Low-carbon Goals Research Articles

Analysis of an optimal public transport structure under a carbon emission constraint: a case study in Shanghai, China.

Along with the rapid development of the transportation industry, the problems of the energy crisis and transport emissions have become increasingly serious. The success of traffic emission reduction is related to the realization of global low-carbon goals. Placing priority on public transport is the internationally recognized traffic development model. This paper takes Shanghai, China, as an example to examine the optimal public transport structure. Five factors were selected from personal and public perspectives, including travel costs, crowding degree, occupied area, traffic emissions, and operating subsidies. The objective functions of these factors were transformed into satisfaction functions, and a multi-objective programming model was used to solve for the optimal proportions of the ground bus and rail transit, and the carbon emission reduction potential was analyzed in different scenarios. The study showed that the actual proportion of rail transit in Shanghai was slightly lower than the optimal value, and accompanied by low satisfaction with each factor relative to the optimal value. It was difficult to achieve the traffic emission reduction targets by only reducing satisfaction with other factors except carbon emissions assuming a fixed proportion of public transport. As the proportion of total travel represented by public transport increased, rail transit became the main mode of public transport and the usage trend was more obvious, but the structure of public transport gradually reached a relatively stable state after a certain level of development. Compared to reducing carbon emissions by changing satisfaction with other factors, it was easier to achieve traffic emission reduction targets by increasing the proportion of public transport. To increase the proportion of public transport travel and achieve the goal of traffic reduction in the future, further improvements are needed in the quality of public transport system services, public transport priority development must be differentiated, and the profitability of the public transport industry itself must be enhanced.

A customized modelling approach for multi-functional buildings – Application to an Italian Reference Hotel

In the forthcoming European low-carbon energy system, the building stock plays a major role in the demand sector. Therefore, in order to develop robust scenario analysis towards the success of the low-carbon goals, a trustful characterization of the building stock is required. Reference Buildings are often the base of these building stock models, but, at present, an uneven level of development between residential and non-residential Reference Buildings is detected. The present paper contributes to fill this knowledge gap by proposing a method to model Reference multi-functional Buildings. Multi-functional buildings represent an important share of the non-residential buildings stock, by embracing all buildings hosting different activities under the same roof. In order to trustfully depict their energy performances, the EU definition of Reference Buildings have to be updated. To this purpose, this study proposes a rationale to describe and model these buildings, based on the distinction between their typical and extra energy uses. In order to test the proposed methodology, it was applied to the definition a Reference Hotel in Italy, with the additional aim to provide support material to the national energy and tourism policies.

Contestation, contingency, and justice in the Nordic low-carbon energy transition

The five Nordic countries have aggressive climate and energy policies in place and have already emerged to be leaders in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Denmark is renowned for its pioneering use of wind energy, Finland and Sweden bioenergy, Norway hydroelectricity and Iceland geothermal energy. All countries aim to be virtually “fossil free” by 2050. This study explores the Nordic energy transition through the lens of three interconnected research questions: How are they doing it? What challenges exist? And what broader lessons result for energy policy? The study firstly investigates the pathways necessary for these five countries to achieve their low-carbon goals. It argues that a concerted effort must be made to (1) promote decentralized and renewable forms of electricity supply; (2) shift to more sustainable forms of transport; (3) further improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings; and (4) adopt carbon capture and storage technologies for industry. However, the section that follows emphasizes some of the empirical barriers the Nordic transition must confront, namely political contestation, technological contingency, and social justice and recognition concerns. The study concludes with implications for what such historical progress, and future transition pathways, mean for both energy researchers and energy planners.

Experience with LEDS and NAMA Low Carbon Strategies: The Case of Georgia

Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) and National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) have the potential to support developing countries in attaining low carbon goals. In spite of the evident potential, there is a need to learn from practice. This paper explores the case of Georgia. The main research question discussed is: What experience has been gained with the development of LEDS and NAMAs in Georgia? The study reveals that both LEDS and NAMAs are subject to barriers that considerably slow development processes: there is a lack of institutional capacity, little inter-governmental goal alignment and poor coordination of actions, a lack of experienced staff and insufficient, substantial, earmarked funding. Capacity building depends on support from organizations in donor countries. This paper contributes to a growing body of knowledge of the implementation of LEDS and NAMA.

