Reducing Energy Intensity Research Articles

Thermal energy performance of compressed earth building in two different cities in Moroccan semi-arid climate

The assessment of the thermal energy performance of earth-based buildings with respect to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of Morocco is scarce, even if the country is historically known for its earthen dwellings. According to this need, this work aims to understand and evaluate the indoor thermal comfort and energy performances of passive building in two different locations. We have used EnergyPlus modeling tool and in addition, the monitored ten-day indoor temperatures in two different thermal zones in the test prototype to justify the empirical validation of Building Energy Model. The findings demonstrate, the use of compressed earth blocks coupled with passive design strategies provides better comfort and great sustainability. Thus, the summer discomfort hours are reduced about 12% for both cities compared to conventional building. However, the combination of semi-arid climate-responsive passive design has allowed to reach a thermal energy intensity reduction difference from 20 to 65 kWh.m−2. y−1.

How does energy efficiency affect employment? Evidence from Chinese cities

Improving energy efficiency and securing employment are critical challenges for sustainable growth, especially in developing countries. Using an econometric model and panel data from China's prefecture-level cities from 2006 to 2019, this study provides empirical evidence of the impact of increased energy efficiency on employment. Multiple robustness test results reveal that a 1% rise in the energy intensity reduction rate leads to a 2% increase in the employment growth rate. According to heterogeneity tests, cities with low energy efficiency and depressed employment rates, compared to flourishing cities, may greatly benefit from increased energy efficiency. Furthermore, this study examines the influence mechanism of energy efficiency on employment. The outcome indicates that booming trade and technological progress magnify the positive impact of increased energy efficiency on employment. In addition, decreasing regional investment in the energy industry is one of the mechanisms by which improved energy efficiency promotes employment. Finally, this study proposes certain energy-saving policies at the city level to guide future policy refinement.

Does intellectual property protection improve energy efficiency? Evidence from the impact of intellectual property income on energy intensity

This work aims to explore the impact of intellectual property income (a guarantee for promoting technological advance) on energy efficiency (indicating the technological advance) considering the mediation role of trade openness. To this end, this article uses the available data of 50 countries from 2000 to 2019 to study the influence of intellectual property income and trade openness. The Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square methods are applied in this article to study the long-term relationship between different variables. The empirical results show that there is a mediation effect between intellectual property income and energy intensity. In other words, intellectual property income can not only directly affect energy intensity, but also indirectly affect energy intensity through trade openness. Fully considering the impact of regional heterogeneity, the countries are divided into high-income (HI) countries and middle-income (MI) countries. The results indicate there are noticeable regional differences in the impact of intellectual property income on energy intensity via the mediation effect of trade openness. The improvement of intellectual property income and trade openness benefits the HI countries most, but not for MI countries. Targeted policy implications are proposed to enable a reduction in energy intensity for countries at different income levels.

The Impact of Ownership Structure on Technological Innovation and Energy Intensity: Evidence from China

Environmental pollution and climate warming have become global issues affecting human life, and the burning of fossil fuels is a major source of greenhouse gases. Ownership structure is related to energy efficiency and a change in ownership structure has a significant potential for energy saving. However, few papers have studied the impact of ownership structure on energy intensity from the perspective of technological innovation in the past. Based on panel data from 29 Chinese provinces from 2005 to 2020, we systematically investigate the impact of industrial department ownership structure on energy intensity and study the function of technological innovation in this relationship from the perspective of ownership heterogeneity by using empirical models including ordinary least squares, two-way fixed effects and random effects. The empirical results of this study reveal three findings. First, as the proportion of state-owned industrial enterprises increases by one unit, energy intensity increases by 0.803 units. However, as the proportion of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan-invested industrial enterprises, private industrial enterprises and foreign-invested industrial enterprises increases by one unit, energy intensity decreases by 0.847 units and 0.549 units. Second, R&D activities, FDI, capital intensity and exports can significantly reduce energy intensity, but imports can increase energy intensity. Third, the ownership structure can affect energy intensity by influencing R&D expenditure. The increase in the proportion of state-owned industrial enterprises can reduce R&D expenditure, but results in the opposite situation in private firms. Foreign-invested enterprises can reduce energy intensity by making more use of the parent company’s technology. Based on the above empirical results, we propose suggestions to reduce energy intensity, which can provide reference for government to formulate more effective energy policies and realize sustainable development.

