Low-carbon Strategies Research Articles

International Oil Companies’ Low-Carbon Strategies: Confronting the Challenges and Opportunities of Global Energy Transition

The traditional petroleum industry has already sensed the rising pressure and challenges from the historical energy transition toward a low-carbon energy future. International Oil Companies as the leading peer group have more options to adapt to the new business climate and response with strategic moves. IOC’s Low-Carbon strategies can be summarized into three categories which include a shift towards gas production, and a direct involvement in low-carbon sector as well as collaboration with peers. IOCs have certain strengths in renewables and are confronting with opportunities driven by fast growing new energy electricity market and dramatically falling costs of solar PV and wind. However, IOCs are also confronting with risks and apt to weigh up the returns of renewables against oil and gas developments.

Fuel demand and emissions for maritime sector in Fiji: Current status and low-carbon strategies

The Green Growth Framework for Fiji under its theme for sustainable maritime transportation, envisages deployment of renewable energy technologies, retrofitting of existing vessels and development of improved vessel designs as some of the measures needed to make shipping more energy efficient. In this study, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) tool is used to develop various maritime transport scenarios (2016–2040) based on possible interventions. Domestic maritime transport used approximately 79 million litres of fuel in 2016 out of which 77% was marine diesel oil while the remaining was premix. The total emissions from maritime transport in 2016 was estimated to be 214 Gg of CO2e. At 2% annual growth rate in maritime passenger and freight activity, the total annual fuel consumption will increase to 127 million litres by 2040 with corresponding GHG emissions of 342 Gg of CO2e under the BAU scenario. This paper quantifies possible reductions in fossil fuel usage and associated emissions through energy efficiency and alternative fuels in the domestic sea transport sector in Fiji.

Analysis and comparison on the potential of low-carbon architectural design strategies

The adoption of low carbon design strategies in the conceptual design phase has significant influence on the ultimate building performance (e.g. energy consumption and carbon emission). Taking an office building in Shanghai as reference, this paper analyzes and compares the carbon reduction potential of several passive and active design strategies (i.e. natural ventilation, daylighting, shading, passive heating, photovoltaic power, wind power, green plantation) which are closely related to architectural morphology in the conceptual design phase. The results show that photovoltaic has the highest potential of strategies examined, while natural ventilation is the best passive design choice. And the effect of passive heating and wind power is minimal. These findings offer architects scientific suggestions on the low carbon strategies selections in the conceptual design.

Analysis and Discussion on the Design of Green Super High-rise Civil Buildings in Huangshan

With the accelerating urbanization process and the development of the construction industry, the role of green building design in architectural design is constantly reflected. The comprehensive implementation of green building is an important measure to promote China's energy-saving emission reduction and low-carbon city strategy. However, there are relatively few cases in which green building design is applied to super high-rise civil buildings, and in-depth research and data analysis must be carried out. The design points in green super high-rise civil buildings in Huangshan area were briefly summarized, and the actual cases of a green super high-rise civil building design in Huangshan City were analyzed, which is conducive to laying the foundation for the application of green building design to super high-rise civil buildings.

Household carbon emission characteristics and adaptive strategies for low carbon community planning

Urban communities are important sector for energy saving and emission reduction. Characterization of household carbon emission is critical to the planning of low-carbon communities. Taking data from five communities in Nanjing, China as the empirical research object, this study explores the relationship between household consumer activities and direct carbon emission of household energy consumption based on the Consumer Lifestyle Approach. Using regression analysis, we identify the characteristics of the emission and the four most significant impact factors. Adaptive low carbon strategies are further suggested as how to influence consumer activities by planning of urban communities.

The Role of Cities in South Africa’s Energy Gridlock

South Africa’s energy sector finds itself in a gridlock situation. The sector is controlled by the state-owned utility Eskom holding the monopoly on the generation and transmission of electricity, which is almost exclusively produced from domestically extracted coal. At the same time, the constitutional mandate enables municipalities to distribute and sell electricity generated by Eskom to local consumers, which constitutes a large part of the cities’ municipal income. This is a strong disincentive for city governments to promote reductions in energy consumption and substantially limits the scope for urban action on energy efficiency and renewable energies. In the present case study, we portray the current development in South Africa’s energy policy and trace how deadlocked legal, financial, and institutional barriers block the transition from a coal-based energy system toward a greener and more sustainable energy economy. We furthermore point to the efforts of major South African cities to introduce low-carbon strategies in their jurisdictions and highlight key challenges for the future development of the country’s energy sector. By engaging with this case study, readers will become familiar with a prime example of the wider phenomenon of national political–economic obstacles to the progress in sustainable urban development.

