Sustainable Mobility: Using a Global Energy Model to Inform Vehicle Technology Choices in a Decarbonized Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy Wallington

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The reduction of CO2 emissions associated with vehicle use is an important element of a global transition to sustainable mobility and is a major long-term challenge for society. Vehicle and fuel technologies are part of a global energy system, and assessing the impact of the availability of clean energy technologies and advanced vehicle technologies on sustainable mobility is a complex task. The global energy transition (GET model accounts for interactions between the different energy sectors, and we illustrate its use to inform vehicle technology choices in a decarbonizing economy. The aim of this study is to assess how uncertainties in future vehicle technology cost, as well as how developments in other energy sectors, affect cost-effective fuel and vehicle technology choices. Given the uncertainties in future costs and efficiencies for light-duty vehicle and fuel technologies, there is no clear fuel/vehicle technology winner that can be discerned at the present time. We conclude that a portfolio approach with research and development of multiple fuel and vehicle technology pathways is the best way forward to achieve the desired result of affordable and sustainable personal mobility. The practical ramifications of this analysis are illustrated in the portfolio approach to providing sustainable mobility adopted by the Ford Motor Company.

Energy sustainability performance of the regional economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. I. Danilov

2005-03-01

Full Text Available The results of the study of the dynamics of energy intensity of gross regional product of the Sverdlovsk region for the period 1996 - 2003 years. and projections for the period up to 2015. The principal possibility of growth performance of the regional economy, without a significant increase in the consumption of primary fuel.

The Impact of Sustainable Development Technology on a Small Economy-The Case of Energy-Saving Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xiding; Huang, Qinghua; Huang, Weilun; Li, Xue

2018-02-08

We investigated the impact of a sustainable development technology on the macroeconomic variables in a small economy utilizing a case study with a stochastically improving energy saving technology and a stochastically increasing energy price. The results show the technological displacement effects of energy saving technology are stronger, but there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns to physical capital. However, the energy saving technology's displacement effects might not affect the conditions under which the Harberger-Laursen-Metzler (HLM) effect holds. The effects of rising energy prices on bonds are stronger, and there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns, but the conditions under which the HLM effect holds are different.

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.

Circular economy and nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

This article first recalls what circular economy is, and its main principles (sustainable supply, eco-design, industrial and territorial ecology, economy of function rather than of possession, extension of product lifetime, recycling). It outlines its different benefits: improved resilience, inclusion of all actors of the territory, creation of local jobs, a global vision. In the next part, the nuclear industry is presented as a pioneer in this respect through various trends and developments: closure of the fuel cycle and saving of uranium and energy in the upstream part, reduction of wastes in the downstream part, exploitation of plants on a longer term, management of the production of conventional wastes, reduction of energy consumption, evolution of the doctrine in terms of management of very low level radioactive wastes

Focus 2012. Awakening into a new age - Elements of a sustainable energy supply. Ressource efficiency - key competency of sustainable societies, Sustainable chemistry - fundamental building blocks of a green economy. Annual report; Schwerpunkte 2012. Aufbruch ins neue Zeitalter - Elemente einer nachhaltigen Energieversorgung, Ressourceneffizienz - Schluesselkompetenz zukunftsfaehiger Gesellschaften, Nachhaltige Chemie - elementarer Baustein einer Green Economy. Jahrespublikation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mavromati, Fotini; Ittershagen, Martin [comps.

2012-05-30

The Federal Environmental Agency (Dessau-Rosslau, Federal Republic of Germany) sees excellent opportunities to move the economic regeneration forward by means of environmental protection. Under this aspect, the annual report ''Focus 2012'' under consideration presents the following contributions: (1) Green Economy as a new model for economic development; (2) Elements of a sustainable energy supply; (3) Resource efficiency as a key competence for sustainable societies; (4) Green Chemistry as a fundamental building block of Green Economy.

Sustainable Development is the only path to achieve the green economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Abou Elseoud

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Sustainable development is the management of renewable resources for the good of the entire human and natural community. Built into this concept is an awareness of the animal and plant life of the surrounding environment .The goal of sustainable development is to provide resources for the use of present populations without compromising the availability of those resources for future generations, and without causing environmental damage that challenges the survival of natural ecosystems. Consequently, sustainable economies cannot be based on the use of non-renewable resources. Ultimately, sustainable economies must be supported by the use of renewable resources such as biological productivity, and solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy sources. However, even renewable resources may be subjected to overexploitation and other types of environmental degradation. Central to the notion of sustainable development is the requirement that renewable resources are utilized in ways that do not diminish their capacity for renewal, so that they will always be present to sustain future generations of humans. On the other hand, Egypt welcomes the concept of the green economy to achieve sustainable development ,within the framework of respect for national priorities of each country, in order to achieve more decent work opportunities, and developments continued, and use environmental resources. Egypt have passed already in the implementation of a number of pilot projects in this regard, and look forward to witnessing the next stage for more cooperation with development. The energy is the main driver of economic and social development with the necessity to development of primary energy resources and the proper management and use of the most important policies and development strategies Egypt depends in achieving economic development and technological several sources of energy available to a power and petroleum and natural gas, but that recently Egypt has seen

A Sustainable Energy System in Latvia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Lotte Holmberg

2002-01-01

This paper presents some of the problems in the Latvian energy system, the Latvian economy and how a sustainable restructuring of the energy system with renewable energy, co-generation and the production of energy technology can help solve some of the problems....

Nuclear energy for sustainable Hydrogen production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gyoshev, G.

2004-01-01

There is general agreement that hydrogen as an universal energy carrier could play increasingly important role in energy future as part of a set of solutions to a variety of energy and environmental problems. Given its abundant nature, hydrogen has been an important raw material in the organic chemical industry. At recent years strong competition has emerged between nations as diverse as the U.S., Japan, Germany, China and Iceland in the race to commercialize hydrogen energy vehicles in the beginning of 21st Century. Any form of energy - fossil, renewable or nuclear - can be used to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen production by nuclear electricity is considered as a sustainable method. By our presentation we are trying to evaluate possibilities for sustainable hydrogen production by nuclear energy at near, medium and long term on EC strategic documents basis. The main EC documents enter water electrolysis by nuclear electricity as only sustainable technology for hydrogen production in early stage of hydrogen economy. In long term as sustainable method is considered the splitting of water by thermochemical technology using heat from high temperature reactors too. We consider that at medium stage of hydrogen economy it is possible to optimize the sustainable hydrogen production by high temperature and high pressure water electrolysis by using a nuclear-solar energy system. (author)

Focus 2012. Awakening into a new age - Elements of a sustainable energy supply. Ressource efficiency - key competency of sustainable societies, Sustainable chemistry - fundamental building blocks of a green economy. Annual report; Schwerpunkte 2012. Aufbruch ins neue Zeitalter - Elemente einer nachhaltigen Energieversorgung, Ressourceneffizienz - Schluesselkompetenz zukunftsfaehiger Gesellschaften, Nachhaltige Chemie - elementarer Baustein einer Green Economy. Jahrespublikation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mavromati, Fotini; Ittershagen, Martin (comps.)

2012-05-30

The Federal Environmental Agency (Dessau-Rosslau, Federal Republic of Germany) sees excellent opportunities to move the economic regeneration forward by means of environmental protection. Under this aspect, the annual report ''Focus 2012'' under consideration presents the following contributions: (1) Green Economy as a new model for economic development; (2) Elements of a sustainable energy supply; (3) Resource efficiency as a key competence for sustainable societies; (4) Green Chemistry as a fundamental building block of Green Economy.

