illustrate the linkage of O&G companies' two strategies of (re‐)globalization and decarbonization by the aspects of production, finance, and knowledge as internal structures. Energy security is one of the priorities in the macro external environment. It is becoming increasingly difficult for O&G companies to deal with current dilemmas: climate goals require a significant reduction in fossil fuel production and consumption, and pressures from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and investors threaten the long‐term survival of O&G companies, while fossil fuel demand will remain high in the short to medium term. At the same time, the post‐pandemic recovery and Russia's war in Ukraine are resulting in a re‐assessment of the benefits of unfettered globalization. Therefore, global O&G companies face dual challenges in the new era of (re‐)globalization and decarbonization and need to make changes to ensure their future viability.This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand

Utilizing publicly available datasets for identifying offshore salt strata and developing salt caverns for hydrogen storage

Abstract Hydrogen is expected to play a key role in a future climate-neutral economy by decarbonizing ‘hard to abate’ sectors, and importantly act as an energy carrier to balance intermittent renewable energy production, which, if stored, could be used to address grid-scale energy demands. It is evident that for unlocking the vast potential of hydrogen technologies, large-scale hydrogen storage with the capability of fast cyclic operations needs to be secured. Underground salt caverns, where decades of operational experience exist, offer an attractive option for hydrogen storage due to the high hydrogen sealing potential of salt, capability for large injection/withdrawal flow rates and capacity for large volume storage. This study presents a novel methodology for selecting offshore salt cavern sites based on publicly available datasets, which leads to eventually estimating regional hydrogen storage capacities. The Southern North Sea was investigated and a case study detailing a single diapiric salt structure is presented, demonstrating the strength and practicality of the framework as well as highlighting the potential of offshore salt cavern storage of hydrogen in the decarbonization energy journey of the UK.

The feasibility of climate action: Bridging the inside and the outside view through feasibility spaces

AbstractThe feasibility of different options to reduce the risks of climate change has engaged scholars for decades. Yet there is no agreement on how to define and assess feasibility. We define feasible as “do‐able under realistic assumptions.” A sound feasibility assessment is based on causal reasoning; enables comparison of feasibility across climate options, contexts, and implementation levels; and reflexively considers the agency of its audience. Global climate scenarios are a good starting point for assessing the feasibility of climate options since they represent causal pathways, quantify implementation levels, and consider policy choices. Yet, scenario developers face difficulties to represent all relevant causalities, assess the realism of assumptions, assign likelihood to potential outcomes, and evaluate the agency of their users, which calls for external feasibility assessments. Existing approaches to feasibility assessment mirror the “inside” and the “outside” view coined by Kahneman and co‐authors. The inside view considers climate change as a unique challenge and seeks to identify barriers that should be overcome by political choice, commitment, and skill. The outside view assesses feasibility through examining historical analogies (reference cases) to the given climate option. Recent studies seek to bridge the inside and the outside views through “feasibility spaces,” by identifying reference cases for a climate option, measuring their outcomes and relevant characteristics, and mapping them together with the expected outcomes and characteristics of the climate option. Feasibility spaces are a promising method to prioritize climate options, realistically assess the achievability of climate goals, and construct scenarios with empirically‐grounded assumptions.This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Disciplinary Perspectives Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Representing Uncertainty The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand

Evaluation of industrial decarbonization energy system models for policymaking: literature gaps and research recommendations

Evaluation of industrial decarbonization energy system models for policymaking: literature gaps and research recommendations

Role of Liquid Hydrogen Carriers in Deeply Decarbonized Energy Systems

Role of Liquid Hydrogen Carriers in Deeply Decarbonized Energy Systems

The rebound effect and the challenge of moving beyond fossil fuels: A review of empirical and theoretical research

AbstractWilliam Stanley Jevons identified what has come to be known as the Jevons paradox: the observation that improvements in energy efficiency are often connected with rising, not falling, energy consumption. This insight informs the subsequent economic concept of the “rebound effect” and the expansive research investigating this relationship. We provide an overview of key empirical research, which establishes that large rebounds in energy consumption connected with rising energy efficiency are common across various units of analysis, including the national, subnational (e.g., states/provinces/cities; power plants), and household levels. We then focus on the range of theoretical arguments that have been put forward to explain why rebounds occur in varying contexts, with particular consideration of implications for efforts to move away from fossil fuels. We emphasize the important distinction between direct effects, indirect effects, and economy‐wide effects in regard to rebounds, particularly those connected with macro‐structural forces, for understanding the causes and implications of the Jevons paradox.This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand

Designing the mid‐transition: A review of medium‐term challenges for coordinated decarbonization in the United States

