Imported Fossil Fuels Research Articles

Renewables for district heating: The case of Lithuania

Lithuania, as other European countries with cold climates, has well developed district heating systems. Lithuania’s national energy strategy aims to reduce the dependence on imported fossil fuels, reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere and increase the security of energy supply, and therefore, one of its principal objectives is to include sustainable renewable energy sources into the district heating system. This article serves as an overview of how Lithuania’s district heating sector uses renewable energy resources, in what state it is, and what perspectives and future trends are foreseen. The article also reviews the history of district heating and its different technologies as well as their benefits to the consumer: lower heating prices, additional jobs, and reduced environmental pollution. It also analyses market regulation and the influence that independent heat producers have on the development of district heating. Finally, visions of further development of this heating method in Lithuania are provided.

Impact of Electric Power Pricing Reforms on the Japan’s Industry and Household Sector

<p align="justify">After the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, Japan had an opportunity to advance its economic and energy policies to pursue stable energy supply, economic efficiency, environmental security, and safety. The accident not only raised concerns regarding the safety of nuclear power plants but also increased awareness regarding the effect of energy import growth on the economy and related issues such as the effect of imports on Japan’s international competitiveness. This study simulates the impact on electricity prices using three potential scenarios for Japan. According to the results, the consumer price index (CPI) was larger than the corporate goods price index (CGPI) for Japan in all cases. In the simulation results, the CPI was observed to have an increased effect of 0.88%–3.59% against a 0.84%–3.41% increase in the CGPI. The surge in electricity prices significantly impacted the supply of electricity, gas, and heating and also the business services sector. The cost of policies that maintain safety, the increase in costs resulting from the overseas importation of fossil fuels, and the cost of promoting renewable energy in conjunction with the reutilization of nuclear power plants leading to higher electricity prices will also be considered in the future.</p>

Assessment of solar energy potential and its deployment for cleaner production in Pakistan

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the potential and outlook of solar energy in Pakistan as a source of renewable and sustainable energy. A detailed energy infrastructure and major reasons behind the power crisis in Pakistan are presented followed by a detailed assessment of solar energy potential. The results obtained from the solar atlas for solar irradiation and PV electricity output show a high potential of solar power throughout the country. An average value of 4.1 kWh/kWp per day is obtained from an installed capacity of 1 KWp. Furthermore, the total estimated potential of solar power in Pakistan is around 2900 GW and its effective use will help in the growth of the country’s economy by reducing the import of fossil fuels. It is foreseen that the present research will help nations develop and utilize solar power in their respective countries efficiently and effectively.

Socio-Economic and Environmental Analyses of Sustainable Public Transport in the Philippines

Electric vehicles are regarded as energy transition technology towards more sustainable and environment-friendly transportation systems. Despite the benefits of reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, the adoption of electric vehicles faces several obstacles ranging from financing issues, government policies, and public acceptance. This study aims to identify the economic, environmental, and social impact of the adoption of electric vehicles for public transportation. Using the Philippines as a case study, the findings highlight the economic advantage of investing in electric public transportation with high public acceptance. The results further identify significant decrease in air pollution, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and encourage lowering the reliance on imported fossil fuels by shifting the public transport from conventional to electric transport system. This study recommends stricter implementation of government policies on modernized public transportation, stronger government support on financing mechanisms, establishment of charging stations in public and private terminals, and boosting programs for developing local-made electric vehicles. To make electric vehicle more environment-friendly, the government must accelerate the energy transition by increasing the electricity share from renewable sources and investing in more sustainable sources of energy.

Electricity supply pathways based on renewable resources: A sustainable energy future for Pakistan

Electricity generation in Pakistan heavily relies on imported fossil fuels. The import of such fuels is a huge financial burden on the national exchequer. Studies focusing on the costs and benefits of the renewable resources for power generation lack environmental and externality costs estimation which makes the Business as Usual scenario as a least cost option in Pakistan. This paper compares five supply side scenarios to find the best competitor of Business as Usual scenario and technically tries to increase the share of renewable resources in electricity generation. It uses electricity sector of Pakistan as a case study and forecast electricity demand in all the sectors. The hypothesis is what will be the savings in cost and what would be the environmental benefits for progressing in alternative pathways. This hypothesis is designed to find the best policy decision for increasing the share of renewable in energy mix of Pakistan. LEAP framework is used to test the hypothesis. The study findings suggest that the electricity generation from Business as Usual scenario is five times expensive than the solar, wind and hydel scenarios. Therefore, the energy planners of Pakistan in particular and the developing countries in general should incentivize electricity generation from renewable resources to increase their penetration.