基于生命周期的风电场碳排放核算

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 基于生命周期的风电场碳排放核算 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201406111207 作者: 作者单位: 北京师范大学环境模拟与污染控制国家重点实验室,北京师范大学环境模拟与污染控制国家重点实验室,北京师范大学,北京师范大学 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金(91325302,71573021);国家基金委创新研究群体科学基金(51121003);高等学校博士学科点专项科研基金(20130003110027);美国能源基金会项目(G-1407-21749) Carbon emission accounting for wind farm based on life cycle assessment Author: Affiliation: Beijing Normal University,State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control,Beijing Normal University,State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control,,Beijing Normal University,State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:风电是实现低碳战略的主力能源技术之一。为全面分析其对环境的影响,将自然植被纳入系统边界,计量风电场建设前后植被破坏及恢复带来的影响。在清单分析中,重点考虑对碳排影响较大的配件生产及运输、建设期工程车耗油排放,更加合理地核算风电场碳排放和量化其环境影响。核算结果表明:案例风电场全生命周期排碳量为2.97×104tC;运营期由于电能损耗造成的CO2排放量远大于其它阶段,占全过程的57.74%;整个过程中,能源消耗造成的碳排放远大于资源损耗排放。 Abstract:In 2009, China became the world's largest carbon emitting country and therefore needs to work more actively to explore low-carbon development. Wind power is considered one of the major renewable energy technologies to achieve low-carbon goals. With the other rapid development in China, wind farms have been constructed around the country, both onshore and offshore, to resolve energy resource and environmental challenges. The aim of this program is to develop wind power capacity to 200 million kilowatts in 2020 and to 1 billion kilowatts in 2050, to provide 17% of the electricity demand. In this study, the carbon emission of wind farms was analyzed using life cycle assessment, which is a powerful tool for energy system management and environmental emission mitigation. It has been widely used for environmental impact assessment of renewable energy systems. The life cycle of a wind turbine is assumed to be 21 years. The natural vegetation is incorporated into the system boundary, quantifying the impact of destruction and restoration of vegetation on carbon emissions before and after the construction stage. In the inventory analysis, the carbon emissions from production and transportation of accessories, as well as the fuel consumption of construction vehicles are considered, to provide a reasonable account of associated carbon emissions and to quantify the associated environmental impact. Then, carbon emissions from the three phases of the life cycle (construction, operation, and dismantling) were determined. The construction phase covers changes in vegetation, building, and transportation. The operation stage includes emissions from energy produced for the daily life activities of staff and for operating the main building and electrical equipment (e.g., wind farm lighting systems, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and primary and secondary communication equipment). Regarding the dismantling phase, waste material disposal may still produce carbon emissions. The calculation of carbon emissions is based on the amount of energy used and on various emission factors. Part of the carbon emissions derived from recycled materials was subtracted to avoid double accounting. The carbon emissions caused by laying fiber optic cables, diesel consumption of the mobile machinery shop, and consumption of electric energy were also considered. The results show that the carbon emissions of the whole life cycle of the concerned wind farm, from vegetation damage to scrap disposal, was 2.97×104 tC, with the carbon emission intensity being 2.98×10-4 tC kW-1 h-1. This is close to the value for thermal power generation. The contribution by change in vegetation was almost zero, while those of building, transportation, and dismantling were 35.54%, 0.58%, 6.15%, respectively. The emission from consumption of electricity during operation was far larger than that for the other categories, making up 57.74% of total emissions. In contrast to the results from previous studies, we found that the carbon emissions from energy consumption are far larger than those from resource consumption. The methodology used in this paper may help provide a more comprehensive and detailed carbon emission inventory of wind farms. It could thus be considered a benchmark for further comparison of typical wind farm performance. In particular, the inclusion of the ecosystem services provided by the natural vegetation is the first step in calculating the potential support to be derived from the area surrounding the wind farm, which was often ignored in previous studies. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Optimization of urban industrial structure under the low-carbon goal and the water constraints: a case in Dalian, China

Rapid industrial development consumes a large amount of water and energy, which causes both urban water shortages and massive carbon emissions. Therefore, optimization of the urban industrial structure is urgently required to pursue the low-carbon goal under the constraints of water supply. In this paper, we chose Dalian city in China as a case study and divided its industrial sectors into three types according to their output value. Meanwhile, we used the LMDI (Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index) method to decompose the factors that impact industrial carbon emissions from energy consumption. Based on the ratio of the carbon emission effects, five scenarios were set respectively, and accounted for the carbon emissions and water consumption under different scenarios of industrial structure. The results indicated that the economic growth effect was the most significant factor that contributed to industrial carbon emissions, while industrial structure effect was the largest negative factor for increasing industrial carbon emissions. The results also indicated that the total carbon emissions under the HOV (high output-value)-preferred and water-conserved scenario will be lower by 8.5% in 2020 than the baseline scenario, while both its energy intensity and water intensity will meet the requirements of the constraints of the urban development planning.