Connecting political economies of energy in South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buescher, Bram

2009-01-01

The South African energy debate is and will remain a heated one. Given South Africa's history of racial inequality and contemporary concerns around sustainability, much of it rightly focuses on the links between energy, poverty and the environment. Yet, many contributions to the (mainstream) debate seem to have a somewhat one-sided focus that might hamper rather than stimulate the understanding of these links. They either display a strong technical, quantitative bias and/or lean towards rather simplistic ideas about policy processes and dynamics. The article argues that many of these analyses could benefit greatly from a critical focus on the political economy of energy: the political-economic power structures that influence both many energy policies and the issues of energy equality and sustainability. Two major global developments emphasise the importance of this focus: the recent financial crisis and South Africa's role in the increasingly tense geopolitics of energy in Africa. The article concludes with some suggestions on how currently disparate political economies of energy could be better connected.

Connecting political economies of energy in South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buescher, Bram [Institute of Social Studies, Kortenaerkade 12, 2518 AX The Hague (Netherlands); Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg (South Africa)

2009-10-15

The South African energy debate is and will remain a heated one. Given South Africa's history of racial inequality and contemporary concerns around sustainability, much of it rightly focuses on the links between energy, poverty and the environment. Yet, many contributions to the (mainstream) debate seem to have a somewhat one-sided focus that might hamper rather than stimulate the understanding of these links. They either display a strong technical, quantitative bias and/or lean towards rather simplistic ideas about policy processes and dynamics. The article argues that many of these analyses could benefit greatly from a critical focus on the political economy of energy: the political-economic power structures that influence both many energy policies and the issues of energy equality and sustainability. Two major global developments emphasise the importance of this focus: the recent financial crisis and South Africa's role in the increasingly tense geopolitics of energy in Africa. The article concludes with some suggestions on how currently disparate political economies of energy could be better connected. (author)

Sustainable energy transitions in emerging economies: The formation of a palm oil biomass waste-to-energy niche in Malaysia 1990–2011

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Ulrich Elmer; Nygaard, Ivan

2014-01-01

The economic development in emerging economies in Southeast Asia has significantly increased the use of fossil fuel based energy. This has severe implications for global climate change, and against this background, scholars within the sustainable transition tradition have taken an interest...... in addressing how transitions towards more sustainable development pathways in this region may be achieved. This paper contributes to the abovementioned literature by examining the conducive and limiting factors for development and proliferation of a palm oil biomass waste-to-energy niche in Malaysia during...... the period 1990–2011. Rising oil prices, strong pressure on the palm oil industry from environmental groups, and a persisting palm oil biomass waste disposal problem in Malaysia appear to have been conducive to niche proliferation, and on top of this national renewable energy policies and large-scale donor...

Evaluating energy security of resource-poor economies: A modified principle component analysis approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yingzhu; Shi, Xunpeng; Yao, Lixia

2016-01-01

This study proposes to aggregately measure energy security performance with the principal component analysis. In its application of the methodology to four resource-poor yet economically advanced island economies in East Asia—Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, this study establishes a novel framework to conceptualize energy security. The framework incorporates three dimensions: vulnerability, efficiency, and sustainability, three indicators being allocated to each dimension. The study finds that all the three dimensions are critical for the resource-poor economies but have different weights in each of them. An urgent task for these four economies is to implement energy efficiency and conservation measures. Liberalization of electricity sector can be a helpful tool to reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency. All of them have been committed to promoting renewable energy development, which shall be further expanded in these economies. - Highlights: • Proposes to assess energy security within a three-level framework using PCA. • Applies the method to four resource-poor island economies in East Asia. • Establishes a novel framework to conceptualize energy security. • Dimensions within the framework are vulnerability, efficiency, and sustainability. • Three dimensions are all important but have different weights in different economies.

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.

Sustainable Energy for All

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

- renewable energy and energy efficiency. The promise of renewable energy can only be realised through significant R&D investments on technologies such as solar, biomass, wind, hydropower, geothermal power, ocean energy sources, solar-derived hydrogen fuel coupled with energy storage technologies necessary......Energy crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our century. The world currently invests more than $1 trillion per year in energy, much of it going toward the energy systems of the past instead of building the clean energy economies of the future. Effectively, the provision of energy should...... be such that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Investment in sustainable energy is a smart strategy for growing markets, improving competitiveness, and providing greater equity and opportunity. Sustainable energy has two key elements...

THE IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY FOR THE ECONOMY, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION - AN ECONOMIC ASPECT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ljiljana Stošić Mihajlović

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In the area of modern economy and environmental protection there are no significant changes: the old problems are not solved, and the existing ones are deepening. Humanity is still struggling with three existential problems: lack of food, lack of drinking water and insufficiently energized energy. They are also associated with the dangers of further degradation of the environment, the general fear and fear of terrorism and wars, the emergence of diseases for which modern medicine simply has no solution and which threatens to overcome the challenge of pandemic. Energy is still a mood of economic development, with at the same time a disastrous effect on the environment, when traditional sources of fossil resources are used as sources of energy. The paper explores the phenomenon of the impact of energy on the sustainable development of the economy, with a key focus on environmental protection, as well as the possibilities for adaptation to mitigate the consequences of this global phenomenon. In this regard, special attention has been devoted to researching the role and significance of energy from renewable sources as a possible response to current or expected climate stimuli or their consequences in natural and humanism systems. Particular emphasis is placed on the principle of adaptation, which includes mitigation of damages or the exploitation of effective opportunities; understanding how climate can change, what can be impacts, and capacity building and action on these impacts

Advances and challenges in sustainable tourism toward a green economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Shu-Yuan; Gao, Mengyao; Kim, Hyunook; Shah, Kinjal J; Pei, Si-Lu; Chiang, Pen-Chi

2018-09-01

This paper provides an overview of the interrelationships between tourism and sustainability from a cross-disciplinary perspective. The current challenges and barriers in the tourism sustainability, such as high energy use, extensive water consumption and habitat destruction, are first reviewed. Then the key cross-disciplinary elements in sustainable tourism, including green energy, green transportation, green buildings, green infrastructure, green agriculture and smart technologies, are discussed. To overcome the challenges and barriers, a few implementation strategies on achieving sustainable tourism from the aspects of policy/regulation, institution, finance, technology and culture are proposed, along with the framework and details of a key performance indicator system. Finally, prospects of the potential for tourism to contribute to the transformative changes, e.g., a green economy system, are illustrated. This paper shine a light on issues of importance within sustainable tourism and encourage researchers from different disciplines in investigating the inter-relationships among community/culture, environment/ecology, and energy/water/food more broadly. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CANDU advanced fuel cycles: key to energy sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boczar, P.G.; Fehrenbach, P.J.; Meneley, D.A.