Risk Analysis in Renewable Energy System (RES) Investment for a Developing Country: A Case Study in Pakistan

Technological improvements allow changing a significant part of the electricity generation investments to renewable energies. Especially in emerging markets and energy import-dependent countries, shift to renewable energy generation became more important to break the links of dependency. Pakistan relies on imported fossil fuels; however, the country’s experience and ambition about the renewable energy transition gain prominence in recent years. Considering the long-term life cycle of energy infrastructure investments, possible risk factors and their dynamic nature must be analysed before the financial decisions are taken. This article aims to propose a system dynamics model for the risk analysis of investment life cycle. In this study, possible risk factors are detected and discussed in different categories. The casual loop diagram of possible risk factors and risk assessment model are designed, and the impacts are analysed. Case study of the proposed model in Pakistan highlighted the importance of commercial risks. The results achieved through this study will guide investors, sector participants and policymakers to develop stable strategies for promoting renewable energy in the country. JEL: Q42, P48, O13

Achieving the Paris Agreement’s 2 degree target in Nepal: the potential role of a carbon tax

ABSTRACT The 2015 Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rise in this century to well below 2°C above the pre-industrial level, and pursue efforts to limit further the temperature rise below 1.5°C. All parties ratifying the Paris Agreement have submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), many stating emission reduction targets. The international climate research community has designed five different Shared Socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) to characterize various possibilities in demographic and economic changes over the next century. These SSPs were implemented by six integrated assessment model (IAM) teams, which also determined the carbon price trajectory required to limit the temperature rise below 2°C in respective SSPs. In SSP5, also termed the fossil-fueled development scenario, only three IAMs identified that the 2°C target would be feasible, with carbon prices ranging from 220 to 518 US$/tCO2e in 2050. This study aims to analyse the effects of these carbon prices on energy and emissions during 2015–2050 in Nepal. It does so using a long-term energy system model using the framework of the Asia-Pacific Integrated Model/Enduse (AIM/Enduse) modelling tool. The base case scenario and three carbon price scenarios are developed. Primary energy supply, energy security, energy technology-mix (especially renewable energy usage and hydropower development), emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and local pollutants, and local/regional environmental co-benefits are compared between the base case scenario and carbon price scenarios. The study finds that the implementation of a carbon tax would promote domestic hydropower, improve energy-efficiency and reduce imports of fossil fuels when compared to the base case. Hydropower-based electricity would have a major role in reducing emissions. Key policy insights The carbon prices in SSP5 determined by IAMs to achieve the 2°C target would be sufficient to achieve Nepal’s targets under its NDC in the energy sector. The industry and transport sectors would offer the highest GHG emission reduction. Hydropower and biomass would have major roles in decarbonizing the energy system.

Decarbonizing the Galapagos Islands: Techno-Economic Perspectives for the Hybrid Renewable Mini-Grid Baltra–Santa Cruz

The fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos Islands is being affected by population growth, intensive tourism, the exploitation of local resources and the high consumption of imported fossil fuels. This unsustainable development model makes the provision of services such as electricity a challenge. This research investigates the hybrid renewable mini-grid Baltra–Santa Cruz, which represents 62% of the electricity generation mix of the archipelago. This study aims to support the Galapagos Zero Fossil Fuel Initiative and the Sustainable Development Goal 7 through the reduction in diesel consumption and electricity generation costs. To do so, HOMER Pro, a specialized hybrid renewable mini-grid planning tool, is used to perform several techno-economic assessments, focusing on different electricity demand scenarios. Therefore, multiple pathways are compared to identify the most reliable alternatives towards the progressive decarbonization of this hybrid system. The results indicate that installing 18.25 MWp of photovoltaic and 20.68 MWh of battery capacity could reduce the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) from 32.06 to 18.95 USc/kWh, increasing the renewable energy (RE) share from 18% to 39%. Additionally, the successful application of energy efficiency measures would even reduce the LCOE to 17.10 USc/kWh. What is more, distributed energy is considered the most attractive way to involve islanders in the energy transition process. Finally, this paper offers a comprehensive business model proposal to achieve a resilient energy supply, based on a combination of auctions and energy community models, which demands high political will, reliable and innovative regulations and social awareness about energy use.

