Sustainability and meat consumption: is reduction realistic?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dagevos, H.; Voordouw, J.

2013-01-01

Meat is critical with respect to sustainability because meat products are among the most energy-intensive and ecologically burdensome foods. Empirical studies of the meat-consumption frequency of Dutch consumers show that, apart from meat-avoiders and meat-eaters, many people are meat-reducers that

Energy consumption and economic growth on the focus on nuclear energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ozkan, Filiz [Sakarya Univ., Sakarya (Turkey). Dept. of Financial Econometric; Pektas, Ali Osman [Bahcesehir Univ., Istanbul (Turkey). Dept. of Civil Engineering; Ozkan, Omer [Istanbul Medeniyet Univ. (Turkey). Dept. of Civil Engineering

2017-01-15

Since the quest for global and personal prosperity, the drive to eradicate poverty and the motivation to ensure sustainability for the world are collectively dependent on a supply of safe, emissions-free power there are many studies in literature focuses on the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption. This study tries to enlarge the dimensions of these researches by using a large dataset. The second aim of this study is to focus on Nuclear energy consumption. According to the empirical results of the study, Energy consumption is found as co-integrated with the GDP in all 55 countries. There exist bidirectional causality between nuclear, renewable energy consumption and the GDP. Additionally, the unidirectional causality extends from economic growth to hydroelectric, petroleum, coal and total energy consumption.

Energy consumption and economic growth on the focus on nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozkan, Filiz; Pektas, Ali Osman; Ozkan, Omer

2017-01-01

Since the quest for global and personal prosperity, the drive to eradicate poverty and the motivation to ensure sustainability for the world are collectively dependent on a supply of safe, emissions-free power there are many studies in literature focuses on the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption. This study tries to enlarge the dimensions of these researches by using a large dataset. The second aim of this study is to focus on Nuclear energy consumption. According to the empirical results of the study, Energy consumption is found as co-integrated with the GDP in all 55 countries. There exist bidirectional causality between nuclear, renewable energy consumption and the GDP. Additionally, the unidirectional causality extends from economic growth to hydroelectric, petroleum, coal and total energy consumption.

Impact of Sustainable Cool Roof Technology on Building Energy Consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Vuppuluri, Prem Kiran

Highly reflective roofing systems have been analyzed over several decades to evaluate their ability to meet sustainability goals, including reducing building energy consumption and mitigating the urban heat island. Studies have isolated and evaluated the effects of climate, surface reflectivity, and roof insulation on energy savings, thermal load mitigation and also ameliorating the urban heat island. Other sustainable roofing systems, like green-roofs and solar panels have been similarly evaluated. The motivation for the present study is twofold: the first goal is to present a method for simultaneous evaluation and inter-comparison of multiple roofing systems, and the second goal is to quantitatively evaluate the realized heating and cooling energy savings associated with a white roof system compared to the reduction in roof-top heat flux. To address the first research goal a field experiment was conducted at the International Harvester Building located in Portland, OR. Thermal data was collected for a white roof, vegetated roof, and a solar panel shaded vegetated roof, and the heat flux through these roofing systems was compared against a control patch of conventional dark roof membrane. The second research goal was accomplished using a building energy simulation program to determine the impact of roof area and roof insulation on the savings from a white roof, in both Portland and Phoenix. The ratio of cooling energy savings to roof heat flux reduction from replacing a dark roof with a white roof was 1:4 for the month of July, and 1:5 annually in Portland. The COP of the associated chillers ranges from 2.8-4.2, indicating that the ratio of cooling energy savings to heat flux reduction is not accounted for solely by the COP of the chillers. The results of the building simulation indicate that based on energy savings alone, white roofs are not an optimal choice for Portland. The benefits associated with cooling energy savings relative to a black roof are offset by

Iran's sustainable development and the need to a reform in energy consumption policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mortazavi, S.M.J.; Hashemi, Z.

2007-01-01

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always paid a lot of attention to the concept of sustainable development since the article fifty of its constitution forbids any activity that results in pollution or in the irremediable destruction of the environment. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the consumption of electricity is practically synonymous with modern life in the industrialized world. From this point of view, the optimization of production and consumption of energy are among the main strategies in both developed and developing countries. Considering a report published by the World Bank in 2004, over 96% of electricity production in Iran in 2001 came from fossil sources (74.9% from gas and 21.2% from oil) and the insignificant remaining part (3.9%) was based on hydroelectric sources. Although Iran's export of crude oil currently runs about 2.3 million barrels per day, total refining capacity of the country (1.5 million barrels per day) is insufficient to meet the country's domestic need. If the current rate of oil and gasoline consumption continues in Iran, the country will lose its oil export revenues by 2015. Combustion of fossil fuels in Iran produces large amounts of CO 2 (the biggest contributor to global warming), noxious gases, and many toxic pollutants. Analysis of carbon dioxide production in Iran clearly confirms the necessity of the use of emission-free alternative energy resources such as hydroelectric and nuclear power. It should be also noted that Iran's rich fossil resources can be used in many industrial fields such as petrochemistry, while currently the only practical application of uranium is energy production. It can be concluded that due to Iran's rapidly increasing energy demand, optimal use of fossil resources and using combination of proper resources such as hydro-nuclear energy as effective alternatives seem to be inevitable in the upcoming years of 21. century

Urban energy consumption: Different insights from energy flow analysis, input–output analysis and ecological network analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Shaoqing; Chen, Bin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Urban energy consumption was assessed from three different perspectives. • A new concept called controlled energy was developed from network analysis. • Embodied energy and controlled energy consumption of Beijing were compared. • The integration of all three perspectives will elucidate sustainable energy use. - Abstract: Energy consumption has always been a central issue for sustainable urban assessment and planning. Different forms of energy analysis can provide various insights for energy policy making. This paper brought together three approaches for energy consumption accounting, i.e., energy flow analysis (EFA), input–output analysis (IOA) and ecological network analysis (ENA), and compared their different perspectives and the policy implications for urban energy use. Beijing was used to exemplify the different energy analysis processes, and the 42 economic sectors of the city were aggregated into seven components. It was determined that EFA quantifies both the primary and final energy consumption of the urban components by tracking the different types of fuel used by the urban economy. IOA accounts for the embodied energy consumption (direct and indirect) used to produce goods and services in the city, whereas the control analysis of ENA quantifies the specific embodied energy that is regulated by the activities within the city’s boundary. The network control analysis can also be applied to determining which economic sectors drive the energy consumption and to what extent these sectors are dependent on each other for energy. So-called “controlled energy” is a new concept that adds to the analysis of urban energy consumption, indicating the adjustable energy consumed by sectors. The integration of insights from all three accounting perspectives further our understanding of sustainable energy use in cities

Sustainable consumption and greenhouse gas mitigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michaelis, Laurie [Sustainable Futures Programme, University of Oxford Environmental Change Institute, 1a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ (United Kingdom)

2003-11-01

The international discourses on climate change and sustainable development represent different cultures. The sustainable development process has sought to build agreement among competing discourse coalitions. The climate change process focuses on designing cost-effective measures based on expert analysis. Sustainable consumption presents a challenge to both communities. The challenge has been taken up within the sustainable development process but little progress has been made. High consuming lifestyles seem 'locked-in' by the economic, technological and cultural context. Nevertheless, there are several reasons for optimism that sustainable consumption patterns might develop. One is the diversity of current consumption patterns and the growing minority concerned with ethical consumption. Another is the growing understanding of innovation processes, developed to address technological change, but applicable to social innovation. A third reason is the growing reflexivity of communities and institutions. Government policies that seek to manage or control consumption, or persuade consumers to change their behaviour, are important but unlikely to be sufficient to bring about sustainable consumption. A complementary strategy would establish partnerships with the public and stakeholders, developing shared visions and approaches, supporting innovation and experimentation, and learning from outcomes. Changes are also needed in policies throughout government, from employment law to trade.

Frontiers in sustainable consumption research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reisch, Lucia A.; Cohen, Maurie J.; Thøgersen, John

2016-01-01

While the field of sustainable consumption research is relatively young, it has already attracted scholars from all corners of the social sciences. The time has come to identify a new research agenda as trends in sustainable consumption research seem to suggest the dawning of a new phase. Not only...

Sustainable Consumption Dilemmas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kees Vringer

2017-06-01

Full Text Available To examine which considerations play a role when individuals make decisions to purchase sustainable product varieties or not, we have conducted a large scale field experiment with more than 600 participating households. Households can vote on whether the budgets they receive should only be spent on purchasing the sustainable product variety, or whether every household in a group is free to spend their budget on any product variety. By conducting several treatments, we tested whether people tend to view sustainable consumption as a social dilemma or as a moral dilemma. We find little support for the hypothesis that social dilemma considerations are the key drivers of sustainable consumption behaviour. Participants seem to be caught in a moral dilemma in which they not only weigh their individual financial costs with the sustainable benefits but they also consider the consequences of restricting other people’s freedom of choice. Complementary survey results further substantiate this claim and show that many people are reluctant to impose restrictions on their peers, but, at the same time, our results also suggest substantial support for the government to regulate the availability of unsustainable product varieties.

Energy consumption: energy consumption in mainland Norway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magnussen, Inger Helene; Killingland, Magnus; Spilde, Dag

2012-07-25

The purpose of this report is to describe trends in energy consumption in mainland Norway, with an emphasis on key trends within the largest consumer groups. We also explain common terms and concepts in the field of energy consumption. Finally, we look at forecasts for future energy consumption, produced by bodies outside NVE. Total final energy consumption in mainland Norway in 2009 was 207 TWh. The most important end-user groups are households, service industries, manufacturing industry and transport. In addition, the energy sector in mainland Norway consumed 15 TWh. Energy consumed in the energy sector is not considered as final consumption, as the energy is used to produce new energy products. The long-term trend in energy consumption in mainland Norway is that fuel in the transport sector and electricity for the energy sector increases, while energy consumption in other sectors flattens out. The main reason for an increased use of fuel in the transport sector is the rise in the number of motorised machinery and vehicles in mainland Norway. This has caused a rise in gasoline and diesel consumption of 75 per cent since 1976. The petroleum sector is the largest consumer of energy within the energy sector in mainland Norway, and electricity from onshore to platforms in the North Sea and to new shore side installations has led to a rise in electricity consumption from 1 TWh in 1995 to 5 TWh in 2009. The energy consumption in households showed flat trend from 1996 to 2009, after many years of growth. The main reasons are a warmer climate, higher energy prices, the use of heats pumps and more energy-efficient buildings. In the service industries, the growth in energy consumptions has slightly decreased since the late 1990s, for much the same reasons as for households. In manufacturing industries the energy consumption have flatten out mainly due to the closure of energy-intensive businesses and the establishment of new more energy-efficient businesses. Electricity is

Sustainable development - the potential contribution of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourdier, Jean-Pierre; Barre, Bertrand; Durret, Louis-Francois

1998-01-01

Sustainable development combines development, durability and sustainability. Energy is crucial for development: it brings work, nutrition, health, security, community, etc. Electrical energy offers the most possibilities for the consumer, particularly as regards the problems of pollution on the site of consumption. Nuclear generation is one of the best ways of producing electricity. Midway between stock energies and flow energies, it has several advantages: low consumption of resources, safety, compactness and cleanliness. Waste is not a specifically nuclear problem: it should be considered in terms of a life cycle analysis; construction, dismantling and functioning have to be assessed. The size of certain energies' contribution to the greenhouse effect is therefore made clear. Reprocessing represents a saving of energy, without environmental or health damage. It contributes to energy control, and therefore to sustainable development

Sustainable Consumption and Life Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Jing Jian; Li, Haifeng

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between sustainable consumption and life satisfaction. One aspect of sustainable consumption focused on in this study is the environment friendly purchase or green purchase. Using data collected from consumers in 14 cities in China, we found that consumers who reported green purchase…

Energy Threshold Hypothesis for Household Consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortiz, Samira; Castro-Sitiriche, Marcel; Amador, Isamar

2017-01-01

A strong positive relationship among quality of life and electricity consumption at impoverished countries is found in many studies. However, previous work has presented that the positive relationship does not hold beyond certain electricity consumption threshold. Consequently, there is a need of exploring the possibility for communities to live with sustainable level of energy consumption without sacrificing their quality of life. The Gallup-Healthways Report measures global citizen’s wellbeing. This paper provides a new outlook using these elements to explore the relationships among actual percentage of population thriving in most countries and their energy consumption. A measurement of efficiency is computed to determine an adjusted relative social value of energy considering the variability in the happy life years as a function of electric power consumption. Adjustment is performed so single components don’t dominate in the measurement. It is interesting to note that the countries with the highest relative social value of energy are in the top 10 countries of the Gallup report.

Sustainable consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prothero, Andrea; Dobscha, Susan; Freund, Jim

2011-01-01

This essay explores sustainable consumption and considers possible roles for marketing and consumer researchers and public policy makers in addressing the many sustainability challenges that pervade our planet. Future research approaches to this interdisciplinary topic need to be comprehensive...... and systematic and will benefit from a variety of different perspectives. There are a number of opportunities for future research, and three areas are explored in detail. First, the essay considers the inconsistency between the attitudes and behaviors of consumers with respect to sustainability; next, the agenda...... is broadened to explore the role of individual citizens in society; and finally, a macro institutional approach to fostering sustainability is explored. Each of these areas is examined in detail and possible research avenues and public policy initiatives are considered within each of these separate...

Sustainable Energy Systems and Applications

CERN Document Server

Dinçer, İbrahim

2012-01-01

Sustainable Energy Systems and Applications presents analyses of sustainable energy systems and their applications, providing new understandings, methodologies, models and applications along with descriptions of several illustrative examples and case studies. This textbook aims to address key pillars in the field, such as: better efficiency, cost effectiveness, use of energy resources, environment, energy security, and sustainable development. It also includes some cutting-edge topics, such as hydrogen and fuel cells, renewable, clean combustion technologies, CO2 abatement technologies, and some potential tools for design, analysis and performance improvement. The book also: Discusses producing energy by increasing systems efficiency in generation, conversion, transportation and consumption Analyzes the conversion of fossil fuels to clean fuels for limiting  pollution and creating a better environment Sustainable Energy Systems and Applications is a research-based textbook which can be used by senior u...

Sustainable energy development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afgan, N.; Al Gobaisi, D.; Carvalho, M.; Cumo, M.

1998-01-01

It is shown that present energy strategy requires adaptation of new criterions to be followed in the future energy system development. No doubt that there is a link between energy consumption and environment capacity reduction. This is an alarming sign, which recently has become the leading theme for our near and distant future. Modern engineering science has to be oriented to those areas which may directly assist in our future energy planning. In this respect, it is demanding need that our attention be oriented to the global aspect og the energy development. Modern technology will help to adopt essential principles of the sustainable energy development. With the appropriate renewable energy resources introduction in our energy future and with the increase of safety of nuclear energy, it will be possible to comply with the main principles to be adapted in the sustainable energy strategy. in order to promote the sustainable energy development the respective education system is required. It was recognized that the present energy education system can not meet future demand for the knowledge dissemination. It was shown that the potential option for the future education system is the distance learning with multimedia telematic system. (authors). 46 refs, 14 figs, 1 tab

Sustainable automotive energy system in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xiliang (ed.) [Tsinghua Univ. Beijing (China). China Automotive Energy Research Center

2013-06-01

The latest research available on automotive energy system analysis in China. Thorough introduction on automotive energy system in China. Provides the broad perspective to aid in planning sustainable road transport in China. Sustainable Automotive Energy System in China aims at identifying and addressing the key issues of automotive energy in China in a systematic way, covering demography, economics, technology and policy, based on systematic and in-depth, multidisciplinary and comprehensive studies. Five scenarios of China's automotive energy development are created to analyze the possible contributions in the fields of automotive energy, vehicle fuel economy improvement, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles and the 2nd generation biofuel development. Thanks to this book, readers can gain a better understanding of the nature of China's automotive energy development and be informed about: (1) the current status of automotive energy consumption, vehicle technology development, automotive energy technology development and policy; (2) the future of automotive energy development, fuel consumption, propulsion technology penetration and automotive energy technology development, and (3) the pathways of sustainable automotive energy transformation in China, in particular, the technological and the policy-related options. This book is intended for researchers, engineers and graduates students in the low-carbon transportation and environmental protection field.

Sustainable consumption : the role of food retail

OpenAIRE

Sustainable Consumption Roundtable (Great Britain)

2005-01-01

This submission is informed by discussion at a seminar held by the Sustainable Consumption Roundtable on 28 June on the subject of Sustainable Consumption in the 'Food industry sustainability strategy'. The Strategy sets out to apply sustainable development thinking to the entire food supply chain. Publisher PDF

Lifestyle and global energy consumption. Analyss and strategy approaches on a sustainable energy structure; Lebensstile und globaler Energieverbrauch. Analyse und Strategieansaetze zu einer nachhaltigen Energiestruktur

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerstengarbe, F.W. (ed.); Reusswig, F.; Gerlinger, K.; Edenhofer, O.

2004-07-01

Lifestyle and consumption have emerged as research issues in energy and climate change related research in recent years for obvious reasons: with the emergence and the global spread of the modern 'consumer society' lifestyle induced consumption decisions by private households more and more influence total energy consumption and related carbon dioxide emissions. The paper discusses the use of the lifestyle concept derived from sociology and market research for household energy consumption and the potential for more sustainable changes. A main section is dedicated to a new way of decomposing country statistics on energy consumption, economic growth, CO{sub 2} emissions, and energy mix. We detect five distinct patterns of national energy systems via a cluster analysis of country data and their change over time. These clusters represent distinct trajectories of the recent energy economic history of the country groups and define some path dependencies for energy policy options in the nearer future which are discussed briefly. The environmental kuznets curve (EKC) debate is discussed critically in the light of the more flexible and regionally adapted way of conceiving the worlds' energy system. The paper offers a quantitative the estimation of private households' contribution to total energy related CO{sub 2} emissions, thus contributing to the assessment of lifestyle-related emissions. The final section discusses practical consequences for energy policy and lifestyle related environmental communication. (orig.)

Changes in cotton gin energy consumption apportioned by ten functions

Science.gov (United States)

The public is concerned about air quality and sustainability. Cotton producers, gin owners and plant managers are concerned about rising energy prices. Both have an interest in cotton gin energy consumption trends. Changes in cotton gins’ energy consumption over the past fifty years, a period of ...

Eco-innovation dynamics and sustainability – new perspectives in innovation studies illuminated through the case of lighting and its energy consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Franceschini, Simone

There is an increasing consensus about the need to reduce the environmental burden of economic activities. The concept of sustainable development has led to increased efficiency of the economic process through innovation, which is now the main strategy applied both to preserve environmental capital...... and to achieve economic growth. Consequently, many innovations have been given the label of “eco” due to their ability to improve the efficiency of the economic process. The history of energy consumption is a paradigmatic example of diffusion of this type of eco-innovations. The efficiency of converting energy...... of energy during the provision of light. Researchers have already investigated the dynamics of production and consumption associated with the most recent light “revolutions”. Interestingly, these revolutions resulted in increased energy consumption for the provision of light, even if energy efficiency...

Sustainable food consumption. Product choice or curtailment?

Science.gov (United States)

Verain, Muriel C D; Dagevos, Hans; Antonides, Gerrit

2015-08-01

Food consumption is an important factor in shaping the sustainability of our food supply. The present paper empirically explores different types of sustainable food behaviors. A distinction between sustainable product choices and curtailment behavior has been investigated empirically and predictors of the two types of behavior have been identified. Respondents were classified into four segments based on their sustainable food behaviors: unsustainers, curtailers, product-oriented consumers, and sustainers. Significant differences between the segments were found with regard to food choice motives, personal and social norms, food involvement, subjective knowledge on sustainable food, ability to judge how sustainably a product has been produced and socio-demographics. It is concluded that distinguishing between behavioral strategies toward sustainable food consumption is important as consumer segments can be identified that differ both in their level of sustainable food consumption and in the type of behavior they employ. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sustainable food consumption in China and India

OpenAIRE

von Meyer-Höfer, Marie; Juarez Tijerino, Andrea Maria; Spiller, Achim

2015-01-01

This study examines sustainable food consumption in China and India, based on online consumer survey data. It explores which factors influence sustainable food consumption in these countries, based upon a model related to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Structural equation modelling is used for the analysis and comparison of both countries. Among the similarities found are the significant influence of subjective norms on intention towards sustainable food consumption and the influence of per...

Moving Towards Sustainable Food Consumption : Identifying Barriers to Sustainable Student Diets

OpenAIRE

Ede, James; Graine, Sophia; Rhodes, Chris

2011-01-01

Adopting more sustainable consumption habits has been identified as a necessary step in the progression towards a sustainable society. In the area of sustainable consumption, personal food behaviour represents a strong leverage point. University students have been identified as a strategic audience; habits established during this transformative period can track forward into later life. This study seeks to identify the barriers inhibiting students from eating more sustainably. Perceived benefi...

Sustainable Food Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reisch, Lucia; Eberle, Ulrike; Lorek, Sylvia

2013-01-01

Contemporary food production and consumption cannot be regarded as sustainable and raises problems with its wide scope involving diverse actors. Moreover, in the face of demographic change and a growing global population, sus-tainability problems arising from food systems will likely become more...... and globalization of agriculture and food processing, the shift of consumption patterns toward more dietary animal protein, the emergence of modern food styles that entail heavily processed products, the growing gap on a global scale between rich and poor, and the paradoxical lack of food security amid an abundance...... of food. These factors are attributable to national and international policies and regulations, as well as to prevalent business prac-tices and, in particular, consumers' values and habits. The most effective ways for affluent societies to reduce the environmental impact of their diets are to reduce...

Sustainable energy-economic-environmental scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-03-31

IIASA's Environmentally Compatible Energy Strategies (ECS) Project has proposed a quantitative 'working definition' of sustainable development E3 (energy-economic-environmental) scenarios. ECS has proposed four criteria for sustainability: economic growth is sustained throughout the time horizon; socioeconomic inequity among world regions is reduced over the 21st century; reserves-to-production (R/P) ratio for exhaustible primary energy resources do not decline; and long-term environmental stress is mitigated. Using these criteria, 40 long-term E3 scenarios generated by ECS models were reviewed and analyzed. Amongst the conclusions drawn were: slow population growth or stabilization of global population appears to be prerequisite for sustainable development; economic growth alone does not guarantee a sustainable future; carbon intensities of total primary energy must decrease faster than the historical trend; strategies for fossil fuel consumption must aim at non-decreasing R/P ratios; and carbon emissions must be near or below today's levels at the end of this century. The analysis of sustainable development scenarios is an important step towards formulating long-term strategies aimed at climate stabilization. 6 figs., 1 tab.

Danish Sector Guide for Calculation of the Actual Energy Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Lone Hedegaard

2016-01-01

, the innovation network for sustainable construction, InnoBYG started work on a Danish sector guide for the calculation of actual energy consumption in relation to upgrading of buildings. The focus was to make a common guide for energy calculations that can be used by consultants performing calculations...... consumption compared with the estimated energy demand by calculation. The paper concludes that the result of an energy calculation should not be given as a single figure but rather as a spread between the best and worst case for the assumed conditions. Finally, a brief update on current actions is given...... related to the sector guide for calculation of actual energy consumption. Keywords – Energy calculations, actual energy consumption, energy perfomance...

Managing environmental aspects resulting from energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Human health and environmental impacts of fossil fuel energy consumptions are examined and the ongoing effort to align energy management plans with sustainable development strategies and environmental management systems is described. Human health impacts are manifested in mortality rates, hospital admissions, visits to emergency rooms and physicians' offices, reduced physical performance, increase in the use of medications, impaired pulmonary function and a variety of lesser (or less perceptible) effects. Environmental impacts are demonstrated through climatic change, increase in greenhouse gas emissions, increase in smog, acid rain, and soil, groundwater and surface water contamination. The importance of commitment, integrated planning, measurement and evaluation, periodic review and improvement and documentation in aligning energy and environmental management plans are highlighted, along with the need for behavioral and operational changes, the creation of employee awareness and training, and the adoption of green procurement and life cycle costing. Adoption of the ISO 14000 approach to managing energy consumption is also seen as an important step in the direction of integrated energy and environmental management and sustainable development

Energy access: Revelations from energy consumption patterns in rural India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, Leena; Goswami, Anandajit; Diljun, Gaurang Meher; Chaudhury, Saswata

2012-01-01

After decades of research on the subject of energy poverty and access and its impact on human development, the issue has finally gained global attention and commitment through the UN Secretary General's initiative on Sustainable Energy for All. However, the issue of what constitutes energy access and how such access can be supported by efficient subsidies remains a key question that does not have simple answers. At what point along the energy consumption and income spectrum does the energy access problem cease to be one of public policy, thereby letting the market take over? Using data from an extensive survey carried out by the Government of India, this paper highlights the complexities and inadequacies of using a normative consumption based approach to determine the scope and scale of interventions required. Factoring in the environmental and social pillars of sustainable development when defining access to modern energy forms would also significantly inform the level of effort involved in meeting the goal of energy access to all. - Highlights: ► Simple head count measures are inadequate to estimate the energy access challenge. ► The income and energy poor populations in a country need not completely overlap. ► Modern energy service delivery mechanisms, ensuring quality, essential for outcomes. ► Need to create enabling environment that empowers making of desired energy choices.

A Framework for Supporting Organizational Transition Processes Towards Sustainable Energy Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Buch, Rajesh

Economic development over the last century has driven a tripling of the world's population, a twenty-fold increase in fossil fuel consumption, and a tripling of traditional biomass consumption. The associated broad income and wealth inequities are retaining over 2 billion people in poverty. Adding to this, fossil fuel combustion is impacting the environment across spatial and temporal scales and the cost of energy is outpacing all other variable costs for most industries. With 60% of world energy delivered in 2008 consumed by the commercial and industrial sector, the fragmented and disparate energy-related decision making within organizations are largely responsible for the inefficient and impacting use of energy resources. The global transition towards sustainable development will require the collective efforts of national, regional, and local governments, institutions, the private sector, and a well-informed public. The leadership role in this transition could be provided by private and public sector organizations, by way of sustainability-oriented organizations, cultures, and infrastructure. The diversity in literature exemplifies the developing nature of sustainability science, with most sustainability assessment approaches and frameworks lacking transformational characteristics, tending to focus on analytical methods. In general, some shortfalls in sustainability assessment processes include lack of: · thorough stakeholder participation in systems and stakeholder mapping, · participatory envisioning of future sustainable states, · normative aggregation of results to provide an overall measure of sustainability, and · influence within strategic decision-making processes. Specific to energy sustainability assessments, while some authors aggregate results to provide overall sustainability scores, assessments have focused solely on energy supply scenarios, while including the deficits discussed above. This paper presents a framework for supporting

A method for evaluating transport energy consumption in suburban areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marique, Anne-Françoise; Reiter, Sigrid

2012-01-01

Urban sprawl is a major issue for sustainable development. It represents a significant contribution to energy consumption of a territory especially due to transportation requirements. However, transport energy consumption is rarely taken into account when the sustainability of suburban structures is studied. In this context, the paper presents a method to estimate transport energy consumption in residential suburban areas. The study aimed, on this basis, at highlighting the most efficient strategies needed to promote awareness and to give practical hints on how to reduce transport energy consumption linked to urban sprawl in existing and future suburban neighborhoods. The method uses data collected by using empirical surveys and GIS. An application of this method is presented concerning the comparison of four suburban districts located in Belgium to demonstrate the advantages of the approach. The influence of several parameters, such as distance to work places and services, use of public transport and performance of the vehicles, are then discussed to allow a range of different development situations to be explored. The results of the case studies highlight that traveled distances, and thus a good mix between activities at the living area scale, are of primordial importance for the energy performance, whereas means of transport used is only of little impact. Improving the performance of the vehicles and favoring home-work give also significant energy savings. The method can be used when planning new areas or retrofitting existing ones, as well as promoting more sustainable lifestyles regarding transport habits. - Highlights: ► The method allows to assess transport energy consumption in suburban areas and highlight the best strategies to reduce it. ► Home-to-work travels represent the most important part of calculated transport energy consumption. ► Energy savings can be achieved by reducing distances to travel through a good mix between activities at the

Towards a sustainable energy strategy for Saskatchewan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coxworth, A.; Bigland-Pritchard, M.; Coxworth, E.; Orb, J.

2007-01-01

The production and consumption of energy raises significant environmental concerns regarding the depletion of non-renewable resources; air and water pollution; waste management; and damage of habitats. Saskatchewan, as elsewhere, needs to develop new approaches to meeting its energy needs. This report was intended to help decision-makers to consider the possibility of a sustainable, safe, environment and climate-friendly energy future for Saskatchewan. It provided an overview of energy use trends in Saskatchewan for refined petroleum products; natural gas; coal; primary electricity; and total energy consumption. Sustainability was defined and the need for change was discussed. Energy efficiency improvement and conservation opportunities in buildings, industry, electrical generation, and transport were also presented. The role of government in promoting energy efficiency was also discussed. Renewable energy opportunities were also offered for bio-energy; electrical generation; heating with renewables; and prospects for a renewables-fuelled Saskatchewan. Next, the report discussed technical, economic, political, and social barriers to progress. Several recommendations were offered in terms of energy efficiency and conservation; electricity generation; transportation; heating and cooling; industry; and financing change. 85 refs

Energy demand, economic growth, and energy efficiency - the Bakun dam-induced sustainable energy policy revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keong, C.Y.

2005-01-01

In embarking on a dynamic course of economic development and industrial modernism, Malaysia sees the need to increase its electricity generation capacity through the development of a mega-dam project - the Bakun dam. Although hydroelectricity generation offers one of the benign options in accommodating the increasing energy consumption per capita in Malaysia, it is argued that the construction of Bakun's dam which involves a complete and irreversible destruction of 69,640 ha of old forest ecosystem remains a difficult and uncertain endeavour. It is further argued that apart from mega-dam technology, there are also other means to orchestrate a sustainable energy system in Malaysia. These include the implementation of demand and supply initiatives, such as the deployment of energy saving technology or influencing behavioral change towards a sustainable energy consumption pattern

Climate change, energy, sustainability and pavements

CERN Document Server

Gopalakrishnan, Kasthurirangan; Harvey, John

2014-01-01

Climate change, energy production and consumption, and the need to improve the sustainability of all aspects of human activity are key inter-related issues for which solutions must be found and implemented quickly and efficiently.  To be successfully implemented, solutions must recognize the rapidly changing socio-techno-political environment and multi-dimensional constraints presented by today's interconnected world.  As part of this global effort, considerations of climate change impacts, energy demands, and incorporation of sustainability concepts have increasing importance in the design,

Sustainability concept for energy, water and environment systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afgan, N.H.

2004-01-01

This review is aimed to introduce historical background for the sustainability concept development for energy, water and environment systems. In the assessment of global energy and water resources attention is focussed in on the resource consumption and its relevancy to the future demand. In the review of the sustainability concept development special emphasize is devoted to the definition of sustainability and its relevancy to the historical background of the sustainability idea. In order to introduce measuring of sustainability the attention is devoted to the definition of respective criteria. There have been a number of attempts to define the criterions for the assessment of the sustainability of the market products. Having those criterions as bases, it was introduced a specific application in the energy system design

Energy in Ghana: The dominance of transport in petroleum consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abeasi, K.

1991-01-01

The sustained provision of energy has long been recognized as one of the essential prerequisites for a country's socio-economic development. Until recently, a country's aggregate energy consumption was equated with its relative economic and developmental well-being, represented by the close correlation between gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita consumption of commercial energy. Although events of recent years, principally the swinging increases in petroleum prices and measures taken to improve the efficiency of energy use, have loosened the parallel equation of GDP with energy consumption, yet the position of energy as the bedrock of a country's development remains unshaken. 4 refs, 1 fig., 4 tabs

Renewable energy progress and biofuels sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamelinck, C.; De Lovinfosse, I.; Koper, M.; Beestermoeller, C.; Nabe, C.; Kimmel, M.; Van den Bos, A.; Yildiz, I.; Harteveld, M. [Ecofys Netherlands, Utrecht (Netherlands); Ragwitz, M.; Steinhilber, S. [Fraunhofer Institut fuer System- und Innovationsforschung ISI, Karlsruhe (Germany); Nysten, J.; Fouquet, D. [Becker Buettner Held BBH, Munich (Germany); Resch, G.; Liebmann, L.; Ortner, A.; Panzer, C. [Energy Economics Group EEG, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna (Austria); Walden, D.; Diaz Chavez, R.; Byers, B.; Petrova, S.; Kunen, E. [Winrock International, Brussels (Belgium); Fischer, G.

2013-03-15

On 27 March 2013, the European Commission published its first Renewable Energy Progress Report under the framework of the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive. Since the adoption of this directive and the introduction of legally binding renewable energy targets, most Member States experienced significant growth in renewable energy consumption. 2010 figures indicate that the EU as a whole is on its trajectory towards the 2020 targets with a renewable energy share of 12.7%. Moreover, in 2010 the majority of Member States already reached their 2011/2012 interim targets set in the Directive. However, as the trajectory grows steeper towards the end, more efforts will still be needed from the Member States in order to reach the 2020 targets. With regard to the EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability criteria, Member States' implementation of the biofuels scheme is considered too slow. In accordance with the reporting requirements set out in the 2009 Directive on Renewable Energy, every two years the European Commission publishes a Renewable Energy Progress Report. The report assesses Member States' progress in the promotion and use of renewable energy along the trajectory towards the 2020 renewable energy targets. The report also describes the overall renewable energy policy developments in each Member State and their compliance with the measures outlined in the Directive and the National Renewable Energy Action Plans. Moreover, in accordance with the Directive, it reports on the sustainability of biofuels and bioliquids consumed in the EU and the impacts of this consumption. A consortium led by Ecofys was contracted by the European Commission to perform support activities concerning the assessment of progress in renewable energy and sustainability of biofuels.

Renewable energy progress and biofuels sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamelinck, C.; De Lovinfosse, I.; Koper, M.; Beestermoeller, C.; Nabe, C.; Kimmel, M.; Van den Bos, A.; Yildiz, I.; Harteveld, M. [Ecofys Netherlands, Utrecht (Netherlands); Ragwitz, M.; Steinhilber, S. [Fraunhofer Institut fuer System- und Innovationsforschung ISI, Karlsruhe (Germany); Nysten, J.; Fouquet, D. [Becker Buettner Held BBH, Munich (Germany); Resch, G.; Liebmann, L.; Ortner, A.; Panzer, C. [Energy Economics Group EEG, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna (Austria); Walden, D.; Diaz Chavez, R.; Byers, B.; Petrova, S.; Kunen, E. [Winrock International, Brussels (Belgium); Fischer, G.

