Is Achieving Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Possible for Electric Utilities with Current Technology?

PurposeThere are 29 million homes in the UK, accounting for 14% of the UK's energy consumption. This is given that UK has one of the highest water and energy demands in Europe which needs to be addressed according to the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). Smart homes technology holds a current perception that it is principally used by “tech-savvy” users with larger budgets. However, smart home technology can be used to control water, heat and energy in the entire house. This paper investigates how smart home technology could be effectively utilised to aid the UK government in meeting climate change targets and to mitigate the environmental impact of a home in use towards reducing carbon emissions.Design/methodology/approachBoth primary and secondary data were sought to gain insight into the research problem. An epistemological approach to this research is to use interpretivism to analyse data gathered via a semi-structured survey. Two groups of participants were approached: (1) professionals who are deemed knowledgeable about smart home development and implementation and (2) users of smart home technology. A variety of open-ended questions were formulated, allowing participants to elaborate by exploring issues and providing detailed qualitative responses based on their experience in this area which were interpreted quantitatively for clearer analysis.FindingsWith fossil fuel reserves depleting, there is an urgency for renewable, low carbon energy sources to reduce the 5 tonnes annual carbon emissions from a UK household. This requires a multi-faceted and a multimethod approach, relying on the involvement of both the general public and the government in order to be effective. By advancing energy grids to make them more efficient and reliable, concomitant necessitates a drastic change in the way of life and philosophy of homeowners when contemplating a reduction of carbon emissions. If both parties are able to do so, the UK is more likely to reach its 2050 net-zero carbon goal. The presence of a smart meter within the household is equally pivotal. It has a positive effect of reducing the amount of carbon emissions and hence more need to be installed.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed using a larger study sample to achieve more accurate and acceptable generalisations about any future course of action. Further investigation on the specifics of smart technology within the UK household is also needed to reduce the energy consumption in order to meet net-zero carbon 2050 targets due to failures of legislation.Practical implicationsFor smart homes manufacturers and suppliers, more emphasis should be placed to enhance compatibility and interoperability of appliances and devices using different platform and creating more user's friendly manuals supported by step-by-step visual to support homeowners in the light of the wealth of knowledge base generated over the past few years. For homeowners, more emphasis should be placed on creating online knowledge management platform easily accessible which provide virtual support and technical advice to home owners to deal with any operational and technical issues or IT glitches. Developing technical design online platform for built environment professionals on incorporating smart sensors and environmentally beneficial technology during early design and construction stages towards achieving low to zero carbon homes.Originality/valueThis paper bridges a significant gap in the body of knowledge in term of its scope, theoretical validity and practical applicability, highlighting the impact of using smart home technology on the environment. It provides an insight into how the UK government could utilise smart home technology in order to reduce its carbon emission by identifying the potential link between using smart home technology and environmental sustainability in tackling and mitigating climate change. The findings can be applied to other building types and has the potential to employ aspects of smart home technology in order to manage energy and water usage including but not limited to healthcare, commercial and industrial buildings.

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Aqueous phase conversion of CO2 into acetic acid over thermally transformed MIL-88B

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1029433/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Waqar Ahmad ◽

Paramita Koley ◽

Swarit Dwivedi ◽

Abhijit Shrotri ◽

Akshat Tanksale

Keyword(s):

Acetic Acid ◽

Aqueous Phase ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Active Sites ◽

Catalyst Recycling ◽

Efficient Catalyst ◽

Co Catalyst ◽

Net Zero ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Zero Carbon

Abstract Sustainable production of acetic acid (AA) is a high priority due to its high global manufacturing capacity and numerous applications. Currently it is predominantly synthesized via carbonylation of methanol, in which both the reactants are fossil-derived. CO2 transformation into AA is highly desirable to achieve net zero carbon emissions, but significant challenges remain to achieve this efficiently. Herein, we report a heterogeneous catalyst, thermally transformed MIL-88B with Fe0 and Fe3O4 dual active sites, for highly selective AA formation via methanol hydrocarboxylation. This efficient catalyst showed high AA yield (590.1 mmol/gcat.L) with 81.7% selectivity at 150°C in aqueous phase using LiI as a co-catalyst. The reaction is believed to proceed via formic acid intermediate. No significant difference in AA yield and selectivity was noticed during catalyst recycling study up to five cycles. This work scalable and industrially relevant for CO2 utilisation to reduce carbon emissions, especially if green methanol and green hydrogen are used.

