scholarly journals Carbon Neutrality Ambitions and Reinforcing Energy Efficiency Through OFDI Reverse Technology Spillover: Evidence from China

Author(s):  
Qizhen Wang ◽  
Tong Zhao ◽  
Rong Wang
2021 ◽  
pp. 32-40
Author(s):  
Rafał M. Łukasik

The European (and global) energy sector is in a process of profound transformation, making it essential for changes to take place that influence energy producers, operators, and regulators, as well as consumers themselves, as they are the ones who interact in the energy market. The RED II Directive changes the paradigm of the use of biomass in the heat and electricity sectors, by introducing sustainability criteria with mandatory minimum greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and by establishing energy efficiency criteria. For the transport sector, the extension of the introduction of renewables to all forms of transport (aviation, maritime, rail and road short and long distance), between 2021-2030, the strengthening of energy efficiency and the strong need to reduce GHG emissions, are central to achieving the national targets for renewables in transport, representing the main structural changes in the European decarbonisation policy in that sector. It is necessary to add that biomass is potentially the only source of renewable energy that makes it possible to obtain negative GHG emission values, considering the entire life cycle including CO2 capture and storage. Hence, this work aims to analyse the relevance of biomass for CHP and in particular, the use of biomass for biofuels that contribute to achieving carbon neutrality in 2050. The following thematic sub-areas are addressed in this work: i) the new environmental criteria for the use of biomass for electricity in the EU in light of now renewable energy directive; ii) current and emerging biofuel production technologies and their respective decarbonization potential; iii) the relevance or not of the development of new infrastructures for distribution renewable fuels, alternatives to the existing ones (biomethane, hydrogen, ethanol); iv) the identification of the necessary measures for biomass in the period 2020-2030


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4814
Author(s):  
Bin Huang ◽  
Ke Xing ◽  
Stephen Pullen ◽  
Lida Liao

Decarbonising the urban built environment for reaching carbon neutrality is high on the agenda for many cities undergoing rapid expansion and densification. As an important urban form, precincts have been increasingly focused on as the context for urban redevelopment planning and at the forefront for trialling carbon reduction measures. However, due to interplays between the built forms and the occupancy, the carbon performance of a precinct is significantly affected by morphological variations, demographical changes, and renewable energy system deployment. Despite much research on the development of low-carbon precincts, there is limited analysis on aggregated effects of population growth, building energy efficiency, renewable energy penetration, and carbon reduction targets in relation to precinct carbon signature and carbon neutral potential for precinct redevelopment and decarbonisation planning. In this paper, an integrated carbon assessment model, including overall precinct carbon emissions and carbon offset contributed by precinct-scale renewable energy harvesting, is developed and applied to examine the lifecycle carbon signature of urban precincts. Using a case study on a residential precinct redevelopment, scenario analysis is employed to explore opportunities for decarbonising densification development and the carbon neutral potential. Results from scenario analysis indicate that redevelopment of buildings with higher-rated energy efficiency and increase of renewable energy penetration can have a long term positive impact on the carbon performance of urban precincts. Meanwhile, demographical factors in precinct evolution also have a strong influence on a precinct’s carbon neutral potential. Whilst population size exerts upward pressure on total carbon emissions, changes in family types and associated consumption behaviour, such as travelling, can make positive contributions to carbon reduction. The analysis also highlights the significance of embodied carbon to the total carbon signature and the carbon reduction potential of a precinct during densification, reinforcing the notion that “develop with less” is as important as carbon offsetting measures for decarbonising the precinct toward carbon neutrality.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Li ◽  
Chuan Zhangchuan ◽  
ShiXiang Li ◽  
Ahmed Usman

