scholarly journals ENERGY-RELATED CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFICIENCY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AGRICULTURE: COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT BENCHMARKING TECHNIQUES

Author(s):  
Tomas Baležentis ◽  
Daiva Makutėnienė

The literature suggests different approaches towards modelling of the environmental impact caused by the production processes. The present paper attempts to establish a framework for multicriteria comparison of agricultural sectors of the European Union Member States and identify the performance gaps in terms of energy-related carbon dioxide emission. The research relies on the two approaches, viz. the by-production approach and the multi-criteria decision making approach. The environmental performance indicators were evaluated in regards to the desirable output (gross value added), inputs, and the undesirable output (carbon dioxide emission). The results indicate that Slovakia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Hungary should attempt to improve their carbon factors by implementing cleaner energy technologies. The combinations of by-production sub-indices suggest that productivity gains are more important for Sweden, Belgium, Poland, and France. Czech Republic, Latvia, and Finland are specific with low performance in terms of both the intended production and the undesirable output. The MCDM approach identified similar trends in performance as suggested by country ranking and correlation analysis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4599
Author(s):  
Mohd Alsaleh ◽  
Muhammad Mansur Abdulwakil ◽  
Abdul Samad Abdul-Rahim

Under the current European Union (EU) constitution approved in May 2018, EU countries ought to guarantee that estimated greenhouse-gas releases from land use, land-use change, or forestry are entirely compensated by an equivalent accounted removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air during the period between 2021 and 2030. This study investigates the effect of sustainable hydropower production on land-use change in the European Union (EU28) region countries during 1990–2018, using the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS). The results revealed that land-use change incline with an increase in hydropower energy production. In addition, economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, and population density are found to be increasing land-use changes, while institutional quality is found to be decreasing land-use change significantly. The finding implies that land-use change in EU28 region countries can be significantly increased by mounting the amount of hydropower energy production to achieve Energy Union aims by 2030. This will finally be spread to combat climate change and environmental pollution. The findings are considered robust as they were checked with DOLS and pooled OLS. The research suggests that the EU28 countries pay attention to the share of hydropower in their renewable energy combination to minimize carbon releases. Politicians and investors in the EU28 region ought to invest further in the efficiency and sustainability of hydropower generation to increase its production and accessibility without further degradation of forest and agricultural conditions. The authorities of the EU28 region should emphasize on efficiency and sustainability of hydropower energy with land-use management to achieve the international commitments for climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development, reduce dependence on fossil fuel, and energy insecurity.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 2942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Tucki ◽  
Olga Orynycz ◽  
Antoni Świć ◽  
Mateusz Mitoraj-Wojtanek

The article analyzes the dynamics of the development of the electromobility sector in Poland in the context of the European Union and due to the economic situation and development of the electromobility sector in the contexts of Switzerland and Norway. On the basis of obtained data, a forecast was made which foresees the most likely outlook of the electric car market in the coming years. The forecast was made using the creeping trend method, and extended up to 2030. As part of the analysis of the effect of the impact of electromobility, an original method was proposed for calculating the primary energy factor (PEF) primary energy ratio in the European Union and in its individual countries, which illustrates the conversion efficiency of primary energy into electricity and the overall efficiency of the power system. The original method was also verified, referring to the methods proposed by the Fraunhofer-Institut. On the basis of all previous actions and analyses, an assessment was made of the impact of the development of the electromobility sector on air quality in the countries studied. Carbon dioxide tank-to-wheels emission reductions which result from the conversion of the car fleet from conventional vehicles to electric motors were then calculated. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, other pollutant emissions were also calculated, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). The increase in the demand for electricity resulting from the needs of electric vehicles was also estimated. On this basis, and also on the basis of previously calculated primary energy coefficients, the emission reduction values have been adjusted for additional emissions resulting from the generation of electricity in power plants.


Author(s):  
Jarod C. Kelly ◽  
Deepak Sivaraman ◽  
Gregory A. Keoleian

Many studies that examine the impact of renewable energy installations on avoided carbon-dioxide utilize national, regional or state averages to determine the predicted carbon-dioxide offset. The approach of this computational study was to implement a dispatching strategy in order to determine precisely which electrical facilities would be avoided due to the installation of renewable energy technologies. This study focused on a single geographic location for renewable technology installation, San Antonio, Texas. The results indicate an important difference between calculating avoided carbon-dioxide when using simple average rates of carbon-dioxide emissions and a dispatching strategy that accounts for the specific electrical plants used to meet electrical demands. The avoided carbon-dioxide due to renewable energy technologies is overestimated when using national, regional and state averages. This occurs because these averages include the carbon-dioxide emission factors of electrical generating assets that are not likely to be displaced by the renewable technology installation. The study also provides a comparison of two specific renewable energy technologies: photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines. The results suggest that investment in PV is more cost effective for the San Antonio location. While the results are only applicable to this location, the methodology is useful for evaluating renewable technologies at any location.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Abraham ◽  
Farah Ramadan ◽  
Dhabia M. Al-Mohannadi

Growing climate change concerns in recent years have led to an increased need for carbon dioxide emission reduction. This can be achieved by implementing the concept of circular economy, which promotes the practice of resource conservation, emission minimization, and the maintenance of sustainable revenue streams. A considerable amount of carbon dioxide emissions is a consequence of stationary sources from industrial processes. These emissions can be reduced using carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) or reduced at source by using emission free renewable resources. The method developed within this work uses mixed integer linear programming (MILP) to design sustainable clusters that convert seawater (including waste brine), air, and waste carbon dioxide emissions to value-added products with sunlight as the main energy source. In this way, circular economy is employed to minimize fresh resource consumption and maximize material reuse. The potential of this work is demonstrated through a case study, which shows that an industrial park may be profitable while adhering to strict emission and material constraints.


Author(s):  
Břetislav Andrlík

This contribution deals with issues of carbon dioxide emissions generated by road motor vehicles in the Czech Republic and the European Union. We discuss the current need for the introduction of environmental features to the system of taxation of motor vehicles, aiming at the mitigation of harmful substances emitted into the atmosphere. The most harmful substance produced during the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels by motor vehicles is CO2, whose emissions are subsequently used as an instrument for green tax reforms in the European Union member states. In this article we define the main EU legal standards regulating harmful substances emitted into the atmosphere as a result of road motor transport. We may cite for instance the Regulation (EC) No. 443/2009 setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars. The aim of the European Union is to reduce average emission values of new passenger cars sold in the EU to 130 g CO2/km by 2015 and to 95 g CO2/km by 2020. Assessment of tax on motor vehicles according to CO2 emissions shall help fulfil commitments from the Kyoto Protocol, aiming at the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.


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