Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation Potential Research Articles

Cost Benefit Analysis of Using Clean Energy Supplies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Global Automotive Manufacturing

Automotive manufacturing is energy-intensive. The consumed energy contributes to the generation of significant amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the automotive manufacturing industry. In this paper, a study is conducted on assessing the application potential of such clean energy power systems as solar PV, wind and fuel cells in reducing the GHG emissions of the global auto manufacturing industry. The study is conducted on the representative solar PV, wind and fuel cell clean energy systems available on the commercial market in six representative locations of GM’s global facilities, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, China, Egypt and Germany. The results demonstrate that wind power is superior to other two clean energy technologies in the economic performance of the GHG mitigation effect. Among these six selected countries, the highest GHG emission mitigation potential is in China, through wind power supply. The maximum GHG reduction could be up to 60 tons per $1,000 economic investment on wind energy supply in China. The application of wind power systems in the United States and Germany could also obtain relatively high GHG reductions of between 40–50 tons per $1,000 economic input. When compared with wind energy, the use of solar and fuel cell power systems have much less potential for GHG mitigation in the six countries selected. The range of median GHG mitigation values resulting from solar and wind power supply are almost at the same level.

Greenhouse gas emission mitigation potential of rice husks for An Giang province, Vietnam

Abstract To evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation potential of rice husk utilization, a life cycle inventory analysis was conducted for 18 scenarios. The allocation of fuels, other than rice husks, was decided based on the current demand for and supply of rice husks. To prevent the bulky nature of rice husks, briquette production is also discussed. In the power generation scenarios, the differences between two capacities (5 MW and 30 MW) were analyzed. The results of analysis reveal that CH 4 and N 2 O emissions from open burning contribute largely to the current GHG emissions. Therefore, ceasing open burning alone has a large GHG mitigation potential. The use of briquettes, even though GHG is emitted during the production stage, can still contribute to GHG emission mitigation as the production is more efficient than rice husk burning or dumping. In the power generation scenarios, most GHG emissions were derived from the combustion process. Therefore, gasification which has a little combustion process is the most efficient GHG mitigator. Both the replacement of grid electricity by generated electricity, and the replacement of diesel oil by pyrolyzed oil show larger GHG mitigation potentials than what could be derived from open burning cessation alone.

Geological appraisal of an onshore CO2 storage prospect

Abstract Carbon capture and storage (CCS) will not reach its full greenhouse gas emissions mitigation potential without harnessing the vast storage resource thought to exist within deep saline formations. These formations occur within most sedimentary basins and are defined, in part, by containing interstitial formation fluid that is unfit or uneconomic for current or future use. Though parts of deep saline sedimentary successions may be well understood, most have not been characterized in detail for CO 2 storage. Knowledge of critical reservoir parameters is therefore usually insufficient to accurately define storage systems within them at the range of spatial and temporal scales required for a CO 2 injection site. Previous reconnaissance studies are a useful starting point for CO 2 storage system appraisal where exploration survey data exists. This study screens likely storage locations within the onshore Gippsland Basin in eastern Victoria, southeastern Australia. The most prospective system is close to industrial CO 2 emissions nodes and comprises suitable stratigraphy at appropriate depth. However, new geological characterization suggests existing interpretations are unsatisfactory and the opportunity for CO 2 storage there may be more limited and challenging than initially thought.

Rice straw as a renewable energy source in India, Thailand, and the Philippines: Overall potential and limitations for energy contribution and greenhouse gas mitigation