2013-03-15

On 27 March 2013, the European Commission published its first Renewable Energy Progress Report under the framework of the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive. Since the adoption of this directive and the introduction of legally binding renewable energy targets, most Member States experienced significant growth in renewable energy consumption. 2010 figures indicate that the EU as a whole is on its trajectory towards the 2020 targets with a renewable energy share of 12.7%. Moreover, in 2010 the majority of Member States already reached their 2011/2012 interim targets set in the Directive. However, as the trajectory grows steeper towards the end, more efforts will still be needed from the Member States in order to reach the 2020 targets. With regard to the EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability criteria, Member States' implementation of the biofuels scheme is considered too slow. In accordance with the reporting requirements set out in the 2009 Directive on Renewable Energy, every two years the European Commission publishes a Renewable Energy Progress Report. The report assesses Member States' progress in the promotion and use of renewable energy along the trajectory towards the 2020 renewable energy targets. The report also describes the overall renewable energy policy developments in each Member State and their compliance with the measures outlined in the Directive and the National Renewable Energy Action Plans. Moreover, in accordance with the Directive, it reports on the sustainability of biofuels and bioliquids consumed in the EU and the impacts of this consumption. A consortium led by Ecofys was contracted by the European Commission to perform support activities concerning the assessment of progress in renewable energy and sustainability of biofuels.

Sustainable energy research at DTU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Rolf Haugaard; Andersen, Morten

In the coming years, Denmark and other countries worldwide are set to increase their focus on transforming their energy supplies towards more sustainablew technologies. As part of this process, they can make extensive use of the knowledge generated by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU...... technologies, energy systems and energy consumption in buildings, the transport sector and for lighting purposes. The university alsolooks at challenges, opportunities and limitations.This publication present a selection of the sustainable energy related activities at DTU, which all point towards future...

Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and assessment of sustainability index in corn agroecosystems of Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yousefi, Mohammad; Damghani, Abdolmajid Mahdavi; Khoramivafa, Mahmud

2014-01-01

The objectives of this study were to assess the energy flow, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, global warming potential (GWP) and sustainability of corn production systems in Kermanshah province, western Iran. The data were collected from 70 corn agroecosystems which were selected based on randomly sampled method in the summer of 2011. The results indicated that total input and output energy were 50,485 and 134,946 MJ ha −1 , respectively. The highest share of total input energy in corn production systems was recorded for N fertilizer, electricity power and diesel fuel with 35, 25 and 20%, respectively. Energy use efficiency and energy productivity were 2.67 and 0.18 kg MJ −1 , respectively. Also agrochemical energy ratio was estimated as 40%. Applying chemical inputs produced the following emissions of greenhouse gases: 2994.66 kg CO 2, 31.58 kg N 2 O and 3.82 kg CH 4 per hectare . Hence, total GWP was 12,864.84 kg Co 2 eq ha −1 in corn production systems. In terms of CO 2 equivalents 23% of the GWPs came from CO 2 , 76% from N 2 O, and 1% from CH 4 . In this study input and output C equivalents per total GHG and Biomass production were 3508.59 and 10,696.34 kg C ha −1 . Net carbon and sustainability indexes in corn production systems were 7187.75 kg C ha −1 and 2.05. Accordingly, efficient use of energy is essential to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact in corn agroecosystems. - Highlights: • Increasing of energy consumption leaded to decreasing energy use efficiency in corn agroecosystems. • Total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission as CO 2 , N 2 O and CH 4 in corn production systems were 2994.66, 31.58 and 3.82 kg ha -1 , respectively. • Global warming potential (GWP) was 12864.84 kg CO 2 eq ha -1 in corn production systems. • Sustainability index in corn production systems was 2.05. • Reducing use of chemicals fertilizer and diesel fuel are necessary for better management of energy flow, global warming potential and

Guidelines for a sustainable energy policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maichel, G.; Klemmer, P.; Voss, A.; Grill, K.D.

2000-01-01

The publication contains four contributions of four different authors which elaborate the role, functions and capabilities of policymakers, the energy industry, and the population (consumers) in the process of designing, implementing, enforcing and accepting the paradigms and the framework conditions that will initiate and finally support in concrete terms a transition towards sustainable development in the context of energy demand and energy consumption in Europe. The titles of the four contributions (translated for the purpose of this abstract) are: 1. Regulatory policy and/or a free market system in the energy sector. 2. Self-commitments and self-regulatory approaches in the energy industry. 3. What does it take to establish a system of sustainable energy supply? 4. For an energy policy fit for the future in the 21. century. (orig./CB) [de

Energy and sustainable lifestyle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lausmaa, Toenu

1997-01-01

Sustainable development sets limits to our energy use within our economy. The main reason is the anthropologic greenhouse effect, limiting our fossil fuel consumption. It is important to emphasise that the greenhouse effect is not a political slogan but a well established scientific fact, with solid evidence brought into limelight about the phenomena over the last hundred years. But care should be taken about energy use even if we switch over to renewable s, for the sun radiation energy is not unlimited either. There is no danger that limitations on energy use would bring our life quality down, for we could produce all the needed goods and services with lower energy intensity, increasing the efficiency of our production processes and switching over from fossil fuels to renewable s. One should notice that it is impossible to solve the problems of excessive energy use only on the economical level. It's needed to change the public attitudes to ensure the proper support in combating the climate change and meeting the requirements of sustainable development

Can urban rail transit curb automobile energy consumption?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Boqiang; Du, Zhili

2017-01-01

With the rapid development of China's economy and the speed of urbanization, China's automobile sector has experienced rapid development. The rapid development of the automobile sector has increased energy consumption. According to the results of this paper, automobile energy consumption accounted for about 10.73% of total energy consumption in China in 2015, about 3.6 times the proportion a decade ago. With the deterioration of urban traffic conditions, relying on expanding the amount of vehicles and city road network cannot solve the problem. Urban rail transit is energy-saving and less-polluting, uses less space, has large capacity, and secure. Urban rail transit, according to the principle of sustainable development, is a green transportation system and should be especially adopted for large and medium-sized cities. The paper uses the binary choice model (Probit and Logit) to analyze the main factors influencing the development of rail transit in Chinese cities, and whether automobile energy consumption is the reason for the construction of urban rail transit. Secondly, we analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption using DID model. The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly, with continuous impact in the second year. - Highlights: • Investigate the main factors influencing the building of rail transit for Chinese cities. • Analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption by DID model. • The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly.

A method for evaluating transport energy consumption in suburban areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marique, Anne-Francoise, E-mail: afmarique@ulg.ac.be; Reiter, Sigrid, E-mail: Sigrid.Reiter@ulg.ac.be

2012-02-15

Urban sprawl is a major issue for sustainable development. It represents a significant contribution to energy consumption of a territory especially due to transportation requirements. However, transport energy consumption is rarely taken into account when the sustainability of suburban structures is studied. In this context, the paper presents a method to estimate transport energy consumption in residential suburban areas. The study aimed, on this basis, at highlighting the most efficient strategies needed to promote awareness and to give practical hints on how to reduce transport energy consumption linked to urban sprawl in existing and future suburban neighborhoods. The method uses data collected by using empirical surveys and GIS. An application of this method is presented concerning the comparison of four suburban districts located in Belgium to demonstrate the advantages of the approach. The influence of several parameters, such as distance to work places and services, use of public transport and performance of the vehicles, are then discussed to allow a range of different development situations to be explored. The results of the case studies highlight that traveled distances, and thus a good mix between activities at the living area scale, are of primordial importance for the energy performance, whereas means of transport used is only of little impact. Improving the performance of the vehicles and favoring home-work give also significant energy savings. The method can be used when planning new areas or retrofitting existing ones, as well as promoting more sustainable lifestyles regarding transport habits. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The method allows to assess transport energy consumption in suburban areas and highlight the best strategies to reduce it. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Home-to-work travels represent the most important part of calculated transport energy consumption. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Energy savings can be achieved by

Carbon offsetting: sustaining consumption?

OpenAIRE

Heather Lovell; Harriet Bulkeley; Diana Liverman

2009-01-01

In this paper we examine how theories of sustainable and ethical consumption help us to understand a new, rapidly expanding type of consumer product designed to mitigate climate change: carbon offsets. The voluntary carbon offset market grew by 200% between 2005 and 2006, and there are now over 150 retailers of voluntary carbon offsets worldwide. Our analysis concentrates on the production and consumption of carbon offsets, drawing on ideas from governmentality and political ecology about how...

Electrical appliance energy consumption control methods and electrical energy consumption systems

Science.gov (United States)

Donnelly, Matthew K [Kennewick, WA; Chassin, David P [Pasco, WA; Dagle, Jeffery E [Richland, WA; Kintner-Meyer, Michael [Richland, WA; Winiarski, David W [Kennewick, WA; Pratt, Robert G [Kennewick, WA; Boberly-Bartis, Anne Marie [Alexandria, VA

2006-03-07

Electrical appliance energy consumption control methods and electrical energy consumption systems are described. In one aspect, an electrical appliance energy consumption control method includes providing an electrical appliance coupled with a power distribution system, receiving electrical energy within the appliance from the power distribution system, consuming the received electrical energy using a plurality of loads of the appliance, monitoring electrical energy of the power distribution system, and adjusting an amount of consumption of the received electrical energy via one of the loads of the appliance from an initial level of consumption to an other level of consumption different than the initial level of consumption responsive to the monitoring.

Electrical appliance energy consumption control methods and electrical energy consumption systems

Science.gov (United States)

Donnelly, Matthew K [Kennewick, WA; Chassin, David P [Pasco, WA; Dagle, Jeffery E [Richland, WA; Kintner-Meyer, Michael [Richland, WA; Winiarski, David W [Kennewick, WA; Pratt, Robert G [Kennewick, WA; Boberly-Bartis, Anne Marie [Alexandria, VA

2008-09-02

Electrical appliance energy consumption control methods and electrical energy consumption systems are described. In one aspect, an electrical appliance energy consumption control method includes providing an electrical appliance coupled with a power distribution system, receiving electrical energy within the appliance from the power distribution system, consuming the received electrical energy using a plurality of loads of the appliance, monitoring electrical energy of the power distribution system, and adjusting an amount of consumption of the received electrical energy via one of the loads of the appliance from an initial level of consumption to an other level of consumption different than the initial level of consumption responsive to the monitoring.

Sustainable manufacturing by calculating the energy demand during turning of AISI 1045 steel

Science.gov (United States)

Nur, R.; Nasrullah, B.; Suyuti, M. A.; Apollo

2018-01-01

Sustainable development will become important issues for many fields, including production, industry, and manufacturing. In order to achieve sustainable development, industry should be able to perform of sustainable production processes and environmentally friendly. Therefore, there is need to minimize the energy demand in the machining process. This paper presents a calculation method of energy consumption in the machining process, especially turning process which calculated by summing the number of energy consumption, such as the electric energy consumed during the machining preparation, the electrical energy during the cutting processes, and the electrical energy to produce a cutting tool. A case study was performed on dry turning of mild carbon steel using coated carbide. This approach can be used to determine the total amount of electrical energy consumed in the specific machining process. It concluded that the energy consumption will be an increase for using the high cutting speed as well as for the feed rate was increased.

Structural model for sustainable consumption and production adoption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luthra, Sunil; Govindan, Kannan; Mangla, Sachin Kumar

2017-01-01

. “Governmental policies and regulations to develop sustainable consumption and production focused system” and “Management support, dedication and involvement in sustainable consumption and production implementation” have been found as the most influencing drivers and “Gaining the market edge and improving...

Canada's energy perspectives and policies for sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofman, Karen; Li Xianguo

2009-01-01

A regression analysis is performed to make projections for the Canadian energy production and consumption. These have been increasing and are projected to increase even further in the near future. The primary energy production and consumption are projected to increase by 52% and 34%, respectively, by 2025 over 2004 if business as usual. The amount of fossil energy resources is finite and the extraction, transportation and combustion of fossil fuels cause environmental pollution and climate change. On the other hand, energy plays an important role in the economic and social development of Canada. Canada can develop further from an energy balance point of view, but this alone cannot be sustainable, because of the negative consequences of the major energy use on the environment. Application of energy localization and diversification is a promising solution, but in order to reach that, better energy efficiency and more use of renewable energy are necessary. Instead of non-compulsory policies Canada's policy approach should have more compulsory policies. Only then Canada can be made to develop further in a sustainable manner

Can collusion promote sustainable consumption and production?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schinkel, M.P.; Spiegel, Y.

2016-01-01

Several competition authorities have taken public interest considerations, such as promoting sustainable consumption and production, into account in cartel proceedings.We show that when consumers value sustainable products and firms choose investments in sustainability before choosing output,

The Low-Carbon Transition toward Sustainability of Regional Coal-Dominated Energy Consumption Structure: A Case of Hebei Province in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xunmin Ou

2017-07-01

Full Text Available CO2 emission resulted from fossil energy use is threatening human sustainability globally. This study focuses on the low-carbon transition of Hebei’s coal-dominated energy system by estimating its total end-use energy consumption, primary energy supply and resultant CO2 emission up to 2030, by employing an energy demand analysis model based on setting of the economic growth rate, industrial structure, industry/sector energy consumption intensity, energy supply structure, and CO2 emission factor. It is found that the total primary energy consumption in Hebei will be 471 and 431 million tons of coal equivalent (tce in 2030 in our two defined scenarios (conventional development scenario and coordinated development scenario, which are 1.40 and 1.28 times of the level in 2015, respectively. The resultant full-chain CO2 emission will be 1027 and 916 million tons in 2030 in the two scenarios, which are 1.24 and 1.10 times of the level in 2015, respectively. The full-chain CO2 emission will peak in about 2025. It is found that the coal-dominated situation of energy structure and CO2 emission increasing trend in Hebei can be changed in the future in the coordinated development scenario, in which Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area coordinated development strategy will be strengthened. The energy structure of Hebei can be optimised since the proportion of coal in total primary energy consumption can fall from around 80% in 2015 to below 30% in 2030 and the proportions of transferred electricity, natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable energy can increase rapidly. Some specific additional policy instruments are also suggested to support the low-carbon transition of energy system in Hebei under the framework of the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, and with the support from the central government of China.

URBAN FEATURES AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION AT LOCAL LEVEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Soltani

2012-12-01

Full Text Available There has been a growing interest in discovering the human effects on the environment and energy consumption in recent decades. It is estimated that the share of energy consumed in transportation and housing systems are around 20 and 30 percent of total energy consumption respectively. Furthermore, the residential greenhouse emissions depend on urban form and structure. This paper explores the effects of urban features on residential energy consumption at neighborhood level using data collected through household questionnaire (n=140. Two residential districts in metropolitan Shiraz, south of Iran, were selected as case study areas. Different features of two areas were compared including building density, typology, housing location, parcel size, floor area and construction materials. Ordinary linear regression was used to discover the impact of explanatory variables on energy consumption. It was found that some physical variables such as parcel size, setback and number of floors played significant roles in explaining the variances exist in energy use level. The results can be used by governmental agencies to modify land use policies and subdivision rules in hope of saving energy and achieving a sustainable community.

Estimating building energy consumption using extreme learning machine method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naji, Sareh; Keivani, Afram; Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Alengaram, U. Johnson; Jumaat, Mohd Zamin; Mansor, Zulkefli; Lee, Malrey

2016-01-01

The current energy requirements of buildings comprise a large percentage of the total energy consumed around the world. The demand of energy, as well as the construction materials used in buildings, are becoming increasingly problematic for the earth's sustainable future, and thus have led to alarming concern. The energy efficiency of buildings can be improved, and in order to do so, their operational energy usage should be estimated early in the design phase, so that buildings are as sustainable as possible. An early energy estimate can greatly help architects and engineers create sustainable structures. This study proposes a novel method to estimate building energy consumption based on the ELM (Extreme Learning Machine) method. This method is applied to building material thicknesses and their thermal insulation capability (K-value). For this purpose up to 180 simulations are carried out for different material thicknesses and insulation properties, using the EnergyPlus software application. The estimation and prediction obtained by the ELM model are compared with GP (genetic programming) and ANNs (artificial neural network) models for accuracy. The simulation results indicate that an improvement in predictive accuracy is achievable with the ELM approach in comparison with GP and ANN. - Highlights: • Buildings consume huge amounts of energy for operation. • Envelope materials and insulation influence building energy consumption. • Extreme learning machine is used to estimate energy usage of a sample building. • The key effective factors in this study are insulation thickness and K-value.

Efficient, equitable and sustainable energy policy in a small open economy: Concepts and assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Youngho; Fang, Zheng

2017-01-01

This study aims to develop three broadly defined concepts of designing and evaluating energy policy of a small open economy, namely, efficiency, equity, and sustainability which are applied to Singapore. By analysing the historical energy and economic data and examining energy policies and programs implemented, this study finds that (1) energy intensity improves over time and three strategies employed to improve energy efficiency - tariffs, deregulation and setting energy standards - are found to have some positive effects. (2) A utility rebate programme is implemented and revised continuously to achieve equity in energy consumption across Singapore households. (3) By the weak concept of sustainability, Singapore is considered marginally sustainable. Institutional, technological and market-based approaches are being implemented to increase energy efficiency, improve energy equity and secure sustainability. - Highlights: • Three concepts of designing and evaluating energy policy are developed. • Efficiency, equity and sustainability are the three concepts. • Three strategies are identified in improving energy efficiency. • A utility rebate programme is to achieve equity in energy consumption across households. • Institutional and market-based approaches are to secure sustainable energy supply.

Solar power for energy sustainability and environmental friendliness of Curtin University Sarawak

Science.gov (United States)

Palanichamy, C.; Goh, Alvin

2016-03-01

The demand on electrical energy is rapidly increasing. Everything around us requires electrical energy either during its production or usage stage. Sustainability has become the main concern nowadays as the availability of fossil fuels is limited. As renewable energy is the path-way to energy sustainability and environmental friendly environment, this paper proposes a solar power system for Curtin University Sarawak to reduce its electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed 208 kW solar system saves an energy consumption of more than 380,000 kWh per year, and a CO2 offset by 285 Tons per year

Solar power for energy sustainability and environmental friendliness of Curtin University Sarawak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palanichamy, C; Goh, Alvin

2016-01-01

The demand on electrical energy is rapidly increasing. Everything around us requires electrical energy either during its production or usage stage. Sustainability has become the main concern nowadays as the availability of fossil fuels is limited. As renewable energy is the path-way to energy sustainability and environmental friendly environment, this paper proposes a solar power system for Curtin University Sarawak to reduce its electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed 208 kW solar system saves an energy consumption of more than 380,000 kWh per year, and a CO 2 offset by 285 Tons per year (paper)

Sustainable food consumption. Product choice or curtailment?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verain, M.C.D.; Dagevos, H.; Antonides, G.

2015-01-01

Food consumption is an important factor in shaping the sustainability of our food supply. The present paper empirically explores different types of sustainable food behaviors. A distinction between sustainable product choices and curtailment behavior has been investigated empirically and predictors

Participatory decision-making for sustainable consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coenen, Frans; Huitema, Dave; Woltjer, Johan

2009-01-01

This chapter concerns the impact of public involvement in public decision-making processes as related to household consumption patterns, and the impact on consumer behaviour of active participation.1 The call for participatory decision-making is common in the field of sustainable consumption (Murphy

An Energy Consumption Study for a Malaysian University

OpenAIRE

Fu E. Tang

2012-01-01

The increase in energy demand has raised concerns over adverse impacts on the environment from energy generation. It is important to understand the status of energy consumption for institutions such as Curtin Sarawak to ensure the sustainability of energy usage, and also to reduce its costs. In this study, a preliminary audit framework was developed and was conducted around the Malaysian campus to obtain information such as the number and specifications of electrical appl...

The water footprint of energy consumption: an assessment of water requirements of primary energy carriers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerbens-Leenes, P.W.; Hoekstra, A.Y.; Van der Meer, T.H.

2007-01-01

Gerbens-Leenes, P.W., Hoekstra, A.Y., Van der Meer, T.H., 2007. The water footprint of energy consumption: an assessment of water requirements of primary energy carriers. In: proceedings ‘First World Water Sustainability-Renewable Energy Congress and Exhibition’. 25-28 November 2007, Maastricht, the

Financial instruments supporting for energy and sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maino, R.

1999-01-01

The article discusses the close connection between the production and consumption of energy and environmental sustainability. Saving and rational use of energy on the one side, and reduction of environmental impacts of the energy production on the other, are by now constantly recurring among the strategic objectives of modern energy policies. In this scenario the financial aspect is crucial; it may remove obstacles to competition, giving innovative companies greater opportunities [it

The Psychology of Sustainable Seafood Consumption: A Comprehensive Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Isabel G M; Klöckner, Christian A

2017-09-28

This paper discusses conceptual confusions of sustainable seafood consumption, practical challenges, and potential anchors from where this behaviour can be fostered. The main focus lies on psychological variables. The resulting framework comprises (1) a definition of sustainable seafood consumption, (2) suggestions for corresponding behaviours, (3) the identification of facilitating and hindering factors, (4) an assemblage of these factors into a theoretical model, and (5) a short discussion of how the model adds up value to the current state of the art in marine resource conservation. Behavioural models significantly contribute to behavioural change research. The originality and value of this research are that it tackles the so far relatively neglected field of sustainable seafood consumption as important part of sustainable development and marine conservation in the future. From an interventional perspective, the developed model facilitates the identification of contact points to approach consumers and disseminate sustainable seafood consumption among modern Western consumers.

Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and assessment of sustainability index in corn agroecosystems of Iran

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yousefi, Mohammad, E-mail: m.yousefi@pgs.razi.ac.ir [Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Damghani, Abdolmajid Mahdavi [Departments of Agroecology, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Khoramivafa, Mahmud [Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Campus of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Razi University, Kermanshah (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2014-09-15

The objectives of this study were to assess the energy flow, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, global warming potential (GWP) and sustainability of corn production systems in Kermanshah province, western Iran. The data were collected from 70 corn agroecosystems which were selected based on randomly sampled method in the summer of 2011. The results indicated that total input and output energy were 50,485 and 134,946 MJ ha{sup −1}, respectively. The highest share of total input energy in corn production systems was recorded for N fertilizer, electricity power and diesel fuel with 35, 25 and 20%, respectively. Energy use efficiency and energy productivity were 2.67 and 0.18 kg MJ{sup −1}, respectively. Also agrochemical energy ratio was estimated as 40%. Applying chemical inputs produced the following emissions of greenhouse gases: 2994.66 kg CO{sub 2,} 31.58 kg N{sub 2}O and 3.82 kg CH{sub 4} per hectare{sub .} Hence, total GWP was 12,864.84 kg Co{sub 2}eq ha{sup −1} in corn production systems. In terms of CO{sub 2} equivalents 23% of the GWPs came from CO{sub 2}, 76% from N{sub 2}O, and 1% from CH{sub 4}. In this study input and output C equivalents per total GHG and Biomass production were 3508.59 and 10,696.34 kg C ha{sup −1}. Net carbon and sustainability indexes in corn production systems were 7187.75 kg C ha{sup −1} and 2.05. Accordingly, efficient use of energy is essential to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact in corn agroecosystems. - Highlights: • Increasing of energy consumption leaded to decreasing energy use efficiency in corn agroecosystems. • Total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission as CO{sub 2}, N{sub 2}O and CH{sub 4} in corn production systems were 2994.66, 31.58 and 3.82 kg ha{sup -1}, respectively. • Global warming potential (GWP) was 12864.84 kg CO{sub 2}eq ha{sup -1} in corn production systems. • Sustainability index in corn production systems was 2.05. • Reducing use of chemicals fertilizer and diesel fuel

Energy consumption and energy prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentzen, J.

1993-01-01

Data are presented on energy consumption and energy prices related to a number of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) lands covering the period 1951-1990. The information sources are described and the development of energy consumption and prices in Denmark are illustrated in relation to these other countries. The energy intensity (the relation between energy consumption and the gross national product) is dealt with. Here it is possible to follow development during the whole post-war period. It is generally understood that Denmark saved large amounts of energy after 1973-74 but, taken over the whole post-war period, savings and decline in energy-gross national product relations are less dramatic compared to conditions in other OECD countries. Energy coefficients or elasticities show the relative rise in consumption compared to the relative rise in gross national product (growth rate). This is shown to be typically unstable and an eventual connection with the amount of energy price increase and/or the growth rate of the national economy is considered. Results of Granger causuality tests on energy consumption, national income and energy prices are presented. Effective energy prices were very low in Denmark up to 1970 when they suddenly began to increase. Since the oil crisis Denmark's energy consumption has fallen whereas the other countries have used rather more energy than before. Effective promotion of energy savings must be seen in relation to the fact that the 1970 basis level of energy consumption and intensity was unusually high. The high effective energy prices have also encouraged energy savings in Denmark. (AB)

Personalized Energy Services : A Data-Driven Methodology towards Sustainable, Smart Energy Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Srirangam Narashiman, A.U.N.

2017-01-01

The rapid pace of urbanization has an impact on climate change and other environmental issues. Currently, 54% of the global population lives in cities accounting for two-thirds of global energy demand. Sustainable energy generation and consumption is the top humanity’s problem for the next 50 years.

Steering sustainability. On the potential of a radical energy tax subsidy scheme to move the Dutch society towards sustainable development in the energy domain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamminga, K.J.

2001-01-01

After an introduction to the issue of sustainable development, relevant aspects of the discussion about sustainable development are discussed. In particular, various perspectives on sustainable development based on different views of nature. However, since sustainable development is such a broad and general concept, narrowing its reach is necessary to enlarge its applicability. From various observations, it is concluded that there are good reasons to focus the sustainable development discussion on the energy domain. First, the existence of sources of potential energy is the basis for all physical activity. Second, fossil fuel reserves -which are by far the most dominant types of energy in the western, industrialized world at present- are limited. Third, the extraction, transportation, use and/or combustion of fossil fuels give rise to serious pressure on the world's natural environment. On a global scale, this particularly concerns the emission of CO2. Starting from a system approach, the relationship between society (the production and consumption system) and nature (the natural system) is dealt with, distinguishing between two relevant views. The first one regards the production and consumption system as separated from, though interacting with, the natural system. Thus, two systems in fact exist next to each other. By contrast, the second view explicitly defines boundaries for the production and consumption system on biophysical grounds. According to this vision, the production and consumption system should be considered a subsystem of the natural system. Chapter 2 offers a first elaboration upon the relation between the two systems. From a historical perspective sustainable development is addressed against the background of the main development in economics over the last three centuries; that is, the development from the physiocrats and the classical economists to the theory of neoclassical economics. The issue of natural resources is chosen as a proxy of

Energy Conservation Behaviour Toolkit. Incentive Mechanisms for effective decrease of energy consumption at the workplace

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerner, D.; Kalz, M.; Ternier, S.; Specht, M. [Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies CELSTEC, Open Universiteit, Heerlen (Netherlands)

2013-01-15

The work in this project is based on a previous project (Energy Awareness Displays - Making the Invisible Visible) in which several measurement and visualization approaches have been developed to make employees more aware about energy consumption and pro-environmental behavior at the workplace. While awareness is a first important step for the decrease of energy consumption and environmental learning it is not sufficient as a means for sustainable behavior change. For this reason we have explored in the follow-up project approaches how pro-environmental behavior at the workplace can be encouraged, rewarded and sustained. For this purpose we have implemented several technological solutions and we have piloted these in form of an energy conservation game called Mindergie at the main campus of the Open University in Heerlen, Netherlands. The project is in line with an earlier identified research gap in terms of energy conservation at the workplace and uses state-of-the-art technologies for mobile gaming and rewarding of non-formal learning activities.

Real time power consumption monitoring for energy efficiency analysis in micro EDM milling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tristo, Gianluca; Bissacco, Giuliano; Lebar, Andrej

2015-01-01

for manufacturing sustainability. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is considered an attractive solution for the manufacturing of microcomponents. In this paper, a low cost and modular data acquisition system, based on open-hardware and open-source software, for online energy consumption monitoring, is presented......Sustainability has become a major concern in many countries and is leading to strict regulations regarding the impact of products and services during their manufacturing, use, and disposal. Power consumption monitoring in manufacturing companies can lead to a reduction of machine tools energy...

Modelling Electrical Energy Consumption in Automotive Paint Shop

Science.gov (United States)

Oktaviandri, Muchamad; Safiee, Aidil Shafiza Bin

2018-03-01

Industry players are seeking ways to reduce operational cost to sustain in a challenging economic trend. One key aspect is an energy cost reduction. However, implementing energy reduction strategy often struggle with obstructions, which slow down their realization and implementation. Discrete event simulation method is an approach actively discussed in current research trend to overcome such obstructions because of its flexibility and comprehensiveness. Meanwhile, in automotive industry, paint shop is considered the most energy consumer area which is reported consuming about 50%-70% of overall automotive plant consumption. Hence, this project aims at providing a tool to model and simulate energy consumption at paint shop area by conducting a case study at XYZ Company, one of the automotive companies located at Pekan, Pahang. The simulation model was developed using Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software version 13. From the simulation result, the model was accurately within ±5% for energy consumption and ±15% for maximum demand after validation with real system. Two different energy saving scenarios were tested. Scenario 1 was based on production scheduling approach under low demand situation which results energy saving up to 30% on the consumption. Meanwhile scenario 2 was based on substituting high power compressor with the lower power compressor. The results were energy consumption saving of approximately 1.42% and maximum demand reduction about 1.27%. This approach would help managers and engineers to justify worthiness of investment for implementing the reduction strategies.

Consumer Sustainability and Responsibility: Beyond Green and Ethical Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maja Hosta

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose – Most literature regarding sustainable behavior is based on the assumption that the reduction of consumption is inherently positive (mainly in the form of positive environmental consequences and based on ethical considerations. However, the issue of the social consequences of this reduction and self-interested intentions in consumption is not generally open to debate. This paper aims to identify dimensions of sustainable and responsible consumer behavior, distinguish between the two concepts, and present consumer obstacles to acting responsibly in all aspects that a sustainability agenda would suggest. Design/Methodology/Approach – The paper includes a literature review, proposes a framework of responsible and sustainable consumption (RSCB, and offers a set of propositions to achieve responsible and sustainable consumption. Insights from personal interviews with consumers are added for the sake of additional understanding of the concepts presented. Findings and implications – Through the RSCB framework, we show the potential trade-off decisions consumers have to make in order to implement sustainability and responsibility issues in everyday consumer decision processes. Struggles between doing what is good for them and what is good for the environment and society could be a reason why consumers have difficulties achieving responsible and sustainable consumption. Limitations – Qualitative study based on a small sample of personal interviews does not allow for generalizations. Originality – A research gap in understanding the dimensions of sustainable and responsible consumer actions in terms of their emphasis (environmental and social and intentions (self-interest and other-interest is addressed. By understanding those two dimensions of behavior, managers and consumers can resolve consumer sustainability and responsibility dilemmas that arise from a one-dimensional view in order to move sustainability research and practice

Technology acceptance perception for promotion of sustainable consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Aindrila; Roy, Mousumi

2018-03-01

Economic growth in the past decades has resulted in change in consumption pattern and emergence of tech-savvy generation with unprecedented increase in the usage of social network technology. In this paper, the technology acceptance value gap adapted from the technology acceptance model has been applied as a tool supporting social network technology usage and subsequent promotion of sustainable consumption. The data generated through the use of structured questionnaires have been analyzed using structural equation modeling. The validity of the model and path estimates signifies the robustness of Technology Acceptance value gap in adjudicating the efficiency of social network technology usage in augmentation of sustainable consumption and awareness. The results indicate that subjective norm gap, ease-of-operation gap, and quality of green information gap have the most adversarial impact on social network technology usage. Eventually social networking technology usage has been identified as a significant antecedent of sustainable consumption.

Developing More Insights on Sustainable Consumption in China Based on Q Methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Qu

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Being an important aspect of sustainable development, sustainable consumption has attracted great attention among Chinese politicians and academia, and Chinese governments have established policies that encourage sustainable consumption behaviors. However, unsustainable consumption behavior still remains predominant in China. This paper aims to classify consumers with similar traits, in terms of the characteristics of practicing sustainable consumption, into one group, so that their traits can be clearly understood, to enable governments to establish pointed policies for different groups of consumers. Q methodology, generally used to reveal the subjectivity of human beings involved in any situation, is applied in this paper to classify Chinese consumers based on Q sample design and data collection and analysis. Next, the traits of each group are analyzed in detail and comparison analyses are also conducted to compare the common and differentiating factors among the three groups. The results show that Chinese consumers can be classified into three groups: sustainable (Group 1, potential sustainable (Group 2 and unsustainable consumers (Group 3, according to their values and attitudes towards sustainable consumption. As such, Group 1 cares for the environment and has strong environmental values. They understand sustainable consumption and its functions. Group 2 needs more enlightenments and external stimuli to motivate them to consume sustainably. Group 3 needs to be informed about and educated on sustainable consumption to enable them to change their consumption behavior from unsustainable to sustainable. Suggestions and implications of encouraging each group of consumers to engage in sustainable consumption are also provided.

Sustainable Energy Consumption in Northeast Asia: A Case from China’s Fuel Oil Futures Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The sustainable energy consumption in northeast Asia has a huge impact on regional stability and economic growth, which gives price volatility research in the energy market both theoretical value and practical application. We select China’s fuel oil futures market as a research subject and use recurrence interval analysis to investigate the price volatility pattern in different thresholds. We utilize the stretched exponential function to fit the pattern of the recurrence intervals of price fluctuations and find that the probability density functions of the recurrence intervals in different thresholds do not show the scaling behavior. Then the conditional probability density function and detrended fluctuation analysis prove that there is short-term and long-term correlation. Last, we use a hazard function to introduce the recurrence intervals into the (value at risk VaR calculation and establish a functional relationship between the mean recurrence interval and the threshold. Following this result, we also shed light on policy discussion for hedgers and government.

The energy situation and its sustainable development strategy in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Na; Lior, Noam; Jin, Hongguang

2011-01-01

The paper briefly summarizes China's energy situation and sustainable development strategy as they were by 2009. The energy consumption in 2009 is reported to be 3.1 billion tons standard coal equivalent, 1/7 of the world total, 6.3% higher than in the year 2008, and its share of world CO 2 emissions increased rapidly to 20.3% in 2006. These trends are most likely to continue with China's plan to accomplish its social and economy development goals. To address these problems and also respond to increasing world pressure for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the Chinese government plans and has legislated promotion of energy conservation, efficiency, renewable energy technologies and use, and reduction of energy-related environmental impacts to reduce energy intensity by 20% during the 2006-2010 period, and to reduce the CO 2 emission/GDP ratio by 40-45% by 2020 relative to 2005. China is facing severe energy-related challenges that conflict resources shortages with the planned rapid economic development, energy use with the related environmental pollution, and new technology with the old production/consumption patterns. It is recognized that energy development must, however, follow a sustainable path to coordinate economy growth, social development, and environmental protection. -- Highlights: → A brief summary of China's energy situation and plans in 2009; → Energy consumption and CO 2 emissions are likely to continue rising; → China to reduce energy intensity, and the (CO 2 emission)/GDP ratio by 40-45% by 2020; → Energy-related challenges and desired sustainable development strategy are discussed; → The strategy core is energy conservation and non-fossil fuel energy development.

Sustainable chemical processing and energy-carbon dioxide management: review of challenges and opportunities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frauzem, Rebecca; Vooradi, Ramsagar; Bertran, Maria-Ona

2018-01-01

This paper presents a brief review of the available energy sources for consumption, their effects in terms of CO2-emission and its management, and sustainable chemical processing where energy-consumption, CO2-emission, as well as economics and environmental impacts are considered. Not all available...... energy sources are being utilized efficiently, while, the energy source causing the largest emission of CO2 is being used in the largest amount. The CO2 management is therefore looking at "curing" the problem rather than "preventing" it. Examples highlighting the synthesis, design and analysis...... of sustainable chemical processing in the utilization of biomass-based energy-chemicals production, carbon-capture and utilization with zero or negative CO2-emission to produce value added chemicals as well as retrofit design of energy intensive chemical processes with significant reduction of energy consumption...