Abstract Green innovation undoubtedly plays a significant role in creating employment opportunities, boosting green economic activity, and improving environmental sustainability. This study scrutinizes the effect of energy efficiency and green innovation on CO2 emissions in China over the 1992–2014 period using NARDL. Findings show that energy efficiency and green innovation contribute to reducing CO2 emissions in China. Energy efficiency and green innovation are also important asymmetric determinants of CO2 emissions. An increase in energy efficiency and green innovation lowers CO2 emissions, while a decrease in energy efficiency and green innovation increases CO2 emissions in China in the long run. Some policy measures are suggested to attain carbon neutrality.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1194
Author(s):  
Teijo Palander ◽  
Hanna Haavikko ◽  
Emma Kortelainen ◽  
Kalle Kärhä ◽  
Stelian Alexandru Borz

Wood transportation is an important source of greenhouse gas emissions, which should be considered when the carbon neutrality of the forest industry is of concern. The EU is dedicated to improving technology for a carbon-neutral development. This study investigates carbon neutrality by improving road freight transportation fleets consisting of various vehicle size combinations. The environmental emission and energy efficiency of a transportation fleet were analyzed in selected wood procurement regions of Stora Enso corporation (Finland). Based on the enterprise resource planning (ERP) data (2018–2020), the environmental emission efficiency increased by 11% via 76 t-vehicles compared 64 t vehicles. The maximum reduction in fuel consumption was 26% for 92 t vehicles, though this was achieved when operations were fully adjusted to the maximum weight limit. The wood-based energy efficiency measure (wood energy/transport energy) was a useful development indicator. It showed that the adapted fleets of transportation companies support a positive development for a carbon-neutral forestry. In respect to the current legal fleet (64, 68 and 76 t), the use of 76 t vehicles increased energy efficiency most effectively, by 50%, compared to 64 t vehicles in the best region. Currently, transportation service providers and their clients are using ERP information to tailor their energy efficiency metric and to implement them locally in the transportation monitoring systems. A three-year sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the technological development of management tools to improve transportation efficiency is essential for larger and heavier vehicle utilization. In the future, the whole wood supply chain from forest to factory will also be optimized with respect to energy efficiency criterion to ensure a low-carbon forest industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Haavikko ◽  
Kalle Kärhä ◽  
Asko Poikela ◽  
Mika Korvenranta ◽  
Teijo Palander

The EU’s climate and energy framework and Energy Efficiency Directive drive European companies to improve their energy efficiency. In Finland, the aim is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Stora Enso Wood Supply Finland (WSF) had a target, by 2020, to improve its energy efficiency by 4% from the 2015 level. This case study researches the use of the forest machine fleet contracted to Stora Enso WSF. The aims were to 1) clarify the forest machine fleet energy-efficiency as related to the engine power; 2) determine the fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wood-harvesting operations, including relocations of forest machines by trucks; and 3) investigate the energy efficiency of wood-harvesting operations. The study data consisted of Stora Enso WSF’s industrial roundwood harvest of 8.9 million m3 (solid over bark) in 2016. The results illustrated that forest machinery was not allocated to the different cutting methods (thinning or final felling) based on the engine power. The calculated fuel consumption totalled 14.2 million litres (ML) for harvesting 8.9 million m3, and the calculated fuel consumption of relocations totalled 1.2 ML, for a total of 15.4 ML. The share of fuel consumption was 52.5% for harvesters (cutting), 39.5% for forwarders (forest haulage), and 8.0% for forest machine relocations. The average calculated cubic-based fuel consumption of wood harvesting was 1.6 L/m3, ranging from the lowest of 1.2 L/m3 for final fellings to the highest of 2.8 L/m3 in first thinnings. The calculated fuel consumption from machine relocations was, on average, 0.13 L/m3. The calculated carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq.) emissions totalled 40,872 tonnes (t), of which 21,676 t were from cutting, 16,295 t were from forwarding, and 2,901 t from relocation trucks. By cutting method, the highest calculated CO2 eq. emissions were recorded in first thinnings (7340 g CO2 eq./m3) and the lowest in final fellings (3140 g CO2 eq./m3). The calculated CO2 eq. emissions in the forest machine relocations averaged 325 g CO2 eq./m3. The results underlined that there is a remarkable gap between the actual and optimal allocation of forest machine fleets. Minimizing the gap could result in higher work productivity, lower fuel consumption and GHG emissions, and higher energy efficiency in wood-harvesting operations in the future.


