Economic, Trade and Employment Implications from EVs Deployment and Policies to Support Domestic Battery Manufacturing in the EU

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kostas Fragkiadakis ◽  
Ioannis Charalampidis ◽  
Panagiotis Fragkos ◽  
Leonidas Paroussos

The decarbonization of the energy system requires the adoption of a mix of zero or low carbon intensive technological options, which depends on their cost-effectiveness, their potential to reduce emissions and on social acceptance issues. Transport electrification combined with renewable energy sources (RES) deployment in power generation is a key decarbonization option assessed in many recent studies that focus on national or international climate policies. The penetration of electric vehicles (EVs) together with a gradual retirement of conventional oil-fuelled vehicles implies that a new ‘trade ecosystem’ will be created characterized by different features (move from OPEX to CAPEX) and supply chains. A key component of the EVs are the Lithium-Ion batteries, the manufacturing of which is employment intensive and constitutes an essential element of the EVs that can act as a driver for establishing comparative advantages and increasing EV market shares. Our study focuses on the size of the EV market that can be established within ambitious global and EU decarbonization scenarios and investigates the economic, trade and employment implications considering the production chain of EVs (i.e., the regional production of batteries and vehicles). We use the large-scale global GEM-E3-FIT model to capture the trade dynamics of decarbonization scenarios. We find that under ambitious climate policies, the global size of the clean energy technologies will be US$44 trillion cumulatively over the 2020–2050 period. 44per cent of the market relates to EVs, which will mostly be produced outside EU. For the EU to capture a significant segment of the EV value chain, it needs to increase clean energy R&D and associated supportive policies so as to boost the domestic capacity to produce competitively batteries. JEL: F11, F13, F16, F18, F62, F68

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-97
Author(s):  
Melis Aras

The energy transition in Europe requires not only the implementation of technological innovations to reduce carbon emissions but also the decentralised extension of these innovations throughout the continent, as demonstrated by the ‘Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package. However, decentralised energy generation, and specifically electricity generation, as it gives rise to new players and interactions, also requires a review of the energy planning process. In this sense, governance becomes the key concept for understanding the implementation of the energy transition in a territory. This is particularly visible in a cross-border setting, especially considering cross-border cooperation in the development of renewable energy sources (RES) provides the necessary elements to determine the criteria of local regulation between the different levels of governance. In light of the current legal framework in France, this paper presents the institutional framework of the multi-level governance of the RES development planning process. It concludes that it is quite conceivable for the rationales of governance at the local level (decentralisation) and the large-scale operation of a large interconnected network (Europeanisation) to coexist.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 156-171
Author(s):  
A. V. Zimakov

Clean energy transition is one of major transformation processes in the EU. There are different approaches among EU countries to decarbonization of their energy systems. The article deals with clean energy transition in France with the emphasis on power generation. While this transformation process is in line with similar developments in the EU, the Franch case has its distinct nature due to nuclear power domination in electricity production there. It represents a challenge for the current model as the transition is linked to a sharp drop of nuclear share in the power mix. It is important to understand the trajectory of further clean energy transition in France and its ultimate model. The article reviews the historical roots of the current model (which stems from Messmer plan of the 1970-es) and its development over years, as well as assesses its drawbacks and merits in order to outline possible future prospects. The conclusion is that the desired reduction of nuclear energy is linked not solely to greening process but has a complex of reasons, the ageing of nuclear reactors being one of them. Nuclear power remains an important low-carbon technology allowing France to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. A desired future energy model in France can be understood based on the analysis of new legislation and government action plans. The targeted model is expected to balance of nuclear and green energy in the generation mix in 50% to 40% proportion by 2035, with the rest left to gas power generation. Being pragmatic, French government aims at partial nuclear reactors shut down provided that this will not lead to the rise of GHG emissions, energy market distortions, or electricity price hikes. The balanced French model is believed to be a softer and socially comfortable option of low-carbon model.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Sumit Kumar Gupta ◽  