An assessment of energy vulnerability in Small Island Developing States

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) suffer from several structural characteristics that jeopardize their ability to achieve a sustainable energy future. Their reliance on imported fossil fuels exacerbates their exposure to external threats on international energy markets. Their energy systems are also exposed to internal disturbances that disrupt the proper production, transmission and distribution of energy. The aim of this paper is to investigate the extent to which island energy systems are vulnerable to shocks and internal dysfunctions over which they have no control. For this purpose, we build a composite index of energy vulnerability using the Multi-Layer Benefit-of-the-Doubt approach. Such an approach enables the identification of economic, environmental and social dimensions that play an important role in the relative energy vulnerability of SIDS. Ultimately, we shed light on the priority areas requiring immediate attention in order to mitigate energy vulnerability in SIDS.

Occurrence, risk and influencing factors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surface soils from a large-scale coal mine, Huainan, China.

Coal is one of the most important fossil fuels for energy, but it can cause serious polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pollution to the environment. In this work, the distribution, sources, influencing factors, and risk assessment of PAHs were studied in a soil of typical coal resource city, Huainan, China. The total concentration of 16 PAHs classified by USEPA in 47 soils ranged from 109.94 to 1105.30ng/g with a mean concentration of 528.06ng/g. The PAH concentration was higher in soil of this area than most of the agricultural, urban and industrial soils and lower than some coal mine and coal-fired power plant areas in the world. The principal component analysis (PCA) and diagnostic ratios demonstrated that PAHs in soils were mainly from the coal combustion and refined petroleum products. The total organic carbon (TOC, p<0.01) and black carbon (BC, p<0.01) can significantly influence PAH inventories in soils, particularly for PAHs with high molecular weight. In addition, the significantly positive correlations between PAHs in feed coal (p<0.05), fly ash (p<0.01), particulate matter (PM1-2.5 and PM2.5-10, p<0.01) and PAHs in soils revealed that the emission sources and deposition processes were also the main factors affecting PAH contents in soils. The estimated values of incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for children and adults were higher than 10-4at all sampling sites, suggesting high carcinogenic risks for local residents, and the most important exposure route for PAHs was dermal absorption. These findings are valuable for assessing the health risk of PAHs in soils around typical coal mine and coal-fired power plants and highlight the urgency of taking actions to control and reduce the carcinogenic risks for local residents.

Analyzing the potential for solar thermal energy utilization in the Chilean copper mining industry

Copper mining is the largest industry and energy consumer in Chile, utilizing heat from imported fossil fuels of which Chile is not a producer. The goals for decarbonization present opportunities to analyze how the Chilean industry can become sustainable with significant shares of renewable energy including solar heat. The present study analyzes the integration of solar heating to the copper refining process in order to gain insights on the technical, economical, and emissions performance of solar heating systems for the largest copper mining operations in Chile. The solar technologies considered in the analysis are flat plate, evacuated tube, and parabolic trough collectors. The results are validated by comparing with publicly available data from existing solar heating plants in copper mining facilities showing that solar plants are able to supply partially the thermal energy demand, although at different costs in terms of capital and operation and maintenance requirements. The economic analysis indicates that with current fossil fuel prices, solar heating technologies are a valid alternative for cost and emissions reduction in copper mining. Flat plate collectors show the lowest cost for solar heat when compared to evacuated tube and parabolic trough systems considering identical sets of technical and financial parameters. The parametric and sensitivity analysis indicate that the conditions under which solar heating is competitive with traditional fossil-fired heaters. which might still be required as backup systems in order to provide heat in a 24/7 regime, and in all the cases analyzed, a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions can be achieved.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Natural Gas, Oil and Coal