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Can European Electric Utilities Manage Asset Impairments Arising From Net Zero Carbon Targets?

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3531724 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Conor Hickey ◽

John O'Brien ◽

Ben Caldecott ◽

Celine M. McInerney ◽

Brian O'Gallachoir

Keyword(s):

Electric Utilities ◽

Net Zero ◽

Zero Carbon ◽

Asset Impairments

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A New Metric for Net-Zero Carbon Buildings

ASME 2007 Energy Sustainability Conference ◽

10.1115/es2007-36263 ◽

2007 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Siir Kilkis

Keyword(s):

Carbon Emissions ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

Zero Energy ◽

Global Sustainability ◽

Zero Energy Building ◽

Net Zero Energy ◽

Net Zero Energy Building ◽

Net Zero ◽

Zero Carbon

In this study a new carbon equivalency metric was developed in order to quantify the compound carbon emissions that buildings are responsible in the built environment. This metric first analyses the rationale about the management of exergy balance among supply and demand involved in satisfying building power and energy loads. Then using the degree of the rationale found, direct carbon emissions from the building and avoidable secondary carbon emissions that the building is responsible due to exergy mismatches are calculated. Based on this metric a net-zero carbon building definition was introduced and its advantages for quantifying the actual impact of buildings on global sustainability were discussed in comparison to net-zero energy building and carbon neutral building concepts. A case study for an example net-zero energy building is presented, which reveals that the new carbon equivalency metric can indicate whether the building is actually environmentally neutral or not. Results show that the example building has negative impact on environment and global sustainability in terms of carbon emissions even though it is rated a net-zero building. This paper also discusses that although another new net-zero exergy building definition may reduce the shortcomings of the net-zero building definition, only the net-zero carbon building metric may accurately rate the environmental impact of buildings. Beyond carbon emissions from buildings, the same metric can be used for any variety of greenhouse emissions and sectors.

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Achieving net-zero carbon emissions in construction supply chains – A multidimensional analysis of residential building systems

Developments in the Built Environment ◽

10.1016/j.dibe.2021.100059 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100059

Author(s):

Ida Karlsson ◽

Johan Rootzén ◽

Filip Johnsson ◽

Martin Erlandsson

Keyword(s):

Supply Chains ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Residential Building ◽

Multidimensional Analysis ◽

Net Zero ◽

Building Systems ◽

Zero Carbon

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Lowering the Carbon Emissions Peak and Accelerating the Transition Towards Net Zero Carbon

Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies ◽

10.1142/s2345748121500135 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2150013

Author(s):

PAN Jiahua

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Quality Development ◽

Ecological Civilization ◽

High Quality ◽

New Era ◽

Carbon Neutrality ◽

Climate Resilience ◽

Net Zero ◽

Zero Carbon

China’s declaration to the international community to peak CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 is of great significance in advancing the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and has a positive and far-reaching impact on China’s high-quality development. This paper expounds on responsibilities and ambitions in tackling climate change, analyzes the high-quality development opportunities brought about by CO2 emissions peak and carbon neutrality, and discusses the net zero carbon emissions transformation in the new era of ecological civilization. This paper is of the view that development towards net zero carbon emissions provides a new impetus for building a Beautiful China, and promoting ecological civilization and green development. The essence of carbon neutrality should be correctly understood so that the world will work together to improve climate resilience. China should also deepen the understanding of the principles and methodologies of climate change economics.

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