• Energy Research
• 7. Clean energy close
• 13. Climate action close
• 15. Life on land close
• 8. Economic growth close
• English close

* Technical Challenges - Technology is relatively simple and has high conversion efficiency. * Cost Challenges - Despite efficiency, levelised costs are high, due to mainly 2 factors (1) the input cost of raw material is high, and (2) operating costs are high due to feedstock (methanol) and distillation operations. Selling oilcake has a significant effect on final product cost, with a 50% oilcake internal subsidy reducing the costs by R 6,500/ t (0.65 R/kWh). This would bring production cost into line with current range of diesel prices. * Environmental Challenges - Greenhouse gas savings are significant provided land use changes are carbon neutral. Limiting cultivation to subsistence cropland should assist with this goal. * Social and Institutional Challenges - Conversion of subsistence farmers in former homeland areas, with high reliance on cattle and maize, to a cash crop with side products for own consumption and cattle feed will require significant community involvement. Cooperative farming and marketing channels need to be investigated.

This climate change impact data (future scenarios on temperature-induced GDP losses) and climate change mitigation cost data (REMIND model scenarios) is published under doi: 10.5281/zenodo.3541809 and used in this paper: Ueckerdt F, Frieler K, Lange S, Wenz L, Luderer G, Levermann A (2018) The economically optimal warming limit of the planet. Earth System Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-10-741-2019 Below the individual file contents are explained. For further questions feel free to write to Falko Ueckerdt (ueckerdt@pik-potsdam.de). Climate change impact data File 1: Data_rel-GDPpercapita-changes_withCC_per-country_all-RCP_all-SSP_4GCM.csv Content: Data of relative change in absolute GDP/CAP levels (compared to the baseline path of the respective SSP in the SSP database) for each country, RCP (and a zero-emissions scenario), SSP and 4 GCMs (spanning a broad range of climate sensitivity). Negative (positive) values indicate losses (gains) due to climate change. For figure 1a of the paper, this data was aggregated for all countries. File 2: Data_rel-GDPpercapita-changes_withCC_per-country_all-SSP_4GCM_interpolated-for-REMIND-scenarios.csv Content: Data of relative change in absolute GDP/CAP levels (compared to the baseline path of the respective SSP in the SSP database) for each country, SSP and 4 GCMs (spanning a broad range of climate sensitivity). The RCP (and a zero-emissions scenario) are interpolated to the temperature pathways of the ten REMIND model scenarios used for climate change mitigation costs. Hereby the set of scenarios for climate impacts and climate change mitigation are consistent and can be combined to total costs of climate change (for a broad range of mitigation action). File 3: Data_rel-GDPpercapita-changes_withCC_per-country_SSP2_12GCM_interpolated-for-REMIND-scenarios.csv Content: Same as file 2, but only for the SSP2 (chosen default scenario for the study) and for all 12 GCMs. Data of relative change in absolute GDP/CAP levels (compared to the baseline path of the respective SSP in the SSP database) for each country, SSP-2 and 12 GCMs (spanning a broad range of climate sensitivity). The RCP (and a zero-emissions scenario) are interpolated to the temperature pathways of the ten REMIND model scenarios used for climate change mitigation costs. Hereby the set of scenarios for climate impacts and climate change mitigation are consistent and can be combined to total costs of climate change (for a broad range of mitigation action). In addition, reference GDP and population data (without climate change) for each country until 2100 was downloaded from the SSP database, release Version 1.0 (March 2013, https://tntcat.iiasa.ac.at/SspDb/, last accessed 15Nov 2019). Climate change mitigation cost data The scenario design and runs used in this paper have first been conducted in [1] and later also used in [2]. File 4: REMIND_scenario_results_economic_data.csv File 5: REMIND_scenarios_climate_data.csv Content: A broad range of climate change mitigation scenarios of the REMIND model. File 4 contains the economic data of e.g. GDP and macro-economic consumption for each of the countries and world regions, as well as GHG emissions from various economic sectors. File 5 contains the global climate-related data, e.g. forcing, concentration, temperature. In the scenario description “FFrunxxx” (column 2), the code “xxx” specifies the scenario as follows. See [1] for a detailed discussion of the scenarios. The first dimension specifies the climate policy regime (delayed action, baseline scenarios): 1xx: climate action from 2010 5xx: climate action from 2015 2xx climate action from 2020 (used in this study) 3xx climate action from 2030 4x1 weak policy baseline (before Paris agreement) The second dimension specifies the technology portfolio and assumptions: x1x Full technology portfolio (used in this study) x2x noCCS: unavailability of CCS x3x lowEI: lower energy intensity, with final energy demand per economic output decreasing faster than historically observed x4x NucPO: phase out of investments into nuclear energy x5x Limited SW: penetration of solar and wind power limited x6x Limited Bio: reduced bioenergy potential p.a. (100 EJ compared to 300 EJ in all other cases) x6x noBECCS: unavailability of CCS in combination with bioenergy The third dimension specifies the climate change mitigation ambition level, i.e. the height of a global CO2 tax in 2020 (which increases with 5% p.a.). xx1 0$/tCO2 (baseline) xx2 10$/tCO2 xx3 30$/tCO2 xx4 50$/tCO2 xx5 100$/tCO2 xx6 200$/tCO2 xx7 500$/tCO2 xx8 40$/tCO2 xx9 20$/tCO2 xx0 5$/tCO2 For figure 1b of the paper, this data was aggregated for all countries and regions. Relative changes of GDP are calculated relative to the baseline (4x1 with zero carbon price). [1] Luderer, G., Pietzcker, R. C., Bertram, C., Kriegler, E., Meinshausen, M. and Edenhofer, O.: Economic mitigation challenges: how further delay closes the door for achieving climate targets, Environmental Research Letters, 8(3), 034033, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034033, 2013a. [2] Rogelj, J., Luderer, G., Pietzcker, R. C., Kriegler, E., Schaeffer, M., Krey, V. and Riahi, K.: Energy system transformations for limiting end-of-century warming to below 1.5 °C, Nature Climate Change, 5(6), 519–527, doi:10.1038/nclimate2572, 2015.