Our article includes numerical analysis of one narrow slice of a complex phenomenon called the greenhouse effect. We consider the most important fossil fuels: natural gas, crude oil and coal, and calculate their impact on the average concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere if all the known reserves of these fuels were burned out altogether. Our calculations are based on the known amounts of the reserves and stoichiometric burning of the fuels. We do not take into account any cumulative effects and time related processes in the biosphere. The calculations yield that the largest effect would come from burning all the known reserves of coal, and the smallest effect would result in from burning all the known reserves of natural gas. The average concentration of carbon dioxide would increase from the present value of 405 ppm-v to about 873 ppm-v if all the known reserves of all these fossil fuels were burned. Our analysis has its roots on a cynical approach to the human race: it is totally possible that all the fossil fuels will be totally burned, sooner or later. It is important to have numerical analysis on such a worst-case scenario now when we still have massive reserves left in the ground and in vast stocks.

ALİAĞA DA ENERJİ KULLANIMI VE YENİLENEBİLİR ENERJİ POTANSİYELİ

Turkey has entered a rapid process of industrialization after the proclamation of the republic in order to enter the category of developed countries. However, the continuous increase in population with industrialization has also caused an increase in the demand for energy. Trying to meet the increasing energy demand for imported fossil fuels for many years brought with it some problems. At the forefront of these problems are energy supply security and external dependence on energy. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy sources with a rich potential in Turkey and a policy have begun to be implemented for the use of renewable energy resources in recent years. The energy atlases that show the solar, wind and biomass energy potentials prepared in this direction are a result of this policy. But there is a need to determine renewable energy potentials at the local level as well as country-wide energy atlases in order to make the most of the current potential. This study aimed to reveal the renewable energy potential and current use of Aliaga that an industry and port city. It’s found out that Aliaga has a high potential in wind and geothermal but it has low energy potential in terms of the solar, water and biomass in the results of this study.

A Simplified Method: System Size and Cost Estimation of Grid Connected Photovoltaic (GCPV) System

There are various types of Renewable Energy (RE) that has been studied by many researchers in order to find a cost-effective energy generation in reducing the non-renewable energy source. In this study, the solar energy was suggested in order to apply the Net Energy Metering (NEM) scheme that has been introduced effective on 1st January 2019, by Malaysian government in achieving 20% national RE target in electricity power mix, reducing the dependency on imported fossil fuels. Based on the data and results, the suitable size of solar panel for a house can be determined based on the daily electricity usage. The findings show that the system size and the cost itself also depends on the estimated amount solar generated set by the consumer.

Optimal Planning of Isolated Power Systems with near 100% of Renewable Energy

The enhancement of economic sustainability and the reduction of GHG emissions in most of the small isolated regions strongly depends on reducing their use of imported fossil fuels. To evaluate the effectiveness of interconnecting small islands in promoting renewable penetration levels increase and cost reductions, this work proposes a multiyear expansion-planning optimization model for the Azores archipelago that considers: 1) the interconnection between the different islands using DC submarine power cables; and 2) the addition of new in-land renewable power plants. The main goal of these expansion plans is to minimize the power system's investment and operational costs. Obtained results showed that interconnections between small isolated power systems (even if not with mainland grids) strongly contribute to a to a more sustainable performance of these regions from both the economic and environmental perspectives.

Rethinking sustainable bioenergy development in Japan: decentralised system supported by local forestry biomass

Bioenergy has been promoted in Japan with ambitious targets. However, the incentive schemes excluded renewable heat and overlooked synergies with local forest management, leading to the development of large-scale biomass plants that heavily rely on overseas biomass supplies. This case report discussed an alternative scenario of decentralised bioenergy systems supported with local biomass through five important questions. The currently available knowledge indicates that such a scenario is feasible with integrative forest management that considers both ecosystem services and multiple uses of wood. In addition to various environmental benefits, replacing imported fossil fuels with local biomass can also enhance energy security. Realising this scenario requires careful consideration of local context, empowerment of local governments and encouragement of both public and private initiatives.

The Green Light or The Green Line? Challenges Facing the Energy Choices for Switzerland.