Unlocking the potential of foreign direct investment to reduce energy intensity.

This study examines the potential of foreign direct investment (FDI) to reduce energy intensity in developing countries between 1996 and 2019.Using a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, we investigated the linear and non-linear impact of FDI on energy intensity through the interaction effect of FDI and technological progress (TP). The results reveal that FDI has a positive and significant direct effect on energy intensity, whereas the energy-saving effect is evident through energy-efficient technology transfers. The strength of this effect depends on the level of technological progress in developing countries. The outcomes of the Hausman-Taylor and dynamic panel data estimations corroborated these research findings, and disaggregated data analysis by income groups also provided similar results, signifying the validity of the results. Based on the research findings, policy recommendations are formulated to improve the ability of FDI to reduce energy intensity in developing countries.

Has the synergistic development of urban cluster improved carbon productivity? --Empirical evidence from China

As urbanization has developed, a variety of urban clusters have gradually emerged with important effects on regional economic growth and carbon emissions. This paper constructs a multi-period difference-in-difference (DID) model for testing how urban cluster synergistic development policy (UCSDP) affects urban carbon productivity in 148 cities of China with 13 urban clusters as the experimental group from 2003 to 2019. According to the results, the UCSDP improves carbon productivity, mainly via reducing energy intensity. In addition, UCSDP improves carbon productivity by adjusting energy structure, increasing green innovation, altering city greening levels, and accelerating the process of urbanization. Moreover, it can produce synergistic effects in terms of energy structure, green innovation, greening level, and urbanization level. Furthermore, the UCSDP has heterogeneous effects on the carbon productivity in various cities. Specifically, the carbon productivity of high-status, high-rank, and resource-based cities responds more significantly to UCSDP. Therefore, policymakers should strengthen the integration of urban clusters, offer targeted development suggestions for different cities, modify the energy and greening structure, accelerate the process of urbanization, and focus on the formulation of reasonable environmental regulation policies.

Analysis of how environmental degradation affects clean energy transition: evidence from the UAE.

Considering the alarming rate of environmental degradation, all countries are looking for solutions to close their environmental gaps in order to ensure long-term sustainability. In order to achieve green ecosystems, economies seeking clean energy are motivated to embrace environmentally friendly practices that can support resource efficiency and sustainability. In this sense, the current paper addresses measuring the link between CO2 emissions, economic growth (GDP), renewable and non-renewable energy (RE), tourism, financial development, foreign direct investment, and urbanization in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The aim of this paper is to empirically evaluate the link between CO2 emissions and macroeconomic factors in the UAE. The UAE was chosen as the country for the case study as the UAE is one of the world's richest oil-based economies and one of the countries with the highest per capita income, adopts sustainable technologies, and has signed the Paris agreement supporting the transition to clean energy. To verify the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) for UAE, the timespans for the years 1990-2021 have been chosen according to data availability. The long-run coefficients supported the EKC hypothesis of an inverted U shape for income and CO2 emissions, according to the findings. Notably, urbanization and financial development both reduce pollution while foreign direct investment increases environmental pollution. The study recommended the creation of more environmental policies to promote sustainable business operations and nationwide green awareness, increase the use of clean energy technology, reduce energy intensity, and achieve a net zero carbon target.

Does Coal Consumption Control Policy Synergistically Control Emissions and Energy Intensity?