Nanotechnology is new frontiers of this century. The world is facing great challenges in meeting rising demands for basic commodities(e.g., food, water and energy), finished goods (e.g., cellphones, cars and airplanes) and services (e.g., shelter, healthcare and employment) while reducing and minimizing the impact of human activities on Earth’s global environment and climate. Nanotechnology has emerged as a versatile platform that could provide efficient, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable solutions to the global sustainability challenges facing society. In recent years there has been a rapid increase in nanotechnology in the fields of medicine and more specifically in targeted drug delivery. Opportunities of utilizing nanotechnology to address global challenges in (1) water purification, (2) clean energy technologies, (3) greenhouse gases management, (4) materials supply and utilization, and (5) green manufacturing and hemistry. Smart delivery of nutrients, bio-separation of proteins, rapid sampling of biological and chemical contaminants, and nano encapsulation of nutraceuticals are some of the emerging topics of nanotechnology for food and agriculture. Nanotechnology is helping to considerably improve, even revolutionize, many technology and Industry sectors: information technology, energy, environmental science, medicine, homeland security, food safety, and transportation, among many others. Today’s nanotechnology harnesses current progress in chemistry, physics, materials science, and biotechnology to create novel materials that have unique properties because their structures are determined on the nanometer scale. This paper summarizes the various applications of nanotechnology in recent decades Nanotechnology is one of the leading scientific fields today since it combines knowledge from the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Informatics, and Engineering. It is an emerging technological field with great potential to lead in great breakthroughs that can be applied in real life. Novel Nano and biomaterials, and Nano devices are fabricated and controlled by nanotechnology tools and techniques, which investigate and tune the properties, responses, and functions of living and non-living matter, at sizes below100 nm. The application and use of Nano materials in electronic and mechanical devices, in optical and magnetic components, quantum computing, tissue engineering, and other biotechnologies, with smallest features, widths well below 100 nm, are the economically most important parts of the nanotechnology nowadays and presumably in the near future. The number of Nano products is rapidly growing since more and more Nano engineered materials are reaching the global market the continuous revolution in nanotechnology will result in the fabrication of nanomaterial with properties and functionalities which are going to have positive changes in the lives of our citizens, be it in health, environment, electronics or any other field. In the energy generation challenge where the conventional fuel resources cannot remain the dominant energy source, taking into account the increasing consumption demand and the CO2 .Emissions alternative renewable energy sources based on new technologies have to be promoted. Innovative solar cell technologies that utilize nanostructured materials and composite systems such as organic photovoltaic offer great technological potential due to their attractive properties such as the potential of large-scale and low-cost roll-to-roll manufacturing processes


2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Prakash Sharma ◽  
Benjamin Gallagher ◽  
Jonathan Sultoon

Australia is in a bind. It is at the heart of the pivot to clean energy: it contains some of the world’s best solar irradiance and vast potential for large-scale carbon capture and storage; it showed the world the path forward with its stationary storage flexibility at the much vaunted Hornsdale power reserve facility; and it moved quickly to capitalise on low-carbon hydrogen production. Yet it remains one of the largest sources for carbon-intensive energy exports in the world. The extractive industries are still delivering thermal coal for power generation and metallurgical coal for carbon-intensive steel making in Asian markets. Even liquefied natural gas’s green credentials are being questioned. Are these two pathways compatible? The treasury and economy certainly benefit. But there is a huge opportunity to redress the source of those funds and jobs, while fulfilling the aspirations to reach net zero emissions by 2050. In our estimates, the low-carbon hydrogen economy could grow to become so substantial that 15% of all energy may be ultimately ‘carried’ by hydrogen by 2050. It is certainly needed to keep the world from breaching 2°C. Can Australia master the hydrogen trade? It is believed that it has a very good chance. Blessed with first-mover investment advantage, and tremendous solar and wind resourcing, Australia is already on a pathway to become a producer of green hydrogen below US$2/kg by 2030. How might it then construct a supply chain to compete in the international market with established trading partners and end users ready to renew old acquaintances? Its route is assessed to mastery of the hydrogen trade, analyse critical competitors for end use and compare costs with other exporters of hydrogen.