A Methodological Framework for the Comparative Analysis of the Environmental Performance of Roadway and Railway Transport

Low-carbon transport is a priority in addressing climate change. Transport is still almost totally dependent on fossil fuels (96%) and accounts for almost 60% of global oil use. Sustainable transport systems, both passenger and freight, should be economically and technically feasible, but also low-carbon and environmentally friendly. The calculation of greenhouse gas emissions in transport projects is becoming a primary target of transport companies as a part of an endeavor for low-carbon strategies to reduce the energy demand and environmental impact. This paper investigates the CO2 impact of construction and operation of the main highway and railway line infrastructure in Greece, which connects Athens and Thessaloniki, the capital and the second biggest city in Greece respectively and provides a comparative analysis in roadway and railway transport.

Low carbon strategy analysis under revenue-sharing and cost-sharing contracts

This paper investigates the impact of revenue-sharing and cost-sharing contracts offered by a retailer on emission reduction efforts and firms' profitability. To encourage the manufacturer (he) to participate in the low-carbon supply chain, the retailer (she) offers some incentive schemes, such as cost-sharing contract (CS), revenue-sharing contract (RS), both two contracts (RC) or neither of them (NC). Under such incentive schemes, this work develops a basic model to examine channel members’ equilibrium decisions under a Stackelberg game approach. Extending from the basic model, this work further discusses the equilibrium solutions under Nash bargaining model, in which the retailer and the manufacturer bargain on a cost-sharing rate (CSB) or a revenue-sharing rate (RSB). Somewhat counterintuitively, the findings suggest the supply chain coordination and the range of sharing rate depend critically on parameters, such as the relative bargaining status (symmetric or asymmetric bargaining power) and consumer environmental awareness. For instance, Scenarios CS and RS can coordinate the supply chain, whereas Scenarios CSB and RSB do not work well. Further, the cost-sharing rate under Scenario CSB is not higher as that of previous studies, and Scenario RSB is nonexistence with asymmetric bargaining power.

Demonstration projects of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings: Lessons from end-user experiences in Amsterdam, Helsingborg, and Lyon

Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) have been positioned as a low carbon strategy by the European Union in its Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (Directive 2010/31/EU). Underlying this directive is that the choice of technical options as well as sources of renewable energy may vary across EU countries and building projects. This article aims to compare the outcomes of NZEB demonstration projects in newly built city districts in Amsterdam, Helsingborg, and Lyon, using insights from strategic niche management theory combined with post-occupancy evaluation. More specifically, the analysis focuses on end-user expectations and experiences with living in energy-neutral city districts and homes, identifying lessons learned. A major conclusion is that the NZEB demonstration projects only facilitated single loop learning of end-users but did not provide an impetus for double loop learning. The findings suggest that NZEB projects need to be redesigned to facilitate more active roles of end-users in order to help realising their full potential in terms of increased energy efficiency and social learning.

Research on low-carbon diffusion considering the game among enterprises in the complex network context

Considering the game among enterprises, this paper studies low-carbon diffusion problem from the perspective of network characteristics and consumers' environmental awareness. Under the scenario of heterogeneous environmental awareness, the low-carbon diffusion model based on evolutionary game theory and complex network theory is established to describe the game of enterprises' low-carbon strategy adoption in the network and the strategy learning among network neighbors. Simulation analysis in complex networks reveals the roles of network characteristics such as average degree, degree distribution and consumers' environmental awareness played in low-carbon diffusion. The results show that increasing the connections among enterprises in the industry can help the spread of low-carbon strategies. However, the diffusion potential of the network is largely exploited when the average degree exceeds 6, and the low-carbon strategies spread slowly afterwards. A certain percentage of green consumers drives this certain percentage of enterprises to implement low-carbon strategies approximately in equilibrium which indicates that the low-carbon diffusion rate can reach 100% when all consumers become green consumers who are willing and able to pay for low-carbon premium. White customers contribute to the spread of low-carbon strategies, but the promotion effect is not as good as green customers. The small-world (SW) network is more efficiently than the scale-free (SF) network in low-carbon diffusion when consumers' environmental awareness is low. However, when the consumers' environmental awareness is higher than a certain value, the SF network has a higher diffusion rate in equilibrium than the SW network.

Building a dwelling that remains carbon-neutral over its lifetime – A case study in Kinmen

A low-carbon dwelling has been built on Kinmen, which is a low-carbon demonstration island belonging to Taiwan. This study explores the carbon footprint of the lifecycle of the building based on the construction of low-carbon dwelling itself, and the family members who live in it, who have all adopted a low-carbon lifestyle. The building lifecycle is divided into five segments: the new construction materials, construction phase, daily energy consumption, repair and renewal work, and demolition process. This study analyzes and documents the carbon emissions during these five segments, and also includes carbon-offset designs through low-carbon strategies. The results indicate that a zero-carbon dwelling can be achieved through a platform that incorporates various sustainable designs and lifestyle modifications. This living laboratory focuses on data collection during the process of the building's development from low-carbon to zero-carbon. The energy use intensity (EUI) of the building is 33.01 kWh/m2y, which is significantly lower than the average EUI of 49.3 kWh/m2y for conventional buildings. The daily energy consumption is the largest contributor to the carbon footprint, and has the highest carbon footprint at approximately 60.7% of the total.

