scholarly journals Development and Evaluation of Simulation-Based Low Carbon Mobility Assessment Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-153
Author(s):  
Damian Moffatt ◽  
Hussein Dia
Keyword(s):  
City Council ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Mobility Assessment ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Transport Emissions

The transport sector is a significant contributor to global emissions. In Australia, it is the third largest source of greenhouse gases and is responsible for around 17% of emissions with passenger cars accounting for around half of all transport emissions. Governments at all levels have identified a need for a reduction in transport carbon emissions to meet their net zero emissions targets. This research aims to help decision makers estimate the carbon footprint of transport networks within their jurisdictions and evaluate the impacts of emission-reduction interventions, through development of a simulation-based low carbon mobility assessment model. The model was developed based on a framework that integrates multiple mobility components including individual travel preferences, traffic simulation, and an assessment interface to create a seamless tool for the end-user. The feasibility of the assessment model was demonstrated in a case study for a local city council in Melbourne. In one of many scenarios reported in this paper, the model showed that maintaining current levels of emissions would require a 20% reduction in vehicle trips by 2030, and a much larger reduction would be required to reduce the levels of greenhouse gas emissions and achieve desired emissions reduction targets. The paper concludes with recommendations and future directions to extend the model’s capabilities and applications.

scholarly journals Challenges and Barriers for Net‐Zero/Positive Energy Buildings and Districts—Empirical Evidence from the Smart City Project SPARCS

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Daria Uspenskaia ◽  
Karl Specht ◽  
Hendrik Kondziella ◽  
Thomas Bruckner
Keyword(s):  
Smart City ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Positive Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Multidimensional Representation

Without decarbonizing cities energy and climate objectives cannot be achieved as cities account for approximately two thirds of energy consumption and emissions. This goal of decarbonizing cities has to be facilitated by promoting net-zero/positive energy buildings and districts and replicating them, driving cities towards sustainability goals. Many projects in smart cities demonstrate novel and groundbreaking low-carbon solutions in demonstration and lighthouse projects. However, as the historical, geographic, political, social and economic context of urban areas vary greatly, it is not always easy to repeat the solution in another city or even district. It is therefore important to look for the opportunities to scale up or repeat successful pilots. The purpose of this paper is to explore common trends in technologies and replication strategies for positive energy buildings or districts in smart city projects, based on the practical experience from a case study in Leipzig—one of the lighthouse cities in the project SPARCS. One of the key findings the paper has proven is the necessity of a profound replication modelling to deepen the understanding of upscaling processes. Three models analyzed in this article are able to provide a multidimensional representation of the solution to be replicated.

Technology road map for the low-carbon production of hydrocarbons

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 583
Author(s):  
Clare Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Hydrocarbon Production ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Net Zero

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, has the objective of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C to substantially reduce the effects of climate change. To achieve this objective, significant and unprecedented deep cuts in carbon emissions are required, as set out in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on Global Warming of 1.5°C released in October 2018. To enable this ambitious target, global reductions in carbon emissions will need to be markedly reduced to an average of net zero by 2050 and, as such, will have profound effects on hydrocarbon (oil and gas) production in the coming decades. This paper presents a road map of opportunities for the reduction of carbon emissions from hydrocarbon production, specifically natural gas. It includes technologies for reducing carbon emissions from process streams and utility streams. A case study is used to illustrate the opportunities, along with a discussion on technology readiness for several options.

scholarly journals Developing a system dynamics approach for CNG vehicles for low-carbon urban transport: a case study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nima Shamsapour ◽  
Ahmad Hajinezhad ◽  
Younes Noorollahi
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
System Dynamics ◽  
Diesel Fuel ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Urban Transportation ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
High Emission