Author(s):  
N. Kaveshnikov

The article analyses the EU policies of promoting renewable energy sources (RES), including the role of state subsidizing and the change of EU policy in 2013. First EU actions in this area were implemented in late 1990s. In mid 2000s the European Commission developed integrated approach of the encouragement of renewables. Promotion of RES was integrated with other areas of the EU energy policies in the framework of the Climate and Energy Package in 2007. The paper evaluates EU achievements and development of particular types of RES in the EU in 2000s. A comprehensive comparative analysis of the cost of different types of RES and the use of incentive measures in the European Union and EU member states is carried out. The conclusion is made that despite the impressive technological progress the renewable energy, with rare exception, is still uncompetitive with the traditional sources of energy in terms of costs. A large-scale state support was the reason for the rapid development of renewables in the EU. Article investigates distorting effects of RES subsidies on the market price of electricity. Feed-in tariffs, investment grants, quotas and tax benefits were the most widespread forms of direct and indirect RES subsidies in the EU. During the economic crisis, these subsidies have become a heavy burden for the budgets of the EU countries and population. Now the EU is modifying its strategy on RES in order to reduce the volume of subsidies. In 2013 European Council substantially changed the priorities of the EU energy policies: instead of «sustainable energy» it accentuated the need to provide a “competitive energy”. Strategic decision to reform the existing methods of RES subsidizing and to develop an «economically reasonable» support scheme was made. The reduction of subsidies will inevitably lead to a sharp reduction in the rate of growth of renewables and the failure to achieve previously agreed EU targets.


2013 ◽  
Vol 807-809 ◽  
pp. 783-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Zhou ◽  
Cui Ping Liao ◽  
Peng Chun Li ◽  
Ying Huang

CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is the only technology available to achieve a deep cut in CO2emissions from large-scale fossil fuel usage. Although Guangdong Province has less heavy industries and higher reliance on energy import compared with many other provinces in China, CCS is still essential for the low-carbon development in the province. This is because fossil fuel energy is now and will be in the foreseeable future the major energy in Guangdong. CCS may have other benefits such as helping energy security and bring new business opportunities. The feasibility of CCS development in Guangdong is ensured by the existence of sufficient CO2storage capacity in offshore sedimentary basins in the northern South China Sea. A safe CO2storage is achievable as long as the selection of storage sites and the storage operations are in restrict quality control. The increased cost and energy penalty associated with CCS could be reduced through technical R&D, the utilization of captured CO2, and the utilization of infrastructure of offshore depleted oil fields. Fossil fuel energy plus CCS should be regarded as a new type of clean energy and deserves similar incentive policies that have been applied to other clean energies such as renewables and nuclear.


2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Berger ◽  
Doris Fischer ◽  
Rasmus Lema ◽  
Hubert Schmitz ◽  
Frauke Urban

Despite the large-scale investments of both China and the EU in climate-change mitigation and renewable-energy promotion, the prevailing view on China–EU relations is one of conflict rather than cooperation. In order to evaluate the prospects of cooperation between China and the EU in these policy fields, empirical research has to go beyond simplistic narratives. This paper suggests a conceptual apparatus that will help researchers better understand the complexities of the real world. The relevant actors operate at different levels and in the public and private sectors. The main message of the paper is that combining the multilevel governance and value-chain approaches helps clarify the multiple relationships between these actors.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Benato ◽  
Anna Stoppato