Project: Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) datasets - These data have been generated as part of the internationally-coordinated Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6; see also GMD Special Issue: http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/special_issue590.html). The simulation data provides a basis for climate research designed to answer fundamental science questions and serves as resource for authors of the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-AR6). CMIP6 is a project coordinated by the Working Group on Coupled Modelling (WGCM) as part of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Phase 6 builds on previous phases executed under the leadership of the Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI) and relies on the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF) and the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA) along with numerous related activities for implementation. The original data is hosted and partially replicated on a federated collection of data nodes, and most of the data relied on by the IPCC is being archived for long-term preservation at the IPCC Data Distribution Centre (IPCC DDC) hosted by the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ). The project includes simulations from about 120 global climate models and around 45 institutions and organizations worldwide. Summary: These data include the subset used by IPCC AR6 WGI authors of the datasets originally published in ESGF for 'CMIP6.ScenarioMIP.MIROC.MIROC6.ssp119' with the full Data Reference Syntax following the template 'mip_era.activity_id.institution_id.source_id.experiment_id.member_id.table_id.variable_id.grid_label.version'. The MIROC6 climate model, released in 2017, includes the following components: aerosol: SPRINTARS6.0, atmos: CCSR AGCM (T85; 256 x 128 longitude/latitude; 81 levels; top level 0.004 hPa), land: MATSIRO6.0, ocean: COCO4.9 (tripolar primarily 1deg; 360 x 256 longitude/latitude; 63 levels; top grid cell 0-2 m), seaIce: COCO4.9. The model was run by the JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Kanagawa 236-0001, Japan), AORI (Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8564, Japan), NIES (National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan), and R-CCS (RIKEN Center for Computational Science, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan) (MIROC) in native nominal resolutions: aerosol: 250 km, atmos: 250 km, land: 250 km, ocean: 100 km, seaIce: 100 km.

The timing of diel stem growth of mature forest trees is still largely unknown, as empirical data with high temporal resolution have not been available so far. Consequently, the effects of day-night conditions on tree growth remained uncertain. Here we present the first comprehensive field study of hourly-resolved radial stem growth of seven temperate tree species, based on 57 million underlying data points over a period of up to 8 years. We show that trees grow mainly at night, with a peak after midnight, when the vapour pressure deficit (VPD) is among the lowest. A high VPD strictly limits radial stem growth and allows little growth during daylight hours, except in the early morning. Surprisingly, trees also grow in moderately dry soil when the VPD is low. Species-specific differences in diel growth dynamics show that species able to grow earlier during the night are associated with the highest number of hours with growth per year and the largest annual growth increment. We conclude that species with the ability to overcome daily water deficits faster have greater growth potential. Furthermore, we conclude that growth is more sensitive than carbon uptake to dry air, as growth stops before stomata are known to close.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) PV Rooftop Database for Puerto Rico (PVRDB-PR) is a lidar-derived, geospatially-resolved dataset of suitable roof surfaces and their PV technical potential for virtually all buildings in Puerto Rico. The dataset can be downloaded at the AWS S3 explorer page. The GitHub documentation page provides a description of the dataset with methods and assumptions. The Puerto Rico Solar-For-All dataset provides Census Tract level estimates of residential low-to-moderate income (LMI) PV rooftop technical potential as well as solar electric bill savings potential for LMI communities at the municipality level.