1996-01-01

In the fast-growing economies of the Pacific Basin region, sustainability is an important requisite for new energy development. Many countries in this region have seen, and continue to see, very large increases in energy and electricity demand. The investment in any nuclear technology is large. Countries making that investment want to ensure that the technology can be sustained and that it can evolve in an ever-changing environment. Three key aspects in ensuring a sustainable energy future, are technological sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability (including resource utilization). The fuel-cycle flexibility of the CANDU reactor provides a ready path to sustainable energy development in both the short and long term. (author)

Waste Biorefinery: A New Paradigm for a Sustainable Bioelectro Economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, S Venkata; Butti, Sai Kishore; Amulya, K; Dahiya, Shikha; Modestra, J Annie

2016-11-01

A waste biorefinery is a means to valorize waste as a renewable feedstock to recover biobased materials and energy through sustainable biotechnology. This approach holistically integrates remediation and resource recovery. Here we discuss the various technologies employable to construct a waste biorefinery platform and its place in a biobased economy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pahwa, P.K.; Pahwa, Gulshan Kumar

2013-10-01

In the future, our energy systems will need to be renewable and sustainable, efficient and cost-effective, convenient and safe. Hydrogen has been proposed as the perfect fuel for this future energy system. The availability of a reliable and cost-effective supply, safe and efficient storage, and convenient end use of hydrogen will be essential for a transition to a hydrogen economy. Research is being conducted throughout the world for the development of safe, cost-effective hydrogen production, storage, and end-use technologies that support and foster this transition. This book discusses hydrogen economy vis-a-vis sustainable development. It examines the link between development and energy, prospects of sustainable development, significance of hydrogen energy economy, and provides an authoritative and up-to-date scientific account of hydrogen generation, storage, transportation, and safety.

A sustainable energy-system in Latvia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Lotte Holmberg

2003-01-01

but a negative trade-balance. With this in mind, it is important that Latvia is able to meet the challenge and use the economic development to develop a sustainable energy-system and a sounder trade-balance. A combination of energy planning, national economy and innovation processes in boiler companies will form...

Sustainable energy development (May 2011) with some game-changers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lior, Noam

2012-01-01

This paper presents the opening talk that briefly surveys the present (May 2011) situation in sustainable energy development. Recent estimates and forecasts of the oil, gas, coal resources and their reserve/production ratio, nuclear and renewable energy potential, and energy uses are surveyed. A brief discussion of the status, sustainability (economic, environmental and social impact), and prospects of fossil, nuclear and renewable energy use, and of power generation is presented. Comments about energy use in general, with more detailed focus on recently emerging game-changing developments of postponement of “peak oil”, nuclear power future following the disaster in Japan, and effects of the recent global economy downturn of global sustainability, are brought up. Ways to resolve the problem of the availability, cost, and sustainability of energy resources alongside the rapidly rising demand are discussed. The author’s view of the promising energy R and D areas, their potential, foreseen improvements and their time scale, and last year’s trends in U.S. government energy funding are presented. -- Highlights: ► The present (May 2011) situation in sustainable energy development is surveyed. ► Recently emerging game-changing developments of postponement of “peak oil”, nuclear power future following the disaster in Japan, ad effects of the recent global economy downturn of global sustainability, are brought up. ► Promising energy R and D areas, their potential, foreseen improvements and their time scale. ► Last year’s trends in U.S. government energy funding are presented.

Can renewable energy sources sustain affluent society?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trainer, F.E.

1995-01-01

Figures commonly quoted on costs of generating energy from renewable sources can give the impression that it will be possible to switch to renewables as the foundation for the continuation of industrial societies with high material living standards. Although renewable energy must be the sole source in a sustainable society, major difficulties become evident when conversions, storage and supply for high latitudes are considered. It is concluded that renewable energy sources will not be able to sustain present rich world levels of energy use and that a sustainable world order must be based on acceptance of much lower per capita levels of energy use, much lower living standards and a zero growth economy. (Author)

Financing clean energy development in the emerging economies: the need for innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, Nicholas

1994-01-01

The World Energy Council's Commission ''Energy for Tomorrow's World'' points out that the emerging economies (the developing countries and the economies in transition) face increasingly daunting challenges in meeting their energy service requirements and in ensuring their energy needs are met in an environmentally-sustainable manner. Rising to the environmental challenge will require the diffusion of cleaner and more efficient energy production, transportation and end-use technologies. Greater efficiency is required if only to reduce growing shortages in meeting national power requirements. Against this backdrop, this article will examine: whether or not the funding needs of clean energy development in the emerging economies are being met; and what kinds of financial innovation might be required to accelerate the diffusion of cleaner energy technologies. (author)

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

Health impact assessment of Ontario's green energy and green economy act. The roles of environmental informatics in sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rattle, Robert

2013-01-01

Renewable energy received a boost in Ontario, Canada with the Green Energy and Green Economy Act (GEGEA), ushering in a new Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program modelled on programs from Germany, Spain, Denmark and other jurisdictions. Information about lessons learned elsewhere has clearly benefited the Ontario experience. Part of the Ontario program included streamlining the impact assessment process to facilitate the swift development of provincial renewable energy capacities. In this context, the GEGEA has been remarkably successful, generating renewable energy sector capacities, resources, projects and their spin-off benefits in Ontario, along with more sustainable electricity system. Environmentalists along with industry continue to laud the benefits of renewable energy and the GEGEA, and with good reason. Renewable energy generation in Ontario has grown from to 2 per cent in 2012 and is expected to reach 10 per cent in 2013. (orig.)

Sustainable and safe energy supply with seawater uranium fueled HTGR and its economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukaya, Y.; Goto, M.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • We discussed uranium resources with an energy security perspective. • We concluded seawater uranium is preferable for sustainability and energy security. • We evaluated electricity generation cost of seawater uranium fueled HTGR. • We concluded electricity generation with seawater uranium is reasonable. - Abstract: Sustainable and safe energy supply with High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) fueled by uranium from seawater have been investigated and discussed. From the view point of safety feature of self-regulation with thermal reactor of HTGR, the uranium resources should be inexhaustible. The seawater uranium is expected to be alternative resources to conventional resources because it exists so much in seawater as a solute. It is said that 4.5 billion tons of uranium is dissolved in the seawater, which corresponds to a consumption of approximately 72 thousand years. Moreover, a thousand times of the amount of 4.5 trillion tU of uranium, which corresponds to the consumption of 72 million years, also is included in the rock on the surface of the sea floor, and that is also recoverable as seawater uranium because uranium in seawater is in an equilibrium state with that. In other words, the uranium from seawater is almost inexhaustible natural resource. However, the recovery cost with current technology is still expensive compared with that of conventional uranium. Then, we assessed the effect of increase in uranium purchase cost on the entire electricity generation cost. In this study, the economy of electricity generation of cost of a commercial HTGR was evaluated with conventional uranium and seawater uranium. Compared with ordinary LWR using conventional uranium, HTGR can generate electricity cheaply because of small volume of simple direct gas turbine system compared with water and steam systems of LWR, rationalization by modularizing, and high thermal efficiency, even if fueled by seawater uranium. It is concluded that the HTGR

Exploration of sustainable development by applying green economy indicators.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yungkun; Chen, Chia-Yon; Hsieh, Tsuifang

2011-11-01

Following the global trend of sustainable development, development of green economy is the best way of slowing the negative ecological and environmental impact. This research establishes the Taiwan's green economic indicators based on the ecological footprint and energy analysis. The results are as follows: Taiwan's ecological footprint in 2008 intensity index was at 4.364; ecological overshoot index was at 3.364, showing that Taiwan's ecological system is in overload state. Moreover, this study utilizes energy analysis model to study the sustainable development of Taiwan. Findings showed that total energy use in 2008 was 3.14 × 10(23) sej (solar energy joule, sej), energy of renewable resources was 1.30 × 10(22) sej, energy of nonrenewable resources was 2.26 × 10(23) sej, energy of products from renewable resources was 1.30 × 10(22)sej, energy of currency flow was 8.02 × 10(22) sej and energy of wastes flow was 6.55 × 10(22) sej. Taiwan's energy per capita and the utilization rate of energy is lower while the environmental loading rate is significantly higher comparing to some other countries. The foregoing findings indicate that Taiwan currently belongs to an economic development pattern based on high resource consumption. The economic development is mainly established on the exploitation and utilization of nonrenewable resources. Therefore, Taiwan should change the development pattern, regulate the industrial structure, promote the utilization rate of resources, develop green pollution-free products, and enhance the sustainable development of ecological economic system.