Modelling electric trains energy consumption using Neural Networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez Fernandez, P.; Garcia Roman, C.; Insa Franco, R.

2016-07-01

Nowadays there is an evident concern regarding the efficiency and sustainability of the transport sector due to both the threat of climate change and the current financial crisis. This concern explains the growth of railways over the last years as they present an inherent efficiency compared to other transport means. However, in order to further expand their role, it is necessary to optimise their energy consumption so as to increase their competitiveness. Improving railways energy efficiency requires both reliable data and modelling tools that will allow the study of different variables and alternatives. With this need in mind, this paper presents the development of consumption models based on neural networks that calculate the energy consumption of electric trains. These networks have been trained based on an extensive set of consumption data measured in line 1 of the Valencia Metro Network. Once trained, the neural networks provide a reliable estimation of the vehicles consumption along a specific route when fed with input data such as train speed, acceleration or track longitudinal slope. These networks represent a useful modelling tool that may allow a deeper study of railway lines in terms of energy expenditure with the objective of reducing the costs and environmental impact associated to railways. (Author)

Climate change, energy, sustainability and pavements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gopalakrishnan, Kasthurirangan; Steyn, Wynand JvdM; Harvey, John

2014-01-01

Provides an integrated perspective on understanding the impacts of climate change, energy and sustainable development on transportation infrastructure systems. Presents recent technological innovations and emerging concepts in the field of green and sustainable transportation infrastructure systems with a special focus on highway and airport pavements. Written by leading experts in the field. Climate change, energy production and consumption, and the need to improve the sustainability of all aspects of human activity are key inter-related issues for which solutions must be found and implemented quickly and efficiently. To be successfully implemented, solutions must recognize the rapidly changing socio-techno-political environment and multi-dimensional constraints presented by today's interconnected world. As part of this global effort, considerations of climate change impacts, energy demands, and incorporation of sustainability concepts have increasing importance in the design, construction, and maintenance of highway and airport pavement systems. To prepare the human capacity to develop and implement these solutions, many educators, policy-makers and practitioners have stressed the paramount importance of formally incorporating sustainability concepts in the civil engineering curriculum to educate and train future civil engineers well-equipped to address our current and future sustainability challenges. This book will prove a valuable resource in the hands of researchers, educators and future engineering leaders, most of whom will be working in multidisciplinary environments to address a host of next-generation sustainable transportation infrastructure challenges.

Climate change, energy, sustainability and pavements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gopalakrishnan, Kasthurirangan [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States). Dept. of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering; Steyn, Wynand JvdM [Pretoria Univ. (South Africa). Dept. of Civil Engineering; Harvey, John (ed.) [California Univ., Davis, CA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

2014-07-01

Provides an integrated perspective on understanding the impacts of climate change, energy and sustainable development on transportation infrastructure systems. Presents recent technological innovations and emerging concepts in the field of green and sustainable transportation infrastructure systems with a special focus on highway and airport pavements. Written by leading experts in the field. Climate change, energy production and consumption, and the need to improve the sustainability of all aspects of human activity are key inter-related issues for which solutions must be found and implemented quickly and efficiently. To be successfully implemented, solutions must recognize the rapidly changing socio-techno-political environment and multi-dimensional constraints presented by today's interconnected world. As part of this global effort, considerations of climate change impacts, energy demands, and incorporation of sustainability concepts have increasing importance in the design, construction, and maintenance of highway and airport pavement systems. To prepare the human capacity to develop and implement these solutions, many educators, policy-makers and practitioners have stressed the paramount importance of formally incorporating sustainability concepts in the civil engineering curriculum to educate and train future civil engineers well-equipped to address our current and future sustainability challenges. This book will prove a valuable resource in the hands of researchers, educators and future engineering leaders, most of whom will be working in multidisciplinary environments to address a host of next-generation sustainable transportation infrastructure challenges.

Worldwide Engagement for Sustainable Energy Strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-01

Almost 40 years after the Agency’s founding, the IEA responsibility for ensuring access to global oil supplies is still a core mandate. Yet over the course of its history, the IEA’s responsibilities have expanded along with both the international energy economy and conceptions of energy security itself. Our mission to promote secure and sustainable energy provision spans the energy mix. At the same time, a changing global energy map means that the industrialised nations of the world no longer dominate energy consumption. The IEA must work in close co-operation with partner countries and organisations worldwide to achieve its three core objectives: energy security, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability. Working toward international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global climate change; facilitating energy technology exchange, innovation and deployment; improving modern energy access to the billions of people who are without it; bolstering both cleanliness and security through energy efficiency; and promoting flexible and functioning energy markets – these efforts complement our traditional core responsibilities of mitigating the effects of supply disruptions and improving statistical transparency.

Sustainable production and consumption in a regional policy perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coenen, Franciscus H.J.M.

2004-01-01

One of the main challenges regions face in sustainable development is changing their production and consumption patterns. This paper focuses on the role of regional government in sustainable production and consumption polices, one of the specific topics in the framework of the European Regional

Innovative approaches in European sustainable consumption policies: assessing the potential of various instruments for sustainable consumption practises and greening of the market (ASCEE)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rubik, F.; Scholl, G.; Biedenkopf, K.; Kalimo, H.; Mohaupt, F.; Söebech, Ó.; Stø, E.; Strandbakken, P.; Turnheim, B.

2009-01-01

The report summarises the outcomes of the project "Assessing the potential of various instruments for sustainable consumption practices and greening of the market" (ASCEE). The scope of the ASCEE project was to consider the latest trends in policies supporting sustainable consumption and production

The Impact of Energy Consumption and Productivity Growth on Carbon Emissions in Ghana

OpenAIRE

Ishmael Ackah

2014-01-01

The environment plays two vital roles for mankind. It provides food and raw materials for production and consumption and also accepts the wastes generated through man’s activities and renders them harmless. This calls for sustainable environmental management. This study examines the impact of productivity growth, forest depletion, renewable energy consumption and non-renewable energy consumption on carbon emissions in Ghana. The findings suggest that productivity growth is the most important ...

City-integrated renewable energy for urban sustainability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kammen, Daniel M; Sunter, Deborah A

2016-05-20

To prepare for an urban influx of 2.5 billion people by 2050, it is critical to create cities that are low-carbon, resilient, and livable. Cities not only contribute to global climate change by emitting the majority of anthropogenic greenhouse gases but also are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and extreme weather. We explore options for establishing sustainable energy systems by reducing energy consumption, particularly in the buildings and transportation sectors, and providing robust, decentralized, and renewable energy sources. Through technical advancements in power density, city-integrated renewable energy will be better suited to satisfy the high-energy demands of growing urban areas. Several economic, technical, behavioral, and political challenges need to be overcome for innovation to improve urban sustainability. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Can Collusion Promote Sustainable Consumption and Production?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schinkel, M.P.; Spiegel, Y.

Several competition authorities consider the exemption of horizontal agreements among firms from antitrust liability if the agreements sufficiently promote public interest objectives such as sustainable consumption and production. We show that when consumers value sustainable products and firms

Toward sustainable data centers: a comprehensive energy management strategy

OpenAIRE

Guitart Fernández, Jordi

2016-01-01

Data centers are major contributors to the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, and this contribution is expected to increase in the following years. This has encouraged the development of techniques to reduce the energy consumption and the environmental footprint of data centers. Whereas some of these techniques have succeeded to reduce the energy consumption of the hardware equipment of data centers (including IT, cooling, and power supply systems), we claim that sustainable data c...

Sustainable energy management - a prerequisite for the realization Kyoto Protocol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirjana Golušin

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Energy management can be defined as the process of planning, directing, implementing and controlling the process of generation, transmission and energy consumption. Energy management is a kind of synthesis of phenomena and concepts of modern energy management (management, or the use of modern settings management in the energy sector. Furthermore, when outlining the basic settings for power management Modern management is based on the assumptions of sustainability and conservation of energy stability for present and future generations. Therefore, modern energy management can be seen as a kind of synthesis of three actuarial sciences: energy, sustainable development and management. Sustainable Energy Management is a unique new concept, idea and approach that require many changes in the traditional way of understanding and interpretation of energy management at all levels. Sustainable energy management concept can not therefore be construed as an adopted and defined the concept, but must be constantly modified and adjusted in accordance with changes in the three areas that define it, and in accordance with the specific country or region where applicable. Accordingly, sustainable energy management can be defined as the process of energy management that is based on fundamental principles of sustainable development.

Sustainable Consumption Governance in a Globalizing World

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fuchs, D.A.; Lorek, Sylvia

2002-01-01

Our paper explores the implications of globalization for sustainable consump tion governance. It draws its central findings from a structured inquiry into the implications of globalization for the sustainability of household consumption. Our focus is on industrialized countries and the two

Sustainable Energy United in Diversity: Challenges and Approaches in Energy Transition in the EU

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Squintani, Lorenzo; Vedder, Hans; Vanheusden, Bernard; Reese, Moritz

2014-01-01

This book focuses on the relationship between environmental protection and the production, distribution and consumption of energy and the regulatory and policy challenges that are felt in the transition to a sustainable energy system and more generally a low carbon economy. Today, an increasingly

Model of sustainable development of energy system, case of Hamedan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahabmanesh, Aref; Saboohi, Yadollah

2017-01-01

Sustainable economic growth and improvement of the social welfare depend upon the sufficient supply of energy resources, while the utilization of energy resources is one of the main factors of environmental degradation. This research is involved with development of a sustainable energy system model and a new method for sustainability assessment. This model represents the flow of energy from primary resources through processing, conversion, and end-use technologies in an optimization framework where the useful energy demand in various social and economic sectors is met. The impact of energy supply and consumption chain on the environment at each level of energy system is also embedded in the model structure. A multi-criteria analysis of changes is then applied and sustainable development indices of the whole system are concluded. Finally, effects of the energy subsidy policy and high economic growth rate on sustainability of the energy system in three scenarios are analyzed. Results demonstrate that energy subsidy decelerates the improvement rate of the total sustainability index. Also, when a high economic growth is accompanied with the energy subsidy this index reduces considerably. Results show that how penetration of renewable energy potentials changes the sustainability situation of energy systems. - Highlights: • Developing a new model for sustainable energy systems. • Presenting a new method for sustainability assessment of energy systems. • Optimizing the energy flow and capacity expansion of Hamedan energy system. • Utilizing an MCDA approach to obtain sustainability indices of the whole system. • Analysis of energy subsidy and high economic growth on energy sustainability.

Interventions to encourage sustainable consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dam, van Y.K.; Trijp, van J.C.M.

2016-01-01

Sustainable consumption is hampered by a discrepancy between consumers’ attitudes and their actual behaviour in the market place. Psychological construal level theory provides an explanation for the attitude to behaviour gap as a motivational conflict between high and low level of mental construal.

Sustainable Design and Renewable Energy Concepts in Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Maxwell, Lawrence

2009-07-01

The energy use of residential and non-residential buildings in the US makes up a full 50% of the total energy use in the country. The Architects role in positively altering this equation has become more and more apparent. A change in the paradigm of how buildings are designed and the integration of renewable energy sources to meet their energy requirements can have tremendous impacts on sustainability, energy consumption, environment impacts, and the potential for climate change.

New Building Principles In Consequence Of Legislative Demands For Reduced Energy Consumption In Danish Housing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jessen, Rasmus Zederkof; Brohus, Henrik; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

2006-01-01

The increasing restrictions in coming building codes regarding energy consumption in housing generate a need to rethink the building design as well as the building process. This paper discusses the need to change/challenge the way structures are conceived in order to accommodate new legislative...... demands regarding energy consumption. More often than not sustainable aspects like the need for reduced energy consumption are implemented late in the design process. This paper investigates the affect of incorporating aspects like solar heat gain and energy consumption in the initial concept...

“DOSSA”, highway to energy self-sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abejon Aparicio, Noe; Lai, Cynthia; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We present a new model to achieve zero energy emissions. ► We compared with the strategic plan implemented by the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. ► Comparison scenarios are created using projections of the involved 13 variables. ► The most probable three projections are used for each variable. ► DOSSA reaches energy institutional self-sustainability an average of 23 years earlier. -- Abstract: Emphasis has been put forth in the field of applied energy towards reducing consumption, using renewable energy sources and mitigating pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Although these strategies are striving to achieve the same goal, there is no logical model that clearly establishes their pathway to success; therefore, DOSSA, a new and innovative model, has been developed to provide this necessary central bridge of multiple pathways through five easy and adaptable steps: (1) Data inventory; (2) Objectives; (3) Staff/Committee; (4) Strategy; and (5) Accountability (DOSSA). In this study, the DOSSA model was applied and compared to the University of Hawai’i at Manoa’s (UHM’s) current strategic energy plan: to achieve zero emissions in terms of energy by the year 2050. Under proper execution of each step from the model, this study shows the effectiveness of the application of DOSSA to any goal or objective by increasing efficiency and creative and innovative approaches to problems, specifically, environmental initiatives. Through the application of DOSSA in this case study at UHM, it was projected that UHM has the potential to be completely self-sustainable in terms of energy consumption approximately 23 years earlier to its expected “strategic plan” date of 2050. Thus, DOSSA cannot only be used as an instigator for achieving reduction goals but also as an accelerator for various green initiatives – a highway to energy self-sustainability.

Systems and practices in sustainable consumption research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Røpke, Inge

The financial crisis in 2007-2008 and the subsequent economic crisis served as a wake-up call for sustainable consumption studies. The literature on consumption and environment had little focus on finance, but the crisis made it clear that financial issues are important also from an environmental...... perspective. Credit plays an important role as a driver of unsustainable consumption, and financial mechanisms contribute to the widening inequalities as well as the build-up of macroeconomic instability. Looking ahead, transformation of finance is just as important for sustainability as transformation...... of the provision systems for food, transport, housing, etc. that are the dominant focus of environmental studies. Intertwined with these systems, the economy includes various other systems that are decisive for the overall economic and environmental performance and for the distribution of goods and services...

Energies, understand for choose: environment, quality of life, sustainable development; Energies, comprendre pour choisir: environnement, qualite de vie, developpement durable

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-07-01

This document is devoted to the public information on the energies sources, use and consumption. It aims to give a knowledge in the domain, in order to help the people to control its energy consumption in the framework of the sustainable development. (A.L.B.)

Survey Results on Fashion Consumption and Sustainability among Young Swedes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gwozdz, Wencke; Netter, Sarah; Bjartmarz, Thordis

Sustainable choices and behaviours are becoming ever more important in our daily lives in all consumption domains. This report focuses specifically on the consumption of textile fashion of young Swedish consumers. The purpose of this report is twofold: a) To describe current fashion consumption...... of young consumers and sustainability related attitudes and knowledge and b) to compare attitudes, knowledge and behaviour between consumers with different levels of awareness and commitment towards sustainability. The survey was conducted among 1,175 young Swedish consumers (aged 16-30) in 2012....... The average age of respondents is 23.5 years, with 48.7% females and 51.3% males. The report focuses on three consumption phases: purchase (including pre-purchase), use & maintenance and discarding....

Dynamics of renewable energy consumption and economic activities across the agriculture, industry, and service sectors: evidence in the perspective of sustainable development.

Science.gov (United States)

Paramati, Sudharshan Reddy; Apergis, Nicholas; Ummalla, Mallesh

2018-01-01

This study aims to examine the impact of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on the agriculture, industry, services, and overall economic activities (GDP) across a panel of G20 nations. The study makes use of annual data from 1980 to 2012 on 17 countries of the G20. To achieve the study objectives, we apply several robust panel econometric models which account for cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity in the analysis. The empirical findings confirm the significant long-run equilibrium relationship among the variables. The long-run elasticities indicate that both renewable and non-renewable energy consumptions have significant positive effect on the economic activities across the sectors and also on the overall economic output. These results also imply that the impact is more from renewable energy on economic activities than that of non-renewable energy. Given that, our results offer significant policy implications. We suggest that the policy makers should aim to initiate effective policies to turn domestic and foreign investments into renewable energy projects. This eventually ensures low carbon emissions and sustainable economic development across the G20 nations.

Impacts of sustainable consumption choices on quality of life: the Slow Food example

OpenAIRE

Nevison, James Holm

2008-01-01

Though increasingly understood that sustainable consumption is a key component for sustainable development, establishing its viability remains a crucial task. Moving towards sustainable consumption will realistically require significant changes in consumptio n patterns, as well as rethinking the connection between increased consumption and well-being. However, an identified knowledge gap exists in understanding how sustainable consumption choices impact lifestyle and quality of life. As a sta...

Sustainable energy utilization in Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alakangas, E.

1996-12-31

Finland tops the statistics for the industrialised world in the utilisation of bioenergy. In 1995 bioenergy, including peat-fired heat and power, accounted for 20 % of the total energy consumption. The declared goal of the government is to increase the use of bioenergy by not less than 25 % (1.5 million toe by the year 2005). Research and development plays a crucial role in the promotion of the expanded use of bioenergy in Finland. The aim is to identify and develop technologies for establishing and sustaining economically, environmentally and socially viable bioenergy niches in the energy system

Analytics for smart energy management tools and applications for sustainable manufacturing

CERN Document Server

Oh, Seog-Chan

2016-01-01

This book introduces the issues and problems that arise when implementing smart energy management for sustainable manufacturing in the automotive manufacturing industry and the analytical tools and applications to deal with them. It uses a number of illustrative examples to explain energy management in automotive manufacturing, which involves most types of manufacturing technology and various levels of energy consumption. It demonstrates how analytical tools can help improve energy management processes, including forecasting, consumption, and performance analysis, emerging new technology identification as well as investment decisions for establishing smart energy consumption practices. It also details practical energy management systems, making it a valuable resource for professionals involved in real energy management processes, and allowing readers to implement the procedures and applications presented.

Energy consumption in the management of avocado orchards in Michoacán, Mexico

OpenAIRE

Anaya, Carlos A.; Burgos, Ana Laura

2015-01-01

Efficient fossil energy consumption in agricultural systems is a prerequisite for sustainable agricultural production. Fossil energy consumption (EC) in avocado orchard production in Michoacán, Mexico was analyzed. Process analysis was used to estimate both direct and indirect energy required for the various agricultural operations. Data on fuel and inputs used in production were obtained from structured questionnaires completed by 455 growers. Average annual EC was 28,880 MJ∙ha-1, but the da...

Sustainable Development of Regional Power Systems and the Consumption of Electric Energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evgeny Lisin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, one of the most imminent problems facing power systems in post-industrial countries is the sustainable development of power systems under conditions of increasing power consumption irregularity due to the reduction of the industry’s share in consumers’ demand for electric power. In today’s Russia, this issue is becoming very acute due to the significant share of electric power and heat co-generation that is demonstrating low manoeuvrability and poor adaptation to operations in the daily variation of electric power demand. This paper considers the problem of improving the power system steady-state through the optimization of the production structure of thermal power plants. We propose a combinatorial algorithm that improves the planning of the structural and technological modernization of the power equipment configuration, with a glance at the forecast of the increasing irregularity of power consumption.

Energy in rural Ethiopia: consumption patterns, associated problems, and prospects for a sustainable energy strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mulugetta, Y.

1999-07-01

This paper provides a picture of energy resources and their current use in rural Ethiopia and presents an analysis of energy supply patterns and consumption trends. This exercise aims to build an empirical knowledge of ''real'' energy systems in the country and also to synthesize and analyze the general and specific problems that exist within the current energy system. Based on these lines of analysis, a series of technical and policy-oriented recommendations for rural energy development are discussed. (author)

The Impact of Socio-Economic Indicators on Sustainable Consumption of Domestic Electricity in Lithuania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sergej Vojtovic

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Lithuania is one of the EU Member States, where the rate of energy consumption is comparatively low but consumption of electricity has been gradually increasing over the last few years. Despite this trend, households in only three EU Member States consume less electricity than Lithuanian households. The purpose of this research is to analyse the impact of socio-economic factors on the domestic electricity consumption in Lithuania, i.e., to establish whether electricity consumption is determined by socio-economic conditions or population’s awareness to save energy. Cointegration analysis, causality test and error-correction model were used for the analysis. The results reveal that there is a long run equilibrium relationship between residential electricity consumption per capita and GDP at current prices as well as the ratio of the registered unemployed to the working-age population. In consequence, the results of the research propose that improvement of living standards for Lithuanian community calls for the necessity to pay particular attention to the promotion of sustainable electricity consumption by providing consumers with appropriate information and feedback in order to seek new energy-related consumption practices.

Financial Development, Economic Growth and Energy Consumption Nexus in Cote d’Ivoire

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diby Kassi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the relationship between financial development, economic growth and energy consumption in Cote d’Ivoire over the period 1971-2011. To do so, the study first built a synthetic indicator of financial development through the principal component analysis technique (PCA and used four energy sources such as electric power consumption, electricity production from renewable sources, electricity production from oil sources and electricity production from hydroelectric sources. Then, employing the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration, we find that there is a long run relationship between financial development, economic growth and energy consumption sources. Furthermore, the results of the vector error correction models (VECM reveal unidirectional causality running from financial development to energy consumption sources, bidirectional causality between economic growth and energy consumption and unidirectional causality from financial development to economic growth in the long run. The mixed results are due to the use of different proxies for energy consumption. Accordingly, this paper recommends that policy makers should solicit the support of financial sector in order to solve energy problems and further the diversification of the energy consumption sources since financial development has a positive effect on energy consumption in long run. Moreover, government should develop public-private partnership (PPP to stimulate economic growth, improve the access to energy and maintain a sustainable development in Cote d’Ivoire.

Sustainable use of forest biomass for energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stupak Moeller, Inge

2005-01-01

The substitution of biomass for fossil fuels in energy consumption is a measure to mitigate global warming, and political action plans at European and national levels exist for an increased use. The use of forest biomass for energy can imply different economic and environmental advantages and disadvantages for the society, the energy sector and forestry. For the achievement of an increased and sustainable use of forest biomass for energy, the EU 5th Framework project WOOD-EN-MAN aimed at synthesising current knowledge and creating new knowledge within the field

Towards a Sustainable Energy Balance: Progressive Efficiency and the Return of Energy Conservation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diamond, Rick; Harris, Jeff; Diamond, Rick; Iyer, Maithili; Payne, Christopher; Blumstein, Carl; Siderius, Hans-Paul

2007-08-13

We argue that a primary focus on energy efficiency may not be sufficient to slow (and ultimately reverse) the growth in total energy consumption and carbon emissions. Instead, policy makers need to return to an earlier emphasis on"conservation," with energy efficiency seen as a means rather than an end in itself. We briefly review the concept of"intensive" versus"extensive" variables (i.e., energy efficiency versus energy consumption), and why attention to both consumption and efficiency is essential for effective policy in a carbon- and oil-constrained world with increasingly brittle energy markets. To start, energy indicators and policy evaluation metrics need to reflect energy consumption as well as efficiency. We introduce the concept of"progressive efficiency," with the expected or required level of efficiency varying as a function of house size, appliance capacity, or more generally, the scale of energy services. We propose introducing progressive efficiency criteria first in consumer information programs (including appliance labeling categories) and then in voluntary rating and recognition programs such as ENERGY STAR. As acceptance grows, the concept could be extended to utility rebates, tax incentives, and ultimately to mandatory codes and standards. For these and other programs, incorporating criteria for consumption as well as efficiency offers a path for energy experts, policy-makers, and the public to begin building consensus on energy policies that recognize the limits of resources and global carrying-capacity. Ultimately, it is both necessary and, we believe, possible to manage energy consumption, not just efficiency in order to achieve a sustainable energy balance. Along the way, we may find it possible to shift expectations away from perpetual growth and toward satisfaction with sufficiency.

Energy Consumption Database

Science.gov (United States)

Consumption Database The California Energy Commission has created this on-line database for informal reporting ) classifications. The database also provides easy downloading of energy consumption data into Microsoft Excel (XLSX

Shaping a sustainable energy future for India: Management challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, Subhes C.

2010-01-01

Most of the studies on the Indian energy sector focus on the possible future scenarios of Indian energy system development without considering the management dimension to the problem-how to ensure a smooth transition to reach the desired future state. The purpose of this paper is to highlight some sector management concerns to a sustainable energy future in the country. The paper follows a deductive approach and reviews the present status and possible future energy outlooks from the existing literature. This is followed by a strategy outline to achieve long-term energy sustainability. Management challenges on the way to such a sustainable future are finally presented. The paper finds that the aspiration of becoming an economic powerhouse and the need to eradicate poverty will necessarily mean an increase in energy consumption unless a decoupling of energy and GDP growth is achieved. Consequently, the energy future of the country is eminently unsustainable. A strategy focussing on demand reduction, enhanced access, use of local resources and better management practices is proposed here. However, a sustainable path faces a number of challenges from the management and policy perspectives.

Sustainable energy, environmental and agricultural policies in Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaygusuz, Kamil

2010-01-01

Turkey's demand for energy and electricity is increasing rapidly and heavily dependent on expensive imported energy resources that place a big burden on the economy and air pollution is becoming a great environmental concern in the country. As would be expected, the rapid expansion of energy production and consumption has brought with it a wide range of environmental issues at the local, regional and global levels. With respect to global environmental issues, Turkey's carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions have grown along with its energy-consumption. States have played a leading role in protecting the environment by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be the one of the most efficient and effective solutions for clean and sustainable energy development in Turkey. Turkey's geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of these renewable energy sources.

Ecological Citizenship and Sustainable Consumption: Examining Local Organic Food Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Seyfang, Gill

2006-01-01

Sustainable consumption is gaining in currency as a new environmental policy objective. This paper presents new research findings from a mixed-method empirical study of a local organic food network to interrogate the theories of both sustainable consumption and ecological citizenship. It describes a mainstream policy model of sustainable…

The Influence of Farmers’ Livelihood Strategies on Household Energy Consumption in the Eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xueyan Zhao

2018-05-01

Full Text Available As an essential factor for sustainable development, energy plays a very important role in sustaining a modern lifestyle, particularly in poor rural areas. Considering that farmers’ livelihood in such areas is enormously dependent on services provided by environmental resources, it makes sense to investigate the relationships and interactions between farming households’ livelihood strategies and their energy consumption. The findings and outcomes would be expected to contribute to the body of knowledge and benefit local policy-making toward sustainable transformation in the long run. Taking Gannan as an example, this study employed a participatory rural appraisal approach, with first-hand data mainly from field surveys, using a stratified random sampling method to illustrate the influence of farmers’ livelihood strategies for household energy consumption in the eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China. Seven townships in Gannan were covered, three of them in pure pastoral areas, two in farming-pastoral areas, and two in farming areas. From these, 230 households were selected as study samples, with a valid return of 217 questionnaires, among which 78 came from pure pastoral areas, 60 from farming-pastoral areas, and 79 from farming areas. The results show that livelihood has a significant impact on farmers’ household energy consumption patterns, and increasing family income level and education level and improving the availability of commodity energy resources will help farmers reduce the proportion of biomass energy consumption and increase the proportion of commodity energy consumption. Furthermore, measures such as developing nonagricultural industries, improving the energy infrastructure, and enhancing farmers’ energy-saving awareness should be seriously considered to optimize farmers’ living energy consumption patterns in these poverty-stricken and eco-frangible regions.

[Analysis of grey correlation between energy consumption and economic growth in Liaoning Province, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li; Xi, Feng Ming; Wang, Jiao Yue

2016-03-01

The contradiction between energy consumption and economic growth is increasingly prominent in China. Liaoning Province as one of Chinese heavy industrial bases, consumes a large amount of energy. Its economic development has a strong dependence on energy consumption, but the energy in short supply become more apparent. In order to further understand the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth and put forward scientific suggestions on low carbon development, we used the grey correlation analysis method to separately examine the relevance of economic growth with energy consumption industries and energy consumption varieties through analy sis of energy consumption and economic growth data in Liaoning Province from 2000 to 2012. The results showed that the wholesale and retail sector and hotel and restaurant sector were in the minimum energy consumption in all kinds of sectors, but they presented the closest connection with the economic growth. Although industry energy consumption was the maximum, the degree of connection between industry energy consumption and economic growth was weak. In all types of energy consumption, oil and hydro-power consumption had a significant connection with economic growth. However, the degree of connection of coal consumption with economic growth was not significant, which meant that coal utilization efficiency was low. In order to achieve low carbon and sustainable development, Liaoning Province should transform the economic growth mode, adjust industry structure, optimize energy structure, and improve energy utilization efficiency, especially promote producer services and develop clean and renewable energy.

Electrical energy consumption control apparatuses and electrical energy consumption control methods

Science.gov (United States)

Hammerstrom, Donald J.

2012-09-04

Electrical energy consumption control apparatuses and electrical energy consumption control methods are described. According to one aspect, an electrical energy consumption control apparatus includes processing circuitry configured to receive a signal which is indicative of current of electrical energy which is consumed by a plurality of loads at a site, to compare the signal which is indicative of current of electrical energy which is consumed by the plurality of loads at the site with a desired substantially sinusoidal waveform of current of electrical energy which is received at the site from an electrical power system, and to use the comparison to control an amount of the electrical energy which is consumed by at least one of the loads of the site.

Renewable energy resources in Mali : potential and options for a sustainable development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diarra, D.C. [Queen' s Univ., Kingston, ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Solar Calorimetry Lab; Dembele, P. [Mali-Folkecenter, Faladie SEMA, Bamako (Mali)

2006-07-01

With a population of approximately 12 million, the per capita energy consumption of Mali is 228 Kilo tons of oil equivalent per inhabitant per year. Household energy consumption accounts for nearly 86 per cent of the total energy consumed with almost 99 per cent coming from wood energy. Energy consumption in the transportation, industrial and agricultural sectors is 10, 3, and 1 per cent respectively. The energy sector in Mali is characterized by the over-exploitation of forestry resources, dependence on imported oil and an under-exploitation of potential renewable energy resources such as solar, wind and biomass. The supply of solar energy is inexhaustible as the country receives almost 12 hours of sunshine with an average daily insolation of 5-7 KWh/m{sup 2}/day. Applications of photovoltaic (PV) technology in Mali concerns the basic needs of the population such as water pumping, lighting, battery charging and refrigeration. In 1994, the Mali government gave preferential fiscal policy on all solar equipment in order to encourage the wide spread use of solar energy, but technical constraints such as low efficiency, appropriate technology transfer methods, and sustainable financing mechanisms remain to be addressed. This paper described several programs that have been initiated to promote the use of renewable energy, protect the fragile environment threatened by the Sahara Desert and to provide access to drinking water. These achievements however, have not yet guaranteed energy sustainability, particularly in rural areas. It was recommended that efforts should be made to strengthen the renewable energy sector, correct inadequacies, introduce a sustainable renewable energy technology transfer process, and consolidate knowledge and experiences to focus on low cost renewable energy technologies. It was suggested that a natural resource map of the country should be made available in order allow for comparative cost and technology sustainability analysis before deciding

Understanding Teenagers' Personal Contexts to Design Technology That Supports Learning about Energy Consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Avramides, Katerina; Craft, Brock; Luckin, Rosemary

2016-01-01

Energy sustainability is prevalent in political and popular rhetoric and yet energy consumption is rising. Teenagers are an important category of future energy consumers, but little is known of their conceptions about energy and energy saving. We report on empirical research with two groups of teenagers. This is part of ongoing work to design…

A perspective of the Malaysian highway energy consumption and future power supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saqr, Khalid M.; Musa, Md. Nor

2011-01-01

In this short communication, we discuss the energy consumption trends in the Malaysian road transport sector, with a special emphasis on the energy losses due to vehicle aerodynamic drag on highways. The recent trends of energy consumption in the Malaysian road transport sector are reviewed. It is evidently shown that the aerodynamic losses represented exceed 1.2 MTOE annually since 2002. A novel concept of vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) farms for harvesting aerodynamic energy losses on Malaysian highways is preliminarily proposed. The novel concept aims at providing a sustainable and green energy source for the lighting of the highway network in the country.

Challenges for Marketers in Sustainable Production and Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Oates

2016-01-01

Full Text Available As one of the biggest issues facing today’s global society, sustainability cuts across all areas of production and consumption and presents challenges for marketers who attempt to understand and incorporate sustainability in their everyday practices [1–3]. [...

The status and role of nuclear energy in the sustainable energy development strategy in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Ziqiang; Wang Yongping; Zhao Shoufeng; Zheng Yuhui

2005-01-01

improvement of ecological environment and an inexhaustible resource in the long term. At the end of the paper, conclusions are made and some suggestions are put forward to the nuclear energy development in China. China now still largely relies on conventional energy to satisfy its consumption needs, as coal and oil account for about two-thirds and one quarter of the total energy consumption mix respectively, Delivering sustainability has become a clear priority of the energy sector consisting with national objectives for sustainable development. In order to realize the strategic goal of economic and social development, a sustainable development strategy should be adopted concerning energy in the new era: focusing on the theme of sustainable development, following the main thread of structure adjustment and optimization, giving impetus to comprehensive innovation, improving competitiveness and energy efficiency, and promoting coordinated development among energy, economy and environment. (authors)

Energy Performance of Buildings - The European Approach to Sustainability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heiselberg, Per

2006-01-01

This paper presents the European approach to improve sustainability in the building sector, which has a very high potential for considerable reduction of energy consumption in the coming years. By approving the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive the European Union has taken a strong...... leadership role in promoting energy efficiency in buildings in Europe, that will be the most powerful instrument developed to date for the building sector in Europe....

Main concerns of CFTC about sustainable development applied to energy; Preoccupations essentielles de la CFTC sur le developpement durable applique a l'energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laffitte, O.

2003-07-01

In the framework of the French national debate on energies, this paper presents the main recommendations of the trade union for chemistry, mining, textile industry and energy industry of the French syndicate CFTC about the application of the sustainable development principles to the energy domain: the energy right for everyone, the importance of individual and collective liabilities in the domain of energy production and consumption, the necessity of an urgent legislative evolution at the European level, a sustainable policy of energy production, the problem of the energy consumption in transportation systems, the problem of security and safety in energy industries, the industrial strategy of companies in the energy sector. (J.S.)

Estimating potential saving with energy consumption behaviour model in higher education institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Hafizal Ishak

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Towards sustainable Higher Education Institutions (HEIs, energy consumption behaviour is one of several issues that require an attention by facilities manager. Information from the behavioural aspect would be useful for facilities manager on managing the energy and determining potential energy saving. A lack of information negatively affects this aim. Hence, this paper proposes a methodology for assessing the energy consumption behaviour with the objective determining potential energy saving. The method used energy culture framework as basis and joined with centrographic approach and multiple-regression analysis. A self-administrated survey carried out involving 1400 respondents in selected HEIs. There are four types of energy use among students in HEIs namely, 'high', 'low', ‘medium’ and 'conserve' determined from the centrographic analysis. The energy consumption behaviour model was developed and tested against the holdout sample. Through the model's application, there is a vast potential for energy savings with over 55 kWh daily among the students.