Author(s):  
Karlis Dreimanis ◽  
Zane Indzere ◽  
Dagnija Blumberga ◽  
Vaida Šerevičienė

EU countries have agreed on GREEN DEAL and have committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Very important role for achieving the goal is playing production and manufacturing industry. This article is devoted to fish production industry, which is as subdivision of food production industry. During past decades the amount of fish caught has increased multiple times. Fishing industry nowadays is being strongly regulated and monitored by various institutions including. Which sets environmental legislation for controlling and improving industries impact (energy efficiency, pollution, waste) on the habitat and environment. For EU to make right decisions on how the member states could develop their fish production industry, it is necessary to have overall evaluation which includes the development opportunities. The efficiency of the fish production company characterizes the amount of resources used, as well as energy efficiency, water usage, the possibility to implement of circular economy, and other criteria which must be evaluated from the perspective if environmental, engineering, economic and social aspects. The fish production company analysis in this article are analysed using Data envelopement analysis (DEA) multicriteria analysis. First results show that fish manufacturers must pay attention to the technological processes in order to move towards carbon neutral society.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (01) ◽  
pp. 33-46
Author(s):  
Hyungna OH ◽  
Inkee HONG ◽  
Ilyoung OH

On 28 October 2020, President Moon Jae-in declared Korea’s 2050 carbon neutrality strategy as a comprehensive transformation plan towards a sustainable and green Korean economy. The key elements for the 2050 carbon neutrality are: expanding the use of clean power and hydrogen across all sectors; improving energy efficiency to a significant level; commercial development of carbon removal and other future technologies; scaling up the circular economy to improve industrial sustainability; and enhancing carbon sinks. The success of the 2050 net-zero depends on whether the energy sector can be decarbonised on schedule. More fundamentally, the strength of carbon pricing to secure private climate finance will determine the future of Korea’s vision to go carbon neutral by 2050.


Author(s):  
V. A. Spirin ◽  
V. E. Nikol’skii ◽  
D. V. Vokhmintsev ◽  
A. A. Moiseev ◽  
P. G. Smirnov ◽  
...  

At steel production based on scrap metal utilization, the scrap heating before charging into a melting facility is an important way of energy efficiency increase and ecological parameters improving. In winter time scrap metal charging with ice inclusions into a metal melt can result in a considerable damage of equipment and even accidents. Therefore, scrap preliminary drying is necessary to provide industrial safety. It was shown, that in countries with warm and low-snow climate with no risk of scrap metal icing up during its transportation and storing in the open air, the basic task being solved at the scrap drying is an increase of energy efficiency of steelmaking. InRussiathe scrap metal drying first of all provides the safety of the process and next - energy saving. Existing technologies of scrap metal drying and heating considered, as well as advantages and drawbacks of technical solutions used at Russian steel plants. In winter time during scrap metal heating at conveyers (Consteel process) hot gases penetrate not effectively into its mass, the heat is not enough for evaporation of wetness in the metal charge. At scrap heating by the furnace gases, a problem of dioxines emissions elimination arises. Application of shaft heaters results in high efficiency of scrap heating. However, under conditions of Russian winter the upper scrap layers are not always heated higher 0 °С and after getting into a furnace bath the upper scrap layers cause periodical vapor explosions. The shaft heaters create optimal conditions for dioxines formation, which emit into atmosphere. It was shown, that accounting Russian economic and nature conditions, the metal charge drying and heating in modified charging buckets by the heat of burnt natural gas or other additional fuel is optimal. The proposed technical solution enables to burnt off organic impurities ecologically safely, to melt down ice, to evaporate the wetness in the scrap as well as to heat the charge as enough as the charging logistics enables it. The method was implemented at several Russian steel plants. Technical and economical indices of scrap metal drying in buckets under conditions of EAF-based shop, containing two furnaces ДСП-100, presented.


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