Green energy strategies for sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Midilli, Adnan; Dincer, Ibrahim; Ay, Murat

2006-01-01

In this study we propose some green energy strategies for sustainable development. In this regard, seven green energy strategies are taken into consideration to determine the sectoral, technological, and application impact ratios. Based on these ratios, we derive a new parameter as the green energy impact ratio. In addition, the green energy-based sustainability ratio is obtained by depending upon the green energy impact ratio, and the green energy utilization ratio that is calculated using actual energy data taken from literature. In order to verify these parameters, three cases are considered. Consequently, it can be considered that the sectoral impact ratio is more important and should be kept constant as much as possible in a green energy policy implementation. Moreover, the green energy-based sustainability ratio increases with an increase of technological, sectoral, and application impact ratios. This means that all negative effects on the industrial, technological, sectoral and social developments partially and/or completely decrease throughout the transition and utilization to and of green energy and technologies when possible sustainable energy strategies are preferred and applied. Thus, the sustainable energy strategies can make an important contribution to the economies of the countries where green energy (e.g., wind, solar, tidal, biomass) is abundantly produced. Therefore, the investment in green energy supply and progress should be encouraged by governments and other authorities for a green energy replacement of fossil fuels for more environmentally benign and sustainable future

COMPETITIVENESS FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelu Eugen POPESCU

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The current economic environment puts pressure on all national economies which struggle to improve their competitiveness and innovativeness in a sustainable way. This article aims to present the current state of the competitiveness by reviewing the main literature and worldwide researches, in order to provide a brief overview of the determinants that drive productivity and economic success at global and national level, taking into consideration the entrepreneurial activity for a country’s competitiveness and economic growth. The paper identifies the ways in which efficiency driven countries can improve their policies and get a better return on their investments, underlining a set of competitiveness enhancing policies (measures that can be implemented by public and private institutions in order to strengthen the economic fundamentals of the economies.

Energy and sustainable development in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

The U.N. World Summit on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 was the origin of the international framework for sustainable development. As a basis for joint, sustainable action by governments, organizations, industries, and the public, the participating countries signed the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and drafted the associated action program, Agenda 21. Sustainable development comprises these three determinant factors: - Economy. - Ecology. - Social aspects. This is where entrepreneurial responsibility for society comes in. If industries want to generate overall positive effects, they must be efficient, competitive, and profitable on a long-term basis. Power supply systems meeting the criteria of sustainable development must be reliable, economically viable, socially acceptable, and environmentally compatible. The power supply in Finland is meeting these sustainability requirements in many ways. Finland's electricity supply is decentralized, using a variety of energy sources. Electricity can be generated and made available at low cost. The Finnish power industry is an important employer and a major factor in the economy. Moreover, electricity is generated in advanced types of power plants. In this way, the structure of the Finnish power supply system incorporates important factors of sustainable development. (orig.)

Safe and Sustainable: Optimizing Material Flows in a Circular Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fantke, Peter

(unsustainable). When maximizing resource use efficiency and reducing carbon and other emissions through recycling (sustainable), direct consumer exposure is often increased through cross-contamination of recycled materials (unsafe). Hence, circular economy currently fails to unite the required expertise...... to imultaneously increase sustainability and reduce exposure to chemicals in materials reused across life cycles of different products. For a way out of this dilemma, a paradigm shift is needed towards a comprehensive and quantitative assessment framework.......Increasing the sustainability of a globally connected economy is gaining wide attention in a world with limited natural resources and growing chemical pollution. The circular economy has emerged as away to reduce carbon and other emissions, while increasing resource efficiency over several product...

Dilemmas for China: Energy, Economy and Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Tang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available China’s current national policies promote high levels of economic growth, transforming China into a “world factory”, but at a high cost in terms of energy and the environment. At the same time, this growth and transformation also forms the backbone of China’s economy, underpinning social stability. China faces a dilemma to reconcile its economy, energy system and environmental security. Each aspect of this triad is discussed in this study to illuminate the challenges faced by China, and China’s dilemma in energy, economy and environment is analyzed from the perspective of its participation in current global supply chains. While China must import a significant proportion of its energy and a large proportion of primary materials, a large share of these imports are returned to the global market as industrial exports. China is bound by its own course of action and unable to radically change its position for the foreseeable future as the road to economic development and employment stability is through policies built on exports and shifting development models, presenting a tough socio-economic trade-off. China’s growth challenges are discussed as an example of challenges more broadly faced in the developing world. China’s success or failure in achieving a sustainable developmental pattern will inevitably have a significant influence on the global environment.

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

Hydrogen energy and sustainability: overview and the role for nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosen, M.A.

2008-01-01

This paper discusses the role of nuclear power in hydrogen energy and sustainability. Hydrogen economy is based on hydrogen production, packaging (compression, liquefaction, hydrides), distribution (pipelines, road, rail, ship), storage (pressure and cryogenic containers), transfer and finally hydrogen use

The NNP and Sustainability in Open Economy: Highlights on Recent World Economy and on Open Economy of Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Mohajan, Haradhan

2011-01-01

This paper discusses the theory of the net national product and, emphasizes on social welfare and sustainable accounting in open economy. It is observed that the world economy following an egalitarian path, the aggregate capital gains being positive is equivalent to the interest rate tending to decrease. This is important for the concept of net national product in open economies. Martin Weitzman gives a foundation for net national product as the stationary equivalent of a wealth maximizing pa...

Linear Economy Versus Circular Economy: A Comparative and Analyzer Study for Optimization of Economy for Sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sariatli Furkan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Upon visiting the existing literature on the subject of linear vs. circular economy, this paper finds that, the blueprint of the current economy is hardly sustainable by using the comparative benchmarking method that drained from literature. The intrinsic mechanics of the linear economy, by relying on the wasteful take - make - dispose flow, is detrimental to the environment, cannot supply the growing populace of our planet with essential services and it naturally leads to strained profitability. Elements of a plausible solution to the challenges have been around for decades, although they have only recently been compiled in to the conceptual framework of circular economy. The core ideas of Circular Economy are elimination of waste by design, respect for the social, economic and natural environment and resource-conscious business conduct. Built on the backbone of these principles, the circular economy has demonstrated to deliver tangible benefits and viability to address the economic, environmental and social challenges of our days.