Energy for sustainable development in Malaysia: Energy policy and alternative energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman Mohamed, Abdul; Lee, Keat Teong

2006-01-01

Energy is often known as the catalyst for development. Globally, the per capita consumption of energy is often used as a barometer to measure the level of economic development in a particular country. Realizing the importance of energy as a vital component in economic and social development, the government of Malaysia has been continuously reviewing its energy policy to ensure long-term reliability and security of energy supply. Concentrated efforts are being undertaken to ensure the sustainability of energy resources, both depletable and renewable. The aim of this paper is to describe the various energy policies adopted in Malaysia to ensure long-term reliability and security of energy supply. The role of both, non-renewable and renewable sources of energy in the current Five-Fuel Diversification Strategy energy mix will also be discussed. Apart from that, this paper will also describe the various alternative energy and the implementation of energy efficiency program in Malaysia

Defining a land boundary for sustainable livestock consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Zanten, Hannah H E; Herrero, Mario; Hal, Ollie Van; Röös, Elin; Muller, Adrian; Garnett, Tara; Gerber, Pierre J; Schader, Christian; De Boer, Imke J M

2018-05-22

The need for more sustainable production and consumption of animal-source food is central to the achievement of the sustainable development goals: within this context, wise use of land is a core challenge and concern. A key question in feeding the future world is: how much animal-source food should we eat? We demonstrate that livestock raised under the circular economy concept could provide a significant, non-negligible part (9-23g/per capita) of our daily protein needs (~50-60 g/per capita). This livestock then would not consume human-edible biomass, such as grains, but mainly convert leftovers from arable land and grass resources into valuable food, implying that production of livestock feed is largely decoupled from arable land. The availability of these biomass streams for livestock then determines the boundaries for livestock production and consumption. Under this concept, the competition for land for feed or food would be minimized and compared to no animal-source food, including some animal-source food in the human diet could free up about one quarter of global arable land. Our results also demonstrate that restricted growth in consumption of animal-source food in Africa and Asia would be feasible under these boundary conditions, while reductions in the rest of the world would be necessary to meet land use sustainability criteria. Managing this expansion and contraction of future consumption of animal-source food is essential for achieving sustainable nutrition security. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Recomposing consumption: defining necessities for sustainable and equitable well-being

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, Ian

2017-05-01

This paper focuses on consumption in the affluent world and the resulting level, composition and distribution of consumption-based emissions. It argues that public policy should foster the recomposition of consumption, while not disadvantaging poorer groups in the population. To combine these two imperatives entails making a distinction between goods and services that are necessary for a basic level of well-being, and those that are surplus to this requirement. The argument proceeds in six stages. First, the paper outlines a theory of universal need, as an alternative conception of well-being to consumer preference satisfaction. Second, it proposes a dual strategy methodology for identifying need satisfiers or necessities in a given social context. Then, it applies this methodology to identify a minimum bundle of necessary consumption items in the UK and speculates how it might be used to identify a maximum bundle for sustainable consumption. The next part looks at corporate barriers and structural obstacles in the path of sustainable consumption. The following part reveals a further problem: mitigation policies can result in perverse distributional outcomes when operating in contexts of great inequality. The final section suggests four ecosocial public policies that would simultaneously advance sustainable and equitable consumption in rich nations. This article is part of the themed issue 'Material demand reduction'.

An Interdisciplinary Education of Sustainability, Energy and Green Economics

Science.gov (United States)

Sikand, M. V.; Mazzatenta, C.; Wong, K.; Socha, A.

2017-12-01

This following project demonstrates an interdisciplinary method of teaching Sustainability, Energy and Green Economics. It is shown that an interdisciplinary approach to introduce students to the foundations of sustainability strongly connects education with real world applications, and highlights the growing influence of sustainable practices on the world at large. The authors will present results from the interdisciplinary course "Sustainability, Energy and Green Economy" taught at the Center of Sustainable Energy, Bronx Community College, City University of New York (CSE-BCC-CUNY) by faculty from Physics, Chemistry, Biology. The course curriculum covers the relationship of humans within their environment, the facts of climate change, an analysis of the current global energy portfolio, the burgeoning renewable energy sector, and connections between consumption and quality of life. The students are exposed to empirical data and asked to evaluate trends to ascertain the future energy and resource demands of a growing global population. The students are lead through an estimation of their own carbon footprint. Emphasis is made on the concept of `Life Cycle Analysis' and how such analyses can be used to create market value and a "green product". The interdisciplinary approach to teach students on how the principles of sustainability are building the green economy and how to build a successful career within today's workforce encourages students to apply the critical lens of sustainability to all aspects of their personal lives, as well as local, regional and global economies. The authors will present data collected by students to formulate and articulate a hypothesis specifically related to the sustainability of societal and economic market trends.

Energy consumption declined in 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1994-01-01

On presenting the energy consumption figures for 1993 the Minister for Economic Affairs of Baden-Wuerttemberg Dieter Spoeri (SPD) spoke of the eternal task of saving energy. In his view the slight decline in energy consumption from 1992 to 1993 should not be interpreted as a greater willingness to save energy; its main cause is rather to be seen in the course of the economy. According to estimations, total energy consumption fell 0.5% and electricity consumption 1.0% from 1992 to 1993. The economy on the other hand, still a decisive factor in energy consumption, is estimated to have declined 3% during that period. In the ten years from 1983 to 1993 total energy consumption in the Land rose an average annual 1.8% while electricity consumption kept astride with the economy with an average annual rise 2.7%, he said. (orig./HP) [de

No sustainable development without an energy policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhras, G.

2000-01-01

The energy crisis of 1973, and again during the 1980s, prompted industrialized countries to adopt measures to reduce energy usage and to encourage conservation practices. Energy consumption in the transportation field was particularly high. However, after a while, some of the measures were either dropped or not enforced and our energy utilization continued to intensify. It soon became apparent that a different approach was required. At the Rio Conference in 1992, the idea of sustainable development was introduced with the objective to reduce global warming. The utilization of fossil fuels amplifies the emissions of greenhouse gases resulting in global warming which threatens the entire environment and also the health of citizens, particularly those living in cities. In 1997, 160 countries signed the Kyoto Protocol. Canada committed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 6 per cent compared to 1990 levels, and this between 2008 and 2012. It is obvious that drastic steps are needed in order for Canada to meet this commitment. After an extensive analysis of the situation by various committees, it was concluded that activities related to the transportation of people in particular contribute greatly to the emission of greenhouse gases. The results also indicate that solutions need to be found to reduce energy consumption. The author recommended the adoption of intelligent structures and materials which imitate biological systems in a predictable manner to optimize certain functions. He also recommended a better integration of energy policy with the basic principles of sustainable development. 10 refs., 4 tabs

Occupant behavior and energy consumption in dwellings: An analysis of behavioral models and actual energy consumption in the dutch housing stock

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merve Bedir

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Much is known about the increasing levels of energy consumption and environmental decay caused by the built environment. Also, more and more attention is shown to the energy consumption of dwellings, from the early design stage until the occupants start living in them. The increasing complexity of building technologies, the occupants’ preferences, and their needs and demands make it difficult to achieve the aimed energy consumption levels. The goal of reducing the energy consumption of dwellings and understanding the share of occupant behavior in it form the context of this research. Several studies have demonstrated the ‘energy performance gap’ between the calculated and the actual energy consumption levels of buildings, and have explored the reasons for it. The energy performance gap is either caused by calculation drawbacks, uncertainties of modeling weather conditions, construction defects regarding air tightness and insulation levels, or by occupant behavior. This research focuses on the last aspect, i.e. analyzing the relationship between occupant behavior and energy consumption in dwellings, understanding the determinants of energy consumption, and finding occupants’ behavioral patterns. There are several dimensions of occupant behavior and energy consumption of dwellings: dwelling characteristics including the energy and indoor comfort management systems, building envelope, lighting and appliances; occupant characteristics including the social, educational and economical; and actual behavior, including the control of heating, ventilation and lighting of spaces, and appliance use, hot water use, washing, bathing, and cleaning. Attempting to understand this complexity asks for a methodology that covers both quantitative and qualitative methods; and both cross-sectional and longitudinal data collection, working interdisciplinary among the domains of design for sustainability, environmental psychology, and building and design

Sustainable electric energy supply by decentralized alternative energy technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zahedi, A., E-mail: Ahmad.Zahedi@jcu.edu.au [James Cook University, Queensland (Australia). School of Engineering and Physical Sciences

2010-07-01

The most available and affordable sources of energy in today's economic structure are fossil fuels, namely, oil, gas, and coal. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, have limited reserves, and have serious environmental problems associated with their use. Coal and nuclear energy are used in central and bulky power stations to produce electricity, and then this electricity is delivered to customers via expensive transmission lines and distribution systems. Delivering electric power via transmission and distribution lines to the electricity users is associated with high electric power losses. These power losses are costly burdens on power suppliers and users. One of the advantages of decentralized generation (DG) is that DG is capable of minimizing power losses because electric power is generated at the demand site. The world is facing two major energy-related issues, short term and long term. These issues are (i) not having enough and secure supplies of energy at affordable prices and (ii) environmental damages caused by consuming too much energy in an unsustainable way. A significant amount of the current world energy comes from limited resources, which when used, cannot be replaced. Hence the energy production and consumption do not seem to be sustainable, and also carries the threat of severe and irreversible damages to the environment including climate change.The price of energy is increasing and there are no evidences suggesting that this trend will reverse. To compensate for this price increase we need to develop and use high energy efficient technologies and focusing on energy technologies using renewable sources with less energy conversion chains, such as solar and wind. The world has the potential to expand its capacity of clean, renewable, and sustainable energy to offset a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions from conventional power use. The increasing utilization of alternative sources such as hydro, biomass, geothermal, ocean energy, solar and

Road transport-related energy consumption: Analysis of driving factors in Tunisia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mraihi, Rafaa; Abdallah, Khaled ben; Abid, Mehdi

2013-01-01

The rapid growth of urban population and the development of road infrastructures in Tunisian cities have brought about many environmental and economic problems, including the rise scored in energy consumption and the increase in the quantity of gas emissions arising from road transport. Despite the critical nature of such problems, no policies have yet been adopted to improve energy efficiency in the transport sector. This paper aims to determine driving factors of energy consumption change for the road mode. It uses decomposition analysis to discuss the effects of economic, demographic and urban factors on the evolution of transport energy consumption. The main result highlighted in the present work is that vehicle fuel intensity, vehicle intensity, GDP per capita, urbanized kilometers and national road network are found to be the main drivers of energy consumption change in the road transport sector during 1990–2006 period. Consequently, several strategies can be elaborated to reduce road transport energy. Economic, fiscal and regulatory instruments can be applied in order to make road transport more sustainable. -- Highlights: •We are interested in determining driving factors of transport energy consumption growth in Tunisia. •We use decomposition analysis approach. •Vehicle fuel and road vehicle intensities are found to be principal factors. •Motorization and urbanization are also found to be responsible

Solar energy solutions for an environmentally sustainable world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morozov, A.I.; Pustovitov, V.D.

1992-01-01

The United Nations Conference of Environment and Development has focused the world's attention on the complex relationship between the environment and economic development. The essence of this relationship, and the emerging theme of UNCED, is the concept of sustainability. Sustainable economic development improves quality of life and raises standards of living by using the Earth's resources in a way that ensures that they are continually renewed, and will continue to support future generations. This is the subject of this report. While energy resources are essential to economic development, the authors current patterns of energy use are not sustainable. Reliance on fossil fuels, nuclear energy, and large-scale hydroelectric projects has contributed to serious environmental problems, including atmospheric pollution, loss of land productivity, loss of biological diversity, ocean and fresh water pollution, and hazardous waste generation. Thus, if they are to achieve sustainability in their patterns of energy consumption, it is imperative that they bring about a rapid and widespread transition to the utilization of environmentally sound energy sources and technologies. Solar energy technologies are environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically practical. They have been proven in a wide variety of applications around the world. The barriers to the widespread implementation of solar technologies are no longer technical, but rather social, economic, and political. These barriers can and must be removed

The industrial energy consumption in 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2001-01-01

The Danish industrial energy consumption in 1999 is presented in tables. The tables include: the development in the energy consumption, the amount of employees in each of the main branches, fuel consumption, the fuel and energy consumption in 1999 based on each group of branches and energy category, the energy consumption in 1997 for each group of branches and the percentage distribution on energy category, and the fuel and energy consumption of motor vehicles in 1999 based on each group of branches. (SM)

The Impact of Greening Tax Systems on Sustainable Energy Development in the Baltic States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalia Streimikiene

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the greening of tax systems in the European Union (EU, and reviews the achievements of the Baltic States in relation to greening their tax systems and implementing the sustainable energy development goals set by the EU’s energy policies. Environmental taxes promote sustainable energy development, as they allow internalizing the external costs of atmospheric pollution in the energy sector. Energy production and consumption are a major source classical pollutants and greenhouse gas (GHG emissions. Almost of the all EU member states (MS apply pollution taxes as the most important economic tool for mitigating the environmental impacts of various economic activities. Considering the importance of the energy sector in terms of its contributions to total atmospheric emissions in the EU, it is supposed that environmental taxes are important drivers of sustainable energy development. Environmental taxes, as the main tool for the integration of negative externalities that are related to atmospheric pollution, are imposed to create incentives for reducing fossil fuel consumption and switching to renewable energy sources or fuels that have a lower carbon content and thus cause less pollution. The paper presents a comparative assessment of the impact of environmental taxes on sustainable energy development indicators in three selected countries from the Baltic region (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia during the period 2005–2015, and reveals the role that the greening of tax systems has had on implementing sustainable energy development targets in the Baltic States.

Recomposing consumption: defining necessities for sustainable and equitable well-being.

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, Ian

2017-06-13

This paper focuses on consumption in the affluent world and the resulting level, composition and distribution of consumption-based emissions. It argues that public policy should foster the recomposition of consumption, while not disadvantaging poorer groups in the population. To combine these two imperatives entails making a distinction between goods and services that are necessary for a basic level of well-being, and those that are surplus to this requirement. The argument proceeds in six stages. First, the paper outlines a theory of universal need, as an alternative conception of well-being to consumer preference satisfaction. Second, it proposes a dual strategy methodology for identifying need satisfiers or necessities in a given social context. Then, it applies this methodology to identify a minimum bundle of necessary consumption items in the UK and speculates how it might be used to identify a maximum bundle for sustainable consumption. The next part looks at corporate barriers and structural obstacles in the path of sustainable consumption. The following part reveals a further problem: mitigation policies can result in perverse distributional outcomes when operating in contexts of great inequality. The final section suggests four ecosocial public policies that would simultaneously advance sustainable and equitable consumption in rich nations.This article is part of the themed issue 'Material demand reduction'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Energy and sustainable urban transport development in China: Challenges and solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xilang; Hu, Xiaojun

2002-01-01

This paper presents an overview of urban road transport development and challenges in energy consumption in China. It relates sustainable urban road transport development with energy consumption and environmental management. It analyzes the main challenges related to urban road transport development: energy security, low efficiency in energy utilization, and unsustainable environmental management. It also discusses necessary technological and policy initiatives to deal with these challenges: e.g., promoting the development and dissemination of cleaner vehicle technologies, substitution of LPG, CNG, LNG and bio fuels for gasoline and diesel, strengthening regulations on vehicle emissions, expediting public transport development, and the effective management of the soaring private cars. (author)

Energy and sustainable urban transport development in China: Challenges and solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xilang; Hu, Xiaojun

2002-07-01

This paper presents an overview of urban road transport development and challenges in energy consumption in China. It relates sustainable urban road transport development with energy consumption and environmental management. It analyzes the main challenges related to urban road transport development: energy security, low efficiency in energy utilization, and unsustainable environmental management. It also discusses necessary technological and policy initiatives to deal with these challenges: e.g., promoting the development and dissemination of cleaner vehicle technologies, substitution of LPG, CNG, LNG and bio fuels for gasoline and diesel, strengthening regulations on vehicle emissions, expediting public transport development, and the effective management of the soaring private cars. (author)

Sustainable markets for sustainable energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Millan, J.; Smyser, C.

1997-12-01

The author discusses how the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is involved in sustainable energy development. It presently has 50 loans and grants for non conventional renewable energy projects and ten grants for efficiency programs for $600 and $17 million respectively, representing 100 MW of power. The IDB is concerned with how to create a sustainable market for sustainable energy projects. The IDB is trying to work with government, private sector, NGOs, trading allies, credit sources, and regulators to find proper roles for such projects. He discusses how the IDB is working to expand its vision and objectives in renewable energy projects in Central and South America.

Sustainable seafood consumption in action: Relevant behaviours and their predictors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Richter, Isabel; Thøgersen, John; Klöckner, Christian A.

2017-01-01

The current dominance of unsustainable seafood consumption threatens future food security. To preserve marine food resources over the long term more sustainable ways to consume seafood have to be promoted. This paper discusses consumer actions that represent the sustainable consumption of seafood...... in Norway. The predictive power of intention, social norms, trust and general pro-environmental attitudes are theoretically discussed and statistically tested in regards to (a) using sustainable seafood labels, and (b) using sustainable seafood guides. Data analysis (N=1190 Norwegian adults) shows that both...... behaviors are related to social norms, intentions and trust. This pattern also turns out to be stable over time as a second data collection on the same sample four weeks later shows. Causal relationships have been identified by applying a cross-lagged panel analysis between intentions and sustainable...

Effect of energy taxes on energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnsen, T.A.

1991-01-01

The energy consumption and taxation in Norway is described in addition to some of the consequences of this taxation on the energy market. Modelling of energy demand is dealt with. It is concluded that the influence of energy taxation on energy consumption is dependent on market conditions for individual energy products. This thesis is elaborated. (AB)

Energy autarky: A conceptual framework for sustainable regional development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, Matthias Otto; Staempfli, Adrian; Dold, Ursula; Hammer, Thomas

2011-01-01

Energy autarky is presented as a conceptual framework for implementing sustainable regional development based on the transformation of the energy subsystem. It is conceptualized as a situation in which the energy services used for sustaining local consumption, local production and the export of goods and services are derived from locally renewable energy resources. Technically, the implementation of higher degrees of energy autarky rests on increasing energy efficiency, realizing the potential of renewable energy resources and relying on a decentralized energy system. Practically, a transition towards regional energy autarky requires administrations and civil society actors to initialize and develop projects at the local level, ensure their acceptance and support by the regional population and implement the project in collaboration with relevant actors. Besides the description of the concept and the benefits its implementation brings, this article provides a process for implementation, and some examples from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. - Highlights: → We introduce energy autarky as a conceptual framework for sustainable development. → Transforming the energy subsystem creates various benefits for communities. → Local participation should lead to social acceptance of renewables. → We review and discuss projects implementing energy autarky. → Further research needs to compare successful implementations with failures.

Building a Sustainable Energy Future for Africa - Acting Now and Together

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fall, L.

2007-07-01

The key energy challenges Africa is facing are: low level of access to commercial energy, low per capita energy consumption, weak development of energy infrastructure and lack of investment and financing for energy projects. Addressing these challenges is critical for sustainable economic and social development, and assured access to secure, affordable and reliable energy. In spite of these daunting challenges, Africa is well endowed in energy resources, but these resources are largely untapped and concentrated in a few countries. In addition, there are numerous 'rooms' for opportunities that could be seized concretely to overcome the main obstacles to the Sustainable Energy Development of the Continent. Thus, right actions must be taken to overcome these obstacles, including: financing the huge needed investments, technological development, private-public partnerships, energy market reform and effective regulation, sound and sustainable energy policies, and economic and social measures. Subsequently, from priority areas, the related stakeholders should 'act now' and 'act together', through effective collaboration and partnership and making proper alliances, to initiate effective and concrete actions to support Africa aspirations in order to build a Sustainable Energy Future for Africa, in a cost-effective and timely manner. (auth)

The Role of Fashion vs. Style Orientation on Sustainable Fashion Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gwozdz, Wencke; Gupta, Shipra; Gentry, Jim

2014-01-01

, the notion of style is one promising avenue. While fashion is ever changing, following trends, style evolves slowly and continues to remain stable over time, expressing consumers’ ways of life. Thus, the created planned obsolescence by fashion could be reduced by the notion of style. The aim of this study...... is to investigate the potential of emphasizing style rather than fashion to enhance sustainability in fashion consumption. We suggest that as one ages, one tends to be less fashion-oriented. Further, higher style orientation enhances one’s ability to have more concern for the environment or knowledge about...... environmental apparel that further leads to sustainable consumption habits like environmental apparel consumption. Survey data across Germany, Sweden, UK and US is collected to examine the proposed relationships and thus provide insight on the role of fashion and style on sustainable fashion consumption....

Household energy consumption and expenditures, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This report, Household Energy Consumption and Expenditures 1990, is based upon data from the 1990 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). Focusing on energy end-use consumption and expenditures of households, the 1990 RECS is the eighth in a series conducted since 1978 by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Over 5,000 households were surveyed, providing information on their housing units, housing characteristics, energy consumption and expenditures, stock of energy-consuming appliances, and energy-related behavior. The information provided represents the characteristics and energy consumption of 94 million households nationwide

China Energy Group - Sustainable Growth Through EnergyEfficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levine, Mark; Fridley, David; Lin, Jiang; Sinton, Jonathan; Zhou,Nan; Aden, Nathaniel; Huang, Joe; Price, Lynn; McKane, Aimee T.

2006-03-20

China is fueling its phenomenal economic growth with huge quantities of coal. The environmental consequences reach far beyond its borders--China is second only to the United States in greenhouse gas emissions. Expanding its supply of other energy sources, like nuclear power and imported oil, raises trade and security issues. Soaring electricity demand necessitates the construction of 40-70 GW of new capacity per year, creating sustained financing challenges. While daunting, the challenge of meeting China's energy needs presents a wealth of opportunities, particularly in meeting demand through improved energy efficiency and other clean energy technologies. The China Energy Group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is committed to understanding these opportunities, and to exploring their implications for policy and business. We work collaboratively with energy researchers, suppliers, regulators, and consumers in China and elsewhere to: better understand the dynamics of energy use in China. Our Research Focus Encompasses Three Major Areas: Buildings, Industry, and Cross-Cutting Activities. Buildings--working to promote energy-efficient buildings and energy-efficient equipment used in buildings. Current work includes promoting the design and use of minimum energy efficiency standards and energy labeling for appliances, and assisting in the development and implementation of building codes for energy-efficient residential and commercial/public buildings. Past work has included a China Residential Energy Consumption Survey and a study of the health impacts of rural household energy use. Industry--understanding China's industrial sector, responsible for the majority of energy consumption in China. Current work includes benchmarking China's major energy-consuming industries to world best practice, examining energy efficiency trends in China's steel and cement industries, implementing voluntary energy efficiency agreements in various

Ecological Footprints and Lifestyle Archetypes: Exploring Dimensions of Consumption and the Transformation Needed to Achieve Urban Sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennie Moore

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The global urban transition increasingly positions cities as important influencers in determining sustainability outcomes. Urban sustainability literature tends to focus on the built environment as a solution space for reducing energy and materials demand; however, equally important is the consumption characteristics of the people who occupy the city. While size of dwelling and motor vehicle ownership are partially influenced by urban form, they are also influenced by cultural and socio-economic characteristics. Dietary choices and purchases of consumable goods are almost entirely driven by the latter. Using international field data that document urban ways of living, I develop lifestyle archetypes coupled with ecological footprint analysis to develop consumption benchmarks in the domains of: food, buildings, consumables, transportation, and water that correspond to various levels of demand on nature’s services. I also explore the dimensions of transformation that would be needed in each of these domains for the per capita consumption patterns of urban dwellers to achieve ecological sustainability. The dimensions of transformation needed commensurate with ecological carrying capacity include: a 73% reduction in household energy use, a 96% reduction in motor vehicle ownership, a 78% reduction in per capita vehicle kilometres travelled, and a 79% reduction in air kilometres travelled.

The industrial energy consumption in 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2004-01-01

The statistics present the industry's energy consumption and composition, and the development from 1973 to 2003. In this period the composition of the energy consumption has changed considerably: a decrease in the consumption of liquid fuels and an increase in the consumption of natural gas and electric power. The energy consumption in the Danish industry decreased with almost 9 % from 2001 to 2003. This relatively large decrease was mainly due to the closing down of a steel factory. In the wood industry the energy consumption decreased with 36 % from 2001 to 2003, while the energy consumption in the electronics industry increased. (ln)

China. Top Sector Energy. Sustainable Building. Opportunities for Dutch companies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-08-15

For China, sustainable design is necessary for controlling energy usage in crowded and constantly expanding urban areas. It is well known that China is the world's biggest construction market. Nearly half of the new buildings annually constructed worldwide are located in China by 2015. However, only about 4% of these are built according to energy efficiency standards. China's construction market will by 2020 account for 40% of the country's total energy consumption. While it contributes 15% of the world's GDP, China consumes 30% of the earth's steel and half its concrete. On top of which, buildings in China consume a third of the country's increasingly endangered water supplies. Recent research showed that almost half of the national energy consumption has been used for construction related purposes. Of existing buildings, a huge amount needs sustainable redesign and retrofitting technologies.Chinese government has recognized the urgency of widely implementing sustainable buildings. As a result, a national 3-star China National Green Building rating system has been launched in 2006. Yet the Chinese green building revolution is still in its infancy. Main problems are, amongst others, low level of regulations and standards, problematic implementations at local level, lack of awareness and transparency in related public and private sector, lack of expertise of integrated sustainable building design and construction among engineers, designers and constructors. It is also to be expected that more aggressive energy saving and environmental protection targets will be set by the 12th Five Year Plan. Promote green buildings will be one of the top priorities in China's swift urbanization process with focus on saving land, energy, water and materials. Chinese government has recognized the urgency of widely implementing sustainable buildings. Yet the Chinese green building revolution is still in its infancy. Under this framework, the

China. Top Sector Energy. Sustainable Building. Opportunities for Dutch companies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-08-15

For China, sustainable design is necessary for controlling energy usage in crowded and constantly expanding urban areas. It is well known that China is the world's biggest construction market. Nearly half of the new buildings annually constructed worldwide are located in China by 2015. However, only about 4% of these are built according to energy efficiency standards. China's construction market will by 2020 account for 40% of the country's total energy consumption. While it contributes 15% of the world's GDP, China consumes 30% of the earth's steel and half its concrete. On top of which, buildings in China consume a third of the country's increasingly endangered water supplies. Recent research showed that almost half of the national energy consumption has been used for construction related purposes. Of existing buildings, a huge amount needs sustainable redesign and retrofitting technologies.Chinese government has recognized the urgency of widely implementing sustainable buildings. As a result, a national 3-star China National Green Building rating system has been launched in 2006. Yet the Chinese green building revolution is still in its infancy. Main problems are, amongst others, low level of regulations and standards, problematic implementations at local level, lack of awareness and transparency in related public and private sector, lack of expertise of integrated sustainable building design and construction among engineers, designers and constructors. It is also to be expected that more aggressive energy saving and environmental protection targets will be set by the 12th Five Year Plan. Promote green buildings will be one of the top priorities in China's swift urbanization process with focus on saving land, energy, water and materials. Chinese government has recognized the urgency of widely implementing sustainable buildings. Yet the Chinese green building revolution is still in its infancy. Under this framework, the following areas will offer business

Household energy consumption and expenditures 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-10-05

This presents information about household end-use consumption of energy and expenditures for that energy. These data were collected in the 1993 Residential Energy Consumption Survey; more than 7,000 households were surveyed for information on their housing units, energy consumption and expenditures, stock of energy-consuming appliances, and energy-related behavior. The information represents all households nationwide (97 million). Key findings: National residential energy consumption was 10.0 quadrillion Btu in 1993, a 9% increase over 1990. Weather has a significant effect on energy consumption. Consumption of electricity for appliances is increasing. Houses that use electricity for space heating have lower overall energy expenditures than households that heat with other fuels. RECS collected data for the 4 most populous states: CA, FL, NY, TX.

Sustainable Consumption: Research Challenges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reisch, Lucia A.; Cohen, Maurie J.; Thøgersen, John

The Board of the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra) decided in October 2015 that a proposal for a funding application call in the research area of “sustainable consumption” should be drawn up. According to the statutes of Mistra, research funded by the foundation...... international senior researchers in the eld — Lucia A. Reisch, Maurie J. Cohen, John B. Thøgersen and Arnold Tukker (see Appendix 3) — to draft a background report to prepare the call. The group’s tasks were outlined as follows: ► to describe the challenges facing society in this area, and the political (and...... the orientation of a new research program to be used as draft text for the call for funding applications. The aim of this background report is hence to shed light on future research topics within sustainable consumption from a Swedish perspective. The research pro- moted should help to develop Sweden...

Sustainable Urban Regeneration Based on Energy Balance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sacha Silvester

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, results are reported of a technology assessment of the use and integration of decentralized energy systems and storage devices in an urban renewal area. First the general context of a different approach based on 'rethinking' and the incorporation of ongoing integration of coming economical and environmental interests on infrastructure, in relation to the sustainable urban development and regeneration from the perspective of the tripod people, technology and design is elaborated. However, this is at different scales, starting mainly from the perspective of the urban dynamics. This approach includes a renewed look at the ‘urban metabolism’ and the role of environmental technology, urban ecology and environment behavior focus. Second, the potential benefits of strategic and balanced introduction and use of decentralized devices and electric vehicles (EVs, and attached generation based on renewables are investigated in more detail in the case study of the ‘Merwe-Vierhaven’ area (MW4 in the Rotterdam city port in the Netherlands. In order to optimize the energy balance of this urban renewal area, it is found to be impossible to do this by tuning the energy consumption. It is more effective to change the energy mix and related infrastructures. However, the problem in existing urban areas is that often these areas are restricted to a few energy sources due to lack of available space for integration. Besides this, energy consumption in most cases is relatively concentrated in (existing urban areas. This limits the potential of sustainable urban regeneration based on decentralized systems, because there is no balanced choice regarding the energy mix based on renewables and system optimization. Possible solutions to obtain a balanced energy profile can come from either the choice to not provide all energy locally, or by adding different types of storage devices to the systems. The use of energy balance based on renewables as a

Assessing the Sustainability of EU Timber Consumption Trends: Comparing Consumption Scenarios with a Safe Operating Space Scenario for Global and EU Timber Supply

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meghan O’Brien

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The growing demand for wood to meet EU renewable energy targets has increasingly come under scrutiny for potentially increasing EU import dependence and inducing land use change abroad, with associated impacts on the climate and biodiversity. This article builds on research accounting for levels of primary timber consumption—e.g., toward forest footprints—and developing reference values for benchmarking sustainability—e.g., toward land use targets—in order to improve systemic monitoring of timber and forest use. Specifically, it looks at future trends to assess how current EU policy may impact forests at an EU and global scale. Future demand scenarios are based on projections derived and adapted from the literature to depict developments under different scenario assumptions. Results reveal that by 2030, EU consumption levels on a per capita basis are estimated to be increasingly disproportionate compared to the rest of the world. EU consumption scenarios based on meeting around a 40% share of the EU renewable energy targets with timber would overshoot both the EU and global reference value range for sustainable supply capacities in 2030. Overall, findings support literature pointing to an increased risk of problem shifting relating to both how much and where timber needed for meeting renewable energy targets is sourced. It is argued that a sustainable level of timber consumption should be characterized by balance between supply (what the forest can provide on a sustainable basis and demand (how much is used on a per capita basis, considering the concept of fair shares. To this end, future research should close data gaps, increase methodological robustness and address the socio-political legitimacy of the safe operating space concept towards targets in the future. A re-use of timber within the economy should be supported to increase supply options.

Development and sustainability issues - energy scenario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakodkar, Anil

2000-01-01

The 20th century has seen an unprecedented rise in the rate of consumption of material and energy resources. These patterns of growth and consumption have caused enormous strains on the available natural resources and the environment. Further, the benefits of available natural resources have been shared in a highly inequitable manner with a small fraction of mankind using up a large fraction of resources to a level that environmental concerns have become a global matter and are threatening to jeopardize the development of the larger fraction of humanity on grounds of global sustainability. While it has been seen that major achievements in almost all areas of human endeavour in recent times, enabling improvements in quality of life and better control over environmental degradation, there is a new challenge now of sustainability of the development process for the majority of human population. The environment with its large inertia, flexibility and stabilising mechanisms has so far some how copped up at least on a global scale with the unprecedented consumption. However, the recent trends indicate that most of the environment related cycles may not be able to take the continued abuse without disastrous global consequences. Piloting and sustaining the legitimate development of societies particularly those which are left far behind in the march towards better quality of life has, therefore, become a matter which needs very urgent consideration and action. There is thus a strong need for charting of a well deliberated goal oriented action plan with a vision that ensures due attention to the interests of all sections of society on the basis of their justifiable needs

Energy for Sustainable Development: A systematic approach for a badly defined challenge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez-Val, Jose M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Sustainable Development needs a better definition in relation to Energy. • Emerging energy technologies present very positive features for sustainability. • Renewable energies still need a lot of R and D for advancing in their learning curves. • Nuclear Energy has a very appealing potential as a non-CO 2 technology. • Electric cars are the best option for solving energy sustainability in transportation. - Abstract: Energy for Sustainable Development is analyzed as a Technology challenge with a very large set of possibilities both in energy generation and energy consumption. The portfolio of emerging technologies in both domains is very large but also very demanding. Their learning curves show very different features, and inherent difficulties in each technology can be identified. Additionally, energy sustainability conveys rigorous considerations about Global Warming and ancillary subjects, which are not yet properly defined in terms of requirements on the energy sectors. Moreover, the evolution of energy generation sources in the first decade of this century clearly shows a mismatch between the theoretical boost to combat climate change, and the actual facts in energy markets. However, emerging technologies in the complete energy sector could give a suitable answer to a challenge not very well defined so far

Water management for sustainable and clean energy in Turkey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim Yuksel

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Water management has recently become a major concern for many countries. During the last century consumption of water and energy has been increased in the world. This trend is anticipated to continue in the decades to come. One of the greatest reasons is the unplanned industrial activities deteriorating environment in the name of rising standard of life. What is needed is the avoidance of environmental pollution and maintenance of natural balance, in the context of sustainable development. However, Turkey’s geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of the renewable energy resources. There is a large variation in annual precipitation, evaporation and surface run-off parameters, in Turkey. Precipitation is not evenly distributed in time and space throughout the country. There are 25 hydrological basins in Turkey. But the rivers often have irregular regimes. In this situation the main aim is to manage and use the water resources for renewable, sustainable and clean energy. This paper deals with water management for renewable, sustainable and clean energy in Turkey.

Does trade liberalization effect energy consumption?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghani, Gairuzazmi M.

2012-01-01

The effect of trade liberalization on the environment can be directly linked to energy consumption, because energy consumption and production are the underlying cause of most pollutants that harm the environment. The descriptive statistics show that average annual growth of energy consumption per capita after trade liberalization varies among countries; hence it is a possibility that the effect of trade liberalization is conditional on factors other than liberalization per se. The regression results show that trade liberalization per se does not affect the growth of energy consumption of the developing countries analyzed, but its interaction with capital per labor reduces the growth of energy consumption as capital per labor increases. However, the effect is only significant after a certain minimum threshold level capital per labor is reached. On the other hand, economic growth increases energy consumption and its effect is not conditioned on trade liberalization. These two different effects mean that, with regards to energy consumption, countries at a higher level of economic development are more likely to reap the benefit of liberalization relative to less developed countries. - Research highlights: ► This paper examines the effect of trade liberalization on energy consumption. ► Developed countries are more likely to reap the benefit of trade liberalization. ► Growth of energy consumption after trade liberalization varies among countries. ► Interaction of capital per labor with liberalization reduces energy consumption.

