• Energy Research
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The sustainability assessment methodology has to be demonstrated in order to become the tool in the engineering practice. This chapter is devoted to the attempt to evaluate the sustainability of energy systems and show how it can be used in the everyday engineering practice. Obviously, this type of approach has its limitation due to the lack of data for the serious consideration of the system. But it should be anticipated that these excises might serve as guidance for eventual future applications. Also, it should be emphasised that this type of methodology will become an useful tool only if it proves to be justified in the engineering practice.

Abstract This study aims to assess the efficiency of the fossil fuel taxation scheme currently in effect in Switzerland. To this end, the concept of implicit CO2 prices is introduced, based on which prices for different fossil fuel uses are derived. Implicit CO2 prices are defined as the difference between actual prices paid by consumers and efficient domestic fuel prices. Efficient domestic fuel prices, in turn, consist of private production costs, a uniform value added tax and only local external costs, not including external costs due to CO2 emissions and global climate change. The resulting prices differ substantially, which suggests that there is considerable cost-saving potential in reducing CO2 emissions in Switzerland. For passenger cars and air traffic, the implicit prices are negative. For these uses, higher fuel charges would therefore be beneficial from a purely domestic perspective, i.e., without considering the negative repercussions of global warming.

Abstract This paper analyzes the energy consumption behavior of urban households in Nepal during the energy crisis induced by the unofficial Indian economic blockade in 2015. Our findings suggest that urban households have a smaller marginal utility attached to the consumption of one more unit of electricity relative to other dirty energy sources like firewood. The 2015 economic blockade had some deteriorating impacts on a household fuel choice as they were forced to degrade to firewood for cooking. However, to some extent, the blockade also seems to have acted as a push factor for some households towards cleaner sources like electricity largely due to the distrust in the supply of petroleum fuels. There is a variation in energy consumption behavior of households, which is explained by different demographic and socioeconomic attributes of the household. Households with a better educated head and those headed by a female are generally more amenable to cleaner fuels such as electricity. On the other hand, larger households and those residing outside the Kathmandu valley are less likely to make the jump to cleaner fuels. House ownership and number of rooms used were found to have no significant association with the energy consumption behavior of households residing in urban Nepal.

Abstract Given the need to reduce the CO2 emissions coming from the manufacturing sector, it is important, for planning purposes, to know which countries and which manufacturing sub-sectors have the greatest potential for reducing energy use. Using data from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the authors estimate trends in global decoupling of energy use and manufacturing value added, compare energy-use intensity in six country groups and estimate the potential for reducing energy use and CO2 emissions under two scenarios and compare selected sub-sector energy intensity and estimate the potential for reducing energy use CO2 emissions. The comparison of energy intensities across country groups and among countries suggests that there still remains significant potential to reduce energy use and associated CO2 emissions. The analysis of four sub-sectors in developing and transition economies also shows similar but varied potential for reducing energy use and associated CO2 emissions.

Abstract Energy poverty has evolved as an important issue of research from academic and policy perspectives during the last two decades. The energy poverty estimates exhibit widespread variations across regions, methodologies and datasets, making the task of energy and development policies challenging. The variations in energy poverty estimates necessitate a systematic and rigorous analysis of these empirical studies to obtain a true measure of energy poverty. The present study conducts a meta-analysis of 30 studies and 103 estimates of energy poverty. On average, 71.1 percent of the population in the overall sample studies has been identified as energy poor. High I-square statistic values suggest heterogeneity bias in the sample studies; therefore, analysis at the subgroup level has been conducted. Meta-regression analysis of overall sample and subgroups has identified type of methodology, citations, impact factor of the journal, regional dummies, average key crude oil price and gross domestic product as significant factors that explain heterogeneity in the energy poverty effect sizes. We recommend inclusion of local and regional factors in assessment of energy poverty for developing a uniform methodology to assess energy poverty across developing economies.