THE ROLE OF ENERGY IN ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popescu Maria-Floriana

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The rapid population growth leads to greater daily demand for energy, causing nations to diversify their portfolios and seek new sources of energy, including renewable to provide more energy. In a universe with seriously exhausted natural resources, severe urbanization, climate change and conflicts that go beyond borders, the issue of overpopulation unquestionably causes worldwide debates and can generate a snowball effect for the global economy or human society. Population’s increase in the nearby future will have a central role in challenges such as: global warming, air and water contamination, increase in the level of poverty, food scarcity, deforestation, desertification, health problems and resource shortages. The transformation into a sustainable environmental model, situated in a post-carbon economy, will imply setting barriers to industrial progress (will have to be sustainable and environmental friendly and also to population growth (will have to follow a normal pace. But, the level on vulnerability and uncertainty in the evolution of energy has been threatened lately by major events that took place all around the world. Security of supply, new geopolitical perspectives and ecological and sustainability issues are yet again on the bleeding line. Therefore, the goal of this theoretical article is to give an overview of the current situation concerning the role of energy in ecological sustainability. It expresses routes in which humans and enterprises can act in order to contribute to ecologically sustainable development. The subject of how we live on a congested planet represents the most critical sustainability of all. We are witnessing our current risks and we can also envision our possible, and particularly desirable, future: a steady human population, living and protecting the nature and planet, having finite needs of goods, services, or energy, and maintaining a healthy Earth for us and the animals that also depend on it. This is

Correlations between energy economy and housing market prices in the EU-impacts on future sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maassen Maria Alexandra

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The global economic system is facing multiple challenges in terms of social development, technology and innovation, as well as sustainability needs. As a result, the value of existing assets is changing globally depending on the scarcity, necessity and effects on the business field leading to increased prices of traditional sources of energy and increased competition in the economic field. Thus, the EU energy market has progressed in reducing its dependence on external energy sourcing, by increasing production of renewable energy, such as wind or solar, as well as by further integration of the electric grid. Based on the Pearson coefficient this article intends to research the correlations between the economic, energy and house prices in recent years and the future possible impacts depending on their evolution. For example, gas prices in the past decade increasing household costs in most countries due to the dependence on third parties for energy, lead to the need of increasing the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption, which have consequently decreased electricity prices since 2008. However, this development has still not solved the additional costs issue of households due to the new technologies implemented although wind and solar energy receive in general low margins. Such energy issues, as well as the increased housing prices after the financial crisis in 2008 have caused on their own an additional burden on the economy and households spending income in the next years following.

The model of sustainable socio-economic development of the national economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. A. Kalchenko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available According to the new "National security strategy of the Russian Federation, sustainable socio-economic development is the basis of national economic security. UN conceptual model of sustainable development is considered. The “Club of Rome” founder’s Aurelio Peccei point of view that world could be presented by interrelated but sufficiently stable elements: Nature, Man, Society, science-based Technique is mentioned (early 1980s. Today, sustainable socio-economic development of the national economy is determined by: Nature, Man, Society, Technology, Economy and Infrastructure. To support this opinion, statements of leading scientists, politicians, business representatives are given: A. Aganbegian, M. Friedman, V. Sidorov, V. Inozemtsev, G. Gref. The author's model of sustainable socio-economic development of the national economy is presented. The position of Russia according to the “2016 Global R&D Funding Forecast”, compiled by well-known scientific periodical “R&DMagazine” is presented. Classification of indicators groups, taken from the Russian and foreign statistical data books (Russian Statistical Yearbook, IRI, R&D Magazine, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, CIA Factbook, OECD, according to the elements of an integrated system of sustainable socio-economic development of the national economy is given. Implementation aggregating partial indices into an integrated index for each group and their population as a whole is proposed. For each private indicator is proposed to develop three levels of threshold values (acceptable, marginal and critical for sustainable socio-economic development of the national economy and security. Since innovation is a key mechanism for the concept of sustainable socio-economic development of the national economy in a new tenor of technology, the need for innovative development of all elements of the proposed integrated system is required.

Energy supply scenarios and sustainable development: A total view on economy and ecology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voss, A.

2000-01-01

'Sustainable development' is the guiding principle of the ecological, economic and development policy debate. Although the guiding principle of 'sustainable development' meets with unanimous approval as a general rule, there is a broad spectrum of views and interpretations of this guiding principle in terms of its normative and theoretical scientific basis as well as with regard to the aims and line of action to be taken. This applies especially to the energy sector. This lecture endeavours to concretise the guiding principle of 'sustainable development' for the energy sector, or to put in more exact terms, for the sector providing energy services. Major options for the supply of energy are classified and evaluated in terms of their importance for the sustainable provision of energy based on the results of a comprehensive review of materials and different types of energy. (orig.) [de

Health impact assessment of Ontario's green energy and green economy act. The roles of environmental informatics in sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rattle, Robert

2013-07-01

Renewable energy received a boost in Ontario, Canada with the Green Energy and Green Economy Act (GEGEA), ushering in a new Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program modelled on programs from Germany, Spain, Denmark and other jurisdictions. Information about lessons learned elsewhere has clearly benefited the Ontario experience. Part of the Ontario program included streamlining the impact assessment process to facilitate the swift development of provincial renewable energy capacities. In this context, the GEGEA has been remarkably successful, generating renewable energy sector capacities, resources, projects and their spin-off benefits in Ontario, along with more sustainable electricity system. Environmentalists along with industry continue to laud the benefits of renewable energy and the GEGEA, and with good reason. Renewable energy generation in Ontario has grown from to 2 per cent in 2012 and is expected to reach 10 per cent in 2013. (orig.)

Sustainable energy transitions in emerging economies: The formation of a palm oil biomass waste-to-energy niche in Malaysia 1990–2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, Ulrich Elmer; Nygaard, Ivan

2014-01-01

The economic development in emerging economies in Southeast Asia has significantly increased the use of fossil fuel based energy. This has severe implications for global climate change, and against this background, scholars within the sustainable transition tradition have taken an interest in addressing how transitions towards more sustainable development pathways in this region may be achieved. This paper contributes to the abovementioned literature by examining the conducive and limiting factors for development and proliferation of a palm oil biomass waste-to-energy niche in Malaysia during the period 1990–2011. Rising oil prices, strong pressure on the palm oil industry from environmental groups, and a persisting palm oil biomass waste disposal problem in Malaysia appear to have been conducive to niche proliferation, and on top of this national renewable energy policies and large-scale donor programmes have specifically supported the utilisation of palm oil biomass waste for energy. However, in spite of this, the niche development process has only made slow progress. The paper identifies reluctant implementation of energy policy, rise in biomass resource prices, limited network formation and negative results at the niche level, as the main factors hindering niche development. - Highlights: • We examine crucial factors for developing a biomass-to-energy niche in Malaysia. • In spite of interventions for policy support the niche has only made slow progress. • Oil prices, NGO pressure, waste problems and policy support were the enabling factors. • First, reluctant implementation of energy policy was hindering niche development. • Later, low performance level of implemented plants was hindering niche development

International trends on sustainable energy Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitalnik, J.

2007-01-01

At the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), the role of nuclear power for a carbon free emission supply of energy is now being recognized although with certain reticence or opposition. Such recognition is taking place at the current cycle of discussions devoted to sustainable energy, industrial development, atmospheric pollution and climate change issues. This paper focuses on the arguments and facts provided during CSD deliberations for considering nuclear energy as a valid option: all available energy sources will need to be considered for an adjustment to a world that requires much less carbon liberation to the environment; in the transportation sector, actions need to be urgently implemented for promoting cleaner fuels and more efficient vehicles; massive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions must be urgently implemented in order to mitigate the impacts of global warming; sustainable energy solutions for developed economies are not always adequate in developing countries; the development evolution requires specifically tailored solutions to conditions of large annual growth-rates of energy demand. Consequently, nuclear power will provide the answer to many of these problems. (Author)

Sustainable energy strategies for green energy supply. Paper no. IGEC-1-123

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Midilli, A.; Ay, M.; Dincer, I.