Abstract Today both the economic growth and expansion of urbanization have increased community access to private cars. Thus, the urban transportation has become a critical part of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The excessive dependence of urban transportation on high-emission fuels is the main obstacle to develop a low-carbon transport. Meanwhile, natural gas is a bridge fuel to develop a low-emission transport. To the best of our knowledge, there has been little attention towards the association between the development of natural gas-fueled vehicles and the CO2 emission. Therefore, the problem we studied is the role of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in replacing high-emission fuels. In this study, we aimed to study this association by selecting the system dynamics approach due to the complexities of the social-economic system of transportation. In this modeling, different subsystems of the transport fleet were employed including CNG vehicles and urban transportation subsystems. Iran has used CNG as an alternative fuel in the transportation sector, making it one of the three leading countries in the use of natural gas in the urban transportation system. Our case study is focused on Tehran, which is the capital and the largest city of Iran. In this paper, we considered several scenarios to replace the gasoline fuel in the private car sector and taxis and diesel fuel in the bus fleet with natural CNG fuel. The results show that the replacement of CNG fuel with high-emission fuels can have a significant effect on reducing CO2 emissions. In the synthetic scenario, CO2 emission will be decreased by 11.42% in 2030, as compared to the business as usual (BAU) scenario in this year. According to Iran’s commitment to the Paris Agreement, the emission of CO2 in Iran should normally be reduced by 4% in 2030, as compared to its amount in the BAU scenario. Therefore, Iran can easily fulfill its obligations in the urban transport sector only by replacing gasoline and diesel fuel with CNG.

Analysis and Calculation of Tourist Carbon Footprints — A Case Study of Hebei Yesanpo Scenic Area

2014 ◽  
Vol 02 (01) ◽  
pp. 1450009
Author(s):  
Ruiying ZHANG
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Tourist Attractions

The National Tourism Conference in 2010 strongly promoted the concept of energy conservation and emission reduction in the tourism industry. Since then, low carbon travel has been the new direction in tourism industry. Great concern has been put on energy conservation and emission reduction of tourism related elements, such as hotels, transportations, tourist attractions, and most importantly, the tourists themselves. The quantitative assessment of tourist carbon footprint is the key topic. This research uses Yesanpo scenic area as the example and conducts the comparison and calculation of tourist carbon footprint from different places, attempts to organize different ideas on ways to analyze tourist carbon footprints, constructs a calculation and assessment model, analyzes and measures the levels of tourist carbon footprints from diverse modes of travel, origins, and purchasing power. This research has developed a system for quantitative assessment of tourist carbon footprints, with the hope of strengthening the theories and methods on low-carbon travel.

scholarly journals Simulation-Based Public Transport Priority Tailored to Passenger Conflict Flows: A Case Study of the City of Zagreb

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 4820
Author(s):  
Luka Novačko ◽  
Karlo Babojelić ◽  
Luka Dedić ◽  
Tomislav Rožić
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Peak Period ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Traffic Lane ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Passenger Flows ◽  
The City

Prioritizing public transport is one of the most effective measure to increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of public transport in relation to individual vehicles. The main goal of this study was to examine the possibilities for reducing the travel time of tram vehicles by giving priority at signalized intersections in terms of sharing the traffic lane with personal vehicles and under conditions of strong conflict flows with private transport. For this purpose, we used the simulation tool VISSIM and its module EPICS. A methodology for determining weighting factors for prioritizing public transport flows was developed based on conflicting passenger flows in public transport vehicles and passenger cars. Three scenarios were tested in the study area: (1) “do nothing”; (2) unconditional priority; and (3) conditional priority. The results showed that unconditional priority led to unsustainable traffic conditions for personal vehicles and public transport. In contrast, conditional priority reduced the travel time of public transport on certain corridors by between 7.64% and 18.76% in the morning peak period, and 5.60% to 22.50% in the afternoon peak period.

scholarly journals Role of Electric Vehicles in Transition to Low Carbon Power System—Case Study Croatia

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 6516
Author(s):  
Željko Tomšić ◽  
Sara Raos ◽  
Ivan Rajšl ◽  
Perica Ilak
Keyword(s):  
Power System ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
System Model ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Electrical Vehicles ◽  
Power System Flexibility

One of the major tools for the implementation of low carbon strategy goals is increasing the penetration of renewable sources, which are mostly intermittent in nature, into the power system that also increases the needs for additional storage and flexibility capacity in the system. Among other possible solutions, one very most promising tool is the significant electrification of the transport sector. A slightly modified and already verified power system model used for Croatian low-carbon strategy was used here. The PLEXOS software was used to model the Croatian power system by simulating different scenarios. Two scenarios were examined: with and without electric vehicles. This research aimed to evaluate the total decrease in CO2 emissions from both the transport and power sectors due to the increased number of electrical vehicles. The analysis of the Croatian power system was used to assess the flexibility potential of such a large number of electrical vehicles on power system flexibility while considering the volatile nature of wind and solar. Additionally, a question regarding solar availability and simultaneous low-availability of parked electrical vehicles was also examined.