Energy security, policy and technology in South East Europe: Presenting and applying an energy security index to Croatia

During the last decade a number of long-held tenets of the energy sector have been rewritten. With the rise of new technologies and the help of policies favouring RES (renewable energy sources) a transformation of our understanding of the energy system and its possibilities has encouraged dramatic changes in the World's energy landscape. As some importers became exporters, countries long-defined as significant energy exporters became centres of demand growth. In these turbulent times, it is the awareness of the dynamics underpinning energy markets that is crucial for both decision-makers and investors to form informed opinions on how to reconcile a string of technical, environmental, economic and social factors in order to provide for best solutions regarding country specifics and demands. The right combination of policies and technologies could fuel economic growth, whilst still providing secure and affordable energy in line with low-carbon goals. Those that might successfully anticipate energy developments can derive a significant advantage on the market, while those that fail to recognise the importance of new movements risk making poor policy and investment decisions. In this light and following the accession of Croatia in the European Union, a number of questions are raised regarding the country's energy sector legal framework and development policy and their ability to cope with the demands faced. Taking Croatia as a practical example, the impact of different development strategies is considered through the application of a novel approach suggested by the paper. This study presents an overview aimed to help clarify some of the aspects behind forming a successful framework capable of making the right decisions for the future, today.

Energy and environmental attitudes in the green state of Denmark: Implications for energy democracy, low carbon transitions, and energy literacy

This article investigates how a mix of energy-users from Denmark perceives energy and environmental issues such as the affordability of electricity and gasoline, the seriousness of climate change, and preferences for different energy systems. Its primary source of data is a pilot survey and energy literacy test distributed in English and Danish to 328 respondents spread across the country. The survey results are used to test four propositions about energy prices, being “green,” public knowledge and competence about energy issues, and self-sufficiency and sustainable technology. The data supports the propositions that Danes identify with “being green” and prefer national and local policies that endorse sustainable technology and being self-sufficient. However, the data also challenges the propositions that Danes would prioritize low energy prices and affordability as key energy concerns and that they are knowledgeable about energy and environmental issues. In this way, a problematic gap may exist between what many academic articles (and previous surveys) report Danish attitudes to be and what this study suggests they are. Given Denmark's ambitious low-carbon goals, these findings have clear relevance to other communities and countries seeking to decarbonize their own energy sectors.

Development of a spatially explicit network model of urban metabolism and analysis of the distribution of ecological relationships: case study of Beijing, China

In this paper, we develop a spatially explicit model of carbon transfers between regions of an urban area. The carbon transfers represent the metabolic processes due to regional land use changes. We used the model to identify spatial heterogeneity in the carbon metabolic structure, functions, and relationships within the network. Data for Beijing from 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010, were combined with empirical coefficients, to construct the network. We used ecological network analysis to analyze the structure and function of the network, and to determine the ecological relationships between the components of the system, their distribution, and their changes over time. The analysis revealed that carbon throughflow of the network decreased and positive relations mostly outweighed negative relations. Exploitation relationships were the dominant type in Beijing during most of the study period, particularly in the northwest before 2000, but moved towards the southeast over time, leaving competition relationships with losses of benefits dominant in the northwest. Mutualism relationships with mainly beneficial carbon flows were dominant in the southeast, increasing in frequency in this region throughout the study period. The results provide a theoretical basis for planning adjustments to the city's structure to achieve low-carbon goals.

Technological capability and transfer for achieving South Africa's development goals

Technological capability and technology transfer both play important roles in achieving low-carbon development targets and the concepts of both have appeared in national development and climate policy debates. Yet, they differ. Improving capabilities and transfer mechanisms are two differing approaches to technological development. Technology transfer is associated with a key political dynamic within international climate policy, in that developing countries request support from industrialised countries. Whereas technological capability focuses on building internal capabilities and is often framed in the context of national industrial policy plans rather than relying on external support. We argue that technology development, a combination of these approaches, can contribute to South Africa's low-carbon development through innovation and technology-based mitigation actions that increase domestic technological capabilities. Technological capability needs to become a determinant of mitigation action to effectively contribute to achieving South Africa's low-carbon development goals. International technology transfer and cooperation should contribute to boosting domestic capabilities to advance technological development. Technology transfer based on pure sales will not contribute to achieving long-term low-carbon development goals.