2005-01-01

The main objectives of this study are, first, to determine the sustainable energy strategies for green energy supply, and secondly, to derive the green energy recovery ratio and the sustainable green energy progress ratio, and thirdly, to investigate the effects of sustainable energy strategies on these ratios. For these purposes, 20-possible sustainable energy strategies are taken into consideration and are divided into three subgroups that are strategies on the technological impact, sectoral impact, and green energy impact in a society. Using the possible sustainable energy strategies, technological and sectoral impact ratios of green energy and also green energy activity ratio are determined and discussed in detail. Additionally, some Case studies are performed in the scope of this interesting investigation: (i) the effect of technological impact ratio on green energy recovery ratio, and sustainable green energy progress ratio, (ii) the effect of sectoral impact ratio on green energy recovery ratio, and sustainable green energy progress ratio, and (iii) the effect of green energy impact ratio on green energy recovery ratio and sustainable green energy progress ratio. It is found that sustainable green energy progress ratio increases with an increase of technological, sectoral, and green energy impact ratios. This means that all negative effects on the industrial, technological, sectoral and social developments partially and/or completely decrease throughout the transition and utilization to and of green energy and technologies when possible sustainable energy strategies are preferred and applied. Thus, the sustainable energy strategies can make an important contribution to the economies of the countries where green energy is abundantly produced. Therefore, the investment in green energy supply should be, for the future of world nations, encouraged by governments and other authoritative bodies who, for strategic reasons, wish to have a green alternative to fossil

Knowledge for a sustainable economy. Knowledge questions around the Dutch Memorandum on Environment and Economy ('Nota Milieu en Economie'); Kennis voor een duurzame economie. Kennisvragen rond de Nota Milieu en Economie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dieleman, J.P.C.; Hafkamp, W.A. [Erasmus Studiecentrum voor Milieukunde, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

1999-05-19

June 18, 1997, the Dutch government presented the Memorandum Environment and Economy with the aim to contribute to integration of environment and economy and to stimulation the realization of a sustainable economy. Next to a vast overview of actions, ideas, perspectives, staring points, challenges and dilemmas to take into account when forming a sustainable economy, it is indicated in that Memorandum that there is a need for research and knowledge to compile relevant data and insight to support decision making processes. The aim of this report is to develop a framework in which knowledge questions can be generated. The questions that fall outside the framework of the Memorandum concern needs, values and images and are formulated in four groups: (1) what is the role of materialism and stress in processes of conventional economic growth?; (2) What is the importance of reduction of consumption ('consuminderen') and slowing down ('onthaasting' or dehasting) to realize a process of sustainable economic development; (3) which images form the basis of the present process of economic development, where do they come from and how do they change over time; and (4) which images of progression give direction to a sustainable economic development and how do they exist? The questions that follow the Memorandum concern decoupling (of environment and economy), sustainable consumption, knowledge economy, institutions and a process of change. Central in the framework of knowledge questions are questions, related to perspectives and actions, as formulated in the Memorandum for different sectors in the Dutch society: industry and services; agriculture and rural areas; and traffic, transport and infrastructure.

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

The rise, fall and sustainability of capital-resource economies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pezzey, J.; Withagen, C.A.A.M.

1998-01-01

In debates about green accounting it is sometimes argued that a positive value of aggregate investments indicates that an economy is developing sustainably. Asheim (1994) and Pezzey (1994) have shown that this is wrong, using a version of the well-known Dasgupta–Heal economy (with one capital and

Sustainable development and energy resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steeg, H.

2000-01-01

(a) The paper describes the substance and content of sustainability as well as the elements, which determine the objective. Sustainability is high on national and international political agendas. The objective is of a long term nature. The focus of the paper is on hydrocarbon emissions (CO 2 ); (b) International approaches and policies are addressed such as the Climate change convention and the Kyoto protocol. The burden for change on the energy sector to achieve sustainability is very large in particular for OECD countries and those of central and Eastern Europe. Scepticism is expresses whether the goals of the protocol and be reached within the foreseen timeframe although governments and industry are active in improving sustainability; (c) Future Trends of demand and supply examines briefly the growth in primary energy demand as well as the reserve situation for oil, gas and coal. Renewable energy resources are also assessed in regard to their future potential, which is not sufficient to replace hydrocarbons soon. Nuclear power although not emitting CO 2 is faced with grave acceptability reactions. Nevertheless sustainability is not threatened by lack of resources; (d) Energy efficiency and new technologies are examined vis-a-vis their contribution to sustainability as well as a warning to overestimate soon results for market penetration; (e) The impact of liberalization of energy sectors play an important role. The message is not to revert back to command and control economies but rather use the driving force of competition. It does not mean to renounce government energy policies but to change their radius to more market oriented approaches; (f) Conclusions centre on the plea that all options should be available without emotional and politicized prejudices. (author)

Sustainable development and energy resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steeg, H

2002-01-01

(a) The paper describes the substance and content of sustainability as well as the elements, which determine the objective. Sustainability is high on national and international political agendas. The objective is of a long term nature. The focus of the paper is on hydrocarbon emissions (CO 2 ); (b) International approaches and policies are addressed such as the climate change convention and the Kyoto protocol. The burden for change on the energy sector to achieve sustainability is very large in particular for OECD countries and those of central and Eastern Europe. Scepticism is expresses whether the goals of the protocol and be reached within the foreseen timeframe although governments and industry are active in improving sustainability; (c) Future trends of demand and supply examines briefly the growth in primary energy demand as well as the reserve situation for oil, gas and coal. Renewable energy resources are also assessed in regard to their future potential, which is not sufficient to replace hydrocarbons soon. Nuclear power although not emitting CO 2 is faced with grave acceptability reactions. Nevertheless sustainability is not threatened by lack of resources; (d) Energy efficiency and new technologies are examined vis-a-vis their contribution to sustainability as well as a warning to overestimate soon results for market penetration; (e) The impact of liberalization of energy sectors play an important role. The message is not to revert back to command and control economies but rather use the driving force of competition. It does not mean to renounce government energy policies but to change their radius to more market oriented approaches; (f) Conclusions centre on the plea that all options should be available without emotional and politicized prejudices. (author)

The political economy of energy use and pollution: the environmental effects of East-European transition to market economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Midttun, A.; Chander, I. [Norwegian School of Management, Sandvicka (Norway)

1998-11-01

The transition of Eastern Europe to Western-type liberal capitalism has been interpreted as an important step towards a more ecologically sustainable Europe. The main argument has been that the energy efficiency of the West-European economy will be imported to Eastern Europe and lead to lower energy consumption and lower pollution. This line of argumentation seems sound as far as the industrial sector is concerned. However, it does not take into consideration the energy and pollution bill of the lavish lifestyle of modern consumer-oriented societies. A shift away from the moderate private consumption of East-European Communism, towards the Western consumerist lifestyle may diminish or even abolish the positive ecological effects of the East-European transition to a competitive market economy. The article explores energy consumption and pollution patterns of Eastern and Western Europe both as far as industrial and domestic end-user consumption is concerned. The article argues that these patterns are related to basic characteristics of the communist and capitalist systems and that pollution and energy use are fundamentally conditioned by the overall political economy. 18 refs., 14 figs., 1 tab., 1 app.

Sustainability Science: Sustainable Energy for Mobility and Its Use in Policy Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Orecchini

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Since the 1980s sustainability has clearly become the challenge of the 21st century. In a process toward a sustainable society it is crucial that different stakeholders start collaboration and exchange ideas with technicians and academics. To finalize the policy decisions on important issues such as energy sustainability, collaboration between policy makers, academia and the private sector is important. This work intends to give Italian policy makers concrete advice and solutions to develop energy systems for mobility. The analysis proceeds from the context of Sustainability Science, a new science, which has emerged as one of the most important disciplines of international scientific research. Using a new approach, trans-disciplinary and integrated, this research is oriented to study and understand the complexity of the interactions between economy, society and nature. This broad approach permits proposing concrete solutions to complex problems locally and globally. We propose a scheme of definition of Sustainability Energy, defining five pillars of reference, and we redefine the energy systems for mobility in the context of Sustainability Science. In this paper, we start from the idea that we are living in a crucial passage, we are moving from the era of petroleum to the era of energy vectors. Energy systems, including mobility, should be redefined within this new approach.