Energy Consumption and Saving Analysis for Laser Engineered Net Shaping of Metal Powders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhichao Liu

2016-09-01

Full Text Available With the increasing awareness of environmental protection and sustainable manufacturing, the environmental impact of laser additive manufacturing (LAM technology has been attracting more and more attention. Aiming to quantitatively analyze the energy consumption and extract possible ways to save energy during the LAM process, this investigation studies the effects of input variables including laser power, scanning speed, and powder feed rate on the overall energy consumption during the laser deposition processes. Considering microhardness as a standard quality, the energy consumption of unit deposition volume (ECUDV, in J/mm3 is proposed as a measure for the average applied energy of the fabricated metal part. The potential energy-saving benefits of the ultrasonic vibration–assisted laser engineering net shaping (LENS process are also examined in this paper. The experimental results suggest that the theoretical and actual values of the energy consumption present different trends along with the same input variables. It is possible to reduce the energy consumption and, at the same time, maintain a good part quality and the optimal combination of the parameters referring to Inconel 718 as a material is laser power of 300 W, scanning speed of 8.47 mm/s and powder feed rate of 4 rpm. When the geometry shaping and microhardness are selected as evaluating criterions, American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI 4140 powder will cause the largest energy consumption per unit volume. The ultrasonic vibration–assisted LENS process cannot only improve the clad quality, but can also decrease the energy consumption to a considerable extent.

Energy sustainability through green energy

CERN Document Server

Sharma, Atul

2015-01-01

This book shares the latest developments and advances in materials and processes involved in the energy generation, transmission, distribution and storage. Chapters are written by researchers in the energy and materials field. Topics include, but are not limited to, energy from biomass, bio-gas and bio-fuels; solar, wind, geothermal, hydro power, wave energy; energy-transmission, distribution and storage; energy-efficient lighting buildings; energy sustainability; hydrogen and fuel cells; energy policy for new and renewable energy technologies and education for sustainable energy development

10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production

Science.gov (United States)

One of the important programmatic outcomes from the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) was the adoption of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP).

The industrial energy consumption in 2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2002-01-01

The Danish industrial energy consumption in 2001 is presented in tables. The tables include: the development in the energy consumption, the amount of employees in each of the main branches, fuel consumption, the fuel and energy consumption in 2001 based on each group of branches and energy category, and the emission of CO 2 . (LN)

Towards Sustainable Consumption and Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ulku, M. Ali; Hsuan, Juliana

2017-01-01

an environmentally conscious (green) consumer who will buy one of two available, horizontally differentiated products: a modular product (M) manufactured by Firm M or a standard product (S) manufactured by Firm S. Firm M can take advantage of its modular production technology and product return policy...... and numerical examples to render practical insights: The refund rate has a strong impact on profits; sensitivity of product greenness can be increased by conscientious advertising, and the reusability of modular parts encourages lower pricing and higher market share. We assert that modularity is a strong...... concept and practice in developing sustainable products and thereby in production, which, in turn, may enhance sustainable consumption. This study's findings have direct implications for reverse supply chain management, and firms should take these findings into account early in the product design phase....

Provider Strategies and the Greening of Consumption Practices: Exploring the Role of Companies in Sustainable Consumption

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spaargaren, G.; Koppen, van C.S.A.

2009-01-01

Making consumption practices more sustainable means incorporating new ideas, information and products into existing consumption routines of citizen-consumers. For a successful incorporation process it is crucial that companies, as main providers of new products and services, develop an active

Environmental sustainability in the Brazilian energetic sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendonca, Mario Jorge Cardoso de

1999-01-01

The article discusses the following issues of energy consumption and environmental sustainability in Brazil: decomposition of industrial energy consumption, energy intensity, energy demand, decomposition aggregate energy, gas emission intensities, statistical measures of un-sustainability, greenhouse gases and strategies for mitigating global warming

ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN CUBA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Debrayan Bravo Hidalgo

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Employment and enhancing the use of renewable energy sources could be considered as the beginning of a third ¨Industrial Revolution¨. The transition to a low carbon dioxide emission permits to a momentous turning point in the fight against climate change, improve energy security, and last but not least, significantly reduce the geopolitical intentions of this. The increase in renewable sources constitutes a guideline for energy policy in Cuba. Thus, programs for the construction of small hydropower plants, plant cells and photovoltaic panels, solar thermal energy systems for various services are developed; and the use of other primary sources such as wind and biomass. This work shows the implementation of these practices in the nation, the present results and future aspirations facing the demands of sustainable and steady development of generation and power consumption.

Energy and sustainable development in Cuba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bravo Hidalgo, Debrayan

2015-01-01

Employment and enhancing the use of renewable energy sources could be considered as the beginning of a third ¨Industrial Revolution¨. The transition to a low carbon dioxide emission permits to a momentous turning point in the fight against climate change, improve energy security, and last but not least, significantly reduce the geopolitical intentions of this.The increase in renewable sources constitutes a guideline for energy policy in Cuba. Thus, programs for the construction of small hydropower plants, plant cells and photovoltaic panels, solar thermal energy systems for various services are developed; and the use of other primary sources such as wind and biomass.This work shows the implementation of these practices in the nation, the present results and future aspirations facing the demands of sustainable and steady development of generation and power consumption. (author)

Stimulation of renewable energy. Part 1, Inefficient top electricity. Part 2, Appreciation of sustainable heat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruijgrok, W.

1999-09-01

The Third Energy Policy Memorandum and Action Programme 'The Advance of Sustainable Energy' depicts the objectives for sustainable energy consumption in the Netherlands. A major condition for achieving a successful market introduction of these sources of energy is a profitable operation. This study looks at the question of how profitable the various energy sources are at the moment what the contribution to this is of the existing package of stimulation measures provided by the Dutch government, and what improvements are possible. 20 refs

Energy Consumption Analysis for Concrete Residences—A Baseline Study in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuo-Liang Lin

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Estimating building energy consumption is difficult because it deals with complex interactions among uncertain weather conditions, occupant behaviors, and building characteristics. To facilitate estimation, this study employs a benchmarking methodology to obtain energy baseline for sample buildings. Utilizing a scientific simulation tool, this study attempts to develop energy consumption baselines of two typical concrete residences in Taiwan, and subsequently allows a simplified energy consumption prediction process at an early design stage of building development. Using weather data of three metropolitan cities as testbeds, annual energy consumption of two types of modern residences are determined through a series of simulation sessions with different building settings. The impacts of key building characteristics, including building insulation, air tightness, orientation, location, and residence type, are carefully investigated. Sample utility bills are then collected to validate the simulated results, resulting in three adjustment parameters for normalization, including ‘number of residents’, ‘total floor area’, and ‘air conditioning comfort level’, for justification of occupant behaviors in different living conditions. Study results not only provide valuable benchmarking data serving as references for performance evaluation of different energy-saving strategies, but also show how effective extended building insulation, enhanced air tightness, and prudent selection of residence location and orientation can be for successful implementation of building sustainability in tropical and subtropical regions.

Energy consumption: Past, present, future

Science.gov (United States)

1973-01-01

The energy consumption history of the United States and the changes which could occur in consumption characteristics in the next 50 years are presented. The various sources of energy are analyzed to show the limitations involved in development and utilization as a function of time available. Several scenarios were prepared to show the consumption and supply of energy under varying conditions.

Future Trajectories of Renewable Energy Consumption in the European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federica Cucchiella

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Renewable energy sources (RESs are able to reduce the European Union (EU’s dependence on foreign energy imports, also meeting sustainable objectives to tackle climate change and to enhance economic opportunities. Energy management requires a quantitative analysis and the European Commission follows the performance of each Member State (MS in order to define the corrective measures towards 2020 targets. Starting from historical data reported in the Eurostat database and through a mathematical model, this work proposes future trajectories towards 2020 of the share of energy from renewables (REs in terms of gross final energy consumption (GFEC. Furthermore, a quantitative analysis based on two indices—(i the share of REs in GFEC, and (ii gross final renewable energy consumption (GFREC per capita—permits a comparison among 28 MSs. The share of REs in GFEC in EU 28 varies from 19.4% to 21.8% in future trajectories towards 2020. Sweden and Finland occupy the top part of the ranking, while six MSs (Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are not able to reach the 2020 targets.

THE USE OF CONSUMER COMMUNITIES TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monika Skorek

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents an explanation of the essence of creation of consumer communities that have been developing for several years on the marketing market. A hypothesis was made that says that the mechanism of interdependence existing in the consumer community can be used to create sustainable consumption on the market. The method of literature study was used in the article. In the introduction it was proved that regardless of whether a community is formed independently around the brand or not, its existence is initiated by a company and its members interact by providing one another with the patterns of consumption. The reasons for consumers’ belonging to communities around the brand were described. The presented literature analysis revealed that the appropriate management of the community around the brand can serve the company to create a sustainable product consumption. 

Analysis and Monitoring of Energy Consumption and Indoor Climate in a School Before and After Deep Energy Renovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Jørgen; Thomsen, Kirsten Engelund; Bergsøe, Niels Christian

2015-01-01

kindergartens/institutions -- that will undergo deep energy renovation over the next fewyears.The seven buildings are being energy-renovated and monitored with support from the European Union- CONCERTO initiative as part of the project titled Cost-Effective Low-Energy Advanced Sustainable Solutions -- Class1...... ventilation systems with heat recovery, low-energy lighting, water-saving measures, improved insulation of piping, and improved control using building energy management systems. This paper presents preliminary results of the analysis and monitoring of energy consumption and indoor climate in one public school...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Energy Consumption and Economic Growth: A Panel Cointegration Analysis for 16 Asian Countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Wen-Cheng

2017-11-22

This research investigates the co-movement and causality relationships between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth for 16 Asian countries over the period 1990-2012. The empirical findings suggest that in the long run, bidirectional Granger causality between energy consumption, GDP and greenhouse gas emissions and between GDP, greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption is established. A non-linear, quadratic relationship is revealed between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth, consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve for these 16 Asian countries and a subsample of the Asian new industrial economy. Short-run relationships are regionally specific across the Asian continent. From the viewpoint of energy policy in Asia, various governments support low-carbon or renewable energy use and are reducing fossil fuel combustion to sustain economic growth, but in some countries, evidence suggests that energy conservation might only be marginal.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Energy Consumption and Economic Growth: A Panel Cointegration Analysis for 16 Asian Countries

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

This research investigates the co-movement and causality relationships between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth for 16 Asian countries over the period 1990–2012. The empirical findings suggest that in the long run, bidirectional Granger causality between energy consumption, GDP and greenhouse gas emissions and between GDP, greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption is established. A non-linear, quadratic relationship is revealed between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth, consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve for these 16 Asian countries and a subsample of the Asian new industrial economy. Short-run relationships are regionally specific across the Asian continent. From the viewpoint of energy policy in Asia, various governments support low-carbon or renewable energy use and are reducing fossil fuel combustion to sustain economic growth, but in some countries, evidence suggests that energy conservation might only be marginal. PMID:29165399

Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Energy Consumption and Economic Growth: A Panel Cointegration Analysis for 16 Asian Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Cheng Lu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This research investigates the co-movement and causality relationships between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth for 16 Asian countries over the period 1990–2012. The empirical findings suggest that in the long run, bidirectional Granger causality between energy consumption, GDP and greenhouse gas emissions and between GDP, greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption is established. A non-linear, quadratic relationship is revealed between greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and economic growth, consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve for these 16 Asian countries and a subsample of the Asian new industrial economy. Short-run relationships are regionally specific across the Asian continent. From the viewpoint of energy policy in Asia, various governments support low-carbon or renewable energy use and are reducing fossil fuel combustion to sustain economic growth, but in some countries, evidence suggests that energy conservation might only be marginal.

Optimizing cutting conditions on sustainable machining of aluminum alloy to minimize power consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Nur, Rusdi; Suyuti, Muhammad Arsyad; Susanto, Tri Agus

2017-06-01

Aluminum is widely utilized in the industrial sector. There are several advantages of aluminum, i.e. good flexibility and formability, high corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity, and high heat. Despite of these characteristics, however, pure aluminum is rarely used because of its lacks of strength. Thus, most of the aluminum used in the industrial sectors was in the form of alloy form. Sustainable machining can be considered to link with the transformation of input materials and energy/power demand into finished goods. Machining processes are responsible for environmental effects accepting to their power consumption. The cutting conditions have been optimized to minimize the cutting power, which is the power consumed for cutting. This paper presents an experimental study of sustainable machining of Al-11%Si base alloy that was operated without any cooling system to assess the capacity in reducing power consumption. The cutting force was measured and the cutting power was calculated. Both of cutting force and cutting power were analyzed and modeled by using the central composite design (CCD). The result of this study indicated that the cutting speed has an effect on machining performance and that optimum cutting conditions have to be determined, while sustainable machining can be followed in terms of minimizing power consumption and cutting force. The model developed from this study can be used for evaluation process and optimization to determine optimal cutting conditions for the performance of the whole process.

Energy consumption 2005 with Danish industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

The energy consumption in the Danish industries decreased with 4% from 2003 to 2005. The consumption of liquid fuels and district heat decreased with 27% and 21%, respectively. The consumption of solid fuels increased with 13%. The aim of the statistics is to elucidate the industry's energy consumption and its composition. The statistics present the development in the industry from 1973 to 2005, in which period the composition of the energy consumption has changed significantly. Especially, consumption of liquid fuels has decreased and consumption of gas and electricity has increased. (ln)

1999 world energy consumption (ENERDATA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, J.M.

2000-01-01

Here is given a compilation of detailed statistical tables on various aspects of world energy production and consumption over the years 1994 to 1999. The present tables indicate the production, trade and consumption of crude oil, liquefied natural gas, oil products, natural gas, coal, lignite, electric power; the energy balance for the year 1999; the total energy consumption in European Union, Western Europe, North America, Japan and Pacific, CIS and Central Europe, Latin America, Asia, Middle East and Africa for the years 1994 to 1999. The CO 2 emissions for these countries are also given. These data are an extraction of the energy statistics yearbook, ENERDATA, June 2000. They are commented by Mr J.M. Martin. According to ENERDATA, the 1999 world energy consumption stagnates. (O.M.)

Energy Consumption vs. Energy Requirement

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, L. T.; Zhang, Tengyan; Schlup, John R.

2006-01-01

Energy is necessary for any phenomenon to occur or any process to proceed. Nevertheless, energy is never consumed; instead, it is conserved. What is consumed is available energy, or exergy, accompanied by an increase in entropy. Obviously, the terminology, "energy consumption" is indeed a misnomer although it is ubiquitous in the…

The relationship among energy prices and energy consumption in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan, Chaoqing; Liu, Sifeng; Wu, Junlong

2010-01-01

The pricing mechanism for energy is not in line with the international standards, because the energy prices are controlled by the government partly or completely in China. Chinese government made a lot of efforts to improve the pricing mechanism for energy. The relations between Chinese energy prices and energy consumption are the foundations to reform the mechanism. In this paper, the relations between Chinese energy consumption and energy prices are researched by cointegration equations, impulse response functions, granger causality and variance decomposition. The cointegration relations among energy prices, energy consumption and economic outputs show that higher energy price will decrease energy consumption in Chinese industrial sectors but will not reduce the economic output in the long run. The cointegration relation between energy price and household energy consumption shows that higher energy price will decrease household energy consumption in the long run and increase it in the short run. So Chinese government should deepen the reform of pricing mechanism for energy, and increase the energy prices reasonably to save energy. (author)

Effects of urbanisation on energy consumption in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Qiang

2014-01-01

As a key issue in China's economic development, urbanisation creates increasing pressure on energy supply and the natural environment. Thus, a better understanding of the relationship between urbanisation and energy consumption is necessary for Chinese decision makers at various levels to address energy security and sustainable economic and social development. This paper empirically investigates the effects of China's urbanisation on residential energy consumption (REC) and production energy consumption (PEC) through a time-series analysis. The results show that compared with rural areas, urbanisation slows per capita REC growth because of the economy of scale and technological advantages associated with urbanisation but has greater promotional effects on the growth of REC and the improvement of REC structure. The economic growth caused by urbanisation most significantly contributes to an increase in PEC, whereas technological advancement was found to reduce the scale of PEC (except from 2001 to 2005). Finally, the structural effect of the energy supply increased rather than decreased China's PEC, and the effect of industrial structure adjustment on PEC was found to be insignificant. - Highlights: • Urbanisation slows per capita REC growth when compared with rural areas. • Urbanisation has a greater promotional effect on REC growth and a stronger improved effect on energy structure than do rural areas. • The economic growth effect of urbanisation is responsible for the majority of PEC growth. • Technological advancement in conjunction with urbanisation has an adverse effect on the increase in PEC. • The structural effect of the energy supply on the urbanisation process has increased rather than decreased China's PEC. • There is no significant evidence that industrial structure adjustment in the urbanisation process affects PEC

Impacts of GDP, Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption, Energy Consumption Intensity, and Economic Structure on SO2 Emissions: A Multi-Variate Panel Data Model Analysis on Selected Chinese Provinces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haoran Zhao

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric pollution gradually become a focus of concern all over the world owing to its detrimental influence on human health as well as long range impact on global ecosystem. This paper investigated the relationship among SO2 emissions, GDP, fossil fuel energy consumption, energy consumption intensity, and economic structure of five provinces in China with the highest SO2 emissions spanning from 2002–2015 based on panel data model. Through comparatively analyzing the coefficients in the established panel data model for Hebei, Henan, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, and Shanxi, we can obtain that: (1 fossil fuel energy consumption made the most devotion to SO2 discharge compared with GDP, energy consumption intensity, and economic structure. And the more the fossil fuel energy consumption, the more the devotion made by it to SO2 discharge. (2 GDP devoted less to SO2 emissions than fossil fuel energy consumption, and the larger the scale of the economy, the greater the contribution made by it to SO2 emissions. (3 The higher the proportion of the secondary industry added value accounted in GDP, the more the devotion made by the economic structure and energy consumption intensity to SO2 emissions. Through analyzing the Granger causality examination results, it can be concluded that: (1 there existed a bi-directional causal relationship between fossil fuel energy consumption and SO2 emissions among five selected provinces. (2 There existed uni-directional causal nexus running from GDP to SO2 emissions, from energy consumption intensity to SO2 emissions, and from economic structure to SO2 emissions among five chosen provinces. Based on the empirical analysis, several policy implications were proposed to provide references for policy makers, which were (1 Giving full play to the guiding role of price signals, and improving the price policy for desulfurization. (2 Formulating a new comprehensive evaluation system to measure the regional development level

Evaluating solar energy profitability: A focus on the role of self-consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiaroni, Davide; Chiesa, Vittorio; Colasanti, Lorenzo; Cucchiella, Federica; D’Adamo, Idiano; Frattini, Federico

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Investment profitability for realisation of PV facilities in Italy is analysed. • Self-consumption can support the economic sustainability of photovoltaic facilities. • A survey was conducted on 750 companies operating in various stages of supply chain. • The economic feasibility of PV investment is evaluated for systems of varying sizes. • The investments are located in two areas of the country to account for different levels of insolation. - Abstract: Renewable energies have a key role in defining an energy policy based on security, independence, and sustainability. The Italian market is characterised by the absence of support mechanisms for photovoltaic sources for electricity and by a high level of maturity in the energy market. Consequently, this paper contributes to, and advances, the debate concerning self-consumption that can support the economic sustainability of photovoltaic facilities. We constructed a database to conduct an analysis. A survey was conducted among 750 companies operating in various stages of the industry supply chain. The survey collected data related to industry turnover, profitability levels, profitability margins of the business areas and employee numbers. The economic feasibility of photovoltaic investment is evaluated for systems of varying sizes (3 kW, 20 kW, 200 kW, 400 kW, and 1 MW) located in two areas of the country to account for different levels of insolation (northern and southern regions). The indicators used are net present value (NPV) and discounted payback time (DPBT). A subsequent sensitivity and scenario analysis is conducted according to the share of self-consumption, investment costs, and financial structure to examine 210 case studies

Sustainable nuclear energy dilemma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afgan Naim H.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Sustainable energy development implies the need for the emerging potential energy sources which are not producing adverse effect to the environment. In this respect nuclear energy has gained the complimentary favor to be considered as the potential energy source without degradation of the environment. The sustainability evaluation of the nuclear energy systems has required the special attention to the criteria for the assessment of nuclear energy system before we can make firm justification of the sustainability of nuclear energy systems. In order to demonstrate the sustainability assessment of nuclear energy system this exercise has been devoted to the potential options of nuclear energy development, namely: short term option, medium term option, long term option and classical thermal system option. Criteria with following indicators are introduced in this analysis: nuclear indicator, economic indicator, environment indicator, social indicator... The Sustainability Index is used as the merit for the priority assessment among options under consideration.

The Role of Technical Innovation and Sustainability on Energy Consumption: A Case Study on the Taiwanese Automobile Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao-Wu Chou

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The impact of global warming and climate change is one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century. The greenhouse effect caused by technological development and industrial pollution has accelerated the speed of global warming. The continuous improvement in automobile energy consumption is one of the most effective ways to reduce global warming. A comparative analysis is proposed to examine the various automobiles that utilize technological innovation to improve their energy consumption. Their contribution to CO2 emissions is then investigated. This study focuses on technical innovation and output power of a conventional engine. The results indicate that innovative engines (such as the Ford turbo petrol/diesel engine, the EcoBoost/TDCi have improved energy consumption and reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, the Toyota hybrid vehicles have also improved energy consumption and reduced greenhouse gases emissions.

Fuel Consumption Analysis and Optimization of a Sustainable Energy System for a 100% Renewables Smart House

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Craciun, Vasile Simion; Blarke, Morten; Trifa, Viorel

2012-01-01

and a feasibility study of a sustainable energy system for a 100% renewables smart house (SH) in Denmark is presented. Due to the continuous increasing penetration levels of wind and solar power in today’s energy system call for the development of high efficiency optimizations and Smart Grid (SG) enabling options....... In case of renewable energies, one main challenge is the discontinuity of generation which can be solved with planning and control optimization methods. The results of the economic analysis and the feasibility of the sustainable energy system for a 100% renewables SH show that this could be possible...

Energy consumption trends in Lithuania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galinis, A.; Miskinis, V.

2000-01-01

The paper describes some problems related to integration into EU, current state of the Lithuania economy and energy sector and changes in energy consumption during transition period. It provides and analysis of the main indicators of energy consumption, such as the ratio of primary energy consumption to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), primary and final energy intensity and others based on estimates of Purchasing Power Parity. The paper also discusses problems arising at evaluation of economical and energy indices for the countries in transition and compares them with those existing in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe and in Western countries. It shows uneven tendencies of energy intensity occurring under transitions in Lithuania and other Baltic States. (author)

Consumers’ Competences as a Stimulant of Sustainable Consumption

OpenAIRE

Kiełczewski Dariusz; Bylok Felicjan; Dąbrowska Anna; Janoś-Kresło Mirosława; Ozimek Irena

2017-01-01

The paper contains considerations on the issue of sustainable consumption whose stimulator may be consumer competences. The problem can be examined in the cognitive, emotional and behavioural dimensions. Besides the theoretical approach, the authors have presented findings of the research carried out for the purposes of the project “Consumer Competences as a Stimulant of Innovative Behaviours and Sustainable Consumption” (2011/03/B/HS4/04417) financed from resources provided by the National S...

Energy, environment and sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omer, Abdeen Mustafa

2008-01-01

Globally, buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of the total world annual energy consumption. Most of this energy is for the provision of lighting, heating, cooling, and air conditioning. Increasing awareness of the environmental impact of CO 2 and NO x emissions and CFCs triggered a renewed interest in environmentally friendly cooling, and heating technologies. Under the 1997 Montreal Protocol, governments agreed to phase out chemicals used as refrigerants that have the potential to destroy stratospheric ozone. It was therefore considered desirable to reduce energy consumption and decrease the rate of depletion of world energy reserves and pollution of the environment. One way of reducing building energy consumption is to design building, which are more economical in their use of energy for heating, lighting, cooling, ventilation and hot water supply. Passive measures, particularly natural or hybrid ventilation rather than air-conditioning, can dramatically reduce primary energy consumption. However, exploitation of renewable energy in buildings and agricultural greenhouses can, also, significantly contribute towards reducing dependency on fossil fuels. Therefore, promoting innovative renewable applications and reinforcing the renewable energy market will contribute to preservation of the ecosystem by reducing emissions at local and global levels. This will also contribute to the amelioration of environmental conditions by replacing conventional fuels with renewable energies that produce no air pollution or greenhouse gases. The provision of good indoor environmental quality while achieving energy and cost-efficient operation of the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) plants in buildings represents a multi-variant problem. The comfort of building occupants is dependent on many environmental parameters including air speed, temperature, relative humidity and quality in addition to lighting and noise. The overall objective is to provide a high

2005 primary energy consumption in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2006-01-01

According to preliminar calculations by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Energiebilanzen (Working Party on Energy Balances, AGEB), the consumption of an aggregate 486 million TCE of primary energy resources in Germany last year was 1.3% below the level of the year before. Energy consumption was influenced by both the high level of prices and the development of the economy. Hardly any influence was attributable to the level of temperatures, which was largely unchanged compared to the figure of the year before. Oil consumption in 2005 in Germany dropped by nearly 2% to 174.8 million TCE. On the whole, oil with its 36% share in the energy balance remained by far the most important energy resource in Germany. Natural gas consumption of 110.4 million TCE was at the level of the year before. Its share in the primary energy balance rose slightly to 22.7%. Hard coal, because of lower use in power plants and the decline in iron making, showed a 4.6% drop in consumption to 62.8 million TCE. In this way, hard coal contributed 13% to total energy consumption. Lignite consumption dropped by 3.2% to 54.4 million TCE as a result of lower deliveries to power plants. Its 11.2% share in the total consumption of primary energy continued to make lignite the most important domestic energy resource. More than 90% of the lignite produced is used for electricity generation. The contribution to primary energy consumption of nuclear power dropped by more than 2% to 60.7 million TCE. Hydroelectric plants and wind power plants increased their contribution by 3.6%. The contribution to primary energy consumption made by all renewable energy resources rose to 4.6%. AGEB evaluates statistics of all areas of the power economy on the basis of standard criteria in order to combine these data in a comprehensive picture. Since 1994, the energy balances for Germany have been compiled by DIW on behalf of AGEB. (orig.)

Developing sustainable energy policies for electrical energy conservation in Saudi Arabia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Ajlan, S.A.; Al-Ibrahim, A.M.; Abdulkhaleq, M.; Alghamdi, F.

2006-01-01

Towards the end of 1998, the Saudi Arabian electricity sector embarked upon a major restructuring program. One of the aims of the program is to achieve sustainable performance. Although progress has been made, a number of challenges remain, including high demand growth, low generation capacity reserve margins, inefficient energy use, absence of time-of-use tariffs, and the need for large capital investments to meet current and future expansion. Electrical energy consumption in Saudi Arabia increased sharply during the last two decades due to rapid economic development and the absence of energy conservation measures. Peak loads reached nearly 24GW in 2001-25 times their 1975 level-and are expected to approach 60GW by 2023. The total investment needed to meet this demand may exceed $90 billion. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop energy conservation policies for sustainable development. Current sustainable policies, particularly those pertaining to energy conservation, led to peak load savings of more than 871MW in 2001, mainly as a result of collaborations between the Ministry of Water and Electricity and the Saudi Electricity Company. In the long term, however, unless sustainable energy policies are developed at a national level, such efforts will be largely ineffective. To address this, policies and programs are being developed for public awareness, energy regulation and legislation, and energy information and programming. If energy conservation is taken into account, the forecast demand can be reduced by 5-10%. This is equivalent to 3-6GW of additional capacity, which represents a possible $1.5-3.0 billion saving over the next 20 years. Typically, investment in energy efficiency is 1% of utility sales revenues, which for a country like Saudi Arabia could be $15-60 million p.a. If only savings on air conditioning are considered, the return on investment is equivalent to 400-500MW p.a. of generating capacity-a saving of up to $0.25 billion p.a. In this

Developing sustainable energy policies for electrical energy conservation in Saudi Arabia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Ajlan, S.A. [Energy Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442 (Saudi Arabia)]. E-mail: salajlan@kacst.edu.sa; Al-Ibrahim, A.M. [Energy Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442 (Saudi Arabia); Abdulkhaleq, M. [Ministry of Water and Electricity (Saudi Arabia); Alghamdi, F. [Ministry of Water and Electricity (Saudi Arabia)

2006-09-15

Towards the end of 1998, the Saudi Arabian electricity sector embarked upon a major restructuring program. One of the aims of the program is to achieve sustainable performance. Although progress has been made, a number of challenges remain, including high demand growth, low generation capacity reserve margins, inefficient energy use, absence of time-of-use tariffs, and the need for large capital investments to meet current and future expansion. Electrical energy consumption in Saudi Arabia increased sharply during the last two decades due to rapid economic development and the absence of energy conservation measures. Peak loads reached nearly 24GW in 2001-25 times their 1975 level-and are expected to approach 60GW by 2023. The total investment needed to meet this demand may exceed $90 billion. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop energy conservation policies for sustainable development. Current sustainable policies, particularly those pertaining to energy conservation, led to peak load savings of more than 871MW in 2001, mainly as a result of collaborations between the Ministry of Water and Electricity and the Saudi Electricity Company. In the long term, however, unless sustainable energy policies are developed at a national level, such efforts will be largely ineffective. To address this, policies and programs are being developed for public awareness, energy regulation and legislation, and energy information and programming. If energy conservation is taken into account, the forecast demand can be reduced by 5-10%. This is equivalent to 3-6GW of additional capacity, which represents a possible $1.5-3.0 billion saving over the next 20 years. Typically, investment in energy efficiency is 1% of utility sales revenues, which for a country like Saudi Arabia could be $15-60 million p.a. If only savings on air conditioning are considered, the return on investment is equivalent to 400-500MW p.a. of generating capacity-a saving of up to $0.25 billion p.a. In this

Current energy usage and sustainable energy in Kazakhstan: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Karatayev, Marat; Islam, Tofazzal; Salnikov, Vitaliy

2014-05-01

energy resources such as wind, solar, small hydro and biomass as alternative energy supplies in this country. Our analysis shows that wind and solar energy can become major contributors towards renewable energy in Kazakhstan. The biomass of agricultural residues, municipal solid waste and wood residues could be used for energy purposes too. Therefore, Kazakhstan should optimize energy consumption and take active and effective measures to increase the contribution of renewables in energy supply to make the country's energy mix environmentally sustainable.

Allocation of Energy Consumption among Provinces in China: A Weighted ZSG-DEA Model

OpenAIRE

Siqin Xiong; Yushen Tian; Junping Ji; Xiaoming Ma

2017-01-01

To realize the sustainable development of energy, the Chinese government has formulated a series of national goals of total energy control and energy structure optimization. Under the national constraints, how to efficiently allocate the constrained total amount of energy consumption to each province is a fundamental problem to be solved. Based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and a zero-sum game theory (ZSG), this paper constructs a weighted zero-sum game data envelopment analysis ...

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRIMARY ENERGY CONSUMPTION, PRODUCTION AND GROSS DOMESTIC INCOME (GDP IN TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ÖZGE KORKMAZ

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The ability to reach a sustainable economic growth of countries initially depends on the usage of energy resources efficiently. But an unequal  distribution of energy resources in the world increases the dependency on energy in countries which have insufficient energy resources such as Turkey. Therefore, it has a great importance to analyze the share of imported energy resources for economic growth. The correlation between energy consumption and changes in gross domestic product, increases the importance of energy policies while determining  the economical policies of countries. In this study, the causality relationship between energy consumption, energy generation  and GDP in Turkey are examined using annual data for the period 1960-2009. Johansen Cointegration Causality Test and Vector Error Correction Mechanism (VECM is used for this study. Empirical results for the period under discussion there is a relationship between the variables and error correction mechanism based on long-term Granger causality test. It showed that  bileteral causality  with the energy consumption to GDP.

Advancing sustainable consumption in the UK and China: the mediating effect of pro-environmental self-identity

OpenAIRE

Dermody, Janine; Hanmer-Lloyd, Stuart; Koenig-Lewis, Nicole; Zhao, Anita Lifen

2015-01-01

In this paper, we respond to the call for more holistic and culturally diverse research to advance understanding of (non)sustainable consumption behaviour. Our conceptual model incorporates materialism, environmental concern, social consumption motivation, pro-environmental self-identity and sustainable consumption behaviours. This paper contributes to knowledge by examining the mediating role of pro-environmental self-identity to more fully explain consumers’ (non)sustainable consumption beh...

Analysis of Transportation Energy Consumption: En Route Towards Carbon Reduction for Sustainable Campus

Science.gov (United States)

Sukor, Nur Sabahiah Abdul; Asmah Hassan, Sitti

2017-08-01

This paper reports the estimation of transportation energy consumption based on the travel behaviour characteristics of the population in the Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia. The travel behaviour characteristics include the travel distance, travel speed, number of trips per day, and modal share of the transport, which only focused on the trips that were made inside the campus. The travel behaviour data were collected through online and pencil-and-paper questionnaire survey involving 1000 respondents including staffs and students, which is equivalent to 25% of the total population. The result from the survey showed that a total of 1897 trips per day were made by the motorised vehicle owners including car and motorcycle owners. The total trip length per day was 1056.29 km with an average speed of 45km/h. The average trip for each person was four trips per day. The estimate energy consumption from the motorised vehicles in this campus was reported to be 1.25E9 MJ.

Interrelationships among Facets of Self, Motivation, and Conspicuous and Sustainable Consumption Behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nguyen, T.

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The current study focuses on a process the current researchers label intra-negotiation-which deals with resolution of an individual's potential conflict across facets of oneself-and its influence on two distinctly different kinds of consumption (one favouring consumption, the other reducing the import of it. Specifically, we explore the discrepancy between actual-, ideal-, and ought-self and investigate the effect of these gaps on consumption behaviour. Moreover, attention is given to the association between three dominant human motives and consumption behaviour. The findings reveal that (1 ideal-actual self-discrepancy is inversely associated with achievement motivation, and (2 affiliation motivation is negatively related to conspicuous consumption. Affiliation motivation is ascertained to be positively related to sustainable consumption, whereas power motivation is discerned to be positively associated with conspicuous consumption. Neither conspicuous nor sustainable consumption is associated with the ideal-actual self or ought-actual self discrepancy. Possible rationales for the findings of the study, as well as study implications, are proffered.

