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In the UK electricity market, generators are obliged to produce part of their electricity with renewable energy resources in accordance with the Renewable Obligation Order. Since 2009 technology banding has been added, meaning that different technologies are rewarded with a different number of certificates. We analyze these two different renewable obligation policies in a mathematical representation of an electricity market with random availabilities of renewable generation outputs and random electricity demand. We also present another, alternative, banding policy. We provide revenue adequate pricing schemes for the three obligation policies. We carry out a simulation study via sampling. A key finding is that the UK banding policy cannot guarantee that the original obligation target is met, hence potentially resulting in more pollution. Our alternative provides a way to make sure that the target is met while supporting less established technologies, but it comes with a significantly higher consumer price. Furthermore, as an undesirable side effect, we observe that a cost reduction in a technology with a high banding (namely offshore wind) leads to more CO2 emissions under the UK banding policy and to higher consumer prices under the alternative banding policy.

Abstract Data on European residential space cooling demands are scarce and often of poor quality. This can be concluded from a review of the Comprehensive Assessments on the energy efficiency potential in the heating and cooling sector performed by European Union Member States under Art. 14 of the Energy Efficiency Directive. This article estimates the potential space cooling demands in the residential sector of the EU and the resulting impact on electricity generation and supply systems using the United States as a proxy. A georeferenced approach was used to establish the potential residential space cooling demand in NUTS-3 regions of EU. The total potential space cooling demand of the EU was estimated to be 292 TW h for the residential sector in an average year. The additional electrical capacity needed was estimated to 79 GW. With proper energy system development strategies, e.g. matching capacity of solar PV with cooling demand, or introduction of district cooling, the stresses on electricity system from increasing cooling demand can be mitigated. The estimated potential of space cooling demand, identified in this paper for all EU Members States, could be used while preparing the next iteration of EU MS Comprehensive Assessments or other energy related studies.

In this paper we investigate the prospects for the large-scale use of low-emission energy technologies in Africa. Many African countries have recently experienced substantial economic growth and aim at fulfilling much of the energy needs associated with continuing along paths of economic expansion by exploiting their large domestic potentials of renewable forms of energy. Important benefits of the abundant renewable energy resources in Africa are that they allow for stimulating economic development, increasing energy access and alleviating poverty, while simultaneously avoiding emissions of greenhouse gases. In this study we analyse what the likely energy demand in Africa could be until 2050, and inspect multiple scenarios for the concomitant levels of greenhouse gas emissions and emission intensities. We use the TIAM-ECN model for our study, which enawbbles detailed energy systems research through a technology-rich cost-minimisation procedure. The results from our analysis fully support an Africa-led effort to substantially enhance the use of the continent's renewable energy potential. But they suggest that the current aim of achieving 300 GW of additional renewable electricity generation capacity by 2030 is perhaps unrealistic, even given high GDP and population growth: we find figures that are close to half this level. On the other hand, we find evidence for leap-frogging opportunities, by which renewable energy options rather than fossil fuels could constitute the cost-optimal solution to fulfil most of Africa's growing energy requirements. An important benefit of leap-frogging is that it avoids an ultimately expensive fossil fuels lock-in that would fix the carbon footprint of the continent until at least the middle of the century.

Abstract Local authorities need timely information on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their causes, comparison with other municipalities and tools for dissemination of information to the citizens. This paper presents a weekly GHG emission calculation system, CO 2 -report, which provides such data for citizens and local decision-makers in a timely manner, in contrast to the official emissions statistics, which are available on an annual basis 1–2 years afterwards. In this paper, we present the methodology and three main outputs of CO 2 -report: (1) weekly GHG emissions; (2) advance annual emissions; and (3) final annual emissions for 2009 with comparison of 64 municipalities in Finland. We explain the reasons for the large variability of annual emissions, from 5 to 13 t CO 2 -eq/capita, discuss the accuracy of advance and final emission estimates at local level, and show the weekly variability of emissions for three example municipalities with different emission profiles.

Abstract An accurate and fast method is presented for calculating the energy requirement of consumption items. The method combines process analysis and input-output analysis. The energy requirement of a particular consumption item is calculated in ten steps, each dealing with certain parts of the production network. Each step can be standardized to a large extent. The method is illustrated by applying it to one product: a domestic refrigerator.

If Europe is not just a cluster of interrelated national and corporate interests, then must it not have a viable and progressive energy policy? Professor Odell argues that existing strategies are conventional and static. His critique presents another option for Western Europe, based on a dynamic evaluation of the potential of indigenous gas and oil. The geographical advantages of their location, substitution of oil by gas in industry, and above all the change in thinking about the role of these vast resources may lead, if systematically applied, to Western Europe being able to supply almost half its oil and gas requirements from domestic sources by the mid 1980s.