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Biogas plays an important role in supporting and ensuring the dairy farming sector remains sustainable. Biogas technology is not only as a method to dispose dairy farming waste but also benefiting economically, socially and environmentally. Biogas technology has been introduced since 1970s and many biogas programmes have been implemented in Indonesia. However compare to other countries like China and India, the dissemination of biogas technology in Indonesia runs quite slowly. There are several factors such as financial, policies and people’s perception hindering biogas use regarding the increase of biogas plants installed in Indonesia. In addition, many installed biogas plants are non-functional due to inadequate maintenance causing users stop to operate biogas plants and influencing potential users to reject adopting the technology. This paper provides an overview of biogas production sustainability which consists of five sustainability dimensions: technical, economic, social, environmental and organizational/institutional sustainability. Understanding the biogas sustainability helps stakeholders to realize that in order to promote biogas technology many sectors must be developed and many institutions must be involved and cooperated. The sustainability of biogas will determine the success of biogas dissemination particularly in dairy farming in the future. 

Technology transfer is a central component in policies and action to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Without creation and adoption of suitable environmentally sound technologies it will not be possible to follow the basic principles of sustainable development. Technology transfer was expected to be a major item at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań, Poland, 1–12 December 2008, but was eclipsed by discussions on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries. However, agreement was reached on a report from the Global Environment Facility called the ‘Poznań strategic programme on technology transfer’ outlining proposals to scale-up investment. At the meeting it was not possible to reach agreement on inclusion of carbon capture and storage technology under the clean development mechanism and other areas of unresolved discussion included intellectual property rights and revision of the principle of differentiated responsibility. Side-events to the main meeting provided two important indications of future directions. First, intellectual property rights were discussed at length primarily with the opinion that they were not a major barrier to technology transfer. Second, representatives from the business sector were regarding environmentally sound technologies as an opportunity for economic growth and development.

Sustainability, with its multiple environmental, economic and social objectives, is now prominent in many national and international policies. These are implemented in a classical incrementalist approach. We use the example of biofuels to demonstrate the way that multiple objectives are developed in energy and environmental policy. Biofuels are promoted as replacements for transport fuels, but biofuel policy is also geared towards socio-economic goals such as agricultural subsidy and strategic goals such as security of energy supply. We discuss examples of multiple objectives and regulatory instruments applied to biofuels with a focus on the United Kingdom and highlight the difficulties of applying sustainability criteria under international trade agreements. In conclusion we briefly contrast biofuels policy against that of fossil fuels.

Operational and economic trade-offs in the design of second-generation biomass (SGB) supply chains guide the decisions about plant scale and location as well as biomass collection routes. This paper compares different SGB supply chain designs with a focus on mobile pyrolysis plants and centralized versus decentralized collection of biomass in terms of economic and environmental sustainability. Pyrolysis scenarios are also compared to fuel-upgrading and electricity production scenarios. The empirical context of this paper is based on a scenario analysis for processing lignocellulosic biomass, particularly landscape wood, reed and roadside grass available in the Overijssel region (Eastern Netherlands). Four scenarios are compared: (1) mobile pyrolysis plant processes the locally available biomass on-site into pyrolysis oil which is sent to a regional biofuel production unit for upgrading to marketable biofuel; (2) local biomass is collected and transported to a regional pyrolysis-based biofuel production unit for upgrading to a marketable biofuel; (3) mobile pyrolysis plant performs the on-site conversion to pyrolysis oil which is transported to an oil refinery outside the region (Rotterdam); and (4) collected biomass is sent to the nearest electricity production unit to generate electricity. The results show that processing SGB is costly and upgraded oil and refined oil are at least 65% more expensive compared to their fossil counterparts. In terms of economic and environmental performance, the mobile plant performs slightly better than a fixed plant. The energy output/input ratio range is between 6.99 and 7.54 and CO2 emissions range is between 96 and 138 kg CO2/t upgraded oil.

