scholarly journals The role of Rare Earth Elements in the deployment of wind energy in Colombia

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Andrés Gallego
Keyword(s):  
Rare Earth ◽  
Rare Earth Elements ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
The Government ◽  
Critical Minerals ◽  
Carbon Economy

The deployment of renewable energy technologies will play a crucial role in the global transition to a low-carbon economy and ultimately in the fight against global warming. However, this transition could face important problems because most of those technologies rely on the steady supply of critical minerals. Colombia, thanks to its hydrological resources, has relied on the hydro­power for electricity generation. However, the government has implemented measures to back-up the energy system in draught periods and, consequently, fossil fuels-based plants have increased the market share and with these, CO2 emissions. This study assesses the mineral demand in Colombia in the period 2020-2050 for the rare earth elements embedded in the deployment of wind power technologies in four different climate policy scenarios in order to establish whether they could face geological bott­lenecks that could ultimately hamper the transition to a low-carbon economy. The Gigawatts (GW) of future capacity additions in the energy system are converted into tons of metal using published metal intensities of use and assumptions of Colombia’s technological pathway. Then, the cumulated mineral demand is compared against current mining production rates and geological reserves to establish geological bottlenecks. The results show that the reserves will not pose any threat to its transition. However, when compared to current mining rates, the mineral demand in 2050 could pose a problem for the supply of minerals. Finally, this study gives some policy recommendations that could be used to mitigate these issues, such as substitution, improved circular economy and sound technological choices.

Alternative scenarios for the future of the Canadian boreal zone1

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W.N. Steenberg ◽  
Peter N. Duinker ◽  
Irena F. Creed ◽  
Jacqueline N. Serran ◽  
Camille Ouellet Dallaire
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Boreal Zone ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Carbon Economy

In response to global climate change, Canada is transitioning towards a low-carbon economy and the need for policy approaches that are effective, equitable, coordinated, and both administratively and politically feasible is high. One point is clear; the transition is intimately tied to the vast supply of ecosystem services in the boreal zone of Canada. This paper describes four contrasting futures for the boreal zone using scenario analysis, which is a transdisciplinary, participatory approach that considers alternative futures and policy implications under conditions of high uncertainty and complexity. The two critical forces shaping the four scenarios are the global economy’s energy and society’s capacity to adapt. The six drivers of change are atmospheric change, the demand for provisioning ecosystem services, the demand for nonprovisioning ecosystem services, demographics, and social values, governance and geopolitics, and industrial innovation and infrastructure. The four scenarios include: (i) the Green Path, where a low-carbon economy is coupled with high adaptive capacity; (ii) the Uphill Climb, where a low-carbon economy is instead coupled with low adaptive capacity; (iii) the Carpool Lane, where society has a strong capacity to adapt but a reliance on fossil fuels; and (iv) the Slippery Slope, where there is both a high-carbon economy and a society with low adaptive capacity. The scenarios illustrate the importance of transitioning to a low-carbon economy and the role of society’s adaptive capacity in doing so. However, they also emphasize themes like social inequality and adverse environmental outcomes arising from the push towards climate change mitigation.

scholarly journals Should Countries Fire Sell their Oil & Gas Assets? Addressing the Mis-conceptions Surrounding the Continued Role of Fossil Fuels in the Energy Transition Era

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 432-440
Author(s):  
Victoria R. Nalule ◽  
Xiaoyi (Shawn) Mu
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
Poverty Eradication ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Tackle Climate Change ◽  
Oil Gas ◽  
Carbon Economy

Access to modern energy such as electricity is key in the economic development of any country, and yet over 600 million people remain with no access to electricity in developing countries. It is true that both renewable energy and fossil fuels are key in the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development (UN SDG) Goal 7 and Goal 1 on energy access and poverty eradication respectively. However, the current global efforts to transition to a low carbon economy, and tackle climate change as stipulated in the SDG 13 and the 2015 Paris Agreement, have created a lot of tension on fossil fuel developments in recent years.This commentary article is presented as a question and answer session aimed at addressing the misconceptions surrounding the achievement of SDG 7 and SDG 13 in this energy transition era. The paper is of interest to oil producing countries. The article follows the various questions raised by policymakers during an online seminar delivered by both the authors entitled, ‘Fossil Fuels in the Energy Transition Era’.

The Role of Clean Energy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Romm
Keyword(s):  
Energy Transition ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Carbon Economy

This chapter will focus on the clean energy revolution and the technologies most widely discussed for a transition to a low carbon economy. It will explore the scale of the energy transition needed to explain why some energy technologies are considered likely to be major...