The coal consumption constraint policy (CCCP) serves a crucial role in the maintenance of environmental and economic sustainability for China. However, it is debatable whether the CCCP reduces emissions and energy intensity. The present study explores the impact and realization pathways of the CCCP on energy and emissions intensity at the city level from 2005 to 2019 using a time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) and structural equation model (SEM) approach. We find that the CCCP can control emissions and energy intensity synergistically. Particularly, the CCCP has significantly reduced SO2 and CO2 emission intensity and energy intensity by 0.1283%, 0.0747%, and 0.2493%, respectively. Moreover, the CCCP can effectively reduce emissions intensity through industrial restructuring, and technology advancement is the only effective way to reduce energy intensity. The study provides some valuable suggestions to enable the control of coal consumption.

Investigation of flow distribution in energy intensive aluminium production reduction cells: An exploratory study

The process of making aluminium often involves electrolytic cells, also known as reduction cells. The reduction cell exhaust manifolds must achieve a steady distribution of exhaust from each cell in the network. This will prevent fugitive pollutants, which are harmful to both human and environmental health. While ducts are adjusted to achieve appropriate flow rates, they become asymmetrical over time. A few case studies available in the literature that discuss the flow distribution in an electrolytic cell, and almost none provide insight into the operational flow distribution of reduction cells in service. As part of this study, the operating flow distribution in service reduction cells is examined, determined which factors contribute to poor gas patterns produced by reduction line cells and analysed the flow conditions that result in sediment deposition within the ducting that connects the reduction cells to the superstructure, which is the novelty of this case study. Various instruments were used to record the temperature and pressure of a smelting facility. Flow information for each cell was collected using Pitot traverses. Infrared thermography of the ducts was used to locate temperature anomalies and possible areas of particle build-up. These tests indicated a number of probable contributing causes that have contributed to the inadequate airflow pattern from each reduction cell.

Decomposition and drivers of energy intensity in Ghana

Ghana's energy intensity trends point to a high energy use necessary to generate a unit of output. The country has also witnessed massive investment in energy infrastructure geared towards meeting its lower middle-income status and achieving universal access to energy. The logical question is: what is the contribution of the current economic and technical infrastructure level to the country's energy intensity? The current study addresses this question by employing the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index I (LMDI) to decompose energy intensity in Ghana from 2000 to 2020 to examine its trends and sources. The impact of economic-technical factors on aggregate energy intensity in Ghana is then investigated with the aid of the ARDL estimation technique to unearth potential asymmetric and symmetric effects. The decomposition analysis indicates an oscillating pattern in energy intensity in Ghana promoted by structural effect and labour productivity respectively. The results suggest that renewable energy, rural electrification, and digitisation have a direct and secondary long-run asymmetric effect on aggregate energy intensity with labour productivity and household consumption working as the transmission channels. The study recommends the need for government to pursue clean and eco-friendly practices in its economic development agenda for a meaningful reduction in energy intensity.

How can market-oriented environmental regulation improve urban energy efficiency? Evidence from quasi-experiment in China's SO2 trading emissions system

Improving energy efficiency helps achieve energy conservation and emission reduction. Examining whether China's SO2 trading emission system (TES) reform can enhance energy efficiency will provide empirical evidence for the institutional benefit of market-oriented environmental regulation in environmental governance. This paper employs the difference-in-differences (DID) method to examine the effect of SO2 TES on energy efficiency using panel data from 285 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2018. The empirical results indicate that: (1) SO2 TES significantly promoted green total factor energy efficiency and reduced energy intensity. This conclusion is still valid after the prerequisite assumption test and robustness test. (2) SO2 TES significantly promotes local energy efficiency and has significant spatial spillover effects on surrounding cities. (3) Promoting green technological progress, resource allocation, and curbing energy consumption, are the primary mechanisms for SO2 TES to improve energy efficiency. (4) SO2 TES's improvement in energy efficiency comes more from eastern, developed, small, resource-based, and non-old industrial cities.