Environmental Policy in China: Challenges and Opportunities

<p>W długoterminowych planach rozwoju Chin nacisk został położony na kwestie dotyczące ochrony środowiska. Chiny podkreślają, że mierzenie wzrostu gospodarczego musi brać pod uwagę również koszty środowiskowe. Plany rozwoju gospodarczego zostały w następstwie tego sprzężone z planami ochrony środowiska. Strategia niskoemisyjnych rozwiązań musi prowadzić do określenia nowego modelu rozwojowego pozwalającego z jednej strony chronić środowisko naturalne, a z drugiej utrzymywać konkurencyjność rodzimej gospodarki.</p>

Evaluating the Link between Low Carbon Reductions Strategies and Its Performance in the Context of Climate Change: A Carbon Footprint of a Wood-Frame Residential Building in Quebec, Canada

The design and study of low carbon buildings is a major concern in a modern economy due to high carbon emissions produced by buildings and its effects on climate change. Studies have investigated (CFP) Carbon Footprint of buildings, but there remains a need for a strong analysis that measure and quantify the overall degree of GHG emissions reductions and its relationship with the effect on climate change mitigation. This study evaluates the potential of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the building sector by evaluating the (CFP) of four hotpots approaches defined in line with commonly carbon reduction strategies, also known as mitigation strategies. CFP framework is applied to compare the (CC) climate change impact of mitigation strategies. A multi-story timber residential construction in Quebec City (Canada) was chosen as a baseline scenario. This building has been designed with the idea of being a reference of sustainable development application in the building sector. In this scenario, the production of materials and construction (assembly, waste management and transportation) were evaluated. A CFP that covers eight actions divided in four low carbon strategies, including: low carbon materials, material minimization, reuse and recycle materials and adoption of local sources and use of biofuels were evaluated. The results of this study shows that the used of prefabricated technique in buildings is an alternative to reduce the CFP of buildings in the context of Quebec. The CC decreases per m2 floor area in baseline scenario is up to 25% than current buildings. If the benefits of low carbon strategies are included, the timber structures can generate 38% lower CC than the original baseline scenario. The investigation recommends that CO2eq emissions reduction in the design and implementation of residential constructions as climate change mitigation is perfectly feasible by following different working strategies. It is concluded that if the four strategies were implemented in current buildings they would have environmental benefits by reducing its CFP. The reuse wood wastes into production of particleboard has the greatest environmental benefit due to temporary carbon storage.

A holistic overview of the progress of China’s low-carbon city pilots

Since 2010 China has launched three batches of low-carbon pilot cities to explore feasible local policies or actions that can be replicated on a larger scale. Based on their official self-assessment reports, this study investigates the progress of 32 pilot sites from the initial two batches. Indicators of progress include: establishing a comprehensive governance system to guarantee the implementation of low-carbon strategies, plans and actions; implementing a carbon emission statistics system; carrying out low-carbon actions covering the majority of emission sectors and having produced positive consequences for local low-carbon development; exploring new policies and institutions including legislation, emissions control, carbon certification and green credit schemes, that lead to the formulation of national policies. Despite some defects in the experiments, the progress from these pilot sites has laid an important foundation for the advancement of national low-carbon development. Based on this analysis, this study provides recommendations for policy diffusion: to integrate more constraints and incentives into low-carbon pilot sites; to establish a policy assessment system to identify effective local experiments; and to summarize and share these best practices across the country.

Carbon Lock-Out: Leading the Fossil Port of Rotterdam into Transition

The port of Rotterdam is a global leader in the fossil fuel economy, with a 50% market share for fossil fuel products in North-Western Europe. Although it is one of the most efficient and innovative ports globally, over the last decade it has seen a gradual increase of pressures on its activities and the need to develop alternative low-carbon strategies. This paper describes how a turbulent energy context, growing societal pressure and a change in the leadership of the Port Authority opened up space for a transition management process. The process impacted the business strategy and the discourse amongst its leaders and contributed to the set-up of a transition unit and a change in investments. It subsequently led to an externally oriented transition arena process with incumbent actors in the port area and actors from outside around the transition pathway to a circular and bio-based economy. By exploring how transition management could support the repositioning of incumbent actors in the energy transition, the research contributes to discussions in the transitions literature on regime destabilisation, the role of (incumbent) actors in transitions, and large-scale energy-intensive industries as the next frontier in the energy transition.

Carbon emission effect of urbanization at regional level: empirical evidence from China

Abstract Historically, global urbanization has been an essential ingredient for national economic growth and beneficial social transformation. However, with the global urban population currently generating two-thirds of all carbon emissions, global policymakers are urging mayors and regional leaders to make difficult decisions to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization on the environment. The authors begin their examination of the implications of local and regional factors by applying the Dynamic Spatial Durbin Panel Data Model to empirically examine aspects of developing low-carbon strategies for the rapidly expanding size and number of the world’s urban areas. The results indicate that the contribution of urbanization to carbon emissions can be positively affected when regional policy makers collaborate to focus on spillover effects to simultaneously manage the scope, diversity, and complexity of economic and environmental issues from the perspective of creating a balance between rapid urbanization and relevant regional factors. Regional leaders can make a difference by creating both short-term goals and long-term strategies for maintaining low-carbon urbanization, nurturing regional coordination, monitoring and managing eco-friendly regional spillover effects, supporting low-carbon technology innovations, and maintaining optimal city size.

Electrification and the Future of Electricity Markets: Transitioning to a Low-Carbon Energy System

End-use electrification is one of the three pillars of deep decarbonization, which are fundamental strategies necessary to eliminate energy-system carbon emissions. As a low-carbon strategy, electrification is only effective when paired with reductions in the emissions intensity of electricity generation. Thus, any discussion of electrification's role in reducing carbon emissions, either through the direct electrification of end uses but also fuel switching to electricity derived fuels, must include supply-demand interactions within the electricity system. This article highlights what these interactions may look like in the transition to a very low-carbon energy system in the United States and some potential implications for the future of the grid and wholesale electricity markets. The concepts are primarily illustrated using updated scenarios from the 2014 U .S. Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP ) technical report.

Game theoretical analysis of firms’ operational low-carbon strategy under various cap-and-trade mechanisms

Abstract Governments commonly utilize various carbon emission regulations to ensure the sustainable energy consumption of firms and consequently improve the total social welfare. In this study, we apply a game theoretical model to analyze how a manufacturer's operational decisions on sustainable energy consumption and low-carbon production will be changed with the variation in official cap-and-trade policies. Results will provide the government with analytical supplements in making real-world decisions. Our findings show that the manufacturer can obtain increased incentives to upgrade its purification technology in a high low-carbon preference market compared with that in a low low-carbon preference market. Furthermore, the government should constrain the cap-and-trade policy and encourage the manufacturer to upgrade its purification technology when the consumers' low-carbon preference is relatively high. These research findings reveal that when consumers show a high low-carbon preference level, the manufacturer should make socially optimal decisions for its operations. When consumers show a moderate low-carbon preference level, a significant conflict occurs between social welfare optimization and purification technology upgrade. Thus, if a technology upgrade is necessary, then policy-based promotion to increase the consumers' low-carbon preference level is an essential factor to maximize the total social welfare.

A dynamic assessment of instrument interaction and timing alternatives in the EU low-carbon policy mix design

The European Union low-carbon strategy includes a range of complementary policies. Potential interactions between instruments and different timing of their implementation can influence the cost and likelihood of achieving the targets. We test the interactions between the three main pillars of the European Union strategy through a dynamic Computable General Equilibrium model (GDynEP) with a time horizon of 2050. Main results are: i) going for the unilateral European Union carbon mitigation target without any complementary technological policy will produce large economic losses; ii) by investing in clean energy technologies (energy efficiency and renewable energy) with a carbon tax revenue recycling mechanism, these losses will decrease substantially; iii) when complementary clean energy technology policies are implemented, the optimal timing of binding targets changes; iv) the higher the public support to clean energy technologies, the larger the economic gains in early adoption of challenging abatement targets.

Sustainable Management of Oleaginous Trees as a Source for Renewable Energy Supply and Climate Change Mitigation: A Case Study in China

Forests provide a range of ecosystem services, including bioenergy supply and carbon sequestration, both contributing to significant climate change mitigation. Oleaginous trees have potential to provide bioenergy supplies through biodiesel-producing seed yield as well as contributing to carbon sequestration. This paper aims to show the provisions of bioenergy and carbon savings through forest rotation management and it will investigate the potential of oleaginous forest management in China. We use the land expectation value (LEV) model to calculate the optimal joint values of timber, seed and total carbon savings, including carbon sequestration from forest and carbon reductions through energy substitutions. The results indicate that combining both values of seeds and carbon savings increase the LEV and rotation age (167,611 Yuan/ha, 78 years) compared to sole timber value (26,053 Yuan/ha, 55 years). The optimization of the LEVs and the resulting optimal rotation ages are significantly sensitive to the discounting rate. Annual biodiesel potential production from Pistacia chinensis can take up 1.7% of the national diesel consumption in China. We conclude that China can use improved forest rotation management as an effective means for achieving goals in its low-carbon energy strategy.