Development of Alternative Energy in Russia in the Context of a Low-Carbon Economy Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (4) ◽  
pp. 122-139
Author(s):  
Olga Kudryavtseva ◽  
Elena Mitenkova ◽  
Olga Malikova ◽  
Maksim Golovin
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Economy Model ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
The Government ◽  
Carbon Economy

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the development of alternative energy in Russia as one of the key factors of forming a low-carbon economy model. Authors reviewed the main stages of forming the institutional environment which regulated the process of the transition to a low-carbon economy model and a wider use of alternative energy including renewable energy sources (RES).Authors analyzed the renewable energy industry in Russia. The empirical base of the study consists of auctions results conducted in the framework of the government support of RES during 2013-2018 and the information system “SPARK”. Using the Concentration ratio, the Herfindahl-Hirschman and the Hall-Tideman indices authors revealed a high level of concentration in this industry in the context of each type of RES. In addition, an analysis of the ownership structure of companies has shown that the most successful companies are companies in the form of partnerships between the state, a Russian company and / or a foreign company.

scholarly journals Introducing GEOFIT: Cost-Effective Enhanced Geothermal Systems for Energy Efficient Building Retrofitting

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (15) ◽  
pp. 557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Messervey ◽  
Marco Calderoni ◽  
Angel Font ◽  
Mikel Borras ◽  
Ray Sterling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Enhanced Geothermal Systems ◽  
Geothermal Systems ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Executive Agency ◽  
Energy Efficient Building ◽  
Carbon Economy

GEOFIT, “Deployment of novel GEOthermal systems, technologies and tools for energy efficient building retrofitting,” is a recently launched 4-year H2020 project funded by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) under the call topic LCE-17-2017: Easier to install and more efficient geothermal systems for retrofitting buildings. GEOFIT is a part of INEA’s Energy Portfolio Low Carbon Economy (LCE), Renewable Energy Technologies (RET) and brings together 24 partners from 10 European countries to work on the development of novel and smart shallow geothermal systems. This paper introduces the project.

scholarly journals Bringing the Low-Carbon Agenda to China: A Study in Transnational Policy Diffusion

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hofem ◽  
Sebastian Heilmann
Keyword(s):  
Opinion Leaders ◽  
Policy Agenda ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Research Institutes ◽  
Transnational Actors ◽  
Government Bureaucracy ◽  
The Government ◽  
Level Analysis ◽  
Carbon Economy

This study traces the transnational interactions that contributed to introducing the low-carbon economy agenda into Chinese policymaking. A microprocessual two-level analysis (outside-in as well as inside-access) is employed to analyse transnational and domestic exchanges. The study provides evidence that low-carbon agenda-setting – introduced by transnational actors, backed by foreign funding, promoted by policy entrepreneurs from domestic research institutes, propelled by top-level attention, but only gradually and cautiously adopted by the government bureaucracy – can be considered a case of effective transnational diffusion based on converging perceptions of novel policy challenges and options. Opinion leaders and policy-brokers from the government-linked scientific community functioned as effective access points to the Chinese government's policy agenda.

scholarly journals Tuning LiBH4 for Hydrogen Storage: Destabilization, Additive, and Nanoconfinement Approaches

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julián Puszkiel ◽  
Aurelien Gasnier ◽  
Guillermina Amica ◽  
Fabiana Gennari
Keyword(s):  
Rare Earth ◽  
Hydrogen Storage ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Metal Hydrides ◽  
Earth Metal ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Running Economy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

Hydrogen technology has become essential to fulfill our mobile and stationary energy needs in a global low–carbon energy system. The non-renewability of fossil fuels and the increasing environmental problems caused by our fossil fuel–running economy have led to our efforts towards the application of hydrogen as an energy vector. However, the development of volumetric and gravimetric efficient hydrogen storage media is still to be addressed. LiBH4 is one of the most interesting media to store hydrogen as a compound due to its large gravimetric (18.5 wt.%) and volumetric (121 kgH2/m3) hydrogen densities. In this review, we focus on some of the main explored approaches to tune the thermodynamics and kinetics of LiBH4: (I) LiBH4 + MgH2 destabilized system, (II) metal and metal hydride added LiBH4, (III) destabilization of LiBH4 by rare-earth metal hydrides, and (IV) the nanoconfinement of LiBH4 and destabilized LiBH4 hydride systems. Thorough discussions about the reaction pathways, destabilizing and catalytic effects of metals and metal hydrides, novel synthesis processes of rare earth destabilizing agents, and all the essential aspects of nanoconfinement are led.

Low Carbon Energy Innovations Systems in Natural Resource Rich Developing Countries

2016 ◽  
pp. 228-243
Author(s):  
André Tosi Furtado
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Innovation System ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Innovation Mode ◽  
Low Carbon Energy ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Carbon Economy

The transition to low carbon economy requires deep changes in the energy systems of the great majority of developing countries. However, only a small group of these countries is engaging significant efforts to develop renewable energies. The success in the diffusion of renewable energy technologies requires dynamic systems of innovation. In this chapter we analyze the recent evolution Brazilian sugarcane innovation system that was pioneering in the development and diffusion of bioethanol. This system is increasingly challenged by the acceleration of the technological regime, which is provoked by the energy crisis and the transition to the low carbon economy. The Brazilian innovation system has different capacities to cope with this challenge. In this chapter we differentiate the agriculture subsystem, which function in a STI (Science, Technology, and Innovation) mode from the industrial subsystem, which operates in a DIU (Doing, Using, and Interacting) mode. The agricultural subsystem has demonstrated a better ability to cope with the technological challenges of the new biotech research methodologies while the capital goods industry has much less propensity to deal with the second generation technologies for bioethanol. We describe also the present ethanol supply crises and its probable causes.

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