AbstractDecarbonizing the energy system is critical for addressing climate change. Given the dominance of fossil fuels in the energy system, decarbonization requires rapid and significant industrial transition of the energy supply at scale. This includes explicit and coordinated plans not only for zero carbon phase‐in, but for fossil carbon phase‐out. Even very rapid decarbonization will likely take decades, leading to a medium‐term future where the conventional, fossil‐based energy system coexists with a new, zero‐carbon energy system. Each imposes operational constraints on the other: what we call the mid‐transition. Notably, this coexistence means that the new, zero‐carbon system will develop under fossil carbon system constraints. The mid‐transition will therefore likely require specific analytical metrics designed to support decision making under dynamic and uncertain conditions. Many aspects of transition will be felt, and shaped, directly by individuals because of our direct interactions with energy systems. Even rare missteps are likely to have significant and potentially system design‐relevant impacts on perception, political support, and implementation. Comparisons of the new system to the old system are likely to rest on experience of a world less affected by climate change, such that concerns about lower reliability, higher costs, and other challenges might be perceived as inherent to zero‐carbon systems, versus energy systems facing consequences of climate change and long‐term underinvestment. This review assesses and evaluates medium‐term challenges associated with the mid‐transition in the United States, emphasizing the need for explicit planning for joint and coordinated phase‐in and phase‐out.This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand

Перспективы развития российского нефтесервиса в условиях перехода к «зеленой энергетике»

The article discusses the basic concepts and principles of clean (green) energy and the reasons for the transition of the global industrial industry to renewable energy sources. Decarbonization trend in the world economy is said to complicate the prospects of the Russian oilfield services, and the task is to determine the possibilities for its sustainable development. To achieve this goal, the current level and the prospects of green energy were analyzed, the problems associated with the transition to renewable energy sources were examined, various ways of the oil and gas business development have been identified. It is established that the current renewable energy sources contribution to the global energy balance is 5 %. However, the policy of economic stimulation for industry decarbonization, which is observed by the industrially developed countries, ensures doubling of the established renewable capacity every four years. The key problems arising from the transition to the renewable energy are revealed, with the main being storage, non-stop energy supply, and the high price of generation products. The paper focuses on the Russian energy industry features which are characterized with the extensive supply of the traditional cheap natural sources, including gas, oil, coal, hydro resources, nuclear power. The transition time to renewable energy is found to be at least 50 years when hydrocarbons remain to be the main source of energy generation. The prospects of sustainable development of the Russian oilfield services are as follows: integration of high technology and new innovation methods of searching, exploration, development, and exploitation of the hydro carbonated deposits; substitution of imported technologies and equipment with the domestic ones; government support of the industry and diversification towards decarbonization energy.

Enter Paper Title]Promoting and Accelerating Decarbonized Energy in the Western United States - The Carbon Utilization and Storage Partnership

enter Paper Title]Promoting and Accelerating Decarbonized Energy in the Western United States - The Carbon Utilization and Storage Partnership

Roles and Issues of Bioenergy in a Decarbonized Energy System

Roles and Issues of Bioenergy in a Decarbonized Energy System

Equitable, effective, and feasible approaches for a prospective fossil fuel transition.

Most fossil fuel resources must remain unused to comply with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Scholars and policymakers debate which approaches should be undertaken to Leave Fossil Fuels Underground (LFFU). However, existing scholarship has not yet inventoried and evaluated the array of approaches to LFFU based on their effectiveness, equity, or feasibility. Hence, this review article asks: What lessons can we learn from reviewing scholarship on proposed approaches to leaving fossil fuels underground (LFFU)? We identify 28 unique LFFU approaches, of which only 12 are deemed environmentally effective (e.g., fossil fuel extraction taxes, bans and moratoria, and financial swaps); eight involve moderate‐to‐high (non‐)monetary costs, and only four are deemed entirely just and equitable. Of the 12 environmentally effective approaches: only three were deemed cost‐effective (regulating financial capital for fossil fuel projects, removing existing fossil fuel subsidies, and bans & moratoria); merely four were deemed equitable (asset write‐offs, retiring existing fossil infrastructure, pursuing court cases/litigation, and financial swaps); and all were deemed institutionally problematic in terms of their feasibility (six were challenging to implement as they threatened the vested interests of powerful stakeholder groups). Moreover, the reviewed scholarship draws heavily on empirical studies of how these LFFU approaches can be optimized in European, North American, and Chinese contexts; fewer studies have explored the effectiveness and fairness of LFFU approaches in the South and/or in a North–South context. Future research should particularly focus on North–South fossil fuel financial flows, which have received comparatively little attention.This article is categorized under:The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand