scholarly journals Life Cycle Performance of Various Energy Sources Used in the Czech Republic

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5833
Author(s):  
Markéta Šerešová ◽  
Jiří Štefanica ◽  
Monika Vitvarová ◽  
Kristina Zakuciová ◽  
Petr Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Cycle Performance ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Black Coal ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Impact

As both the human population and living standards grow, so does the worldwide electricity demand. However, the power sector is also one of the biggest environmental polluters. Therefore, options are currently being sought aimed at reducing environmental impacts, one of the potential tools for which concerns the use of life cycle assessment. This study, therefore, focuses on the most commonly used nonrenewable (black coal, lignite, natural gas and nuclear) and renewable sources (wind, hydro and photovoltaic) in the Czech Republic in terms of their construction, operation, and decommissioning periods. Environmental impacts are assessed via the use of selected impact categories by way of product environmental footprint methodology. The results highlight the potential environmental impacts associated with electricity generation for each of the primary energy sources. Black coal and lignite power plants were found to contribute most to the global warming, resource use, energy carriers and respiratory inorganics categories. On the other hand, the impact on water depletion and resource use, mineral and metals categories were found to be most significantly affected by the production of electricity from photovoltaic power plants. Finally, it is proposed that the results be employed to design scenarios for the future energy mix.

scholarly journals Impact of Air Pollution on the Health of the Population in Parts of the Czech Republic

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6454
Author(s):  
Radim J. Sram
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Local Heating ◽  
The United States ◽  
Respiratory Morbidity ◽  
Surprising Result ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Impact

Thirty years ago, Northern Bohemia in the Czech Republic was one of the most air polluted areas in Europe. After political changes, the Czech government put forward a research program to determine if air pollution is really affecting human health. This program, later called the “Teplice Program”, was initiated in collaboration with scientists from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). This cooperation made possible the use of methods on the contemporary level. The very high concentrations of sulphur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter of 10 micrometers or less (PM10), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in the air showed, for the first time, the impact of air pollutants on the health of the population in mining districts: adverse pregnancy outcomes, the impact of air pollution on sperm morphology, learning disabilities in children, and respiratory morbidity in preschool children. A surprising result came from the distribution of the sources of pollution: 70% of PM10 pollution came from local heating and not from power plants as expected. Thanks to this result, the Czech government supported changes in local heating from brown coal to natural gas. This change substantially decreased SO2 and PM10 pollution and affected mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality.

The Evaluation of Non-Renewable Primary Energy as Part of Energy Performance Certificates

2014 ◽  
Vol 1041 ◽  
pp. 222-225
Author(s):  
Michal Kraus ◽  
Kateřina Kubenková ◽  
Darja Kubečková
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
New Buildings

The evaluation of non-renewable primary energy expressing the impact of the environment is part of the energy performance certificate. The evaluation is based on factors of primary energy. New buildings or larger modifications of existing buildings must meet the legislative requirements in the Czech Republic, which are consistent with the requirements of the European Union. On the basis of modeling of different energy sources and different number of energy sources for the selected building are set values of non-renewable primary energy.

scholarly journals Feasibility of replacement of nuclear power with other energy sources in the Czech republic

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (6 Part A) ◽  
pp. 3543-3553
Author(s):  
Pavel Charvat ◽  
Lubomir Klimes ◽  
Jiri Pospisil ◽  
Jiri Klemes ◽  
Petar Varbanov
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Moment

The feasibility and consequences of replacing nuclear power plants (NPP) in the Czech Republic with other energy sources are discussed. The NPP produced about one-third of electricity in the Czech Republic in 2017. Renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind and solar power plants and biomass/biogas burning power plants produced about 11% of electricity in 2017. Due to the geographical and other constraints (intermittency, land footprint, and public acceptance), the renewables do not have the potential to entirely replace the capacity of the NPP. The only feasible technologies that could replace NPP in the Czech Republic in the near future are the power plants using fossil fuels. The combined cycle power plants running on natural gas (NGCC) are technically and environmentally fea-sible alternative for NPP at the moment. However, the natural gas imports would increase by two-thirds and the total greenhouse gas emissions would go up by about 10% if the power production of the NPP was entirely replaced by NGCC in the Czech Republic.

scholarly journals Sustainable education: altering the opinions on renewable energy sources

2020 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 09001
Author(s):  
Inna Čábelková ◽  
Viktor Blaginin ◽  
Wadim Strielkowski ◽  
Alexandr Platitsyn
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Level Of Education

Our paper studies the link between the education and the people’s opinions and views of the renewable energy sources (RES). We employ the representative data (1026 respondents) from the Czech Republic. Our empirical model did not reveal any associations between the subjective opinion on the respondents about the possibility to replace electricity generation from conventional sources (such as coal-fired or gas-fired power plants, nuclear power plants or large hydroelectric power plants) with the electricity from wind, solar radiation and biomass combustion. In addition, there seemed to be no correlation between the usage of renewable energy in the Czech Republic and the education of the respondents. However, there are strong significant association between the level of education of the respondents and the existence of opinions on the RES. Higher education means higher probability of the existence of such an opinion. Almost one third of the respondents with primary education did not have an opinion on the topic. This might be caused by an increasing interest in RES of people with higher level of education as they are likely to be more open to all discussions on the socially relevant issues in general. The lack of association between which opinion people have and their level of education is likely to indicate the marginal role of explaining the importance of RES in education.

scholarly journals Porovnání environmentálních dopadů různých typů jogurtových kelímků

Entecho ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-9
Author(s):  
Nikola Kráľová ◽  
Markéta Šerešová ◽  
Vladimír Kočí
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Impact Category ◽  
Plastic Packaging ◽  
Freshwater Ecotoxicity ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Glass Packaging

Cílem práce bylo posoudit environmentální dopady různých typů zvolených jogurtových kelímků vyrobených z různých materiálů: z plastu, papíru, skla či z kompozitního materiálu. Environmentální dopady byly vyhodnoceny metodou posuzování životního cyklu (z angl. life cycle assessment, LCA). Výsledky práce ukazují, že skleněné a kompozitní obaly jsou horší než obaly plastové, s výjimkou kategorie dopadu Spotřeba fosilních surovin a humánní toxicita. Jako nejlepší vychází plastový obal s K3 dekorací (papír), který ve všech hodnocených kategoriích dopadu vykazuje nejlepší výsledky. V kategorii dopadu Klimatické změny se nejhůř umístil kompozitní obal a obal skleněný. Nejvíce ovlivněnou kategorií je Sladkovodní ekotoxicita, nejvyšší dopady v rámci této kategorie vykazuje obal skleněný a následně kompozitní. V rámci kategorie dopadu Ionizující záření má největší dopad skleněný obal následovaný obalem kompozitním. Na základě výsledků výzkumu bylo zjištěno, že hlavní příčinou dopadů plastových kelímků na životní prostředí je výroba PP granulátu, u skleněných obalů je to výroba samotného skla a v případě kompozitních obalů výroba kompozitního obalu. Abstract (en) The aim of the work was to assess the environmental impacts of different types of selected yoghurt cups made of different materials: plastic, paper, glass or composite material. Environmental impacts were assessed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. The results of the work show that glass and composite packaging is worse than plastic packaging except for the impact category Resource use (mineral and metals) and Human toxicity. The best packaging appears to be plastic packaging with K3 decoration (paper), which has the smallest impacts in all evaluated impact categories. In the impact category Climate change, composite packaging and glass packaging have the greatest impact. The most affected category is Freshwater ecotoxicity. The highest impacts within this category are shown by glass packaging and subsequently composite packaging. In the impact category Ionizing radiation, the greatest impact has a glass packaging, then a composite packaging. Based on the results, it was determined that the main cause of the impacts of plastic cups is the production of PP granulate. In the case of glass packaging, it is the production of the glass itself, and in the case of composite packaging, the production of the composite packaging.

scholarly journals Porovnání environmentálních dopadů skladování a dopravy jablek do ČR

Entecho ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Vladimír Kočí ◽  
Eva Benešová ◽  
Aleš Rajchl
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Local Production ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Impact

Cílem práce je s použitím metody posuzování životního cyklu porovnat potenciální environmentální dopady dovozu a skladování jablek v podmínkách České republiky a odpovědět na otázku, zda se z environmentálního pohledu vyplatí podporovat místní produkci a delší skladování či naopak dovoz zahraniční produkce, která sice má horší environmentální aspekty dopravy, ale zase kratší dobu skladování. Ve studii byly uvažovány čtyři scénáře 1) místní produkce jablek v ČR; 2) produkce v evropských zemích; 3) produkce v Chile a 4) produkce na Novém Zélandu. Současně s různými místy produkce byly uvažovány i různé doby vyskladnění. Výsledky studie hodnotí dovoz jablek z Chile a Nového Zélandu jako méně šetrný k životnímu prostředí než skladování místní produkce. Dovoz jablek ze zámoří se z environmentálního úhlu pohledu vyplácí až ve srovnání se skladováním po dobu 7 a více měsíců (září–duben) a to pouze pro následující kategorie environmentálních dopadů: spotřeba sladké vody, sladkovodní a mořské eutrofizace, ionizační záření a humánní toxicita (nekancerogenní). Z pohledu většiny kategorií dopadu, včetně uhlíkové stopy, je výrazně environmentálně šetrnější podporovat místní produkci než dovážet jablka z větší vzdálenosti. English The aim of the work is to compare the potential environmental impacts of importing and storing apples in the Czech Republic using the life cycle assessment method and to answer the question of whether it is worthwhile to support local production and longer period of storage or, on the contrary, to support imports of production from distant areas resulting in higher adverse effects of transport, but short time of storage. Four scenarios were considered in the study 1) local apple production in the Czech Republic; 2) production in European countries; 3) production in Chile and 4) production in New Zealand. Different removal times were considered at the same time as the different production sites. The results of the study evaluate the import of apples from Chile and New Zealand as less environmentally friendly than the longer time storage of the local production. Importing apples from overseas is paying off from an environmental perspective only when compared to storage for 7 months or more (September - April) and only for the following categories of environmental impacts: freshwater consumption, freshwater and maritime eutrophication, ionizing radiation and human toxicity ( non-cancerogenic). From the point of view view of most of the impact categories, including the carbon footprint, it is considerably more environmentally friendly to promote local production than to import apples from a greater distance.

scholarly journals Porovnání environmentálních dopadů skladování a dopravy jablek do ČR

Entecho ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19
Author(s):  
Vladimír Kočí ◽  
Eva Benešová ◽  
Aleš Rajchl
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Local Production ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Impact

Cílem práce je s použitím metody posuzování životního cyklu porovnat potenciální environmentální dopady dovozu a skladování jablek v podmínkách České republiky a odpovědět na otázku, zda se z environmentálního pohledu vyplatí podporovat místní produkci a delší skladování či naopak dovoz zahraniční produkce, která sice má horší environmentální aspekty dopravy, ale zase kratší dobu skladování. Ve studii byly uvažovány čtyři scénáře 1) místní produkce jablek v ČR; 2) produkce v evropských zemích; 3) produkce v Chile a 4) produkce na Novém Zélandu. Současně s různými místy produkce byly uvažovány i různé doby vyskladnění. Výsledky studie hodnotí dovoz jablek z Chile a Nového Zélandu jako méně šetrný k životnímu prostředí než skladování místní produkce. Dovoz jablek ze zámoří se z environmentálního úhlu pohledu vyplácí až ve srovnání se skladováním po dobu 7 a více měsíců (září–duben) a to pouze pro následující kategorie environmentálních dopadů: spotřeba sladké vody, sladkovodní a mořské eutrofizace, ionizační záření a humánní toxicita (nekancerogenní). Z pohledu většiny kategorií dopadu, včetně uhlíkové stopy, je výrazně environmentálně šetrnější podporovat místní produkci než dovážet jablka z větší vzdálenosti. English The aim of the work is to compare the potential environmental impacts of importing and storing apples in the Czech Republic using the life cycle assessment method and to answer the question of whether it is worthwhile to support local production and longer period of storage or, on the contrary, to support imports of production from distant areas resulting in higher adverse effects of transport, but short time of storage. Four scenarios were considered in the study 1) local apple production in the Czech Republic; 2) production in European countries; 3) production in Chile and 4) production in New Zealand. Different removal times were considered at the same time as the different production sites. The results of the study evaluate the import of apples from Chile and New Zealand as less environmentally friendly than the longer time storage of the local production. Importing apples from overseas is paying off from an environmental perspective only when compared to storage for 7 months or more (September - April) and only for the following categories of environmental impacts: freshwater consumption, freshwater and maritime eutrophication, ionizing radiation and human toxicity ( non-cancerogenic). From the point of view view of most of the impact categories, including the carbon footprint, it is considerably more environmentally friendly to promote local production than to import apples from a greater distance.

