scholarly journals Towards Micro-Level Green Growth: A Framework to Recognize Corporate Growth Status, Path and Adopt Eco-Innovations

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10021
Author(s):  
Wujie Zhang ◽  
Fu Gu

Despite the substantial attention paid to green growth in recent years, how to achieve green growth is still underexamined because it is usually advocated as a political motto or development scheme at the macro level. This study aims to scrutinize the meanings of green growth, growth statuses, and growth paths at the corporate level. Meanwhile, eco-process, eco-product, and eco-system innovations were reviewed, and an adoption strategy that involves the concept of life cycle was put forward to support the choice of suitable eco-innovations and to realize micro-level green growth. Finally, 54 enterprises out of the top 500 enterprises in China were used for a multi-case study. The results demonstrate that the improvements in energy consumption were better than those of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the sample enterprises. However, only five firms achieved continuous green growth. For the majority of the enterprises, their significant economic growth was not certainly related to evident drops in unit energy consumption and GHG emissions. In addition, four firms obtained continuous grey growth, and the enterprises in manufacturing sectors exhibited inferior eco-efficiency. Corporate growth statuses and paths should not only be determined by considering a single environmental or economic measure. Enterprises in manufacturing sectors must develop specific eco-innovations that can greatly enhance their environmental performance. This study adds to the literature by expounding micro-level green growth as well as its relation to eco-innovations. This study also offers a quantitative and integrated view to advance corporate eco-innovations and green development.

2020 ◽  
Vol 259 ◽  
pp. 120963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Kaveh ◽  
Reza Amiri Chayjan ◽  
Ebrahim Taghinezhad ◽  
Vali Rasooli Sharabiani ◽  
Ali Motevali

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (22) ◽  
pp. 2829
Author(s):  
Samah Temim ◽  
Farid Bensebaa ◽  
Larbi Talbi

In this paper, a modeling framework to quantify the reduction of potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when using solar-powered Wi-Fi as an internet access point is developed and tested. This framework includes newly developed MATLAB code and the use of the ATOLL tool for energy consumption and network optimization, respectively. A practical case study is described with scenarios enabling different signal coverage on a university campus. These scenarios are based on technical requirements, including number of access points, budget link, and access duration. Four hundred tons of GHG can be reduced each year if solar Wi-Fi is deployed in solar campuses, which represents 5.5 × 10−5 percent of the total GHG produced by the telecommunications sector. A direct relationship between the number of access points and coverage signal quality on the one hand and energy consumption on the other hand is established. We use this case study to forecast the potential GHG mitigation if a wider deployment of the community Wi-Fi is achieved. This methodology could also be used to estimate GHG reductions when other wireless technologies are deployed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 837-847
Author(s):  
Martin Jurkovič ◽  
Tomáš Kalina ◽  
Tomáš Skrúcaný ◽  
Piotr Gorzelanczyk ◽  
Vladimír Ľupták

The aim of the paper is to assess the possibility of decreasing the chosen environmental indicators like energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) production and other exhaust pollutants in the selected region in Slovakia by introducing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) buses into bus transport. The assessment is carried out by comparing the consumption and emissions of current buses (EURO 2) in real operation, with potential buses (EURO 6) and with pilot LNG buses testing on the same lines. Comparison took place under the same conditions over the same period. The study measures the energy consumption and GHG production per bus. The research paper also compares two methodologies of calculation. The first calculation is according to the European Standard EN 16258: 2012 which specifies the general methodology for evaluation and declaration of energy consumption and GHG emissions (all services - cargo, passengers or both). The second calculation is according to the Handbook of Emission Factors for Road Transport (HBEFA). The results of the calculation are compared  by both methods, and the most suitable version of the bus in terms of GHG emissions is proposed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mamais ◽  
C. Noutsopoulos ◽  
A. Dimopoulou ◽  
A. Stasinakis ◽  
T. D. Lekkas

The objective of this research was to assess the energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), to apply a mathematical model to evaluate their carbon footprint, and to propose energy saving strategies that can be implemented to reduce both energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Greece. The survey was focused on 10 WWTPs in Greece with a treatment capacity ranging from 10,000 to 4,000,000 population equivalents (PE). Based on the results, annual specific energy consumption ranged from 15 to 86 kWh/PE. The highest energy consumer in all the WWTPs was aeration, accounting for 40–75% of total energy requirements. The annual GHG emissions varied significantly according to the treatment schemes employed and ranged between 61 and 161 kgCO2e/PE. The highest values of CO2 emissions were obtained in extended aeration systems and the lowest in conventional activated sludge systems. Key strategies that the wastewater industry could adopt to mitigate GHG emissions are identified and discussed. A case study is presented to demonstrate potential strategies for energy savings and GHG emission reduction. Given the results, it is postulated that the reduction of dissolved oxygen (DO) set points and sludge retention time can provide significant energy savings and decrease GHG emissions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (Special Issue1) ◽  
pp. S27-S32
Author(s):  
Chiara Lodi ◽  
Vania Malaguti ◽  
Francesco Contini ◽  
Luigi Sala ◽  
Alberto Muscio ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 1465-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyi Li ◽  
Masaki Takaoka ◽  
Fenfen Zhu ◽  
Jiawei Wang ◽  
Kazuyuki Oshita ◽  
...  

A case study was conducted in Beijing to identify municipal sewage sludge (SS) management systems appropriate for a sound material-cycle society. The environmental and economic impacts of four realistic SS-handling scenarios were investigated: stabilization by thermal drying, increased inclusion of SS in cement manufacture, and using either dried or carbonized SS as substitute fuel for coal-fired power generation plants. The results showed that the current sludge management system had the lowest operating cost but higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a low recycling rate. The case with the use of carbonized SS reused in coal-fired power plants had higher energy consumption and almost the same GHG emissions as the current system. On the other hand, the case including more SS in cement manufacture had the same level of energy consumption with much lower GHG emissions. The case with the use of dried SS in coal-fired power plants also resulted in lower energy consumption and lower GHG emissions than at present. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis showed that drying SS with surplus heat from cement plants used less energy and emitted less GHG compared to the other two drying methods.


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