Pathway for decarbonizing residential building operations in the US and China beyond the mid-century

With global carbon budget targets looming, residential buildings in top economies must become carbon neutral as soon as possible to reserve more emission space for emerging carbon-emitting economies. This study is the first to compare the operational decarbonization process of China’s and the United States (US) residential buildings from 2000 to 2060 by combining the end-use emission model with the decomposing structural decomposition (DSD) method and Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that from 2001 to 2020 China decarbonized 1544 mega-tons of carbon dioxide (MtCO2) and the US decarbonized 1848 MtCO2. In the business-as-usual scenario, China will hit its emission peak in 2031 (±3) with 934 (±61) MtCO2, while the US will maintain a lock-in level of 736 (±133) MtCO2 since the 2030s. In the decarbonization scenario, operational carbon neutrality for residential buildings in 2060 is promoted by an increase in clean power generation proportion, building-integrated power generation level, building electrification level, and a reduction in end-use energy intensity, which will contribute 34.4 %, 21.4 %, 14.3 %, and 29.9 % in China and 32.9 %, 33.1 %, 8.2 %, and 25.8 % in the US, respectively. Especially, building-integrated power generation in China only costs about 40 % of what it costs in the US. Besides, high-decarbonization strategies for residential building operations are proposed as references for governments to formulate targeted climate policies. Overall, this study offers data benchmarks for buildings’ carbon neutrality of top economies to further promote synergistic carbon neutrality with the buildings of emerging economies in the age of Post COP27.

Impact of digital technology on carbon emissions: Evidence from Chinese cities

IntroductionPromoting the development of digital technology is an important step in meeting the challenge of global climate change and achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.MethodsBased on panel data of Chinese cities from 2006 to 2020, this paper used econometrics to investigate the impact and mechanism of digital technology on carbon emissions.ResultsThe results showed that digital technology can significantly reduce carbon emission intensity and improve carbon emission efficiency. These results remained robust after changing the estimation method, adding policy omission variables, replacing core variables, and solving the endogeneity problem. Digital technology can indirectly reduce carbon emissions by promoting green technological innovation and reducing energy intensity, and it plays a significant role in the carbon emission reduction practices of carbon emission trading policies and comprehensive national big data pilot zones. The replicability, non-exclusivity, and high mobility of digital technology help to accelerate the spread of knowledge and information between different cities, which leads to a spillover effect on carbon emission reductions. Our unconditional quantile regression model results showed that digital technology’s carbon emission reduction effect continuously decreases with increases in carbon dioxide emissions.DiscussionThe results of this paper provide evidence for the potential use of digital technology in achieving the goal of carbon neutrality, which is of great significance for achieving high-quality innovation and promoting the green transformation of the economy and society.

Exploring the Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Carbon Emission from Energy Consumption and Its Influencing Factors in the Yellow River Basin

Scientific estimation and dynamic monitoring on the heterogeneity of carbon emission from energy consumption (CEEC) is the basis for formulating and implementing regional carbon reduction strategies to realize the goal of carbon neutrality and high-quality development. This study analyzes the temporal and spatial differences of CEEC and its driving factors in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from 2000 to 2018 based on the Log-Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) time decomposition method and the multi-regional (M-R) space decomposition method. The results indicate the following: The amount of CEEC of the YRB increased greatly from 2000 to 2012, and then expressed a convergence trend after 2012, with obvious spatial differences. The economic development is the leading factor that promotes the increase in CEEC in the YRB, energy intensity is the main force for the reduction in CEEC, and their influencing effectiveness varies significantly in different periods and provinces. Spatially, the larger economic development in Shandong, Henan, and Sichuan causes the higher level of CEEC, and the regulation of energy intensity in Shanxi, Ningxia, and Inner Mongolia is important for the reduction in their CEEC. The impact effectiveness of economic structure and energy structure on CEEC in the YRB is relatively weak, and they are potential factors for the reduction in CEEC. Therefore, the corresponding emission reduction measures in nine provinces of the YRB should focus on reducing energy intensity, building a green energy system, and strengthening “green” economic development to achieve high-quality development in the YRB. This study is designed to explore the spatiotemporal variations and influencing factors of carbon emissions in the nine provinces of the YRB, which is of great significance for achieving low-carbon development in the region.

