scholarly journals Sacred Cars? Cost-Effective Regulation of Stationary and Nonstationary Pollution Sources

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith Fowlie ◽  
Christopher R Knittel ◽  
Catherine Wolfram
Keyword(s):  
Marginal Cost ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Environmental Regulations ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Mobile Source ◽  
Abatement Costs ◽  
Marginal Abatement Costs

For political and practical reasons, environmental regulations sometimes treat point-source polluters, such as power plants, differently from mobile-source polluters, such as vehicles. This paper measures the extent of this regulatory asymmetry in the case of nitrogen oxides (NOx), the most recalcitrant criteria air pollutant in the United States. We find significant differences in marginal abatement costs across source types: the marginal cost of reducing NOx from cars is less than half the marginal cost of reducing NOx from power plants. Our results measure the possible efficiency gains and distributional implications associated with increasing the sectoral scope of environmental regulations.(JEL Q53, Q58, R41)

Efficient Pollution Regulation: Getting the Prices Right

2009 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1714-1739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Z. Muller ◽  
Robert Mendelsohn
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sulfur Dioxide ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Environmental Regulations ◽  
Welfare Gain ◽  
Abatement Costs ◽  
Pollution Regulation ◽  
Marginal Abatement Costs ◽  
Allowance Trading ◽  
Trading Program

This paper argues for efficient environmental regulations that equate the marginal damage of pollution to marginal abatement costs across space. The paper estimates the source-specific marginal damages of air pollution and calculates the welfare gain from making the current sulfur dioxide allowance trading program for power plants more efficient. The savings from using trading ratios based on marginal damages are between $310 and $940 million per year. The potential savings from setting aggregate emissions efficiently and from including more sources of air pollution are many times higher. (JEL H23, Q53, Q58)

scholarly journals Perspectives for Mitigation of CO2 Emission due to Development of Electromobility in Several Countries

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 4127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Tucki ◽  
Olga Orynycz ◽  
Mateusz Mitoraj-Wojtanek
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
European Union ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
Electric Cars

The creep trend method is used for the analysis of the development of electric car production in three regions: The United States, the European Union and Japan. Based on vehicle registration and population growth data for each year the creep trend method using historical data for the years 2007–2017 is applied for forecasting development up to 2030. Moreover, the original method for calculating the primary energy factor (PEF) was applied to the analysis of power engineering systems in the regions investigated. The assessment of the effects of electromobility development on air quality has been performed, reduction values for pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions have been determined, which was the main objective of this manuscript. Mitigation of air pollutant emissions, i.e., carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) was estimated and compared to the eventual expected increase of emissions from power plants due to an increase of the demand for electricity. It can be concluded that electricity powered cars along with appropriate choices of energetic resources as well as electricity distribution management will play the important role to achieve the sustainable energy economy. Based on the emission reduction projections resulting from the projected increase in the number of electric cars, (corrected) emissions will be avoided in 2030 in the amount of over 14,908,000 thousand tonnes CO2 in European Union, 3,786,000 thousand tonnes CO2 in United States and 111,683 thousand tonnes CO2 in Japan.

Analysis of the Cost-Effectiveness of Motor Vehicle Inspection Programs for Reducing Air Pollution

1998 ◽  
Vol 1641 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Lachance ◽  
Edward Mierzejewski
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mobile Source ◽  
Mobile Source Emissions ◽  
Vehicle Inspection ◽  
Current Program ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
The Cost

Motor vehicle inspection programs (MVIPs) are used extensively by many communities in the United States as a means to reduce mobile source emissions. In 1992, Florida initiated a motor vehicle inspection program for six counties that were identified as nonattainment areas for ozone pursuant to the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The costeffectiveness of Florida’s motor vehicle inspection program in reducing emissions is evaluated, and the results are compared with the costeffectiveness of other MVIP technologies that are available as alternatives to Florida’s current program. Five combinations of current MVIP technologies were chosen as the alternatives for analysis that represent the range of options available for a motor vehicle inspection program. The results of the cost-effectiveness analysis indicate that the program including the technology of Accelerated Simulation Mode is the most cost-effective of all of the alternatives presented. This program is much more cost-effective in reducing pollutants than the current inspection program in Florida, an annual idle test. In addition, this program is estimated to eliminate more absolute megagrams (tons) of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. The legislature of Florida has continually examined the issue of continuing or changing the motor vehicle inspection program in Florida. However, no changes have been made to the program since its inception in 1992. The cost-effectiveness comparisons of MVIPs could be useful to other communities searching for costeffective methods of reducing mobile source emissions.

Conceptual Design of a 2× Trough for Use Within Salt and Oil-Based Parabolic Trough Power Plants

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory J. Kolb ◽  
Richard B. Diver
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Energy Storage System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Current Technology ◽  
Technical Advances ◽  
Solar Field

Recent studies in the United States suggest that parabolic trough levelized energy costs (LECs) can be reduced 10–15% through integration of a large salt energy storage system coupled with the direct heating of molten salt in the solar field. While noteworthy, this relatively small predicted improvement may not justify the increased technical risks. Examples of potential issues include increased design complexity, higher maintenance costs, and salt freezing in the solar field. To make a compelling argument for development of this new system, we believe that additional technical advances beyond that previously reported will be required to achieve significant LEC reduction, greater than 25%. The new technical advances described include the development of a high-concentration trough that has double aperture and optical concentration of current technology. This trough is predicted to be more cost-effective than current technology because its cost ($/m2) and thermal losses (W/m2) are significantly lower. Recent trough optical performance improvements, such as more accurate facets and better alignment techniques, suggest a 2× trough is possible. Combining this new trough with a new low-melting point salt now under development suggests that a LEC cost reduction of ∼25% is possible for a 50 MW, 2× salt plant relative to a conventional (1×) 50 MW oil plant. However, the 2× trough will also benefit plants that use synthetic oil in the field. A LEC comparison of 2× plants at sizes ≥200 MW shows only a 6% advantage of salt over oil.

Detection of enteroviruses in marine waters by direct RT-PCR and cell culture

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 323-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Reynolds ◽  
C. P. Gerba ◽  
I. L. Pepper
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplification ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Marine Waters ◽  
Storm Water Runoff ◽  
Routine Monitoring ◽  
Reaction Amplification

Sewage outfalls and storm water runoff introduces pathogenic human enteric viruses into marine coastal waters, which may pose a potential public health risk. Although members of the enterovirus group have been suggested as possible indicators of sewage pollution in marine waters, the lack of rapid, sensitive and cost effective methods have prevented routine monitoring in the United States. This study compared traditional cell culture and direct RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) amplification for detection of an enterovirus. Poliovirus could be recovered from 100 L of artificial seawater with an average efficiency of 77%, using adsorption and elution from electronegative filters. Viruses were eluted from the filters with 1.5% beef extract for viruses (BEV) adjusted to pH 9.5 and reconcentrated by organic flocculation to a volume of 30 mL. Substances which interfered with detection by RT-PCR were removed by treatment of the concentrates with sephadex and chelex resins. Direct RT-PCR could detect 2.5 and 0.025 PFU (plaque forming units) for single (25 cycles) and double PCR (2 × 25 cycles) in 10 μL of pure culture poliovirus samples, respectively. These methods are currently being applied to assess the occurrence of enteroviruses at marine bathing beaches influenced by sewage discharges.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document