China's CO2 Emission Scenarios to Meet the Low Carbon Goals by 2020

China's CO2 Emission Scenarios to Meet the Low Carbon Goals by 2020

21세기 수도권 대기환경 개선과 녹색성장을 위한 제안

Ahead of the second basic plan which starts in 2015, tasks needed to improve air quality and encourage green growth in the Seoul Metropolitan Area have been investigated. To date, many research findings indicate that climate change is ongoing and continues to accelerate in the Northeast Asia due to several factors, including unparalleled anthropogenic air emissions from China. An intensive field study is proposed that would target the Seoul Metropolitan Area and would be conducted in collaboration with the international scientific community. While focused on environmental issues in Korea, this study would also benefit the international community by providing insights that can be applied to address similar problems around the world. In addition to the basic plan`s emphasis on improving air quality, there is a need to promote green growth through environment-friendly development. It is proposed that green growth be interpreted as a comprehensive concept, targeting all environmental pollution, rather than being limited to low-carbon goals. It is further proposed that the success of environment-friendly development be measured in terms of risk reduction, energy and resources conservation, economic benefits, and employment expansion.

Exploring health outcomes as a motivator for low-carbon city development: Implications for infrastructure interventions in Asian cities

Sustainable urban infrastructure interventions can help achieve both public health and low-carbon goals in cities. This paper explores the extent to which civil infrastructure (i.e., water, sanitation, energy, transport and building infrastructures) and environmental factors (e.g. air and water quality) associated with these infrastructures shape current urban health outcomes in cities in Asia using Delhi, India as a case study. Current mortality data for Delhi are used as context to estimate the extent to which urban health outcomes are shaped by infrastructure and infrastructure-related environmental factors, some of which could directly or indirectly reduce mortality through low-carbon interventions. Mortality data along with a preliminary survey of expert opinion indicate up to 19 percent of all recorded deaths in Delhi may be infrastructure-related. More detailed epidemiology studies and infrastructure models are needed to confirm these initial findings. The findings suggest public health outcomes may be a large factor in motivating low-carbon development in Asian cities.

Development of a Low Carbon Economy in Wuxi City

The development of a Low Carbon Economy is a vital instrument to encounter climate change and take into account the growing challenges of an increasing urbanization in China. Wuxi City in East China’s Jiangsu Province is starting to implement a Low Carbon City Plan for safeguarding a sustainable development of the city until 2020 and beyond. This paper aims at estimating the impact of the Low Carbon City plan for Wuxi’s energy demand and CO2-emissions until 2050. Using an econometric energy supply and demand model to estimate and forecast the Wuxi energy and CO2-balance aggregates until 2050, it compares a scenario without specific Low Carbon City measures to reduce sectoral CO2-intensities to a Low Carbon scenario implementing these measures according to the Low Carbon City Plan until 2020 and beyond. The decomposition of the Kaya-identity reveals that the increase of per capita income has the largest impact on the growth of CO2-emissions and the decrease of energy intensity of Gross Value Added the largest impact on the reduction of CO2-emissions in Wuxi. A decrease of population and CO2-intensity of Primary energy supply only have average contributions. The decrease of energy intensity of Gross Value Added is due to energy efficiency gains in the single economic sectors, but to a large extent due to structural changes of the economy away from energy intensive sectors such as iron and steel, chemical industry or cement industry towards the energy extensive service sectors. A growing residential sector also reduces the industrial share of energy demand. Only following the assumed national trend with a shift from CO2-intensive industries to a CO2-extensive service economy, the Low Carbon goal of a 50% reduction of CO2-intensity of Gross Value Added compared to 2005 cannot be reached in Wuxi. Specific sectoral CO2 -intensity goals have to be successfully observed by the economic sectors in Wuxi, especially by the industry. The promotion of combined heat and power generation also has to contribute to the specific activities in Wuxi.

How to Reduce Oil Consumption and Achieve Low-Carbon Goal for the Armed Forces

Firstly, this document explains why the armed forces should cut down oil consumption and develop in a low-carbon way, then it discusses how to do it, i.e. improve the personnel’s awareness of energy-saving and emission-reduction by propaganda and education, implement the system of rewards and penalties and develop and utilize new energy and alternative energy.

Low-carbon assessment for ecological wastewater treatment by a constructed wetland in Beijing

Presented in this paper is a low-carbon assessment for wastewater treatment by a constructed wetland as ecological engineering. Systems accounting by combining process and input–output analyses is applied to track both direct and indirect GHG emissions associated with the wastewater treatment. Based on the detailed assessment procedures and the embodied GHG emission intensity database for the Chinese economy in 2007, the GHG emissions embodied in both the construction and operation stages of a pilot constructed wetland in Beijing are investigated in concrete detail, with parallel calculations carried out for a cyclic activated sludge plant as a typical conventional wastewater treatment system for comparison. With the overall embodied GHG emissions taken into account, the constructed wetland is shown to be remarkably less carbon intensive than the conventional wastewater treatment system, and the contrast in GHG emission structure is also revealed and characterized. According to the results, the ecological engineering of the constructed wetland is considered to be favorable for achieving the low-carbon goal.