abstract Rice is a widely grown crop in the South and South-East Asia that leaves substantial quantity of straw in the field. The aim of this paper is to assess the quantity of rice straw produced, estimate Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions based on its current uses, and assess its possible energy potential and related GHG emissions mitigation potential. Updated statistics on rough rice production are used in this study in combination with the literature values on Straw-to-Grain Ratio (SGR) to quantify the amount of rice straw produced in the three countries of focus. It is estimated that 97.19, 21.86, and 10.68 Mt of rice straw residue are produced in India, Thailand, and the Philippines, respectively. In India, 23% of rice straw residue produced is surplus and is either left in the field as uncollected or to a large extent open-field burnt. About 48% of this residue produced is subjected to open-field burning in Thailand, and in the Philippines it is 95%. The GHG emissions contribution through open-field burning of rice straw in India, Thailand, and the Philippines are 0.05%, 0.18%, and 0.56%, and the mitigated GHG emissions when generated electricity is used would be 0.75%, 1.81%, and 4.31%, respectively, when compared to the total country GHG emissions.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation Potential of Different Technologies Used for Converting Biogas into Effective Energy in Germany

The upgrading of biogas to achieve natural gas quality for direct feeding into the supply grid has been frequently discussed as an alternative to its utilization for local energy production in block heat power plants (BHPP) using cogeneration. In this study, we compared the local use of upgraded biogas for producing electricity and heat with its energetic conversion at a distance away from the biogas plant under the conditions present in Germany. A total of seven systems were compared theoretically with the direct feeding of upgraded biogas into the grid. These systems involved either a BHPP or one of three types of fuel cell [molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), proton electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)] or a hybrid system consisting of a SOFC and a gas turbine. The degree of efficiency in direct gas feeding was essentially better (71.3% secondary energy out of primary energy) than the decentralized forms of energetic conversion [45.7 (BHPP) -57.8% (hybrid system)]. The reason for this is that in Germany, natural gas, which is substituted through direct gas feeding, is primarily used for heating purposes. In comparison, however, the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction potential of local cogeneration (254-360 g CO2/kWhbiogas) was much higher than that of direct gas feeding (187- to 228-g CO2/kWhbiogas). This was found to be true even when no useful heat could be used on the site of the biogas plant. The best results were achieved with the hybrid system. By considering the effects of a reduction in the CO2 production of the German power supply mix on the potential emissions reduction of all eight systems investigated, it could also be shown that the hybrid system again had the greatest GHG emissions reducing potential. These results indicate that the direct feeding of upgraded biogas is not the best option for the utilization of this commodity with regards to climate protection in the German situation. Indeed, the results indicate that the application of innovative and efficient technologies, such as the hybrid system consisting of SOFC and a gas turbine, can generate essential improvements in emissions reductions in biogas plants in comparison to the presently used BHPPs. For this reason, the use of fuel cells in German biogas plants should be promoted.

Strategic planning and adoption of greenhouse gas mitigation options in Asia

Asia's global warming potential (GWP) is large and growing. Asia releases an estimated 8.4 billion metric tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) each year from fossil fuel use, cement manufactures and land use changes while its anthropogenic emissions of methane (emissions derived primarily from wet rice cultivation and livestock -- estimates from these being highly unreliable) represent nearly half the global total. These greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions represent 30% (28.3 billion metric tons) of the global total of CO 2 equivalent emitted in 1989. Per capita GHG emissions are low but per-unit GDP emissions are very high (anywhere from two to six times more than in the OECD countries). The countries participating in the Asia Least Cost Greenhouse Gas Abatement Strategies (ALGAS) 1 project account for nearly 70% of the total CO 2 emissions and over 80% of the methane emissions in the entire Asian region. This paper highlights several key issues that must be considered while developing GHG emissions mitigation options within the context of an overall strategy of moving countries rapidly along a path of sustainable development that increases inter-sectoral energy efficiencies within the economy, enhance sinks, and decrease GHG emissions per capita. In particular, this integrated strategy should promote no regrets policies and emphasize win-win options that result in sustainable economic development over and above any GHG abatement benefits that might result from the adoption of such initiatives. This emphasis on long term economic sustainability requires a detailed economic evaluation of environmental impacts of potential ALGAS projects. The GHG emissions mitigation potential of the candidate projects must be evaluated within this overall framework of evaluating anticipated economic and environmental impacts. Part 1 of this paper highlights key issues in economic evaluation of environmental impacts and provides recommendations on how to use accepted evaluation techni