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.

Sustainability reporting in the energy sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kowal Barbara

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Development of the concepts of sustainable development and corporate social responsibility has a great impact on reporting in companies. The increase of their importance has resulted in a need to create a reporting system that would provide information on not only the methods but also the results of implementation of those concepts in companies. Globally, there are many organizations that promote and support companies in the area of integrated reporting. The most popular standard for reporting non-financial data that is used by a number of companies worldwide is the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI Guidelines. The main objective of the GRI is to support the development of sustainable economy in which companies take responsibility for the economic, social, and environmental consequences of their operations, manage that responsibility, and report all their actions. An example of a sector where the concept of sustainable development and its transparent reporting has an impact on the formation of values is the energy sector, which creates value for stakeholders and, together with the financial sector, has the greatest impact on national economies.

Environment, energy, economy. A sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luise, A.; Borrello, L.; Calef, D.; Cialani, C.; Di Majo, V.; Federio, A.; Lovisolo, G.; Musmeci, F.

1998-01-01

This paper is organized in five parts: 1. sustainable development from global point of view; 2. global problems and international instruments; 3. sustainable management of resources in economic systems; 4. forecasting and methods: models and index; 5. future urban areas [it

The sustainable development of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Huifang

2012-01-01

The wide use of nuclear energy has promoted the development of China's economy and the improvement of people's living standards. To some extent, the exploitation of nuclear power plants will solve the energy crisis faced with human society. Before the utilization of nuclear fusion energy, nuclear fission energy will be greatly needed for the purpose of alleviating energy crisis for a long period of time. Compared with fossil fuel, on the one hand, nuclear fission energy is more cost-efficient and cleaner, but on the other hand it will bring about many problems hard to deal with, such as the reprocessing and disposal of nuclear spent fuel, the contradiction between nuclear deficiency and nuclear development. This paper will illustrate the future and prospect of nuclear energy from the perspective of the difficulty of nuclear development, the present reprocessing way of spent fuel, and the measures taken to ensure the sustainable development of nuclear energy. By the means of data quoting and comparison, the feasibility of sustainable development of nuclear energy will be analyzed and the conclusion that as long as the nuclear fuel cycling system is established the sustainable development of nuclear energy could be a reality will be drawn. (author)

The solar energy based global economy. A policy leading to the ecological era

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheer, H.

1999-01-01

Bound in its fossil energy and raw materials supply chains, the global economy is heading for a global ecological crisis and dramatically aggravating conflicts. Moreover, this exclusive dependence on fossil energy and materials resources forces a global concentration process increasingly undermining democratic and free market systems. But the will to survive is not the only reason to consider a new industrial revolution to be imperative. Such a sweeping change, from a fossil energy based regime to a system relying exclusively on renewable energy sources and raw materials, would open up unique opportunities for the evolution of a peaceful and democratic global economy fostering the development of superior technologies and sustainable regional economic systems. The author of the book elaborates the scenario permitting such a radical change, and explains the necessary basic approaches and appropriate policies relating to technology, the economy, ecology, and the social system. The ultimate goal is that the evolution of the solar energy based global economy will be accompanied by an intrinsic economic driving force eventually leading to an ecological era. (orig./CB) [de

NATURAL RESOURCES AVAILABILITY IN A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CĂTĂLINA BONCIU

2013-05-01

Full Text Available In the theoretical and practical approach of the economic life, appears more often the idea of sustainable economic development, of reconciliation between man and nature in attracting and using its resources without interfering in its natural movement and evolution. In this paper we are trying to bring to light the relation between the economic development and the mineral resources, in terms of achieving sustainable development. The place and role of natural factors in the market economy is revealed by bringing to the forefront a number of arguments that demonstrate their vital position in the sustainable growth and development.

Global Energy Assessment. Toward a Sustainable Future

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johansson, T B; Nakicenovic, N; Patwardhan, A; Gomez-Echeverri, L [eds.

2012-11-01

The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) brings together over 300 international researchers to provide an independent, scientifically based, integrated and policy-relevant analysis of current and emerging energy issues and options. It has been peer-reviewed anonymously by an additional 200 international experts. The GEA assesses the major global challenges for sustainable development and their linkages to energy; the technologies and resources available for providing energy services; future energy systems that address the major challenges; and the policies and other measures that are needed to realize transformational change toward sustainable energy futures. The GEA goes beyond existing studies on energy issues by presenting a comprehensive and integrated analysis of energy challenges, opportunities and strategies, for developing, industrialized and emerging economies. This volume is an invaluable resource for energy specialists and technologists in all sectors (academia, industry and government) as well as policymakers, development economists and practitioners in international organizations and national governments.

The Determinant Factors of Creative Economy Craftsmen Sustainability in South Sulawesi Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helda Ibrahim

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Creative economy craftsmen have big contribution to regional income and able to sustain in crisis. It can be seen on the average of Gross Domestic Product has employed 5.4 million in average for 2002-2009 with participation level of 5.8%. Therefore, a strategic sustainability is needed especially for the determinant factors of sustainability related to creative economy craftsmen. This research aims to observe the determinant factors of sustainability of creative economy craftsmen in Wajo and Bulukumba Regencies in South Sulawesi Province. Sample for the research was 215 creative economy craftsmen. Data collection is conducted on January to April 2012 consists of primary and secondary data. Research method was using prospective analysis to determine important factors to the sustainability of creative economy craftsmen that predict future alternatives. Result from Rap-UEK simulation for the composite of five dimensions showed a less sustainable status of 48.97%. Research results showed that there are six dominant or main factors in determining business sustainability of creative economy craftsmen, one place sale, coordination with the government and private sectors, capital source, increase in the product of creative economy business, business field and product development Normal 0 false false false IN X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman

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.

The hydrogen economy for a sustainable future and the potential contribution of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, C.

2003-01-01

The Hydrogen Economy encompasses the production of hydrogen using a wide range of energy sources, its storage and distribution as an economic and universal energy carrier, and its end use by industry and individuals with negligible emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Hydrogen is an energy carrier not a primary energy source, just like electricity is an energy carrier. The advantages of hydrogen as a means of storage and distribution of energy, and the methods of production of hydrogen, are reviewed. Energy sources for hydrogen production include fossil fuels, renewables, hydropower and nuclear power. Hydrogen has many applications in industry, for residential use and for transport by air, land and sea. Fuel cells are showing great promise for conversion of hydrogen into electricity and their development and current status are discussed. Non-energy uses of hydrogen and the safety aspects of hydrogen are also considered. It is concluded that the Hydrogen Economy, especially if coupled to renewable and nuclear energy sources, is a technically viable and economic way of achieving greater energy diversity and security and a sustainable future in this century

Regulation of the Debt Sustainability of the Russian Economy

Science.gov (United States)

Seleznev, Alexander Z.; Chapluk, Vladimir Z.; Sayrenko, Tatiana N.; Sorokina, Larisa N.; Pertovskaya, Maria V.; Alekseenko, Elena A.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the investigating problem is caused by the need to reduce the total aggregated amount of debt in Russian economy in conditions of crisis and the strengthening of external anti-Russian sanctions. In this context, the purpose of this article is to identify measures aimed to regulate debt sustainability of the Russian economy using…

Sustainable energy policy in Honduras. Diagnosis and challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores, Wilfredo C.; Ojeda, Osvaldo A.; Flores, Marco A.; Rivas, Francisco R.