Energy consumption trends in Hawaii

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaya, Abidin; Yalcintas, Melek

2010-01-01

This study begins with a review of energy consumption by end-use sector in Hawaii. Then, the energy generated from renewable energy sources is analyzed between 1991 and 2006. The results show that while geothermal is a considerable source of renewable energy on the Island of Hawaii (also known as Big Island), fossil fuel is the main energy source in the State of Hawaii. The energy intensity index for the State of Hawaii is then calculated by dividing energy consumption per capita by the income per capita. The calculated energy intensity index reveals that energy consumption is directly controlled by per capita income. The results also indicate that the energy intensity index increases over time despite positive developments in energy efficient technologies. In the second part of the paper, the effect of the tourism industry on energy usage in the State of Hawaii is analyzed. The results show that tourism volume, measured in terms of tourist arrival numbers, does not change the energy consumption directly. However, a change in tourism volume does affect per capita income within a few months to a year. In the last part of the study, the energy efficiency index of Hawaii is compared with consumption averages for the US, California and the most energy efficient country in Europe, Denmark. The comparison shows that Hawaii lags behind California and Denmark in terms of energy efficiency. The comparison also shows that an increase in energy efficiency corresponds to an increase in per capita income across the board, which is in agreement with a recent report published by the American Physical Society.

Energy consumption and conservation, evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acket, C.

2006-04-01

The energy consumption is increasing of more than 1% each year. It is necessary to slow down this growth and much better to inverse it. Observing the main consumption posts, energy saving is possible at short dated for the residential sector and medium and long dated for the transports and the industry. Anyway the individual behaviors are essential. The author presents the situation for each posts, providing data on the energy consumption and saving and recommendations. (A.L.B.)

Energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from China at both aggregated and disaggregated levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuan Jiahai; Kang Jiangang; Zhao Changhong; Hu Zhaoguang

2008-01-01

Using a neo-classical aggregate production model where capital, labor and energy are treated as separate inputs, this paper tests for the existence and direction of causality between output growth and energy use in China at both aggregated total energy and disaggregated levels as coal, oil and electricity consumption. Using the Johansen cointegration technique, the empirical findings indicate that there exists long-run cointegration among output, labor, capital and energy use in China at both aggregated and all three disaggregated levels. Then using a VEC specification, the short-run dynamics of the interested variables are tested, indicating that there exists Granger causality running from electricity and oil consumption to GDP, but does not exist Granger causality running from coal and total energy consumption to GDP. On the other hand, short-run Granger causality exists from GDP to total energy, coal and oil consumption, but does not exist from GDP to electricity consumption. We thus propose policy suggestions to solve the energy and sustainable development dilemma in China as: enhancing energy supply security and guaranteeing energy supply, especially in the short run to provide adequate electric power supply and set up national strategic oil reserve; enhancing energy efficiency to save energy; diversifying energy sources, energetically exploiting renewable energy and drawing out corresponding policies and measures; and finally in the long run, transforming development pattern and cut reliance on resource- and energy-dependent industries

Scheduling home-appliances to optimize energy consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rossello Busquet, Ana

In order to optimize the energy consumption, energy demand peaks should be avoided, and energy consumption should be smoothly distributed over time. This can be achieved by setting a maximum energy consumption per user’s household. In other words, the overall consumption of the user’s appliances...

Manufacturing consumption of energy 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-12-01

This report provides estimates on energy consumption in the manufacturing sector of the US economy. These estimates are based on data from the 1991 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS). This survey--administered by the Energy End Use and Integrated Statistics Division, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Energy Information Administration (EIA)--is the most comprehensive source of national-level data on energy-related information for the manufacturing industries.

The world energy consumption in 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapillonne, B.

2006-01-01

Based on Enerdata 2005 data, this analysis presents the situation of the world energy consumption in 2005, the electric power consumption per region and production per source, the consumption increase for each energy source and the petroleum and gas consumption increase. (A.L.B.)

Allocation of Energy Consumption among Provinces in China: A Weighted ZSG-DEA Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siqin Xiong

2017-11-01

Full Text Available To realize the sustainable development of energy, the Chinese government has formulated a series of national goals of total energy control and energy structure optimization. Under the national constraints, how to efficiently allocate the constrained total amount of energy consumption to each province is a fundamental problem to be solved. Based on a data envelopment analysis (DEA model and a zero-sum game theory (ZSG, this paper constructs a weighted zero-sum game data envelopment analysis (ZSG-DEA model to allocate the energy consumption quota. Additionally, this paper compares the results with the current administrative targets, to examine the efficiency and feasibility of each allocation mechanism. Finally, this paper employs the proposed model to determine the optimal energy structure for each province in China. The results indicate that by 2020, the national goal of energy structure adjustment will be realized, and energy structure will be diversified in most regions, whereas the coal-dominated status in primary energy consumption will not change. Additionally, the weighted ZSG-DEA model focuses on allocation efficiency while the government considers more regional economic disparity. Therefore, this study suggests a mixture of the two allocation mechanisms in accordance with specific conditions.

The role of off-farm employment in the rural energy consumption transition — A village-level analysis in Jiangxi Province, China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shi, X.; Heerink, N.; Qu, F.

2009-01-01

Energy consumption in rural areas in China is characterized by high consumption of fuelwood, straw and other biomass. Off-farm employment can play an important role in the transition towards more sustainable sources of energy by increasing rural household incomes and reducing the amount of labor

Turkey's net energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soezen, Adnan; Arcaklioglu, Erol; Oezkaymak, Mehmet

2005-01-01

The main goal of this study is to develop the equations for forecasting net energy consumption (NEC) using an artificial neural-network (ANN) technique in order to determine the future level of energy consumption in Turkey. In this study, two different models were used in order to train the neural network. In one of them, population, gross generation, installed capacity and years are used in the input layer of the network (Model 1). Other energy sources are used in input layer of network (Model 2). The net energy consumption is in the output layer for two models. Data from 1975 to 2003 are used for the training. Three years (1981, 1994 and 2003) are used only as test data to confirm this method. The statistical coefficients of multiple determinations (R 2 -value) for training data are equal to 0.99944 and 0.99913 for Models 1 and 2, respectively. Similarly, R 2 values for testing data are equal to 0.997386 and 0.999558 for Models 1 and 2, respectively. According to the results, the net energy consumption using the ANN technique has been predicted with acceptable accuracy. Apart from reducing the whole time required, with the ANN approach, it is possible to find solutions that make energy applications more viable and thus more attractive to potential users. It is also expected that this study will be helpful in developing highly applicable energy policies

Measuring the Productivity of Energy Consumption of Major Industries in China: A DEA-Based Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xishuang Han

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Data envelopment analysis can be applied to measure the productivity of multiple input and output decision-making units. In addition, the data envelopment analysis-based Malmquist productivity index can be used as a tool for measuring the productivity change during different time periods. In this paper, we use an input-oriented model to measure the energy consumption productivity change from 1999 to 2008 of fourteen industry sectors in China as decision-making units. The results show that there are only four sectors that experienced effective energy consumption throughout the whole reference period. It also shows that these sectors always lie on the efficiency frontier of energy consumption as benchmarks. The other ten sectors experienced inefficiency in some two-year time periods and the productivity changes were not steady. The data envelopment analysis-based Malmquist productivity index provides a good way to measure the energy consumption and can give China's policy makers the information to promote their strategy of sustainable development.

A hybrid decision support system for sustainable office building renovation and energy performance improvement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Juan, Yi-Kai [Department of Architecture, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST) (China); Center for Sustainable Development and Global Competitiveness, Stanford University (United States); Gao, Peng [Department of Traffic and Transportation Engineering, Tongji University (China); Wang, Jie [Center for Sustainable Development and Global Competitiveness, Stanford University (United States)

2010-03-15

Energy consumption of buildings accounts for around 20-40% of all energy consumed in advanced countries. Over the last decade, more and more global organizations are investing significant resources to create sustainably built environments, emphasizing sustainable building renovation processes to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. This study develops an integrated decision support system to assess existing office building conditions and to recommend an optimal set of sustainable renovation actions, considering trade-offs between renovation cost, improved building quality, and environmental impacts. A hybrid approach that combines A* graph search algorithm with genetic algorithms (GA) is used to analyze all possible renovation actions and their trade-offs to develop the optimal solution. A two-stage system validation is performed to demonstrate the practical application of the hybrid approach: zero-one goal programming (ZOGP) and genetic algorithms are adopted to validate the effectiveness of the algorithm. A real-world renovation project is introduced to validate differences in energy performance projected for the renovation solution suggested by the system. The results reveal that the proposed hybrid system is more computationally effective than either ZOGP or GA alone. The system's suggested renovation actions would provide substantial energy performance improvements to the real project if implemented. (author)

CO2 emissions, energy consumption and economic growth nexus in MENA countries: Evidence from simultaneous equations models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omri, Anis

2013-01-01

This paper examines the nexus between CO 2 emissions, energy consumption and economic growth using simultaneous-equations models with panel data of 14 MENA countries over the period 1990–2011. Our empirical results show that there exists a bidirectional causal relationship between energy consumption and economic growth. However, the results support the occurrence of unidirectional causality from energy consumption to CO 2 emissions without any feedback effects, and there exists a bidirectional causal relationship between economic growth and CO 2 emissions for the region as a whole. The study suggests that environmental and energy policies should recognize the differences in the nexus between energy consumption and economic growth in order to maintain sustainable economic growth in the MENA region. - Graphical abstract: Interaction between CO 2 , energy and GDP for MENA countries. - Highlights: • We investigate the energy–environment–GDP nexus for 14 MENA countries. • We have used simultaneous equations models estimated by the GMM-estimator. • Results show bi-directional causal relationship between energy consumption and economic growth. • There is uni-directional causality from energy consumption to CO 2 . • There exists bi-directional causal relationship between economic growth and pollutant emissions

Capacity Development and Strengthening for Energy Policy formulation and implementation of Sustainable Energy Projects in Indonesia CASINDO. Deliverable No. 24. Regional Energy Efficiency Planning 2011 [for Yogyakarta

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prahara, Pamungkas Jutta; Hariadi, T.K. [Universitas Muhammadiyah PUSPER-UMY, Yogyakarta (Indonesia)

2012-06-15

The overall objective of the CASINDO programme is to establish a self-sustaining and self-developing structure at both the national and regional level to build and strengthen human capacity to enable the provinces of North Sumatra, Yogyakarta, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara and Papua to formulate sound policies for renewable energy and energy efficiency and to develop and implement sustainable energy projects. Increasing energy demand and decreasing energy supply has to be faced by strategic measures. Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY) faces the same problem with more burdens since DIY depends on energy supply from other region. One strategic measure is to reduce energy consumption across sectors. There are, in total, 805.468 electricity consumers in Yogyakarta in the household, social and industrial sector. Through direct measures electricity consumption can be reduced and financial resources can be saved. One of the measures is energy conservation campaign to all sectors in the region which expected to reduce the energy spent, for example to switch off electronic devices totally instead of to put them in standby mode. Survey in the region indicated there are various use of electronic devices in household dominated by refrigeration, television, and AC's. In industries and social, AC and motors are dominating the sector. By applying inverter technology and refrigerant retrofitting to air conditioner can reduce significantly the energy consumption. Changing from old refrigerator with new energy saver refrigerator would also reduce energy consumption. Strategic energy policy and tools has to be identified to push the community to apply the recommended measure. Energy labeling, tax reduction program and energy price increase would make the energy conservation program more feasible and create an environment where inventing in energy efficiency is more attractive. Furthermore a financial resource policy has to be prepared for community education through promotion

A Research on Class Teachers Related to Determining the Effects of Consumers’ Personal Values on Sustainable Consumption Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rıdvan Karalar

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The world’s sources about to running out have been realised as a result of that population increase and economic development to be lived in the twentieth century have caused the transformation from the notion of unlimited economic development to sustainable development notion. Sustainable development is a model that predicts existing generation satisfies their needs without that next generation’s satisfy their need. Projection of sustainable development on marketing area have been actualized by means of coming up with sustainable marketing approach. Sustainable marketing approach predict to create sustainable solutions by adding conformity with eco-system in addition to achieving organizational goals and satisfy consumers’ needs which traditional marketing’s goals. The target of sustainable development notion in regard of consumption is to be accepted sustainable consumption behavior. It requires inquiring factors affecting behavior in question because sustainable consumption pattern to be accepted and spread to the world. In the study examined that individual values affecting sustainable consumption behavior of class teacher who work at elementary schools in Kutahya, Merkez. The findings indicate the significant effect of universalism and security values type in sustainable consumption behavior. Also, it is found that frequency of sustainable consumption behavior is mid-level. The results of this research have significant implications for stakeholders of sustainable consumption and future research.

Modelling Non-Renewable Energy in Mauritius: In Quest for Sustainable Policies towards a Greener Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indranarain Ramlall

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This paper sheds light on the interaction between energy consumption and energy production in an upper-income developing country. Results show that Industrial consumption of energy in Mauritius is driven mainly by Fuel source while Commercial use is accommodated by a mixture of Coal and Fuel sources. Bagasse and Hydro energy generations undermine the use of Coal and Fuel, all demonstrating an inherent greening phenomenon embedded in the energy process. However, their size effects are low. Findings further confirm sustainability in energy generation and absorption based on a slightly above one long-term elasticity coefficient between energy production and consumption. Overall, results suggest that Mauritius has to implement vigorous measures in view of greening its energy processes. Policy wise, this could signify the urgent need of both Commercial and Industrial usage taxes to stimulate a greener economy.

Trade and energy consumption in the Middle East

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadorsky, Perry

2011-01-01

Over the past 30 years many economies have experienced large increases in economic trade, income and energy consumption. This brings up an interesting question. How do increases in trade affect energy consumption? This study uses panel cointegration data estimation techniques to examine the impact of trade on energy consumption in a sample of 8 Middle Eastern countries covering the period 1980 to 2007. Short-run dynamics show Granger causality from exports to energy consumption, and a bi-directional feedback relationship between imports and energy consumption. Long run elasticities estimated from FMOLS show that a 1% increase in per capita exports increases per capita energy consumption by 0.11% while a one percent increase in per capita imports increases per capita energy consumption by 0.04%. These results are important in establishing that increased trade affects energy demand in the Middle East in both the short and long-run. This has implications for energy policy and environmental policy. - Research Highlights: → Trade affects energy consumption in Middle Eastern economies. → Short-run causality runs from exports to energy consumption. → There is a short-run feedback relationship between energy consumption and imports. → In the long-run a 1% increase in per capita exports increases per capita energy consumption by 0.11%. → In the long-run a 1% increase in per capita imports increases per capita energy consumption by 0.04%.

3E. Climate policy plan Delft, Netherlands, 2003-2012. Effectiveness, Efficiency, Energy Consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-09-01

The 3E: Klimaatplan Delft; (Delft Climate Plan)' is the Delft interpretation of the Kyoto Convention, and is furthermore in line with the objectives of '3D: Duurzaamheidsplan Delft 2000-2003; (2002-2003 Delft Sustainability Plan)'. 3E stands for: effective, efficient energy consumption. The principal objective is an annual reduction of 33,500 tons of CO2 emissions, compared to 1999. This level of reduction should be realised not later than by 2012 (the final year of the plan period). On the basis of the Climate Scan performed by Novem, the largest environmental gain appears to come from (re-)construction processes and the use of sustainable energy [nl

Sustainable development and energy indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pop-Jordanov, Jordan

2002-01-01

Starting from the basic definition of sustainable development and its four dimensions, the role of indicators for sustainable energy development is analysed. In particular, it is shown that important energy efficiency indicators belong in fact to energy supply efficiency, while the end-use energy efficiency could be more pertinently represented by energy intensity indicators. Furthermore, the negentropic effects of science and technology related sustainable energy scenarios are pointed out. Finally, the sustainable development is related to wisdom, interpreted as a sum of knowledge, morality and timing. (Author)

Sustainable consumption in supermarket retail : a case of Walmart Brazil

OpenAIRE

Silva, Minelle Enéas da; Nascimento, Luis Felipe Machado do; Jappe, Marcio Luis Miron

2014-01-01

On the context of new market relations, this aims to analyze how Walmart Brazil relates itself with its suppliers under the sustainable consumption perspective. For that, with an exploratory research and qualitative approach, the brand Hiper Bompreço, in Recife (Brazil) was analyzed under sustainability background. The dissemination throughout the supply chain of sustainability demonstrates an evolution in the placement of a company in the market, thus, it was identified a slight orientation ...

Sustainable energy developments in Europe and North America

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-01-01

Europe and North America account for 70% of world energy consumption; 61% of which is fossil fuels. Energy trends and patterns in this region, if pursued, would have a large impact on region- and world-wide energy and ecosystems. This report addresses the issues of whether projected trends and supply structures would be 'sustainable' i.e. meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; what adaptations are warranted; and what role could and should be played by regional energy and environmental co-operation: including through the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The report is divided into three parts. Part 1 studies the interrelationships between environmental and energy policies in Europe and North America until 2010 and beyond. Part II contains research notes on CO{sub 2} concentration and energy scenarios; investment requirements of the energy supply industries in the ERE region for 1980-2000; energy technologies for the first decades of the 21st century. Scope and conditions for enhancing energy efficiency in the ERE region; CO{sub 2} and climate variation and its impact on energy policy in the USSR and European CMEA countries; the role of new and renewable sources of energy; projected energy developments in the ERE region until 2010, and pollution: synopsis of various international studies on the sustainability of energy developments. Part III describes the energy program of the UN-ECE.

Energy and Sustainable Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

None of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2000 directly addressed energy, although for nearly all of them - from eradicating poverty and hunger to improving education and health - progress has depended on greater access to modern energy. Thirteen years later, energy is being given more attention. The target date for the MDGs is 2015, and in 2012 the UN began deliberations to develop sustainable development goals to guide support for sustainable development beyond 2015. The Future We Want, the outcome document of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (also known as Rio+20) gives energy a central role: ''We recognize the critical role that energy plays in the development process, as access to sustainable modern energy services contributes to poverty eradication, saves lives, improves health and helps provide for basic human needs''

Iran's energy policy current dilemmas and perspective for a sustainable energy policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Massarrat, M.

2005-01-01

Iran is facing large challenges in the area of energy policy. In order to illuminate these challenges and the problems and possibilities they present, first I will analyze the current energy consumption patterns in Iran as well as the energy policy of the Iranian government-Including its atomic energy programs. Based on this analysis, I will then formulate alternative concepts for Iran's future energy and national security policy. The increase in energy usage in Iran is distinctly out of proportion with the development of economic productivity. Negative structural characteristics of this system are: first, an above-average energy intensity; second, an increase in energy consumption in the traffic sector; third, a high growth rate in the use of electrical energy; and lastly, an above-average amount of stress to the environment. Traditionally, Iran's energy policy has focused on satisfying the growing demand for energy by oil and, in the last fifteen years, by successively expanding natural gas. However, the further development of the natural gas supply only makes sense within the context of a holistic energy policy, which takes into account the principles of sustainable development. In the short term, such a policy would take advantage of both considerable energy-saving techniques, as well as potential renewable energy sources. In the long term, such a policy would strive for the complete transfer to renewable energy sources and technology. The atomic energy program is not a good answer to the future energy needs of Iran, and better solutions should be envisaged for Iran's legitimate security concerns

Capacity Development and Strengthening for Energy Policy formulation and implementation of Sustainable Energy Projects in Indonesia CASINDO. Deliverable No. 24. Energy Efficiency in Central Java

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Windarto, Joko; Nugroho, Agung; Hastanto, Ari; Mahartoto, Gigih [Diponegoro University, Semarang (Indonesia)

2012-01-15

The overall objective of the CASINDO programme is to establish a self-sustaining and self-developing structure at both the national and regional level to build and strengthen human capacity to enable the provinces of North Sumatra, Yogyakarta, Central Java, West Nusa Tenggara and Papua to formulate sound policies for renewable energy and energy efficiency and to develop and implement sustainable energy projects. Energy has a very important role and has become a basic necessity in national sustainable development. Therefore, energy should be used sparingly and in a rational manner so that present and future energy demand can be met. Given the importance of using energy efficiently Government needs to devise a framework regulating the utilization of energy resources through the efficient application of technology and stimulating energy-saving behaviours. The purpose of this technical working group in CASINDO project is to research the steps and policy measures needed to improve the efficiency of electrical energy consumption in the household, industrial, and commercial buildings sector for Central Java. The government's efforts in promoting energy efficiency in Indonesia are still hampered by public awareness factor. This study exists to promote public awareness of energy efficiency by describing the financial benefits and possibilities of savings energies in order to support the government's energy saving program, replacement of old equipment that uses high power consumption with a new low-power one, reduction of unnecessary lighting, appreciation to the people who find and develop energy-efficient power utilization, persuade industries to uses the speed controller driver for production and fan motor to streamline the electrical energy usage.

Energy consumptions per sector; Les consommations d'energie par secteur

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

This document presents the energy consumption data of France per energy type and sector of use in the form of tables and graphics for the last decade and sometimes before: 1 - residential and tertiary sector: energy consumption per energy source, energy consumption per use (coal, heavy and domestic fuels, natural gas, LPG (butane, propane), electricity), comparison of the share of each energy source between 1973 and 2003, 20 years of space heating data in main dwellings (1982-2002), district heating networks from 1987 to 1997; 2 - transportation sector: fuel consumption of individual cars in France (1990-2003, 1990-2002, 1990-2001, 1987-1999), some indicators about the energy consumption in transports in France (2000-2001); 3 - industry sector: consumption of fuel substitutes in the cement industry in 2001, importance and limitations. (J.S.)

The use of nuclear energy to guarantee the sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitalnik, J.

1994-01-01

Energy requirements and environmental constraints represent some of the main challenges for an acceptable approach to global sustainable development in the coming years. Foreseeable solutions will be based on appropriate energy source mixes that would cause minimum impact on the supply. Next century will witness an increasing expectation, among less developed societies, for better quality of life standards, with the ensuing consequence of substantial increase in primary energy consumption. Good quality of life standards are attained when the per capita consumption reaches some 100 G j. Word Bank estimates show that, by the year 2100, world population will hit the mark of more than 11 billion inhabitants. Considering the environmental impacts associated with energy resources, the use of fossil fuels, particularly coal, may suffer serious restrictions. Analysing two possible scenarios for energy supply-without and with coal use restrictions, the mix of energy sources will show, by the end of next century, an important nuclear participation in either case: 30% of total demand if there are no restrictions to coal use, or 50%, if such restrictions are implemented. (author). 4 refs, 7 figs

Reducing the energy consumption of an earth–air heat exchanger with a PID control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz-Mendez, S.E.; Patiño-Carachure, C.; Herrera-Castillo, J.A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The application of control actions to green technologies has been simulated. • Energy consumption of green technologies can be reduced even more. • The efficiency of green technologies can be raised. • Environmental concerns can be diminished. • The sustainability of the planet can be increased. - Abstract: Reducing environmental emissions is one of the challenges that human being has to overcome. It can only be reached with a proper energetic efficiency and management of the processes that exist in the society nowadays. Several academic works have mentioned that raising the efficiency of a process it also increases sustainability and in turn decreases the environmental impact. One process that requires much attention is the cooling and heating of buildings; this process contributes to the major part of the electric bill, in particular, if a conventional and old air conditioning is used as commonly occurs in many countries. In recent years there have been developed new alternatives that are used in few countries, such as the earth–air heat exchanger, where air is passed through a heat exchanger buried a few meters below the ground. The heat exchanger takes advantage of the well-known difference between the temperature of the surrounding air and the temperature of the ground for cooling or heating the air that is subsequently injected into the buildings. This process requires less energy, then in the present work is thought that a PID (Proportional, Integral and Derivative) controller can be applied to an earth–air heat exchanger to reduce even more the energy consumption. Therefore, a simulation of a thermodynamic model of an earth–air heat exchanger was done and used along with a PID controller, to estimate savings in energy consumption. The results show that the energy consumption can be reduced up to 87% with the PID control, hence the efficiency of the process is increased as well as the sustainability of the planet and thus the

State energy data report 1992: Consumption estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-05-01

This is a report of energy consumption by state for the years 1960 to 1992. The report contains summaries of energy consumption for the US and by state, consumption by source, comparisons to other energy use reports, consumption by energy use sector, and describes the estimation methodologies used in the preparation of the report. Some years are not listed specifically although they are included in the summary of data.

Energy consumption in France's industry. Conjuncture note

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-04-01

Energy consumption in the industry represents today 1/5 of France's end-use energy consumption. Gas and electricity are the most consumed and represent 2/3 of the overall. The 5 most energy consuming industries are the following: paper and cardboard industry, food industry, rubber, plastic and other non-metallic mineral products industry, metallurgy and chemical industry. The reduction of the industry's energy consumption is explained by the decline of production, but above all by the energy efficiency improvement of the sector. Technological innovations in production means have indeed led to reduce energy consumption

Carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth: An aggregate and disaggregate analysis of the Indian economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, Ashfaq; Zhao, Yuhuan; Shahbaz, Muhammad; Bano, Sadia; Zhang, Zhonghua; Wang, Song; Liu, Ya

2016-01-01

This study investigates the long and short run relationships among carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in India at the aggregated and disaggregated levels during 1971–2014. The autoregressive distributed lag model is employed for the cointegration analyses and the vector error correction model is applied to determine the direction of causality between variables. Results show that a long run cointegration relationship exists and that the environmental Kuznets curve is validated at the aggregated and disaggregated levels. Furthermore, energy (total energy, gas, oil, electricity and coal) consumption has a positive relationship with carbon emissions and a feedback effect exists between economic growth and carbon emissions. Thus, energy-efficient technologies should be used in domestic production to mitigate carbon emissions at the aggregated and disaggregated levels. The present study provides policy makers with new directions in drafting comprehensive policies with lasting impacts on the economy, energy consumption and environment towards sustainable development. - Highlights: •Relationships among carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth are investigated. •The EKC exists at aggregated and disaggregated levels for India. •All energy resources have positive effects on carbon emissions. •Gas energy consumption is less polluting than other energy sources in India.

Energy consumption and stocks of energy-converting artefacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bladh, Mats

2012-01-01

The development of total energy consumption is important in a world with limited resources. It is the result of two basic tendencies working in opposite directions: growth in number and in use (such as more cars and driving more) and improvements in energy efficiency (such as more fuel-efficient engines). Since the 1970s growth of energy consumption has slowed down in Sweden. This means that increasing supply has been counteracted by measures improving overall energy efficiency to a larger degree than before. How can long-term development in energy consumption be analysed? This paper proposes a focus on stocks of energy-converting artefacts as a tool for such analyses. In order to show the fruitfulness of this approach, historical data on cars, dwellings and lamps in Sweden are used. Results from the cases in this paper show considerable gains of efficiency in fuel consumption in private cars and heating efficiency in multi-dwelling houses. Demographic factors are important for the outcome. The approach seems to promise a way to analyse energy efficiency that captures both promoting and counteracting factors at both the micro and macro level. - Highlights: ► Growth of energy consumption slowed down in the 1970s, a break in the long-run trend. ► Balance between growth and efficiency factors changes over time and areas of use. ► Savings in heating were not taken back, while those for cars were. ► Focus on stocks of artefacts is a promising tool for analyses. ► Incremental changes within existing stocks can be as big as radical changes.

Causality between trade openness and energy consumption: What causes what in high, middle and low income countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahbaz, Muhammad; Nasreen, Samia; Ling, Chong Hui; Sbia, Rashid

2014-01-01

This paper explores the relationship between trade openness and energy consumption using data of 91 high, middle and low income countries. The study covers the period of 1980–2010. We have applied panel cointegration to examine long run relationship between the variables. The direction of causal relationship between trade openness is investigated by applying Homogenous non-causality, Homogenous causality and Heterogeneous causality tests. Our variables are integrated at I(1) confirmed by time series and panel unit root tests and cointegration is found between trade openness and energy consumption. The relationship between trade openness and energy consumption is inverted U-shaped in high income countries but U-shaped in middle and low income countries. The homogenous and non-homogenous causality analysis reveals the bidirectional causality between trade openness and energy consumption. This paper opens up new insights for policy makers to design a comprehensive economic, trade and policies for sustainable economic growth in long run following heterogeneous causality findings. - Highlights: • Trade openness and energy consumption are cointegrated for long run. • The feedback effect exists between trade openness and energy consumption. • The inverted U-shaped relationship is found between both variables in high income countries

Energy consumption projection of Nepal: An econometric approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parajuli, Ranjan; Østergaard, Poul A.; Dalgaard, Tommy

2014-01-01

In energy dependent economies, energy consumption is often linked with the growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Energy intensity, defined herewith, as the ratio of the total primary energy consumption (TPE) to the GDP, is a useful concept for understanding the relation between energy demand...... and economic development. The scope of this article is to assess the future primary energy consumption of Nepal, and the projection is carried out along with the formulation of simple linear logarithmic energy consumption models. This initiates with a hypothesis that energy consumption is dependent...... with the national macro-economic parameters. To test the hypothesis, nexus between energy consumption and possible determinant variables are examined. Status of energy consumption between the period of 1996 and 2009, and for the same period, growth of economic parameters are assessed. Three scenarios are developed...

Energy security, sustainable development, which place for the Nuclear in the world?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

Facing the increase of the energy consumption and the necessity of the greenhouse gases emission decrease, the authors define the role of the nuclear energy in a policy of a sustainable development. They recall the leadership part of the France in the nuclear research and development and the channel of the nuclear production. The second part of the paper proposes sheets of countries energy policy and nuclear program situation: USA, Europe, Russian, China and India. (A.L.B.)

Sustainable development of cabins. An investigation of cabin owners' attitudes towards the environment and energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velvin, Jan

2004-01-01

An investigation on private cabin owners in the three Buskerud (Norway) municipalities: Sigdal, Rollag and Hol. The main purpose has been to evaluate the state of local value-creation related to cabin tourism, energy and environmental aspects of the cabin-usage, and other conditions related to sustainable development. This report deals in specific with environment and energy questions concerning cabin owners, and their attitudes towards energy-saving measures. Results from the investigation show that the standard on facilities of cabins has increased, indicating that the energy consumption will rise accordingly. Income is the primary explanation factor in relation to energy consumption. More results are presented in the report (ml)

Consumer Culture, Sustainability and Business Practice: How Companies can Promote the Symbolic Value of Sustainability in Consumption Activities?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verônica Macário de Oliveira

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Discussions on sustainability began recently to focus on the consumption patterns of contemporary society as a major causative factors of social and environmental problems. Thus, the aim of this paper is to discuss some opportunities that companies have to influence these changes consumption patterns towards sustainability, taking as a basis the view discussed in studies of Rindova and Ravasi (2008 who consider firms as producers of culture. To this end, we performed a theoretical essay. The results show that companies can influence the formation of specific cultures with the symbolic construction of sustainable practices, contributing to the formation of a culture of sustainable consumption. This occurs from innovation in their ways of working, considering that evoke meanings that products appear to be influenced by strategic choices of producers, such as the concepts and philosophies of design (Ravasi; Rindova, 2008, which includes the development new technologies and practices (Michaelis, 2003 based on the principles of eco-efficiency (Barber, 2008; Clark, 2008, as well as changes in values and discourses that shape the cultures of business, government, media and civil society (Michaelis, 2003, also aligned with the ethical principles and shared environmental responsibility (Tukkeret al, 2008.

'Nobody cares about the environment’: Kyrgyz' perspectives on enhancing environmental sustainable consumption practices when facing limited sustainability awareness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shadymanova, J.; Wahlen, S.; Horst, van der H.M.

2014-01-01

Within Western societies, the detrimental consequences of mass consumption on the environment have long been identified. Consumers have developed sustainability consciousness in accordance with research and policies. In non-Western societies, however, experiences with mass consumption have not been

Demonstrating sustainable energy: A review-based model of sustainable energy demonstration projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bossink, Bart

2017-01-01

This article develops a model of sustainable energy demonstration projects, based on a review of 229 scientific publications on demonstrations in renewable and sustainable energy. The model addresses the basic organizational characteristics (aim, cooperative form, and physical location) and learning

Household energy and consumption and expenditures, 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The purpose of this supplement to the Household Energy Consumption and Expenditures 1990 report is to provide information on the use of energy in residential housing units, specifically at the four Census regions and nine Census division levels. This report includes household energy consumption, expenditures, and prices for natural gas, electricity, fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and kerosene as well as household wood consumption. For national-level data, see the main report, Household Energy Consumption and Expenditures 1990

Sustainability evaluation of Sicily's lemon and orange production: an energy, economic and environmental analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Pergola, M; D'Amico, M; Celano, G; Palese, A M; Scuderi, A; Di Vita, G; Pappalardo, G; Inglese, P

2013-10-15

The island of Sicily has a long standing tradition in citrus growing. We evaluated the sustainability of orange and lemon orchards, under organic and conventional farming, using an energy, environmental and economic analysis of the whole production cycle by using a life cycle assessment approach. These orchard systems differ only in terms of a few of the inputs used and the duration of the various agricultural operations. The quantity of energy consumption in the production cycle was calculated by multiplying the quantity of inputs used by the energy conversion factors drawn from the literature. The production costs were calculated considering all internal costs, including equipment, materials, wages, and costs of working capital. The performance of the two systems (organic and conventional), was compared over a period of fifty years. The results, based on unit surface area (ha) production, prove the stronger sustainability of the organic over the conventional system, both in terms of energy consumption and environmental impact, especially for lemons. The sustainability of organic systems is mainly due to the use of environmentally friendly crop inputs (fertilizers, not use of synthetic products, etc.). In terms of production costs, the conventional management systems were more expensive, and both systems were heavily influenced by wages. In terms of kg of final product, the organic production system showed better environmental and energy performances. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding energy consumption behaviors in order to adapt demand response measures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vassileva, Iana; Wallin, Fredrik; Dahlquist, Erik [Malardalen University (Sweden)], email: iana.vassileva@mdh.se, email: fredrik.wallin@mdh.se, email: erik.dahlquist@mdh.se

2011-07-01

When new price strategies and other demand-response measures are being established, it is important that amounts of electricity consumed and the potential for consumer participation be given serious consideration. It is important to encourage consumers to use less electricity if sustainable use of energy is to be achieved. Demand-response is a key component of the smart grids concept. So it is vital to get a comprehensive understanding of how different processes and factors influence the end use of energy. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of questionnaire responses from 2000 households in Vaxjo, Sweden. It sheds new light on the energy consumption behaviors of Swedish householders. Since 2008 Vaxjo householder customers have been able to check their own daily electricity consumption and get advice and tips, via a website provided by the local energy company, on how to lower the use of electricity. At the present time, of those responding to the questionnaire, this website is visited more frequently by people who live in houses than in apartments.

Socio-cultural barriers to the development of a sustainable energy system - the case of hydrogen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kjerulf Petersen, L.; Holst Andersen, A.

2009-02-15

Any transition to a more sustainable energy system, radically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is bound to run in to a host of different barriers - technological and economic, but also socio-cultural. This will also be the case for any large-scale application of hydrogen as energy carrier, especially if the system is going to be based on renewable energy sources. The aim of these research notes is to review and discuss major socio-cultural barriers to new forms of energy supply in general and to hydrogen specifically. Reaching sufficient reductions in greenhouse gas emissions may require more than large-scale dissemination of renewable energy sources. Also reductions or moderations in energy demand may be necessary. Hence, a central point in the research note is to consider not only socio-cultural obstacles for changing technologies in energy production, distribution and consumption but also obstacles for changing the scale of energy consumption, i.e. moderating the growth in how much energy is consumed or even reducing consumption volumes. (au)

Residential Energy Consumption Survey: Quality Profile

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

The Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) is a periodic national survey that provides timely information about energy consumption and expenditures of U.S. households and about energy-related characteristics of housing units. The survey was first conducted in 1978 as the National Interim Energy Consumption Survey (NIECS), and the 1979 survey was called the Household Screener Survey. From 1980 through 1982 RECS was conducted annually. The next RECS was fielded in 1984, and since then, the survey has been undertaken at 3-year intervals. The most recent RECS was conducted in 1993.