For most of its history, even though Switzerland has relied on imported fossil fuels to meet its energy needs, low-carbon energy sources such as hydropower and nuclear power have been at the forefront of the electricity generation sector for the last 50 years. However, after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, Switzerland decided to phase out nuclear energy by 2034 through the “Energy Strategy 2050”, a national plan adopted in 2017 that represents a structural break in its energy pattern. Compared to Germany, Switzerland has chosen a less environmentally harmful but more risky strategy, which consists of limiting the substitution of nuclear energy with fossil fuel energy sources, while filling the gap created by the progressive nuclear phase-out through the massive development of alternative and renewable energy sources in the long term. Facing this “green challenge”, Switzerland would need to import electricity from European foreign suppliers. However, one missing element of this global reform appears in the transport sector, which still produces significant CO2 emissions. Such historical constraint would undoubtedly affect Switzerland’s energy security and independence patterns. However, the real challenge created by this nuclear phase-out may not be about becoming energy-independent, because such a deep transition necessitates important electricity imports, but rather about answering the growing electricity demand in the future and securing its energy supply, with the share of renewable energy sources becoming increasingly important. Indeed, Switzerland will have to deal with the trilemma of energy security, independence and sovereignty.

English

Exergy analysis has become widely recognized and adopted as a powerful tool for physical and engineering systems analysis. In this paper, it was applied to transportation modes. Transport is second after the residential sector in Senegal when it comes to energy consumption and relies on imported fossil fuels. In 2013, it consumed around 32 PJ which represented 30% of total energy consumed in the country. Exergy use dynamics shows that roadways dominate and have been experiencing an increase in exergy utilization since 2000. Air transport which played important role till 2006 has very little contribution in 2013. The mean weighted exergy efficiency is low, 13.74% that is, more than 80% of exergy used is lost. This low performance is partly due to poor infrastructure, old car fleet and low level of organization. Therefore, appropriate measures should be applied to modernize the transportation sector, and specifically reduce fossil fuels use. &nbsp; Key words: Transport sector, exergy utilization, exergy analysis, exergy efficiency, fossil fuels.

A carbon price by another name may seem sweeter: Consumers prefer upstream offsets to downstream taxes

Steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions, including putting a “price” on emissions, can be undertaken in a variety of ways, and these policies are associated with different terminology, including carbon “taxes” or “offsets.” Furthermore, in the case of fossil fuels, the emissions can be regulated at different points in the production and usage system: “upstream” regulations are applied to the extraction and importation of fossil fuels, while “downstream” regulations are applied to the usage of products and services. From a conventional economic standpoint, under a range of circumstances, these points of regulation should have effectively equivalent impacts on economic incentives, decisions and resulting carbon emissions. However, the impact of “upstream” vs “downstream” policies on consumer perceptions and preferences is largely unknown. In three studies (two main studies plus one supplemental study) examining consumer preferences in the airline industry, we find that consumers respond significantly more favorably to a description of upstream offsets than to other pricing methods such as downstream taxes. To explain this preference, we find that the upstream offset policy is uniquely perceived to address both the causes and consequences of carbon emissions, which in turn predicts consumer preference and policy support.

Comparison of passive cooling techniques in reducing overheating of clay-straw building in semi-arid climate

Residential and tertiary buildings constitute, in Morocco, the largest energy-intensive sector, accounting for 51% of its total electricity consumption. Decreasing the growing building energy demand presents, therefore, one of the key factors for achieving energy autarky and substantially reducing the use of imported fossil fuels for electricity generation. In this paper, we studied several passive cooling techniques integrated into a numerical model of a clay-straw building in semi-arid climate, aiming simultaneously to reduce the energy demand for cooling and improve the building thermal comfort by reducing overheating hours. The results show that automated movable shading is the most effective solution. Moreover, the clay-straw building that integrates the passive cooling techniques shows a reduction of the indoor temperature by 5 °C in the warmest day of summer in comparison to a reference building representative of actual Moroccan villas made of concrete and lacking passive cooling techniques. Furthermore, it reduces the total energy demand by 65% while decreasing the number of discomfort hours resulting from overheating by 25%. In addition, the passive cooling techniques showed quite the same effectiveness in summer conditions whether used in a concrete or a clay-straw building. Eventually, we suggest that the Moroccan thermal code should encourage the use of passive cooling techniques, especially in hot semi-arid climate.