Abstract Iran's demographic profile is sharply youth oriented and this upcoming generation's needs for employment and housing, coupled with low-energy efficiency vectors and consumption patterns, has created a constant rise in energy demand and greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions in the residential sector. Improved energy efficiency as a national policy lynchpin for demand reduction and GHGs mitigation, has become commonplace. OPEC countries however, Iran included, suffer an obvious lack of consumer incentive because of low fuel prices. This study evaluates the twin impacts of price reform and efficiency programs on energy carriers’ consumption and GHGs mitigation in the Iranian housing sector. For this purpose, the demand functions for energy carriers, has been developed by econometrics process models. The results reveal that price elasticity for electricity demand in the Constant Elasticity Model for the short-run while the long-run is −0.142 and −0.901, respectively. In the Variable Elasticity Model the 250% increase in electricity rates in the short-run resulted in a price elasticity change from −0.02 to −0.475, hence the 250% increase in electricity pricing for the long-run resulted in the price elasticity change from −0.15 to −2.0. Finally, aided by a Scenario-Based Approach the impact of fuel pricing and efficiency improvement in trends of energy demand and GHGs emission were assessed in a Scenarios Base, developed on two different cases of Business-as-Usual (BAU) and Management. The results indicate that in the BAU case between 2000 and 2011, the energy demand and CO2 emission increases with an annual growth rate of 7.5% and 6.8%, respectively. Comparatively, if the energy carriers’ price is increased to border price and energy efficiency programs are implemented, they will stimulate carriers’ demand and CO2 emissions growth rate decreases to 4.94% and 3.1%, respectively.

Abstract In modern developed economies, one of the primary objectives is to manage the transition from polluting to cleaner technologies as efficiently as possible. By now, in the current empirical literature, one can identify technological spillovers from environmental innovations as a major driver of this process. Specific energy policy aspects connected with industry behaviour have yet to be explored. The aim of this paper is to investigate energy efficiency via environmental innovation and the resulting degree of resilience and adaptation of both developed and developing countries. The work applies the non-parametric DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) framework and Tobit analysis. For this scope, it is built a panel dataset made of some 5000 observations based on energy policy and sustainable development variables for 136 OECD and non-OECD countries. The results show that knowledge spillovers from environmental innovations reduce inefficiency and therefore strengthen the resilience of economies that decide and manage to invest adequately in the transition to more sustainable technologies. Besides, OECD countries improve their energy efficiency scores over time, whilst non-OECD countries do not. This implies that sustainable technologies transition is made more efficient by environmental innovation but the process is fostered by disposing of a resilient economic system – hence, vulnerability can affect the transition. These hypotheses lead to important economic, social and environmental implications for energy policy modelling.

Abstract Despite the comparatively limited stock of vehicles, heavy-duty road transport is responsible for a major share of CO2 emissions from the European transport sector. Electric trucks powered by overhead lines, so-called trolley trucks or catenary hybrid trucks, have been proposed as a potential GHG mitigation option. However, from the perspective of the energy system, trolley trucks constitute an additional and inflexible electricity demand. Here, we analyse scenarios with an ambitious European market diffusion of trolley trucks and their impact on the electricity system and CO2 emissions. Our results show that trolley trucks can noteworthily reduce the CO2 emissions from heavy road transport even when the additional CO2 emissions from electricity generation are taken into account. Furthermore, the actual impact of the additional load from trolley trucks on the total energy system is limited. Compared to the anticipated electricity demand from passenger cars in 2030, trolley trucks require less energy and the load is more equally distributed over daytime. Our findings thus show that electric trucks are an interesting option for CO2 mitigation in heavy road transport.

Abstract The main objective of this paper is to emphasize the need for community participation in decision making affecting their lives and development. Opinion leaders and executives (especially those of a corporate background) need to understand the socioeconomic milieu in which the majority of South Africans live. In the urban areas, where we put our focus, most of the poor people live in informal housing. This paper starts with a typology of types of settlement found in our cities. The circumstances in which the people live forms the second component of the paper. If the people are to be dealt with as a part of the solution (and not as ‘the problem’) community participation should feature high on the agenda not only of government but also of parastatals and private companies. The paper is concluded with a discussion of the idea of community participation.