The Impact of Energy Intensity, Energy Productivity and Natural Resource Rents on Carbon Emissions in Morocco

The Moroccan government has always advocated reducing energy intensity so as to reach the target of the sustainable development. The current study presents the connection between CO2 emission, energy intensity (EI), natural resource rents (NRRs), energy productivity (EP), and renewable energy (RE) by employing annual time-series data from 1990–2020 for Morocco. Using the ARDL model, the empirical findings illustrate that (i) increasing EI significantly contributes to carbon emissions, (ii) higher consumption of natural resources adversely affects CO2 emissions, and (iii) EP and RE are the key factors to mitigate carbon emissions in both the short term and long term, suggesting that these two factors strengthen the considerable impact of EI and the consumption of natural resources on carbon emissions. Nevertheless, the negative environmental effects are moderately neutralized by adopting significant clean and green energy consumption within the country. The outputs of the robustness test verify the reliability of the regression results. Moreover, a one-way Granger causality running from EI, EP, RE, and NRR to CO2 emissions indicates that any variation in these variables will cause CO2 emissions. The present study offers the latest insights by adding EP and RE into country development and will support government policy makers in decisions related to efficiently abating CO2 emissions.

Energy Intensity and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Dynamic Panel Approach

The study examined the impact of energy intensity in sub-Saharan Africa from 1970 to 2019.The study broke sub-Saharan Africa into regional bloc since there may be policy variation across the regional bloc of SSA. A dynamic panel data approach was employed to unravel the relationship between energy intensity and economic growth. The study conducted a panel unit root Test to confirm the stationarity of the series. The results of the unit root showed that the Levinlin and Chu statistics with their corresponding p-values in reference to each variable is smaller than the alpha value at 10%. A post estimation test was also conducted using a dynamic panel approach via the system GMM. The result of the system GMM showed a robust negative correlation between energy intensity and economic growth in SSA and all its regional bloc. The coefficient of energy intensity is highly insignificant which implies that reductions in energy intensity are not linked to higher GDP growth. This is evident from the coefficient of the lag values of energy intensity of one period value of -3.321. The rationale for negative correlation might be connected to common patterns of structural change, paired with rising after tax energy price. The study, therefore recommend that energy conservation should be a focus in SSA as a whole and its regional bloc since this would promote economic growth.

The Effect of Energy Security on Oil Export (The Case of Iran)

Energy trade plays a crucial role in the growth and development of countries, especially for IRAN as one of the world's largest exporters of oil in the world. Identifying the factors that affect exports and their development, along with promoting export performance in the energy sector should be the focus of policy and strategic planning in an internationally competitive environment. Given the importance of energy trade in Iran, this study aimed to analyze the effect of the energy security index on oil exports using the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS) method. The findings of study reveal that oil exports are negatively affected by oil energy security, i.e., as this unit deteriorates, the index of oil exports increases by over 3%. Furthermore, the study found that GDP and the exchange rate have a positive impact on oil exports, whereas energy prices and population density have an adverse impact. Furthermore, the study's results demonstrate that GDP and exchange rate have a positive effect on oil exports. Based on the findings of this study, first, it can be argued that an independent and powerful institution is essential to monitor and enforce policies, standards, and regulations to enhance energy efficiency. Second, upgrading old technologies, developing new ones, scaling up actions on energy efficiency, and increasing public knowledge and understanding about energy can reduce energy intensity and increase savings. Last but not least, a transition from high-consumption to low-consumption technologies designed to reduce energy consumption and maximize efficiency can increase oil exports. Keywords: Energy Exports, Energy Security Index, Energy Consumption, FMOLS Method JEL Classification : Q4, Q42, Q43, Q47 DOI: 10.7176/JETP/13-2-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2023