A ticking time bomb? Liverpool declares a climate emergency: What next?

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasbinder Ghag
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Local Level ◽  
City Council ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Uk Government ◽  
The Uk

The UK government has set a new legally binding target under the Climate Change Act 2008. It now aims to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. This opinion considers whether carbon emissions can really be reduced in practice at the local level in the UK, and uses Liverpool City Council as a case study example. It argues that without coordinated action by various people within the council, between its respective departments, other authorities, organisations, key stakeholders and residents the new target is very unlikely to be met. It also highlights the fact that notwithstanding this, the ice caps are actually melting even faster than even the scientists had predicted and that time is actually running out. It argues that radical action is what is needed and that it is needed now.

scholarly journals Shared Bicycle Distribution Connected to Subway Line Considering Citizens’ Morning Peak Social Characteristics for Urban Low-Carbon Development

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9263
Author(s):  
Shuo Zhang ◽  
Li Chen ◽  
Yingzi Li
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Urban Traffic ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Morning Peak ◽  
Distribution Limits ◽  
Shared Bicycle

The transport sector has produced numerous carbon emissions in China, and it is important to promote low carbon commuting. As an emerging mode of urban low-carbon transportation in China, shared bicycles have been used by more and more citizens on a daily basis, with advantages of green and low-carbon emissions to environment, flexibility for short trips, and convenience for covering the distance between the normal low-carbon transportation and destinations. However, the imbalanced distribution of shared bicycles along subway lines, especially during the morning peak hours, has directly restricted their performance in urban traffic. In this paper, an integer linear program model (ILPM) is proposed to obtain an optimal low-carbon distribution plan of shared bicycles connecting with the subway line (SBCSL) during the morning peak hours. First, an objective function is built to improve the carbon emission reduction of SBCSL. Second, constraint functions are extracted considering the quantity of bicycles to be distributed to the subway line as well as the distribution limits of each subway station. At last, a case study is conducted on the distribution of shared bicycles in Beijing Subway Line 13 of China during the morning peak hours. The results show that the ILPM is of significance to provide optimal distribution scheme of shared bicycles in subway line with different station types including office-oriented, residential-oriented, and hybrid-oriented stations.

scholarly journals Simulation-Based Framework for Estimating Crash Modification Factors (CMFs): A Case Study for ITS Countermeasures

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Plaban Das ◽  
Seri Park ◽  
Parth Bhavsar
Keyword(s):  
Transportation System ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Speed Limit ◽  
Microsimulation Model ◽  
Variable Speed ◽  
Variable Speed Limit ◽  
Planning Stage ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Crash Modification Factors

The efficient movement of users and goods is the primary purpose of the surface transportation system. Roadway traffic crashes have devastating impacts on quality of life of the users as well as health of the system. While researchers are utilizing advanced computing and communication tools to reduce number of crashes on the roadways, there is still an absence of appropriate method to evaluate the safety performances of these advanced technologies in the planning stage. Development of crash modification factors (CMFs) is a standard method to evaluate the safety effect of proposed countermeasures. Though, the current practices of developing CMFs are not efficient and cost-effective in case of addressing impacts of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) countermeasures. This study demonstrated a proof of concept of simulation-based framework for determining CMFs for ITS countermeasures. The proposed framework includes the application of traffic microsimulation model and Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) developed by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The integration of these two models is suggested to estimate CMFs efficiently. However, the calibration of traffic microsimulation model and SSAM model is essential to portrait the real-world scenarios. A case study for estimating CMFs of ITS countermeasures was conducted to validate the proposed simulation-based approach. Four ITS countermeasures were considered: ramp metering, variable speed limit, junction control, and dynamic lane assignment. They were coded in traffic microsimulation environment and vehicle trajectory files were generated to import into SSAM model. After analyzing these trajectory files in SSAM tool, it was found that all proposed ITS countermeasures, except variable speed limit assignment, could reduce the number of crashes at crash prone locations.

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