The humanity at the frontiers with new technologies for sustained energy production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Florescu, Gheorghe; Agapi, Constantin; Mircea, Ioan; Gyongyosi, Tiberiu; Panaitescu, Valeriu; Florescu, Ioan-Bogdan

2009-01-01

The international scientific community is engaged in dealing with the actual nuclear research issues and in finding new ways for continuous and raising energy production. The big energy consumption and occurrence of new large consumers, especially in Asian countries, impose finding new solutions for clean, large scale and sustained energy production. The new technologies and scientific discoveries, also the international cooperation, offer opportunities to eliminate the actual barriers in order to cumulate and use advanced energy production processes, to find new energy sources and to build improved power plants. The paper presents the actual state of the art in the field of new technologies for nuclear power sources, the steps to be undertaken in order to penetrate the actual barriers for large scale energy production. In the paper are also presented: the actual energy production issues; the key arguments that could be used to sustain R and D for finding new energy sources; the actual limitations in industrial processes knowledge and use. (authors)

Energy Beverage Consumption Among Naval Aviation Candidates.

Science.gov (United States)

Sather, Thomas E; Delorey, Donald R

2016-06-01

Since the debut of energy beverages, the consumption of energy beverages has been immensely popular with young adults. Research regarding energy beverage consumption has included college students, European Union residents, and U.S. Army military personnel. However, energy beverage consumption among naval aviation candidates in the United States has yet to be examined. The purpose of this study was to assess energy beverage consumption patterns (frequency and volume) among naval aviation candidates, including attitudes and perceptions regarding the benefits and safety of energy beverage consumption. A 44-item survey was used to assess energy beverage consumption patterns of 302 students enrolled in the Aviation Preflight Indoctrination Course at Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL. Results indicated that 79% of participants (N = 239) reported consuming energy beverages within the last year. However, of those who reported consuming energy beverages within the last year, only 36% (N = 85) reported consuming energy beverages within the last 30 d. Additionally, 51% (N = 153) of participants reported no regular energy beverages consumption. The majority of participants consumed energy beverages for mental alertness (67%), mental endurance (37%), and physical endurance (12%). The most reported side effects among participants included increased mental alertness (67%), increased heart rate (53%), and restlessness (41%). Naval aviation candidates appear to use energy drinks as frequently as a college student population, but less frequently than expected for an active duty military population. The findings of this study indicate that naval aviation candidates rarely use energy beverages (less than once per month), but when consumed, they use it for fatigue management.

Energy - Economy - Sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meier, R.; Renggli, M.; Previdoli, P.

2000-01-01

This book, published by leading experts working for and on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents in a compact collection of reports the findings of various projects carried out within the framework of a research programme on energy economics. This SFOE programme is to provide the basic information needed in the process of defining Swiss energy policy. The book covers, in particular, data on energy consumption, energy perspectives and analyses of the consequences of the various scenarios along with evaluation of the measures proposed. The 25 individual reports are grouped under 7 headings: Under 'Data', three reports cover indicators for selected cantonal energy measures, energy and electricity consumption in offices and decision-making in the services sector. The 'Perspectives' section contains reports on the SFOE's energy perspectives and two analyses that look at energy consumption and its development in the industry and service sectors. The 'Energy Models and Analysis of the Effects of Measures' collection includes three reports covering the economic impact of energy levies (an analysis using balance models), the social and geographical distribution effects of energy levies as well as overall economic models for the questions of the future. Under 'Costs and Economics', two contributions investigate the future of regional and local district heating schemes and the question of liability in connection with nuclear power installations. Eight contributions make up the section on 'Measures to be taken in the Energy Area and their Implementation in Energy Policy'. The topics covered are: Promotion strategies for the implementation of an energy levy, special regulations for energy-intensive industry sectors, the impact of 'Energy 2000' activities on energy, environment and employment, energy contracting in Switzerland, innovation and energy use in industry, the marketing of solar power by utilities, energy politics in the federalist system and

Our building is smarter than your building: The use of competitive rivalry to reduce energy consumption and linked carbon footprint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolyn McGibbon

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This research is located within the smart city discourse and explores the linkage between smart buildings and an intelligent community, employing the University of Cape Town as a case study. It is also situated within the research stream of Green Information Systems, which examines the confluence between technology, people, data and processes, in order to achieve environmental objectives such as reduced energy consumption and its associated carbon footprint. Since approximately 80% of a university’s carbon footprint may be attributed to electricity consumption and as the portion of energy used inefficiently by buildings is estimated at 33% an argument may be made for seeing a campus as a “living laboratory” for energy consumption experiments in smart buildings. Integrated analytics were used to measure, monitor and mitigate energy consumption, directly linked to carbon footprinting. This paper examines a pilot project to reduce electricity consumption through a smart building competition. The lens used for this research was the empirical framework provided by the International Sustainable Campus Network/Global University Leadership Forum Charter. Preliminary findings suggest a link between the monitoring of smart buildings and behaviour by a segment of the intelligent community in the pursuit of a Sustainable Development strategy.

Sustainable Transportation: Accelerating Widespread Adoption of Energy Efficient Vehicles & Fuels (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-12-01

While energy efficient transportation strategies have the potential to simultaneously slash oil consumption and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a truly sustainable solution will require more than just putting drivers behind the wheels of new fuel-efficient cars. As the only national laboratory dedicated 100% to renewable energy and energy efficiency, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) accelerates widespread adoption of high-performance, low-emission, energy-efficient passenger and freight vehicles, as well as alternative fuels and related infrastructure. Researchers collaborate closely with industry, government, and research partners, using a whole-systems approach to design better batteries, drivetrains, and engines, as well as thermal management, energy storage, power electronic, climate control, alternative fuel, combustion, and emission systems. NREL's sustainable transportation research, development, and deployment (RD&D) efforts are not limited to vehicles, roads, and fueling stations. The lab also explores ways to save energy and reduce GHGs by integrating transportation technology advancements with renewable energy generation, power grids and building systems, urban planning and policy, and fleet operations.

Energy Politics between Sustainability and Liberalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, Gerhard

2000-08-01

Duties and taxes related to energy consumption are discussed intensively in Switzerland in connection with impending National votes on various initiatives and Government proposals. These proposals refer either to new public revenues or to the first steps towards modern and ecologically oriented energy politics. In this Forum representatives with diverse political, economical and scientific background explain their points of view. After an overview on national energy politics and on the pending proposals, the focus shifts to the interplay between the requirements of a sustainable development and a forward-looking scheme of liberalization of the electricity market. As a particular example a recommendation for Switzerland is derived from the consideration of practical experience with legal and promotional measures on the utilization of wind energy in other European countries. Looking into the future, the two last speakers discuss the economic and energetic potentials of efficiency-oriented technologies, and the possible role of new materials like advanced hydrogen-carbon-metals. A final round-table discussion with all speakers is also summarized in this volume

Agro-energy supply chain planning: a procedure to evaluate economic, energy and environmental sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Ginaldi

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The increasing demand for energy and expected shortage in the medium term, solicit innovative energy strategies to fulfill the increasing gap between demand-supply. For this purpose it is important to evaluate the potential supply of the energy crops and finding the areas of EU where it is most convenient. This paper proposes an agro-energy supply chain approach to planning the biofuel supply chain at a regional level. The proposed methodology is the result of an interdisciplinary team work and is aimed to evaluate the potential supply of land for the energy production and the efficiency of the processing plants considering simultaneously economic, energy and environmental targets. The crop simulation, on the basis of this approach, takes into account environmental and agricultural variables (soil, climate, crop, agronomic technique that affect yields, energy and economic costs of the agricultural phase. The use of the Dijkstra’s algorithm allows minimizing the biomass transport path from farm to collecting points and the processing plant, to reduce both the transport cost and the energy consumption. Finally, a global sustainability index (ACSI, Agro-energy Chain Sustainability Index is computed combining economic, energy and environmental aspects to evaluate the sustainability of the Agroenergy supply chain (AESC on the territory. The empirical part consists in a pilot study applied to the whole plain of Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG a region situated in the North-Eastern part of Italy covering about 161,300 ha. The simulation has been applied to the maize cultivation using three different technologies (different levels of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization: low, medium and high input. The higher input technologies allow to achieve higher crop yields, but affect negatively both the economic and energy balances. Low input levels provides, on the average, the most favourable energy and economic balances. ACSI indicates that low inputs levels

Sustainable Urban (re-Development with Building Integrated Energy, Water and Waste Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tae-Goo Lee

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The construction and service of urban infrastructure systems and buildings involves immense resource consumption. Cities are responsible for the largest component of global energy, water, and food consumption as well as related sewage and organic waste production. Due to ongoing global urbanization, in which the largest sector of the global population lives in cities which are already built, global level strategies need to be developed that facilitate both the sustainable construction of new cities and the re-development of existing urban environments. A very promising approach in this regard is the decentralization and building integration of environmentally sound infrastructure systems for integrated resource management. This paper discusses such new and innovative building services engineering systems, which could contribute to increased energy efficiency, resource productivity, and urban resilience. Applied research and development projects in Germany, which are based on integrated system approaches for the integrated and environmentally sound management of energy, water and organic waste, are used as examples. The findings are especially promising and can be used to stimulate further research and development, including economical aspects which are crucial for sustainable urban (re-development.

Uncertainty analysis of energy consumption in dwellings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pettersen, Trine Dyrstad

1997-12-31

This thesis presents a comprehensive study of an energy estimation model that can be used to examine the uncertainty of predicted energy consumption in a dwelling. The variation and uncertainty of input parameters due to the outdoor climate, the building construction and the inhabitants are studied as a basis for further energy evaluations. The occurring variations of energy consumption in nominal similar dwellings are also investigated due to verification of the simulated energy consumption. The main topics are (1) a study of expected variations and uncertainties in both input parameters used in energy consumption calculations and the energy consumption in the dwelling, (2) the development and evaluation of a simplified energy calculation model that considers uncertainties due to the input parameters, (3) an evaluation of the influence of the uncertain parameters on the total variation so that the most important parameters can be identified, and (4) the recommendation of a simplified procedure for treating uncertainties or possible deviations from average conditions. 90 refs., 182 figs., 73 tabs.

The Post-consumption Problem of Green Coconut in Brazil: Alternatives and Sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Pacheco Martins

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This literature review explores the problem of post-consumption of green coconut in Brazil. It starts by offering an analysis of the general aspects of the coconut industry and its derivatives. It also highlights the origins of coconut by-products, as well as the impacts of the industry in rural and urban management. The properties and potential uses of coconut by-products are also evaluated. The review presents diverse theoretical approaches regarding the concept of sustainable development as applied to product design. Results reveal a wide range of potential applications of coconut by-products in the field of engineering, although there is still an evident lack of research into the management and logistics of the coconut production chain. We argue that the concept of sustainability must be interpreted broadly, but also objectively, in any future research in order to facilitate the sustainable consumption and post-consumption of the green coconut.

An inquiry into the impact of globalization on the potential for 'sustainable consumption' in households

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fuchs, D.A.; Lorek, Sylvia

2000-01-01

This paper aims to determine whether and how globalization affects the sustainability of household consumption in industrialized countries. Our focus of inquiry arises from the existence of a tremendous gap between references to the influence of globalization on sustainable consumption in political

Sustainability and energy self-sufficiency; overcoming the barriers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rania Abdel Galil

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Engendering more positive attitudes to renewable energy is by no means a simple feat. Renewable energy technologies are viewed as radical innovations which necessitate substantial changes in production and consumption patterns, hence often met with resistance from both institutions and individuals. Yet action is needed; global energy consumption is expected to rise by 41% and global carbon dioxide emissions by 29%, with most of the demand and rise coming from emerging economies (BP energy outlook 2035. Further, countries need to meet objectives of reduction of GHG under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Renewable energy share in the global energy mix needs to significantly increase in order to reach supply sufficiency, energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability.Meeting demands of energy is critical for the economic and social development of any country; energy must be secure, accessible and affordable at all levels of society, and any negative impact of energy production and energy use on the environment must be minimized. Middle East energy consumption is expected to grow by 69% whilst production to grow by 32%, with 97% of demand still met by fossil fuels by the end of the 2035. Energy investment of $316 billion will be required in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA between 2015 and 2019 to meet its growing demand for power (Apicorp, 2014. Diversifying energy sources is indeed of interest in the MENA region, spurred by growing demand for power and desalinated water, fluctuating fuel price, GHG emission reduction targets, depleting fossil fuel reserves and advances in renewable energy technology. However, there are many barriers that hinder the adoption of renewable energy technologies worldwide, but more so in the MENA region. These barriers are political, economic, social and technological. With a focus on Europe and MENA, it can be said that these barriers have much in common albeit framing

Sustainable utilisation of forest biomass for energy - Possibilities and problems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stupak, I.; Asikainen, A.; Jonsell, M.

2007-01-01

The substitution of biomass for fossil fuels in energy consumption is a measure to mitigate global warming, as well as having other advantages. Political action plans for increased use exist at both European and national levels. This paper briefly reviews the contents of recommendations. guidelines....... and other synthesis publications on Sustainable use of forest biomass for energy. Topics are listed and an overview of advantages. disadvantages, and trade-offs between them is given, from the viewpoint of society in general and the forestry or the Nordic and Baltic countries, the paper also identifies...

Energy-saving decomposition and power consumption forecast: The case of liaoning province in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Y.X.; Zhao, Y.S.; Wang, Y.J. [School of Business Administration, North China Electric Power University, Zhu Xin Zhuang, Bei Nong Lu No. 2, Changping District, Beijing (China); Zhang, S.L. [Finance Department, Nanning Power Supply Bureau, Xingguang Street No. 43, Nanning, Guangxi Autonomous Region (China); Li, F.R. [University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY (United Kingdom)

2011-01-15

To achieve sustainable development of the society, the People's Republic of China (PRC) proposed in its 11th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development Program a shift in energy-saving target of decreasing energy intensity by 20% in 2010 compared with that of 2005. Liaoning province is one of the oldest industrial bases in China. Policymakers are often confronted with problems relating to adjustment in the development pattern as a means to secure steady economic growth. The power industry is a fundamental energy industry; it plays an important role in realizing of energy-saving targets. Based on the input-output model, this paper sets extensive, planning and 20% energy-saving scenarios in order to analyze energy-saving and power consumption situations for Liaoning by 2010. Through extensive simulations, the levels of energy-saving and power demand under different scenarios are obtained. Results from the analysis show that under the premises of adjusting the ratio of investment and consumption, optimizing products structure, and improving energy use efficiency, it is possible to achieve the proposed energy-saving target. Liaoning's power consumption can maintain a stable growth trend in the future. The percentage of electricity to the total energy use can also increase to 16% in 2010. (author)

Sustainable energy in Baltic States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klevas, Valentinas; Streimikiene, Dalia; Grikstaite, Ramute

2007-01-01

Integration of New Member States to the European Union has created a new situation in the frame of implementation of the Lisbon strategy and EU Sustainable Development. The closure of Ignalina NPP is the biggest challenge to the energy sector development of the Baltic States. The Baltic States have quite limited own energy resources and in the Accession agreement with the EU Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have verified their targets to increase the share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources (RES-E) by the year 2010. A wider use of renewable energy and increase of energy efficiency can make a valuable contribution to meeting the targets of sustainable development. The article presents a detailed overview of the present policies and measures implemented in the Baltic States, aiming to support the use of RES and the increase of energy efficiency. The review of possibilities to use the EU Structural Funds (SF) for the implementation of sustainable energy projects in the Baltic States was performed.The use of regional social-economic-environmental indicators is the main key to integrate sustainable energy development at the program deployment level. The indicators to be used should describe the contribution of energy programs to the sustainable development, medium- and long-term trends and inter-relationship between them and the typical energy indicators (saved toe, improved energy efficiency, percentage of RES). Municipalities may play a considerable role by promoting sustainable energy since local authorities are fulfilling their functions in the energy sector via a number of roles. The Netherlands' example shows that municipalities may act as facilitators by implementing national environmental policy and increasing energy efficiency in an integral part of these activities. The guidelines for Lithuanian local sustainable energy development using the SF co-financing have been presented

Hypercoagulability after energy drink consumption.

Science.gov (United States)

Pommerening, Matthew J; Cardenas, Jessica C; Radwan, Zayde A; Wade, Charles E; Holcomb, John B; Cotton, Bryan A

2015-12-01

Energy drink consumption in the United States has more than doubled over the last decade and has been implicated in cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, and even sudden cardiac death. We hypothesized that energy drink consumption may increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events by increasing platelet aggregation, thereby resulting in a relatively hypercoagulable state and increased risk of thrombosis. Thirty-two healthy volunteers aged 18-40 y were given 16 oz of bottled water or a standardized, sugar-free energy drink on two separate occasions, 1-wk apart. Beverages were consumed after an overnight fast over a 30-min period. Coagulation parameters and platelet function were measured before and 60 min after consumption using thrombelastography and impedance aggregometry. No statistically significant differences in coagulation were detected using kaolin or rapid thrombelastography. In addition, no differences in platelet aggregation were detected using ristocetin, collagen, thrombin receptor-activating peptide, or adenosine diphosphate-induced multiple impedance aggregometry. However, compared to water controls, energy drink consumption resulted in a significant increase in platelet aggregation via arachidonic acid-induced activation (area under the aggregation curve, 72.4 U versus 66.3 U; P = 0.018). Energy drinks are associated with increased platelet activity via arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation within 1 h of consumption. Although larger clinical studies are needed to further address the safety and health concerns of these drinks, the increased platelet response may provide a mechanism by which energy drinks increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shifting the balance: equity and sustainable consumption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vermeulen, Sonja; Garside, Ben; De Morais, Gabriela Weber

2009-01-15

On our finite planet, the dictates of ecology and technology limit growth. Yet a key element of this issue – consumption – has until recently hardly figured on policy agendas. Now there is growing recognition that transformation towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy means tackling consumption as well as production. Governments and businesses are beginning to make concerted, if uncoordinated, efforts to reduce energy and resource use. Rethinking consumption could, however, drive an even bigger wedge between rich and poor. Any new agenda for consumption needs to factor in equity as well as environmental benefit.

Making Sustainable Consumption and Production the Core of Sustainable Development Goals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lewis Akenji

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper argues that sustainable consumption and production (SCP should play a prominent role in the formulation and implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs and discusses how this could be practically done. Unsustainable patterns of consumption and production have been declared the primary cause of environmental deterioration. This was clearly recognized already at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (or the Rio Summit in 1992; and this recognition has been reconfirmed in all high-level sustainability meetings since then. SCP aims to change these patterns; it is a policy agenda for addressing the root causes of our ecological predicament, while, at the same time, providing for human wellbeing and prosperity. Drawing from international agreements, practical policy experience and research from a range of disciplines, the paper provides a clarifying framework for scientifically robust, policy-relevant and practical goal-setting for SCP within the SDGs. Special attention is given to how SCP in the SDGs can create synergies with other international policy initiatives. The paper explores the advantages and disadvantages of two possible options for reflecting SCP in the SDGs framework: (i SCP as a stand-alone goal; and (ii SCP as a cross-cutting objective, embedded within relevant goals. While these two options are not necessarily mutually exclusive, given the competing number of issues for prioritization and the fact that a 10-Year Framework of Programs on SCP has also recently been established, it is hardly foreseeable that both options can be realized. The paper further proposes a set of basic principles for SCP at the global level and makes recommendations towards the formulation of indicators supporting SCP objectives in the SDGs.

Exploring the relationship between urbanization and energy consumption in China using ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) and FDM (factor decomposition model)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yaobin

2009-01-01

The paper develops a function of energy consumption, population growth, economic growth and urbanization process, and provides fresh empirical evidences for urbanization and energy consumption for China over the period 1978-2008 through the use of ARDL testing approach and factor decomposition model. The results of the bounds test show that there is a stable long run relationship amongst total energy consumption, population, GDP (Gross domestic product) and urbanization level when total energy consumption is the dependent variable in China. The results of the causality test with ECM (error correction model) specification, the short run and long run dynamics of the interested variables are tested, indicating that there exists only a unidirectional Granger causality running from urbanization to total energy consumption both in the long run and in the short run. At present, the contribution share which urbanization drags the energy consumption is smaller than that in the past, and the intensity holds a downward trend. Therefore, together with enhancing energy efficiency, accelerating the urbanization process that can cut reliance on resource and energy dependent industries is a fundamental strategy to solve the sustainable development dilemma between energy consumption and urbanization.

Exploring the relationship between urbanization and energy consumption in China using ARDL (autoregressive distributed lag) and FDM (factor decomposition model)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Yaobin [Research Center of the Central China Economic Development, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047 (China)

2009-11-15

The paper develops a function of energy consumption, population growth, economic growth and urbanization process, and provides fresh empirical evidences for urbanization and energy consumption for China over the period 1978-2008 through the use of ARDL testing approach and factor decomposition model. The results of the bounds test show that there is a stable long run relationship amongst total energy consumption, population, GDP (Gross domestic product) and urbanization level when total energy consumption is the dependent variable in China. The results of the causality test with ECM (error correction model) specification, the short run and long run dynamics of the interested variables are tested, indicating that there exists only a unidirectional Granger causality running from urbanization to total energy consumption both in the long run and in the short run. At present, the contribution share which urbanization drags the energy consumption is smaller than that in the past, and the intensity holds a downward trend. Therefore, together with enhancing energy efficiency, accelerating the urbanization process that can cut reliance on resource and energy dependent industries is a fundamental strategy to solve the sustainable development dilemma between energy consumption and urbanization. (author)

Energy consumptions of households in 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denjean, Mathias

2015-06-01

Based on results of a survey, this publication comments data presented under the form of tables and graphs and related to the energy consumption by French households during 2012. It addresses expenses and consumptions for individual housing and for a flat in collective building, analyses the energy consumption with respect to surface in the case of individual housing, discusses the influence of dwelling age on consumption, the influence of geographical location in France, the influence o the residence status (owner or renter), and the influence of dwelling occupation (hours per day), and the distribution of the type of consumed energy (electricity, gas, oil, LPG, wood, other) and the money spent on these different energies. The type of energy is also related to the residence status, to the housing type (house or flat), to the flat surface, to the housing type and age, to the geographical location

Techno-Economic Optimization of a Sustainable Energy System for a 100% Renewables Smart House

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Craciun, Vasile Simion; Blarke, Morten; Trifa, Viorel

2012-01-01

technical and economic challenges. One such challenge is the discontinuity, or intermittency, of generation, as most renewable energy resources depend on the climate, which is why their use requires complex design, planning and control optimization strategies. This paper presents a model and optimization...... for a sustainable energy system for a 100% renewables based Smart House (SH). We have devised and analysed an innovative high-efficiency approach to residential energy supply. The analysis involves detailed technical specifications and considerations for providing optimal supply of electricity, heating, cooling......The continuous increasing negative effects of fossil fuel consumption on society and the environment, opens a major interest into environmentally friendly alternatives to sustain the increasing demand for energy services. Despite the obvious advantages of renewable energy, it presents important...

Consumers’ Competences as a Stimulant of Sustainable Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kiełczewski Dariusz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The paper contains considerations on the issue of sustainable consumption whose stimulator may be consumer competences. The problem can be examined in the cognitive, emotional and behavioural dimensions. Besides the theoretical approach, the authors have presented findings of the research carried out for the purposes of the project “Consumer Competences as a Stimulant of Innovative Behaviours and Sustainable Consumption” (2011/03/B/HS4/04417 financed from resources provided by the National Science Centre. The research involved a research sample of 1,000 Poles meeting specific criteria established by the authors. The obtained empirical material allowed for the construction of the consumer competence index which took into account the following variables: Knowledge of the consumer’s rights and ways of use thereof (Knowledge, Planning measured with the following variables (Planning, Making rational consumption choices measured with the following variables (Rationality, Autonomy of choices measured with the following variables (Sovereignty. Three groups of consumers were singled out and characterised in the study, namely: highly competent consumers, consumers with a medium level of competences, and consumers with low competences.

The Role of Fashion vs. Style Orientation on Sustainable Fashion Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gwozdz, Wencke; Gupta, Shipra; Gentry, Jim

2015-01-01

, the notion of style is one promising avenue. While fashion is ever changing, following trends, style evolves slowly and continues to remain stable over time, expressing consumers’ ways of life. Thus, the created planned obsolescence by fashion could be reduced by the notion of style. The aim of this study......Today, textile consumption is far from being sustainable with regard to production, purchase, maintenance, and disposal. The current fashion system is characterized by planned obsolescence, and environmental and social unsustainability. To resolve the tensions between sustainability and fashion...... is to investigate the potential of emphasizing style rather than fashion to enhance sustainability in fashion consumption. We suggest that as one ages, one tends to be less fashion-oriented. Further, higher style orientation enhances one’s ability to have more concern for the environment or knowledge about...

Reducing the operational energy demand in buildings using building information modeling tools and sustainability approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mojtaba Valinejad Shoubi

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A sustainable building is constructed of materials that could decrease environmental impacts, such as energy usage, during the lifecycle of the building. Building Information Modeling (BIM has been identified as an effective tool for building performance analysis virtually in the design stage. The main aims of this study were to assess various combinations of materials using BIM and identify alternative, sustainable solutions to reduce operational energy consumption. The amount of energy consumed by a double story bungalow house in Johor, Malaysia, and assessments of alternative material configurations to determine the best energy performance were evaluated by using Revit Architecture 2012 and Autodesk Ecotect Analysis software to show which of the materials helped in reducing the operational energy use of the building to the greatest extent throughout its annual life cycle. At the end, some alternative, sustainable designs in terms of energy savings have been suggested.

Investigating attitudes of generation Y toward sustainable consumption in Republic of Serbia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marić Dražen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The turbulent development of human civilization is faced with the serious challenge of its sustainability. Despite the fact that, declaratively, discourses in academic, scientific and political circles point out all the urgency of resolving this issue of further development of human society, there are few reversals and changes in the functioning of economic and social systems so far. The issue of sustainability has two dominant dimensions - economic, in the sense of exploitation of natural resources and environment pollution, and social, in the sense of actual responsible behavior and inequality of individuals in terms of meeting basic and broader human needs. This paper is an attempt at contributing to the development of the awareness of the problem of development of society and consumption in it, and pointing at possible avenues of acting of relevant individuals and institutions in this sense, through studying attitudes, level of consciousness and perceptions of sustainable consumption, and through the measurement of the environmental and social dimensions, analysing the significance and actual behaviour of respondents from Generation Y, i.e. generation born after 1980, very often in the focus of research of marketing theory and practice. The paper discloses that there is a significant disproportion between the significance of individual elements of sustainability for individual, and actual behaviour of the respondents in regard of sustainable consumption.

Energy catastrophes and energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, G.

1991-01-01

The possibility of energy catastrophes in the production of energy serves to make estimation of the true social costs of energy production difficult. As a result, there is a distinct possibility that the private marginal cost curve of energy producers lies to the left or right of the true cost curve. If so, social welfare will not be maximized, and underconsumption or overconsumption of fuels will exist. The occurrence of energy catastrophes and observance of the market reaction to these occurrences indicates that overconsumption of energy has been the case in the past. Postulations as to market reactions to further energy catastrophes lead to the presumption that energy consumption levels remain above those that are socially optimal

Buyer behaviour in the context of sustainable consumption policy pursued in Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslaw Korpysa

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The concept of sustainable consumption has been actively promoted among modern societies. It has gained a special importance in the context of pursuing sustainable consumption policy and supporting actions taken as part of corporate social responsibility. The fulfilment of strategic goals defined under this concept minimizes negative effects of industrialization and globalization. Furthermore, it contributes to efficient allocation of natural resources and natural environment protection. It is beyond any doubt that a 21st century consumer should take account of a number of issues while buying and subsequently using goods and services. These issues include wastage reduction, lower emission of pollution and limited production of waste, as well as selection of products whose development conforms to the code of ethics and socio-environmental norms. This awareness is observed in most countries all over the world, nevertheless certain differences can be noticed between the developed and developing states. Although the concept of sustainable consumption is being actively promoted among consumers in the developing countries (e.g. in Poland, they are still less aware of the necessity to conform to socio-ecological norms in the process of consumption. The main aim of the article is to analyse buyer behaviour in the context of sustainable development policy pursued in Poland. The first part will be devoted to theoretical issues relating to the subject of the analysis. In the second part of the paper the author will present the results of a survey examining the aforementioned behaviour.

Sustainable Housing Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauring, Gert Michael

2016-01-01

Sustainable Housing Design. Integrating technical and housing quality aspects of sustainable architecture in civil engineering education. Summary An integrated design approach to sustainable architecture is outlined that combines concerns for zero energy building, good indoor climate and adequate...... phases. The outcome shows that integrated design further solutions where sustainable urban forms of settlement can be highly energy efficient while also attractive from a user perspective. Key words: Sustainable architecture, integrated design, zero-energy-housing, dense urban living. 1. Introduction...... When designing sustainable housing, energy optimization and satisfactory indoor climates are central issues that need to be incorporated from early design phases if to reach a coherent design. It might also be argued that the energy consumption of contemporary buildings only plays a rela-tively minor...

Estimating Household Travel Energy Consumption in Conjunction with a Travel Demand Forecasting Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garikapati, Venu M. [Systems Analysis and Integration Section, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401; You, Daehyun [Maricopa Association of Governments, 302 North First Avenue, Suite 300, Phoenix, AZ 85003; Zhang, Wenwen [School of City and Regional Planning, Center for Geographic Information Systems, Georgia Institute of Technology, 760 Spring Street, Suite 230, Atlanta, GA 30308; Pendyala, Ram M. [School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University, 660 South College Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85281; Guhathakurta, Subhrajit [School of City and Regional Planning, Center for Geographic Information Systems, Georgia Institute of Technology, 760 Spring Street, Suite 230, Atlanta, GA 30308; Brown, Marilyn A. [School of Public Policy, 685 Cherry Street, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Dilkina, Bistra [School of Computational Science and Engineering, 266 Ferst Drive, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332

2017-01-01

This paper presents a methodology for the calculation of the consumption of household travel energy at the level of the traffic analysis zone (TAZ) in conjunction with information that is readily available from a standard four-step travel demand model system. This methodology embeds two algorithms. The first provides a means of allocating non-home-based trips to residential zones that are the source of such trips, whereas the second provides a mechanism for incorporating the effects of household vehicle fleet composition on fuel consumption. The methodology is applied to the greater Atlanta, Georgia, metropolitan region in the United States and is found to offer a robust mechanism for calculating the footprint of household travel energy at the level of the individual TAZ; this mechanism makes possible the study of variations in the energy footprint across space. The travel energy footprint is strongly correlated with the density of the built environment, although socioeconomic differences across TAZs also likely contribute to differences in travel energy footprints. The TAZ-level calculator of the footprint of household travel energy can be used to analyze alternative futures and relate differences in the energy footprint to differences in a number of contributing factors and thus enables the design of urban form, formulation of policy interventions, and implementation of awareness campaigns that may produce more-sustainable patterns of energy consumption.

Sustainable consumption and production in the food supply chain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Govindan, Kannan

2018-01-01

Increased globalization and a growing world population have a great impact on the sustainability of supply chains, especially within the food industry. The way food is produced, processed, transported, and consumed has a great impact on whether sustainability is achieved throughout the whole food...... supply chain. Due to the complexity that persists in coordinating the members of food supply chain, food wastage has increased over the past few years. To achieve sustainable consumption and production (SCP), food industry stakeholders need to be coordinated and to have their views reflected...... in an optimized manner. However, not much research has been done concerning the influence of stakeholders and supply chain members’ coordination in the food industry's SCP context. To facilitate the theory development for SCP, in this work, a short literature review on sustainable supply chain management...

Sustainable energy prices and growth. Comparing macroeconomic and backcasting scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahlroth, Sofia; Hoejer, Mattias

2007-01-01

How do results from the sustainability research world of backcasting relate to the macroeconomic scenarios used for policy evaluation and planning? The answer is that they do not, mostly - they come from different scientific traditions and are not used in the same contexts. Yet they often deal with the same issues. We believe that much can be gained by bringing the two systems of thinking together. This paper is a first attempt to do so, by making qualitative comparisons between different scenarios and highlighting benefits and limitations to each of them. Why are the pictures we get of the energy future so different if we use a macroeconomic model from when using a backcasting approach based on sustainable energy use? It is evident that the methods for producing those two kinds of scenarios differ a lot, but the main reason behind the different results are found in the starting points rather than in the methods. Baseline assumptions are quite different, as well as the interpretations and importance attached to signals about the future. In this paper, it is discussed how those two types of scenarios differ and how they approach issues such as energy prices and growth. The discussion is based on a comparison between Swedish economic and sustainability scenarios. The economic scenarios aim at being forecasts of the future and are used as decision support for long-term policies. But are the assumptions in the economic scenarios reasonable? The sustainability scenarios are explicitly normative backcasting scenarios. They do not take the issue of growth and consumption fully into account. Could they be developed in this respect? The comparison between the scenarios is also used to look closer at the issue of energy prices in a society with sustainable energy use. One of the questions raised is if a low energy society calls for high energy prices. Moreover, the effects of tradable permits versus energy taxes is analysed in the context of how energy use could be kept low

Divisia amount and price index for energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentzen, J.

1993-01-01

In connection with the calculation of total energy consumption related to aggregation of the individual fuel's combustion values, an alternative to Btu aggregation (combustion value measurement), designated the ''Divisia index'', is presented. This represents an economic measure for energy consumption. The Divisia index is demonstrated in relation to total national energy consumption and total energy consumption within the Danish housing sector and also with regard to the estimation of price and income elasticity within energy demand. It is only possible to utilize the Divisia index in relation to the last 20 years, which is the period where energy consumption has stagnated. The question of possible irreversible effects on energy consumption caused by large variations in energy prices is discussed. It is suggested that the reaction to a fall in prices is different and less significant than is the case with price rises. In the long term, results point at a reasonably high price elasticity within energy demand. (AB) (22 refs.)

Modeling energy consumption and CO2 emissions at the urban scale: Methodological challenges and insights from the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parshall, Lily; Gurney, Kevin; Hammer, Stephen A.; Mendoza, Daniel; Zhou, Yuyu; Geethakumar, Sarath

2010-01-01

Local policy makers could benefit from a national, high-resolution inventory of energy consumption and related carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions based on the Vulcan data product, which plots emissions on a 100 km 2 grid. We evaluate the ability of Vulcan to measure energy consumption in urban areas, a scale of analysis required to support goals established as part of local energy, climate or sustainability initiatives. We highlight the methodological challenges of this type of analytical exercise and review alternative approaches. We find that between 37% and 86% of direct fuel consumption in buildings and industry and between 37% and 77% of on-road gasoline and diesel consumption occurs in urban areas, depending on how these areas are defined. We suggest that a county-based definition of urban is preferable to other common definitions since counties are the smallest political unit for which energy data are collected. Urban counties, account for 37% of direct energy consumption, or 50% if mixed urban counties are included. A county-based definition can also improve estimates of per-capita consumption.