Renewable energy sources are the most useful way to generate clean energy and guide the transition toward green power generation and a low-carbon economy. Among renewables, the best alternative to electricity generation from fossil fuels is solar energy because it is the most abundant and does not release pollutants during conversion processes. Despite the photovoltaic (PV) module ability to produce electricity in an eco-friendly way, PV cells are extremely sensitive to temperature increments. This can result in efficiency drop of 0.25%/ ∘ C to 0.5%/ ∘ C. To overcome this issue, manufacturers and researchers are devoted to the improvement of PV cell efficiency by decreasing operating temperature. For this purpose, the authors have developed a low-cost and high-performance PV cooling system that can drastically reduce module operating temperature. In the present work, the authors present a set of experimental measurements devoted to selecting the PV cooling arrangement that guarantees the best compromise of water-film uniformity, module temperature reduction, water-consumption minimization, and module power production maximization. Results show that a cooling system equipped with 3 nozzles characterized by a spraying angle of 90 ∘ , working with an inlet pressure of 1.5 bar, and which remains active for 30 s and is switched off for 120 s, can reduce module temperature by 28 ∘ C and improve the module efficiency by about 14%. In addition, cost per single module of the cooling system is only 15 €.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fadwa Eljack ◽  
Monzure-Khoda Kazi

Low carbon hydrogen can be an excellent source of clean energy, which can combat global climate change and poor air quality. Hydrogen based economy can be a great opportunity for a country like Qatar to decarbonize its multiple sectors including transportation, shipping, global energy markets, and industrial sectors. However, there are still some barriers to the realization of a hydrogen-based economy, which includes large scale hydrogen production cost, infrastructure investments, bulk storage, transport & distribution, safety consideration, and matching supply-demand uncertainties. This paper highlights how the aforementioned challenges can be handled strategically through a multi-sector industrial-urban symbiosis for the hydrogen supply chain implementation. Such symbiosis can enhance the mutual relationship between diverse industries and urban planning by exploring varied scopes of multi-purpose hydrogen usage (i.e., clean energy source as a safer carrier, industrial feedstock and intermittent products, vehicle and shipping fuel, and international energy trading, etc.) both in local and international markets. It enables individual entities and businesses to participate in the physical exchange of materials, by-products, energy, and water, with strategic advantages for all participants. Besides, waste/by-product exchanges, several different kinds of synergies are also possible, such as the sharing of resources and shared facilities. The diversified economic base, regional proximity and the facilitation of rules, strategies and policies may be the key drivers that support the creation of a multi-sector hydrogen supply chain in Qatar.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gheorghe Lazaroiu ◽  
Dana-Alexandra Ciupageanu ◽  
Lucian Mihaescu ◽  
Rodica-Manuela Grigoriu

Conversion technologies able to transform renewable energy sources (RES) based electricity in gaseous fuels, which can be stored over long timeframes, represent a key focus point considering the low carbon society development. Thus, Power-to-Gas technologies emerge as a viable solution to mitigate the variability of RES power generation, enabling spatial and temporal balancing of production vs. demand mismatches. An additional benefit in this context is brought by the decarbonization facilities, employing polluting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and RES-based electricity to produce synthetic natural gas with high methane (CH4) concentration. The fuel obtained can be stored or injected in the gas distribution infrastructure, becoming a clean energy vector. This paper investigates the functional parameters of such technologies, aiming to comparatively analyze their suitability for further integration in hybrid and ecofriendly energy systems. Given the stability of CO2 molecule, a catalyst must be used to overcome the methanation reaction kinetics limitations. Therefore, the required conditions (in terms of pressure and temperature) for CO2 methanation reaction unfolding are analyzed first. Further, CO2 conversion rate and CH4 selectivity are investigated in order to provide a detailed comparison of available technologies in the field, addressing moreover the particularities of catalyst preparation processes. It is found that Nickel (Ni) based catalysts are performing well, achieving good performances even at atmospheric pressure and low temperatures. It is remarkable that, within a [300,500]℃ temperature range, Ni-based catalysts enable a CO2 conversion rate over 78% with a CH4 selectivity of up to 100%. Last, integration perspectives and benefits are discussed, highlighting the crucial importance of the results presented in this paper.


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