scholarly journals Assessing Habitat Vulnerability and Loss of Naturalness: Applying the GLOBIO3 Model in the Czech Republic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5355
Author(s):  
Vilém Pechanec ◽  
Ondřej Cudlín ◽  
Miloš Zapletal ◽  
Jan Purkyt ◽  
Lenka Štěrbová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
New Equation ◽  
The Impact

Global and regional biodiversity loss is caused by several drivers including urban development, land use intensification, overexploitation of natural resources, environmental pollution, and climate change. The main aim of our study was to adapt the GLOBIO3 model to the conditions of the Czech Republic (CR) to assess loss of naturalness and biodiversity vulnerability at the habitat level on a detailed scale across the entire CR. An additional aim was to assess the main drivers affecting the biodiversity of habitat types. The GLOBIO3 model was adapted to CZ-GLOBIO by adapting global to local scales and using habitat quality and naturalness data instead of species occurrence data. The total mean species abundance (MSA) index of habitat quality, calculated from the spatial overlay of the four MSA indicators by our new equation, reached the value 0.62. The total value of MSA for natural and near-natural habitats was found to be affected mainly by infrastructure development and fragmentation. Simultaneously, intensity of land use change and atmospheric nitrogen deposition contributed primarily to the low total value of MSA for distant natural habitats. The CZ-GLOBIO model can be an important tool in political decision making to reduce the impact of the main drivers on habitat biodiversity in the CR.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Households in Santiago, Chile: Environmental Hotspots and Policy Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2525
Author(s):  
Camila López-Eccher ◽  
Elizabeth Garrido-Ramírez ◽  
Iván Franchi-Arzola ◽  
Edmundo Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Freshwater Eutrophication

The aim of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of household life cycles in Santiago, Chile, by household income level. The assessment considered scenarios associated with environmental policies. The life cycle assessment was cradle-to-grave, and the functional unit considered all the materials and energy required to meet an inhabitant’s needs for one year (1 inh/year). Using SimaPro 9.1 software, the Recipe Midpoint (H) methodology was used. The impact categories selected were global warming, fine particulate matter formation, terrestrial acidification, freshwater eutrophication, freshwater ecotoxicity, mineral resource scarcity, and fossil resource scarcity. The inventory was carried out through the application of 300 household surveys and secondary information. The main environmental sources of households were determined to be food consumption, transport, and electricity. Food consumption is the main source, responsible for 33% of the environmental impacts on global warming, 69% on terrestrial acidification, and 29% on freshwater eutrophication. The second most crucial environmental hotspot is private transport, whose contribution to environmental impact increases as household income rises, while public transport impact increases in the opposite direction. In this sense, both positive and negative environmental effects can be generated by policies. Therefore, life-cycle environmental impacts, the synergy between policies, and households’ socio-economic characteristics must be considered in public policy planning and consumer decisions.

scholarly journals The Impact of Climate Change on the Sugar Content of Grapes and the Sustainability of their Production in the Czech Republic

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Miroslava Navrátilová ◽  
Markéta Beranová ◽  
Lucie Severová ◽  
Karel Šrédl ◽  
Roman Svoboda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Vegetation Period ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Growing Region

The aim of the presented article is to evaluate the impact of climate change on the sugar content of grapes in the Czech Republic during the period 2000–2019 through selected indicators on the basis of available secondary sources. Attention is focused on the developments in both the main wine-growing regions of Moravia and Bohemia. In the field of viticulture and wine-growing, the sugar content of grapes, as a basic parameter for the classification of wines, plays an important role. In the Czech Republic, the average sugar content of grapes has had a constantly growing trend. This trend is evident both in the wine-growing region of Bohemia and in the wine-growing region of Moravia. The impact of climate change, especially the gradual increase of average temperatures in the growing season, cannot be overlooked. It greatly affects, among other things, the sugar content of grapes. Calculations according to the Huglin Index and the Winkler Index were used to determine the relationship between climate and sugar content. These indexes summarize the course of temperatures during the entire vegetation period into a single numerical value. The results show that both indexes describe the effect of air temperature on sugar content in both wine regions of the Czech Republic in a statistically significant way. The Huglin Index shows a higher correlation rate. The Winkler Index proved to be less suitable for both areas. Alternatively, the Winkler Index calculated for a shorter growing season was tested, which showed a higher degree of correlation with sugar content, approaching the significance of the Huglin Index.

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