Monitoring of plant succession in glacier forelands so far has been restricted to field sampling. In this study, in situ vegetation sampling along a chronosequence between Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum extent and the recent glacier terminus at Jamtalferner/Silvretta (ferner is a Tyrolian toponym for glacier) is compared to time series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from 13 Landsat scenes (1985-2016). The glacier terminus positions at 16 dates between the LIA maximum and 2015 were analysed from historical maps, orthophotos and LiDAR images and used for site age determination. We sampled plots of different time since deglaciation, from very recent to approx. 150 years: after 100 years, roughly 80% of the ground is covered by plants and ground cover did not increase essentially thereafter. Species number increases from 10-20 species on young sites to 40-50 species after 100 years. The NDVI increases for all plots between 1985 and 2016, from a mean of 0.11 for 1985-1991 to 0.2 in 2009 and 0.27 in 2016. For the plots deglaciated between 1 and about 150 years, the NDVI increases with the time of exposure. As the increase in ground cover is clearly reproduced by the NDVI (R² ground cover/NDVI 0.84) - even for sparsely vegetated areas -, we see a high potential of satellite-borne NDVI to perform regional characterizations of glacier forelands for hydrological, ecological and hazard management related applications. This data collection comprises the galcier outlines, NDVIs and chronosequencing locations with diversity and ground cover data.

A subset of the Field Crop Boundaries data set, showing all subsistence farmland used for crop cultivation. Prepared by SAEON from data provided by DAFF.

Plot design and harvesting Twelve sampling plots (16 m × 16 m) in three P. deltoides plantations were established based on systematic random design. To minimize edge effects, surrounding rows were not considered during sampling. The age of the stands was 18-20 years old. In each sampling plot, the DBH (diameter at breast height 1.3 m above the ground) of the individual trees was measured with a caliper in two perpendicular directions and the mean DBH determined. Tree height was measured by Haglöf-Vertex IV hypsometer. Based on the DBH and height measurements, 10 DBH classes from 15 to 42 cm (3 cm intervals) were established. The value of each DBH class represented the central value (i.e., class 15 included all DBH from 12.5 to 17.5 cm). In each DBH class, one representative tree was selected and harvested for a total of 10 P. deltoides trees. Measurements of bark percentagesThe stems of harvested trees were marked and cut into 2 m-segments. The mid-length diameter of each segment was measured outside the bark in two perpendicular directions with a caliper to determine the mean diameter. A 5 cm-thick disc was cut from the middle of each segment. A total of 123 discs were obtained and brought to the laboratory. All the discs were arranged into 2-cm wide diameter classes. The value of each disc class represents the central value (i.e., class 20 included all discs whose diameters ranged from 19.5 to 20.5 cm). Bark was separated from the wood using a peeler knife for each disc. Fresh bark and wood were weighted separately, oven-dried at 80 °C until constant weight, and the oven-dry weight measured. The bark percentage of each disc was considered as bark percentage of a 2 m-segment for fresh and dry weight. Finally, the bark percentage of the whole stem in each DBH class was calculated by adding the 2 m-segments. Bark biomass as an energy source has a high economic value. Bark content variations and production helps recognize the potential of this bioenergy source spatially before harvesting. The percentage of fresh and dry bark in Populus deltoides grown under a monoculture system was examined in the temperate region of northern Iran. Diameter at breast height (DBH) and total height data were analyzed based on an initial inventory. Ten sample trees were felled, separated into 2 m-segments, and weighted in the field. A 5-cm-thick disc from each segment was extracted for determining fresh and dry bark percentages. These were statistically significantly different in disc diameter classes and decreased with increasing disc diameters. Bark percentage of the disc classes ranged from 21.8 to 24.4% in small-sized diameters to 8.1‒9.3% in large-sized diameters. The differences between fresh and dry bark percentages depended on water content variations. Allometric power equations were fitted to data of fresh and dry bark percentages and disc diameters as well as DBH. The values of R2 ranged from 0.89 to 0.90. In addition, allometric power equations provided the best fits for relationships between total stem dry biomass, dry bark biomass, and DBH, R2 = 0.986 and 0.979 for the total stem dry biomass and stem dry bark biomass, respectively. The allometric models can be used to estimate bark percentage and bark production of P. deltoides in segments and for the whole stem for a wide range of segment diameters (8‒44 cm) and DBH (15‒45 cm).

Data on cropland was obtained from the global data set produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Data set was obtained as a raster image, and clipped to the boundaries of South Africa, before being converted to a vector layer. The BioEnergy Atlas bases its analyses on mesozones (Planning zones of approximately 50 km2, with relatively homogeneous attributes). This data set aggregates FAO Cropland to mesozones for planning purposes. The FGGD land cover occurrence maps are global raster data layers with a resolution of 5 arc-minutes. Each pixel in each map contains a value representing the percentage of the area belonging to the land