Driving factors of changes in energy intensity: A comparison between energy exporting and importing countries

This paper compares the driving factors of changes in energy intensity in both net energy exporting and importing countries using a DEA-Malmquist (Data Envelopment Analysis) and panel GMM (Generalized Method of Moments) methods over the period of 2000–2021. The findings show that technological progress has played a significant role in reducing of energy intensity in both groups. Moreover, we use the DEA method to decompose the Malmquist total factor productivity (TFP) into its components including technical change (TC), efficiency change (EC), pure efficiency change (PEC) and scale efficiency change (SEC). The results show that in energy exporting countries, the effects of each of these TFP components on energy intensity are negative but relatively weak, while the effects of these components on reducing energy intensity in importing countries is considerable. Specifically, the estimated coefficient of the pure efficiency component in reducing energy intensity in very remarkable, which shows the high importance of the efficiency components of TFP in energy management. Next, we investigate what is the main driver of technological progress in both the energy exporting and importing countries. The findings imply that in net energy exporting countries trade openness is a dominant factor to improve productivity, while in net energy importing countries, internal R&D is the dominant factor for improving technological efficiency.

The effects of industrial intelligence on China's energy intensity: The role of technology absorptive capacity

This study examines the impact of industrial intelligence on energy intensity in China, with a special perspective on the role of technology absorptive capacity in the relationship. Based on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2020, the direct and moderating effect model results show that industrial intelligence reduces energy intensity, and the interaction of industrial intelligence with technology absorptive capacity (i.e., assessed by the variables of information infrastructure, human capital, and technological innovation) tends to enhance the energy intensity reduction effect of industrial intelligence. Further, the threshold effect model shows that the reduction effect is heterogenous across regions: industrial intelligence tends to reduce energy intensity more in regions with higher information infrastructure, human capital, and technological innovation levels than in those with lower levels. Comprehensive governmental strategies to improve energy efficiency should concomitantly promote the sustainable development of industrial intelligence and technology absorption capacity.

Comprehensive assessment of energy supply-side and demand-side coordination on pathways to carbon neutrality of the Yangtze River Delta in China

The Yangtze River Delta region is one of the key areas of energy transition for China's carbon neutrality. The pathways to carbon neutrality are diverse in the regional level due to the different conditions on the energy supply and demand side. How to construct comprehensive assessment index system and evaluate regional pathways to carbon neutrality is an urgent problem to be solved. To fill this gap, this paper evaluates the carbon neutrality pathways of supply-side and demand-side coordination in the Yangtze River Delta region using the Low Emissions Analysis Platform with five scenarios (64 sub-scenarios): Business as usual, energy intensity decrease, energy structure reform, power supply technology innovation and policies mix. The simulation results indicate that: (1) 22 of the 64 sub-scenarios can achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. (2) In energy intensity decrease scenario, an annual 6% reduction in energy intensity could achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. (3) The policies mix scenario can lead to 21 sub-scenarios with pathways to achieve carbon neutrality when the average annual energy intensity decreases by 4% or more. Additionally, the end-use sectors electrification level should reach 64.19% at least by 2060. (4) There can be 14 sub-scenarios to achieve zero carbon emissions in the power plant sector, but annual energy intensity should be reduced by at least 4%. Applying Analytic Hierarchy Process analysis, the article evaluated the 22 sub-scenarios with the index of regional pathways to carbon neutrality. The result shows that the mixed policies of energy intensity reduction, energy structure reformation and power technology innovation can promote the coordination of supply-side and demand-side. This study can provide reference for policymakers to formulate effective policies to realize carbon neutrality.