Abstract Background In Germany, the energy system is undergoing reorganisation from a centralised system based on fossil fuels and nuclear power to a sustainable system based on decentralised production and consumption of energy, the so-called Energiewende. Recently, there has been more attention to improving energy efficiency in those regions where conventional energy production activities and energy-intensive industries are located, such as the Ruhr area. Although the potential for decentralised combined heat and power (CHP) units is high in this region, local action plans show only modest developments for this technology. In this paper, we address this issue by answering the following research question: Which factors block the uptake and integration of decentralised CHP in the German Ruhr area's energy system? Methods The multilevel perspective (MLP) was used to analyse the state of system innovation in relation to the uptake and integration of decentralised CHP technology. Prior to the MLP analysis, a stakeholders' analysis was conducted to identify stakeholders' views, positions and experienced barriers regarding the uptake and integration of decentralised CHP technology. Data collection included review of text documents and conducting 11 interviews. Results Due to many regime barriers blocking niche development, the uptake of decentralised CHP technology is limited. Identified barriers relate to lack of market services and mismatches with user preferences, (sectoral) policies and industrial interests. Conclusions Observed barriers relate to (i) lack of market services such as financial means for making investments; (ii) user awareness such as unawareness and information deficit regarding the benefits of decentralised CHP to potential users, (iii) the presence of centralised district heating systems, (iv) policy issues such as lack of sufficient policies supporting diffusion of decentralised CHP units, legal stipulations from social housing policies that prevent housing cooperatives from becoming energy producers and district heating systems owned by public and private owners (via concessions contracts); (v) sector issues such as lack of skilled service-providing companies; and (vi) industrial interested such as the vested interests of the coal and gas industry. Moreover, many of the mentioned barriers seem interrelated, especially those concerning policy and finance available for making upfront investments.

Biodiesel is a sustainable, non-toxic, biodegradable diesel fuel substitute that can be employed in current diesel car infrastructure without major modifications in the engines. It has a significant added value compared to petroleum-based diesel, reflected in a series of improved properties including fewer carcinogenic particulate matter emissions, increased lubricity and biodegradability as well as ease of handling, transport and storage. Nevertheless, it is essential that the biodiesel life-cycle is environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and socially acceptable; views that can only be properly analysed by means of a multi-angle approach. In this contribution, we aim to provide a multidisciplinary perspective on key issues for the successful implementation of biodiesel as a petrol fuel replacement including green chemistry methods to improve production and quality, the use of energy crops and feedstocks for second-generation biodiesel as well as socio-economic studies and the importance of governmental regulatory issues.

Energy sector reforms with an emphasis on electricity growth have been taking place extensively and rapidly worldwide Particularly, motivated chiefly by classical economics’ standpoint of efficiency and market considerations, reforms have been made in the developed North. Models of reforms in the North have in turn been replicated in developing countries. However, questions arise as to whether the models used are suitable for the mostly rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged economies in the South. It is argued in this paper that a sustainability focused mode of reforms guided by futures studies is needed for such economies. Reforms taking place in Kenya and neighbouring countries are in particular examined from a sustainable future perspective; and appropriate improvements and further research are recommended. International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management, Vol 5 (2015)

AbstractUnderstanding the complex interactions among food security, bioenergy sustainability, and resource management requires a focus on specific contextual problems and opportunities. The United Nations’ 2030 Sustainable Development Goals place a high priority on food and energy security; bioenergy plays an important role in achieving both goals. Effective food security programs begin by clearly defining the problem and asking, ‘What can be done to assist people at high risk?’ Simplistic global analyses, headlines, and cartoons that blame biofuels for food insecurity may reflect good intentions but mislead the public and policymakers because they obscure the main drivers of local food insecurity and ignore opportunities for bioenergy to contribute to solutions. Applying sustainability guidelines to bioenergy will help achieve near‐ and long‐term goals to eradicate hunger. Priorities for achieving successful synergies between bioenergy and food security include the following: (1) clarifying communications with clear and consistent terms, (2) recognizing that food and bioenergy need not compete for land and, instead, should be integrated to improve resource management, (3) investing in technology, rural extension, and innovations to build capacity and infrastructure, (4) promoting stable prices that incentivize local production, (5) adopting flex crops that can provide food along with other products and services to society, and (6) engaging stakeholders to identify and assess specific opportunities for biofuels to improve food security. Systematic monitoring and analysis to support adaptive management and continual improvement are essential elements to build synergies and help society equitably meet growing demands for both food and energy.