Barriers to sustainable consumption attenuated by foreign language use

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J. Geipel (Janet); C. Hadjichristidis (Constantinos); A.K. Klesse (Anne Kathrin)

2018-01-01

textabstractAbstract The adoption of certain innovative products, such as recycled water, artificial meat, and insect-based food, could help promote sustainability. However, the disgust these products elicit acts as a barrier to their consumption. Here, we show that describing such products in a

Optimal Energy Consumption Analysis of Natural Gas Pipeline

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Enbin; Li, Changjun; Yang, Yi

2014-01-01

There are many compressor stations along long-distance natural gas pipelines. Natural gas can be transported using different boot programs and import pressures, combined with temperature control parameters. Moreover, different transport methods have correspondingly different energy consumptions. At present, the operating parameters of many pipelines are determined empirically by dispatchers, resulting in high energy consumption. This practice does not abide by energy reduction policies. Therefore, based on a full understanding of the actual needs of pipeline companies, we introduce production unit consumption indicators to establish an objective function for achieving the goal of lowering energy consumption. By using a dynamic programming method for solving the model and preparing calculation software, we can ensure that the solution process is quick and efficient. Using established optimization methods, we analyzed the energy savings for the XQ gas pipeline. By optimizing the boot program, the import station pressure, and the temperature parameters, we achieved the optimal energy consumption. By comparison with the measured energy consumption, the pipeline now has the potential to reduce energy consumption by 11 to 16 percent. PMID:24955410

State Energy Data Report, 1991: Consumption estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-05-01

The State Energy Data Report (SEDR) provides annual time series estimates of State-level energy consumption by major economic sector. The estimates are developed in the State Energy Data System (SEDS), which is maintained and operated by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The goal in maintaining SEDS is to create historical time series of energy consumption by State that are defined as consistently as possible over time and across sectors. SEDS exists for two principal reasons: (1) to provide State energy consumption estimates to the Government, policy makers, and the public; and (2) to provide the historical series necessary for EIA's energy models

Energy consumption of the households 1960-1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentzen, J.; Engsted, T.

1999-01-01

During the 1960s energy consumption of Danish households increased relatively fast, but the oil price shocks of the 1970s and subsequent energy policy changes reversed this development towards stagnation in energy consumption in the recent decades. Using time series data covering the period 1960-1996 the final energy consumption of the residential sector is analysed in the framework of co-integration and error-correction modelling. The long run income and price elasticities are found to be 1.17 and -0.85, respectively, but in the short run energy prices seem to influence consumption less as only income and the weather conditions appear significantly in the short run dynamics of the estimated error-correction model. (au)

Progress in sustainable energy technologies

CERN Document Server

Dincer, Ibrahim; Kucuk, Haydar

2014-01-01

This multi-disciplinary volume presents information on the state-of-the-art in sustainable energy technologies key to tackling the world's energy challenges and achieving environmentally benign solutions. Its unique amalgamation of the latest technical information, research findings and examples of successfully applied new developments in the area of sustainable energy will be of keen interest to engineers, students, practitioners, scientists and researchers working with sustainable energy technologies. Problem statements, projections, new concepts, models, experiments, measurements and simula

National Energy Plan 1997 - 2010; Sustainable Energy self-sufficiency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The present revision of the PEN consists of two parts, a diagnosis and a strategy. In the diagnosis; the evolution and the changes are analyzed foreseen in the international and national environments to establish the form like the energy sector is affected and it responds to these conditions. In second part it revises the strategy to incorporate the required adjustments of agreement with the changes in the environment, the demand perspectives and sector and national politics limits. In the international thing, the process of transformation of the system economic World cup will contribute to strengthen the liberalization actions, deregulation and privatization of the economies of the development countries. Great part of the dynamics growth, will be sustained then in the private investment and in an atmosphere of global competition. The formation of regional blocks opens favorable perspectives for new cooperation forms and development of resources. In the case of the American hemisphere and with reference to the energy sector, one has an important potential to improve the self-sufficiency starting from regional supplies, especially starting from fossil resources. This expectation is important for Colombia that has well-known reservations and important potentials in these resources. The tendencies waited in the fossil resources are more favorable for the countries than they can have reservations and growing production of petroleum and of natural gas. Nevertheless, the development of the coal maintains favorable expectations, but with important requirements as for efficiency and quality in the production that it guarantee the positioning in a more and more concerned market. In the environmental thing, the growth foreseen in the consumption of fossil fuels also bears to the increment in the 2010 in the greenhouse gases, at levels between 36% and 49% superiors to those of 1990. That most of this increment will originate in the in the development countries and

Scenario Development for Sustainable Food Consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reisch, Lucia; Farsang, Andrea; Jégou, Francois

Over the last few decades, considerable changes in food consumption – such as eating habits, dietary changes, availability and accessability of food – have taken place. These are mainly due to an increase in productivity of the food sector, a greater diversity in product choices and a decrease in...... public procurement 3. shorter distance and closer relations between producers and consumers 4. community gardens and urban gardening 5. food trade placed in local squares 6. energy conscious and efficient food consumption....

Testing for the Best Instrument to Generate Sustainable Food Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca Panzone

2011-12-01

Full Text Available  The increase in the level of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions in the atmosphere in the last centuries, and the subsequent increase in temperature, has been a widely studied area in the last few decades. Climate change has become a key item on the political agenda due to concerns regarding the sustainability of current human consumption for future generations. Consumption of food and agricultural goods constitutes an important part of household based GHG emissions, and the relatively low costs associated with environmental improvements make it an interesting area of study to understand behavioural changes. Despite general agreement on the need to curb the amount of GHG emissions worldwide, little evidence exists regarding the best instruments policymakers can employ to stimulate changes toward more sustainable consumption. The present work explores which instruments are most effective in fostering change to more environmentally friendly food consumption. The instruments tested are CO2 labelling, GHG abatement subsidy and product-specific bans. We used a simulated online shopping trip in supermarkets in the Greater London area in the United Kingdom, where respondents shopped in four product categories: cola, milk, meat (chicken and beef, and butter/margarine. Consumer preferences reveal that, in the presence of these instruments, quantity instruments performed better than price incentives and labelling.

Energy consumption and economic development after the energy price increases of 1973

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danielewski, J.

1993-01-01

The interdependence between energy consumption and economic development are highlighted in this research, which focuses on energy price rises between 1973 and 1989. Three groups of countries are identified, developing and developed market economies and centrally planned economies. Two areas of interdependence are examined, firstly the dynamic relationship between primary energy consumption growth and real economic growth and secondly the static relationship between primary energy consumption and national income. In the period under review, developing market economies reacted most strongly to higher energy prices, with lower energy consumption while maintaining real growth in the Gross Domestic Product. However developing countries and centrally planned economies increased their energy consumption per unit of national income although the rate of increase slowed after 1975. (UK)

Sustainable Energy Production - Facing up to our Common Challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondevik, Kjell Magne

1998-01-01

With this presentation the Norwegian Prime Minister opened the conference, the Offshore Northern Seas Conference, an important meeting place for the oil and gas industry. Today, sustainable development, the environment and human rights are vital issues that politicians and the petroleum industry have included on their agendas. The end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s mark the beginning of a new era in terms of de regulated markets and a growing concern about the Earth's capacity to sustain a growing population and the present production and consumption patterns. This shift in political and economic practices has promoted far-reaching institutional changes and a rapid spread of capital, information and skills and an unprecedented integration of the world economy. Energy demand over the next 25 years will depend on fossil fuels, but renewable energy will become increasingly more important. The environmental issues discussed are (1) the local impact of production, distribution and use of fossil fuels, (2) the limited availability of fossil fuels and (3) the impact of the emission of greenhouse gases. The Prime Minister then discusses issues of human rights in sustainable development

Sustainable Energy Production - Facing up to our Common Challenge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bondevik, Kjell Magne [Prime Minister (Norway)

1998-12-31

With this presentation the Norwegian Prime Minister opened the conference, the Offshore Northern Seas Conference, an important meeting place for the oil and gas industry. Today, sustainable development, the environment and human rights are vital issues that politicians and the petroleum industry have included on their agendas. The end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s mark the beginning of a new era in terms of de regulated markets and a growing concern about the Earth`s capacity to sustain a growing population and the present production and consumption patterns. This shift in political and economic practices has promoted far-reaching institutional changes and a rapid spread of capital, information and skills and an unprecedented integration of the world economy. Energy demand over the next 25 years will depend on fossil fuels, but renewable energy will become increasingly more important. The environmental issues discussed are (1) the local impact of production, distribution and use of fossil fuels, (2) the limited availability of fossil fuels and (3) the impact of the emission of greenhouse gases. The Prime Minister then discusses issues of human rights in sustainable development

Modeling of Electric Demand for Sustainable Energy and Management in India Using Spatio-Temporal DMSP-OLS Night-Time Data

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathy, Bismay Ranjan; Sajjad, Haroon; Elvidge, Christopher D.; Ting, Yu; Pandey, Prem Chandra; Rani, Meenu; Kumar, Pavan

2018-04-01

Changes in the pattern of electric power consumption in India have influenced energy utilization processes and socio-economic development to greater extent during the last few decades. Assessment of spatial distribution of electricity consumption is, thus, essential for projecting availability of energy resource and planning its infrastructure. This paper makes an attempt to model the future electricity demand for sustainable energy and its management in India. The nighttime light database provides a good approximation of availability of energy. We utilized defense meteorological satellite program-operational line-scan system (DMSP-OLS) nighttime satellite data, electricity consumption (1993-2013), gross domestic product (GDP) and population growth to construct the model. We also attempted to examine the sensitiveness of electricity consumption to GDP and population growth. The results revealed that the calibrated DMSP and model has provided realistic information on the electric demand with respect to GDP and population, with a better accuracy of r 2 = 0.91. The electric demand was found to be more sensitive to GDP ( r = 0.96) than population growth ( r = 0.76) as envisaged through correlation analysis. Hence, the model proved to be useful tool in predicting electric demand for its sustainable use and management.

Energy drink consumption and marketing in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Stacey, Nicholas; van Walbeek, Corné; Maboshe, Mashekwa; Tugendhaft, Aviva; Hofman, Karen

2017-12-01

Energy drinks are a fast-growing class of beverage containing high levels of caffeine and sugar. Advertising and marketing have been key to their growth in South Africa. This paper documents trends in energy drink consumption and energy drink advertising, and examines the relationship between exposure to energy drink advertising and consumption. Logistic regressions were estimated of categories of energy drink consumption on individual characteristics, as well as exposure to energy drink advertising. Exposure to advertising is measured by reported viewing of channels high in energy drink advertising. Energy drink consumption in South Africa is higher among younger, wealthier males. Spending on energy drink advertising is mostly focused on television. Targeted channels include youth, sports and general interest channels. Viewers of channels targeted by energy drink advertisers have higher odds of any and moderate levels of energy drinks consumption. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Understanding change and continuity in residential energy consumption

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten

2011-01-01

of material consumer goods in practice theory. Case studies on household energy consumption are used as an empirical basis for these discussions. Looking at household energy consumption through the theoretical lens of practice theory necessitates discussion on whether energy consumption should be viewed......Practice theory has recently emerged within consumer studies as a promising approach that shifts focus from the individual consumer towards the collective aspects of consumption and from spectacular and conspicuous dimensions of consumption towards routine and mundane aspects of consumption...

Quantification of variables that affect energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, C.S.

1993-01-01

Facility energy consumption is the summation of a number of contributory factors, caused by equipment that uses energy in response to demands placed by the user and according to its particular design. While energy efficiency improvements usually concentrate on individual parts or systems, overall energy consumption is analyzed by examining the use of specific fuels. Because independent variables effect the consumption of these fuels, accurate comparisons of a facility's energy consumption for time-measured periods must include these effects. In many cases, it is possible to determine and quantify the effects of one or more of the independent variables through a statistically valid regression analysis of the data. The regression model can be linear, or be dependent on other functions such as powers, time lead or lag, or exponential. The most common model is linear, but other dependencies are often encountered. Regression analyses are not difficult to accomplish, and are included as one of the tools in most spreadsheet software. The analyses provide the energy manager with a means to better understand the energy consumption of his/her facility

Calculations of energy consumption in ventilation systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kreslins, Andris; Ramata, Anna [Riga Technical University (Latvia)], e-mail: kreslins@rbf.rtu.lv, email: Anna.Ramata@rtu.lv

2011-07-01

Energy cost is an important economic factor in the food industry production process. With the rising price of energy, a reduction in energy consumption would greatly impact production and the end product. The aim of this study was to develop a methodology for optimizing energy consumption. A comparison between a traditional ventilation system and a mechanical system was carried out; the necessary enthalpy for heating the air supply and thermal energy consumption were calculated and compared for both systems during the heating season, from October to April, using climatological data for Latvia. Results showed that energy savings of 46% to 87% can be achieved by applying the methodology in the design of industrial buildings; in addition, a well-designed ventilation system increases the workers' productivity. This study presented a methodology which can optimize energy consumption in the food industry sector.

State energy data report 1996: Consumption estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-02-01

The State Energy Data Report (SEDR) provides annual time series estimates of State-level energy consumption by major economic sectors. The estimates are developed in the Combined State Energy Data System (CSEDS), which is maintained and operated by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The goal in maintaining CSEDS is to create historical time series of energy consumption by State that are defined as consistently as possible over time and across sectors. CSEDS exists for two principal reasons: (1) to provide State energy consumption estimates to Members of Congress, Federal and State agencies, and the general public and (2) to provide the historical series necessary for EIA`s energy models. To the degree possible, energy consumption has been assigned to five sectors: residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, and electric utility sectors. Fuels covered are coal, natural gas, petroleum, nuclear electric power, hydroelectric power, biomass, and other, defined as electric power generated from geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, and solar thermal energy. 322 tabs.

State energy data report 1996: Consumption estimates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-02-01

The State Energy Data Report (SEDR) provides annual time series estimates of State-level energy consumption by major economic sectors. The estimates are developed in the Combined State Energy Data System (CSEDS), which is maintained and operated by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The goal in maintaining CSEDS is to create historical time series of energy consumption by State that are defined as consistently as possible over time and across sectors. CSEDS exists for two principal reasons: (1) to provide State energy consumption estimates to Members of Congress, Federal and State agencies, and the general public and (2) to provide the historical series necessary for EIA's energy models. To the degree possible, energy consumption has been assigned to five sectors: residential, commercial, industrial, transportation, and electric utility sectors. Fuels covered are coal, natural gas, petroleum, nuclear electric power, hydroelectric power, biomass, and other, defined as electric power generated from geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, and solar thermal energy. 322 tabs

Analysis of the interrelationship of energy, economy, and environment: A model of a sustainable energy future for Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Boo, Kyung-Jin

The primary purpose of this dissertation is to provide the groundwork for a sustainable energy future in Korea. For this purpose, a conceptual framework of sustainable energy development was developed to provide a deeper understanding of interrelationships between energy, the economy, and the environment (E 3). Based on this theoretical work, an empirical simulation model was developed to investigate the ways in which E3 interact. This dissertation attempts to develop a unified concept of sustainable energy development by surveying multiple efforts to integrate various definitions of sustainability. Sustainable energy development should be built on the basis of three principles: ecological carrying capacity, economic efficiency, and socio-political equity. Ecological carrying capacity delineates the earth's resource constraints as well as its ability to assimilate wastes. Socio-political equity implies an equitable distribution of the benefits and costs of energy consumption and an equitable distribution of environmental burdens. Economic efficiency dictates efficient allocation of scarce resources. The simulation model is composed of three modules: an energy module, an environmental module and an economic module. Because the model is grounded on economic structural behaviorism, the dynamic nature of the current economy is effectively depicted and simulated through manipulating exogenous policy variables. This macro-economic model is used to simulate six major policy intervention scenarios. Major findings from these policy simulations were: (1) carbon taxes are the most effective means of reducing air-pollutant emissions; (2) sustainable energy development can be achieved through reinvestment of carbon taxes into energy efficiency and renewable energy programs; and (3) carbon taxes would increase a nation's welfare if reinvested in relevant areas. The policy simulation model, because it is based on neoclassical economics, has limitations such that it cannot fully

Sector review of UK higher education energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward, Ian; Ogbonna, Anthony; Altan, Hasim

2008-01-01

The UK education and education-related services are said to be one of the fastest-growing export earners in recent years and are known to have had significant impacts at the micro- and macro-levels of the UK. This review looks at energy consumption of this fast growing sector. It concentrates on the energy consumption patterns of the funded higher education institutions in the UK. The findings indicate energy consumption in the sector has been on the increase in the 6 years up to 2006; rising by about 2.7% above the 2001 consumption levels. This increase is, however, not evenly spread across the entire sector. The high energy-consuming institutions appear to be increasing their net consumption, relative to other institutions. Gross internal area, staff and research student full-time equivalent were found to have highest correlation with energy consumption across the sector and may be used as proxy indicators for energy consumption as well as the targets of interventions

Selecting and Installing Energy-Efficient Windows to Improve Dwelling Sustainability

OpenAIRE

Friedman, Avi; Matheson, Morgan

2017-01-01

[EN] Windows play a significant role in achieving comfort in buildings by letting in natural light, solar warmth, fresh air and permitting outdoor views. On the other hand, poor quality windows can be the source of overheating or unwanted infiltration or exfiltration of air. Quality windows, therefore, influence the dwelling’s energy consumption and consequently its sustainability. Heat losses through the building envelope can occur in any of three mechanisms: conduction, convection and radia...

Sustainable emergency medical service systems: how much energy do we need?

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Lawrence H; Blanchard, Ian E

2015-02-01

Modern emergency medical service (EMS) systems are vulnerable to both rising energy prices and potential energy shortages. Ensuring the sustainability of EMS systems requires an empirical understanding of the total energy requirements of EMS operations. This study was undertaken to determine the life cycle energy requirements of US EMS systems. Input-output-based energy requirement multipliers for the US economy were applied to the annual budgets for a random sample of 19 metropolitan or county-wide EMS systems. Calculated per capita energy requirements of the EMS systems were used to estimate nationwide EMS energy requirements, and the leading energy sinks of the EMS supply chain were determined. Total US EMS-related energy requirements are estimated at 30 to 60 petajoules (10(15) J) annually. Direct ("scope 1") energy consumption, primarily in the form of vehicle fuels but also in the form of natural gas and heating oil, accounts for 49% of all EMS-related energy requirements. The energy supply chain-including system electricity consumption ("scope 2") as well as the upstream ("scope 3") energy required to generate and distribute liquid fuels and natural gas-accounts for 18% of EMS energy requirements. Scope 3 energy consumption in the materials supply chain accounts for 33% of EMS energy requirements. Vehicle purchases, leases, maintenance, and repair are the most energy-intense components of the non-energy EMS supply chain (23%), followed by medical supplies and equipment (21%). Although less energy intense than other aspects of the US healthcare system, ground EMS systems require substantial amounts of energy each year. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards sustainable energy planning and management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard, Poul Alberg; Sperling, Karl

2014-01-01

Rising energy costs, anthropogenic climate change, and fossil fuel depletion calls for a concerted effort within energy planning to ensure a sustainable energy future. This article presents an overview of global energy trends focusing on energy costs, energy use and carbon dioxide emissions....... Secondly, a review of contemporary work is presented focusing on national energy pathways with cases from Ireland, Denmark and Jordan, spatial issues within sustainable energy planning and policy means to advance a sustainable energy future....

Sustainable energy development and its socio-political implications in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdullah, T.

2001-01-01

Sustainable development calls for balanced interrelated policies aimed at economic growth, poverty reduction, social equity and protection of the natural resources and other life-support systems. In Indonesia, to meet the basic needs and improve the quality of people, however, based on the current level of energy consumption, more energy supplies and services are required (Bali Declaration, 2000). Against the background of the dichotomies of availability, relative technological progress and market mechanism, Indonesia is facing the dilemma of economic growth and pattern of production, which tends to become unsuitable. Following the first oil shock: dramatic increase in oil prices, 1973-74; the second oil shock: second sharp price increase, 1979-80 and the third oil shock: stable and drop in oil price, 1982; in-depth analysis of factors affecting the energy consumption assists the formulation of the policy measures needed within the framework of the macro objectives. At the second level: industrial, agricultural, and transport sectors, the significance of the technological, economic and organizational factors become obvious. On the other hand, micro-level studies on consumers behavior of households and potential substitutions between energy and non-energy inputs are necessary. (author)

Peak loads and network investments in sustainable energy transitions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blokhuis, Erik, E-mail: e.g.j.blokhuis@tue.nl [Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Architecture, Building and Planning, Vertigo 8.11, P.O. Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Brouwers, Bart [Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Architecture, Building and Planning, Vertigo 8.11, P.O. Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Putten, Eric van der [Endinet, Gas and Electricity Network Operations, P.O. Box 2005, 5600CA Eindhoven (Netherlands); Schaefer, Wim [Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Architecture, Building and Planning, Vertigo 8.11, P.O. Box 513, 5600MB Eindhoven (Netherlands)

2011-10-15

Current energy distribution networks are often not equipped for facilitating expected sustainable transitions. Major concerns for future electricity networks are the possibility of peak load increases and the expected growth of decentralized energy generation. In this article, we focus on peak load increases; the effects of possible future developments on peak loads are studied, together with the consequences for the network. The city of Eindhoven (the Netherlands) is used as reference city, for which a scenario is developed in which the assumed future developments adversely influence the maximum peak loads on the network. In this scenario, the total electricity peak load in Eindhoven is expected to increase from 198 MVA in 2009 to 591-633 MVA in 2040. The necessary investments for facilitating the expected increased peak loads are estimated at 305-375 million Euros. Based upon these projections, it is advocated that - contrary to current Dutch policy - choices regarding sustainable transitions should be made from the viewpoint of integral energy systems, evaluating economic implications of changes to generation, grid development, and consumption. Recently applied and finished policies on energy demand reduction showed to be effective; however, additional and connecting policies on energy generation and distribution should be considered on short term. - Highlights: > Sustainable energy transitions can result in major electricity peak load increases. > Introduction of heat pumps and electrical vehicles requires network expansion. > Under worst case assumptions, peak loads in Eindhoven increase with 200% until 2040. > The necessary investment for facilitating this 2040 peak demand is Euro 305-375 million. > Future policy choices should be made from the viewpoint of the integral energy system.

Peak loads and network investments in sustainable energy transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blokhuis, Erik; Brouwers, Bart; Putten, Eric van der; Schaefer, Wim

2011-01-01

Current energy distribution networks are often not equipped for facilitating expected sustainable transitions. Major concerns for future electricity networks are the possibility of peak load increases and the expected growth of decentralized energy generation. In this article, we focus on peak load increases; the effects of possible future developments on peak loads are studied, together with the consequences for the network. The city of Eindhoven (the Netherlands) is used as reference city, for which a scenario is developed in which the assumed future developments adversely influence the maximum peak loads on the network. In this scenario, the total electricity peak load in Eindhoven is expected to increase from 198 MVA in 2009 to 591-633 MVA in 2040. The necessary investments for facilitating the expected increased peak loads are estimated at 305-375 million Euros. Based upon these projections, it is advocated that - contrary to current Dutch policy - choices regarding sustainable transitions should be made from the viewpoint of integral energy systems, evaluating economic implications of changes to generation, grid development, and consumption. Recently applied and finished policies on energy demand reduction showed to be effective; however, additional and connecting policies on energy generation and distribution should be considered on short term. - Highlights: → Sustainable energy transitions can result in major electricity peak load increases. → Introduction of heat pumps and electrical vehicles requires network expansion. → Under worst case assumptions, peak loads in Eindhoven increase with 200% until 2040. → The necessary investment for facilitating this 2040 peak demand is Euro 305-375 million. → Future policy choices should be made from the viewpoint of the integral energy system.

Biomass energy: Sustainable solution for greenhouse gas emission

Science.gov (United States)

Sadrul Islam, A. K. M.; Ahiduzzaman, M.

2012-06-01

Biomass is part of the carbon cycle. Carbon dioxide is produced after combustion of biomass. Over a relatively short timescale, carbon dioxide is renewed from atmosphere during next generation of new growth of green vegetation. Contribution of renewable energy including hydropower, solar, biomass and biofuel in total primary energy consumption in world is about 19%. Traditional biomass alone contributes about 13% of total primary energy consumption in the world. The number of traditional biomass energy users expected to rise from 2.5 billion in 2004 to 2.6 billion in 2015 and to 2.7 billion in 2030 for cooking in developing countries. Residential biomass demand in developing countries is projected to rise from 771 Mtoe in 2004 to 818 Mtoe in 2030. The main sources of biomass are wood residues, bagasse, rice husk, agro-residues, animal manure, municipal and industrial waste etc. Dedicated energy crops such as short-rotation coppice, grasses, sugar crops, starch crops and oil crops are gaining importance and market share as source of biomass energy. Global trade in biomass feedstocks and processed bioenergy carriers are growing rapidly. There are some drawbacks of biomass energy utilization compared to fossil fuels viz: heterogeneous and uneven composition, lower calorific value and quality deterioration due to uncontrolled biodegradation. Loose biomass also is not viable for transportation. Pelletization, briquetting, liquefaction and gasification of biomass energy are some options to solve these problems. Wood fuel production is very much steady and little bit increase in trend, however, the forest land is decreasing, means the deforestation is progressive. There is a big challenge for sustainability of biomass resource and environment. Biomass energy can be used to reduce greenhouse emissions. Woody biomass such as briquette and pellet from un-organized biomass waste and residues could be used for alternative to wood fuel, as a result, forest will be saved and

Intelligent analysis of energy consumption in school buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raatikainen, Mika; Skön, Jukka-Pekka; Leiviskä, Kauko; Kolehmainen, Mikko

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Electricity and heating energy consumptions of six school buildings were compared. • Complex multivariate data was analysed using modern computational methods. • Variation in electricity consumption cost is considerably low between study schools. • District heating variation is very slight in two new study schools. • District heating cost describes energy efficiency and state of building automation. - Abstract: Even though industry consumes nearly half of total energy production, the relative share of total energy consumption related to heating and operating buildings is growing constantly. The motivation for this study was to reveal the differences in electricity use and district heating consumption in school buildings of various ages during the working day and also during the night when human-based consumption is low. The overall aim of this study is to compare the energy (electricity and heating) consumption of six school buildings in Kuopio, Eastern Finland. The selected school buildings were built in different decades, and their ventilation and building automation systems are also inconsistent. The hourly energy consumption data was received from Kuopion Energia, the local energy supply company. In this paper, the results of data analysis on the energy consumption in these school buildings are presented. Preliminary results show that, generally speaking, new school buildings are more energy-efficient than older ones. However, concerning energy efficiency, two very new schools were exceptional because ventilation was on day and night in order to dry the building materials in the constructions. The novelty of this study is that it makes use of hourly smart metering consumption data on electricity and district heating, using modern computational methods to analyse complex multivariate data in order to increase knowledge of the buildings’ consumption profiles and energy efficiency.

Minimum energy consumption process synthesis for energy saving

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao-Ping, Jia [Institute for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, Shandong (China); Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Fang, Wang; Shu-Guang, Xiang; Xin-Sun, Tan; Fang-Yu, Han [Institute for Petroleum and Chemical Industry, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042, Shandong (China)

2008-05-15

The paper presents a synthesis strategy for the chemical processes with energy saving. The concept of minimum energy consumption process (MECP) is proposed. Three characteristics of MECP are introduced, including thermodynamic minimum energy demand, energy consumption efficiency and integration degree. These characteristics are evaluated according to quantitative thermodynamic analysis and qualitative knowledge rules. The procedure of synthesis strategy is proposed to support the generation of MECP alternatives, which combine flowsheet integration and heat integration. The cases studies will focus on how integration degrees of a process affect the energy-saving results. The separation sequences of the hydrodealkylation of toluene (HDA) process and ethanol distillation process as case studies are used to illustrate. (author)

State energy data report 1993: Consumption estimates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

The State Energy Data Report (SEDR) provides annual time series estimates of State-level energy consumption by major economic sector. The estimates are developed in the State Energy Data System (SEDS), which is maintained and operated by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The goal in maintaining SEDS is to create historical time series of energy consumption by State that are defined as consistently as possible over time and across sectors. SEDS exists for two principal reasons: (1) to provide State energy consumption estimates to Members of Congress, Federal and State agencies, and the general public; and (2) to provide the historical series necessary for EIA`s energy models.

Towards healthy and sustainable food consumption: an Australian case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Friel, Sharon; Barosh, Laurel J; Lawrence, Mark

2014-05-01

To articulate a healthy and sustainable (H&S) diet; outline key health and environmental sustainability principles that can be applied in the selection of foods for inclusion in such a diet; and describe a methodology with which to assess the availability and affordability of a H&S food basket. We synthesized publically available evidence on the environmental impact of different foods from academic, government, industry and non-government sources and constructed a hypothetical H&S equivalent of the typical Australian diet. Based on this, we constructed a weekly H&S food basket for a household of two adults and two children. Australia. Australian populations. The H&S diet is based on three overarching principles: (i) any food that is consumed above a person's energy requirement represents an avoidable environmental burden in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, use of natural resources and pressure on biodiversity; (ii) reducing the consumption of discretionary food choices, which are energy-dense and highly processed and packaged, reduces both the risk of dietary imbalances and the use of environmental resources; and (iii) a diet comprising less animal- and more plant-derived foods delivers both health and ecological benefits. We have focused on the articulation of a H&S diet not to facilitate 'policy drift' to focus on individual dietary choice, but rather to provide evidence to extend dietary guideline recommendations so as to integrate environmental considerations within the scope of food and health policy advice in Australia and elsewhere.

Socio-Demographic Differences in Energy Drink Consumption and Reasons for Consumption among US College Students

Science.gov (United States)

Poulos, Natalie S.; Pasch, Keryn E.

2016-01-01

Background: Energy drink consumption has become increasingly prevalent among US college students, yet little is known about current rates of consumption and reasons for consumption among current energy drink users, particularly differences related to gender and race/ethnicity. Objectives: To better understand energy drink consumption alone and…

Sustainable food consumption: an overview of contemporary issues and policies

OpenAIRE

Sylvia Lorek; Ulrike Eberle; Lucia Reisch

2013-01-01

Contemporary food production and consumption cannot be regarded as sustainable and raises problems with its wide scope involving diverse actors. Moreover, in the face of demographic change and a growing global population, sustainability problems arising from food systems will likely become more serious in the future. For example, agricultural production must deal with the impacts of climate change, increasingly challenging land-use conflicts, and rising health and social costs on both individ...

Neutrons and sustainable energy research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, V.

2009-01-01

Full text: Neutron scattering is essential for the study of sustainable energy materials, including the areas of hydrogen research (such as its separation, storage, and use in fuel-cells) and energy transport (such as fuel-cell and battery materials). Researchers at the Bragg Institute address critical questions in sustainable energy research, with researchers providing a source of expertise for external collaborators, specialist analysis equipment, and acting as a point of contact for the study of sustainable energy materials using neutron scattering. Some recent examples of sustainable energy materials research using neutron scattering will be presented. These examples include the storage of energy, in the form of hydrogen through a study of its location in and interaction with new porous hydrogen storage materials [1-3] and in battery materials through in-situ studies of structure during charge-discharge cycling, and use of energy in fuel cells by studying proton diffusion through fuel cell membranes.

Energy, Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability: Five Propositions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven Sorrell

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This paper advances five linked and controversial propositions that have both deep historical roots and urgent contemporary relevance. These are: (a the rebound effects from energy efficiency improvements are significant and limit the potential for decoupling energy consumption from economic growth; (b the contribution of energy to productivity improvements and economic growth has been greatly underestimated; (c the pursuit of improved efficiency needs to be complemented by an ethic of sufficiency; (d sustainability is incompatible with continued economic growth in rich countries; and (e a zero-growth economy is incompatible with a fractional reserve banking system. These propositions run counter to conventional wisdom and each highlights either a "blind spot" or "taboo subject" that deserves closer scrutiny. While accepting one proposition reinforces the case for accepting the next, the former is neither necessary nor sufficient for the latter.

Relationship between Energy Consumption and Real Gross Domestic Production in Turkey: A Co-integration Analysis with Structural Breaks

OpenAIRE

Umit, A. Oznur; Bulut, Elif

2015-01-01

Energy is one of the most fundamental requirements for a sustainable economy in many of the emerging countries. Being one of these emerging countries, Turkey has inadequate energy sources and this increases its foreign source dependency for energy. Likewise, experiencing negative energy shocks decreases the economic growth rate. Analyzing the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth by taking into account the structural changes caused by internal shocks and external shocks...

Energy consumption for different greenhouse constructions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djevic, M.; Dimitrijevic, A. [Department for Agricultural Engineering, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade (RS)

2009-09-15

In this paper the influence of greenhouse construction on energy efficiency in winter lettuce production was estimated for four different double plastic covered greenhouses in Serbia region. Plastic coverings were introduced in this region as a mean of making the plant production more energy efficient. Additionally, as a means of lowering energy consumption, tunnel structures were proposed. In order to see whether the greenhouse structure influences energy consumption, four different double plastic covered greenhouses. Two tunnel types, 9 x 58 m and 8 x 25 m, one gutter-connected structure and multi-span plastic covered greenhouse. The gutter-connected structure was 2 x 7 m wide and 39 m long while the multi-span structure was 20 x 6.4 m wide and 42 m long. On the basis of lettuce production output and the energy input, specific energy input, energy output-input ratio and energy productivity were estimated. Results show that the lowest energy consumption was obtained for multi-span greenhouse, 9.76 MJ/m{sup 2}. The highest energy consumption was obtained in tunnel, 9 x 58 m, 13.93 MJ/m{sup 2}. The highest value for output-input ratio was calculated for multi-span greenhouse (0.29), followed by gutter-connected greenhouse (0.21), tunnel 9 x 58 m (0.17) and tunnel, 8 x 25 m (0.15). Results also show that energy productivity can be higher if multi-span greenhouse structures are used. (author)

Energy control and sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The contributions are dealing with the different aspects of energy control: key figures of the world consumption, evolution perspectives (energy control and energy demand in middle- and long-term world scenarios, global challenges, European perspectives, energy control in public decision in France, the new French energy accounting), regional differences (energy control in the United States, Russia, China, India, Brazil, West Africa, Mediterranean Sea), energy control and society (electricity privatisation in Salvador, regulatory approach or voluntary agreements for domestic appliances, comparison of energy control and renewable energies in France, complex accounting for energy demand control in a consumption society)

Energy indicators for sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vera, Ivan; Langlois, Lucille

2007-01-01

Energy is an essential factor in overall efforts to achieve sustainable development. Countries striving to this end are seeking to reassess their energy systems with a view toward planning energy programmes and strategies in line with sustainable development goals and objectives. This paper summarizes the outcome of an international partnership initiative on indicators for sustainable energy development that aims to provide an analytical tool for assessing current energy production and use patterns at a national level. The proposed set of energy indicators represents a first step of a consensus reached on this subject by five international agencies-two from the United Nations system (the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the International Atomic Energy Agency), two from the European Union (Eurostat and the European Environment Agency) and one from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (the International Energy Agency). Energy and environmental experts including statisticians, analysts, policy makers and academics have started to implement general guidelines and methodologies in the development of national energy indicators for use in their efforts to monitor the effects of energy policies on the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development