2011-01-01

In view of having a still unexploited potential of natural resources available for clean energy and the possibility of using the regional electricity market in Central America, Honduras has several potential energy sources. The growing dependence on oil and the imminent increase in international prices of fossil fuels, coupled with the necessity of changing the energy sector arrangement, the State of Honduras has taken the lead for the development of a long-term sustainable energy policy. This energy policy must be able to develop various energy sources and guide both, the government and the private sector, to the planning and development of alternative energy sources and sustainable growth of the Honduran economy. In this paper, the various energy diagnoses and the potential for changing the Honduran energy mix are presented, as well as the investment required for sustainable management of the energy sector. Furthermore, the objectives of the energy policy and plan up to the year 2030 are presented, outlining the investment possibilities for the energy sector development, showing their costs and timeframes. (author)

Sustainable energy policy in Honduras. Diagnosis and challenges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flores, Wilfredo C. [National Directorate of Energy, Tegucigalpa (MDC), Honduras, Central America (United States); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC), Honduras, Central America (United States); Ojeda, Osvaldo A. [Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (Argentina); Flores, Marco A.; Rivas, Francisco R. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC), Honduras, Central America (United States)

2011-02-15

In view of having a still unexploited potential of natural resources available for clean energy and the possibility of using the regional electricity market in Central America, Honduras has several potential energy sources. The growing dependence on oil and the imminent increase in international prices of fossil fuels, coupled with the necessity of changing the energy sector arrangement, the State of Honduras has taken the lead for the development of a long-term sustainable energy policy. This energy policy must be able to develop various energy sources and guide both, the government and the private sector, to the planning and development of alternative energy sources and sustainable growth of the Honduran economy. In this paper, the various energy diagnoses and the potential for changing the Honduran energy mix are presented, as well as the investment required for sustainable management of the energy sector. Furthermore, the objectives of the energy policy and plan up to the year 2030 are presented, outlining the investment possibilities for the energy sector development, showing their costs and timeframes. (author)

Competitive dynamics of energy, environment, and economy in the U.S

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pao, Hsiao-Tien; Chen, Haipeng; Li, Yi-Ying

2015-01-01

This paper applies the Lotka–Volterra model to investigate the competitive interactions among energy, environment, and economy (3Es) in the U.S. The proposed LV-COMSUD (Lotka–Volterra COmpetition Model for SUstainable Development) has satisfactory performance for model fitting and provides a useful multivariate framework to predict outcomes concerning these interactions. Our key findings include a pure competition between emissions and GDP (Gross Domestic Product), neutralisms between renewable and fossil/nuclear energy, and commensalisms between GDP and renewable/fossil energy and between nuclear energy and fossil energy/emissions. These results indicate that renewable/fossil energy use contributes to GDP and interacts indirectly with emissions, that an environmental Kuznets curve exists, and that the amount of produced nuclear energy correlates with emission. The U.S. is dependent on non-clean energy sources and its energy efficiency has room for improvement. The results provide unique insights for policy makers to craft up sustainable economic development plans. Overall, it is suggested that for developed markets such as the U.S., to enhance energy security and mitigate climate changes, improving energy efficiency and developing low-carbon clean energy should be top priorities. - Highlights: • The competitive interactions among energy, environment, and economy are examined. • A pure competition between emissions and GDP exists and an EKC exists. • Energy use contributes to GDP and interacts indirectly with emissions. • Nuclear energy was used to tackle the growth of emissions/fossil energy use. • Improved energy efficiency is a viable policy to enhance energy security in U.S

How energy technology innovation affects transition of coal resource-based economy in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Pibin; Wang, Ting; Li, Dan; Zhou, Xijun

2016-01-01

The aim of this research paper is to investigate factors and mechanisms that may facilitate the transition from coal resource-based economy to sustainability. Based on the energy technology innovation theory, factors that may influence the transition of coal resource-based economy were categorized into four types, including: innovation policy, innovation input, innovation ability, and innovation organization. Hypotheses were proposed regarding the mechanisms of these factors. Data were collected from surveys administered to 314 Chinese energy firms, and a structural equation model (SEM) was employed to test the hypotheses. Ten of fifteen hypotheses were retained based on the reliability tests, validity tests, and SEM. The results show that the four proposed factors are crucial in transforming the coal resource-based economy, and the effects become statistically significant through three intermediate variables, namely, transition of energy consumption structure, correction of resource wealth investment, and improvement of transition environment. - Highlights: •Approximately, 66% of energy relies on coal in China. •Serious environment problems have occurred in many coal-based regions. •Energy technology innovation can promote the transition of coal-based economy. •China should accelerate the development of clean energy.

On sustainable development of population and national economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, X

1995-01-01

This article offers a strategy for achieving sustainable development of population and the national economy in China. It is argued that economic growth and population growth must be in balance and coordinated. In 1993 it was estimated that a national economic growth rate of 4.03-4.60% was needed in order to balance the natural population growth rate of 1.15% at the existing standard of living. When the national economy grows faster than population in the life expectancy time period, overpopulation can be checked. Population must be balanced with sufficient means for subsistence. The key measure of sustainable development is the ratio between the size of the working-age population and the means of production. The number of people in the labor force is positively related to fixed assets and negatively related to the labor force's technical equipment. China's problems include weak industrial fixed assets, a surplus labor force, and slow growth in industrial and agricultural productivity. Potential solutions are to shift employment from a cultivation-oriented rural economy to a diversified rural economy, to increase the pace of change to an industrial and commercial economy, and to increase the pace of change to nonmaterial production and to raising employment efficiency. Solutions are dependent upon improvement in the quality of population, which means increased levels of education. China still has 181,610,00 people who are illiterate or semi-illiterate among the working-age population. Sustainable development also relies on active promotion of social support for the elderly by a pension system, family support, and reemployment of the elderly. Surplus labor should be absorbed by the service industry. Population structure and economic development are more advanced in coastal areas that have 41% of total population. Inland areas should develop labor-intensive, technology-intensive, and investment-intensive industries. Northwest areas need an educated population

Circular economy and nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

Circular economy means no production of waste through re-using and recycling. As other industries, nuclear industry has committed itself to a policy of sustainability and resource preservation. EDF has developed a 5 point strategy: 1) the closure of the fuel cycle through recycling, 2) operating nuclear power plants beyond 40 years, 3) reducing the volume of waste, 4) diminishing the consumption of energy through the implementation of new processes (for instance the enrichment through centrifugation uses 50 times less power than gaseous diffusion enrichment) and 5) making evolve the prevailing doctrine concerning the management of very low level radioactive waste: making possible the re-use of slightly contaminated steel scrap or concrete instead of storing them in dedicated disposal centers. (A.C.)

Sustainability: criteria and indicators for the energy area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, F.; Gubler, F.; Brodmann, U.

2001-01-01

This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a study made on the concept of sustainability with reference to the energy area. The importance of energy topics in the fundamental ideas behind sustainability - ecological compatibility, economic efficiency and social fairness - is discussed. The methods used to define the criteria and indicators for sustainability are discussed on the basis of existing systems. >From these, criteria and indicators are proposed for the energy area, including indicators for the influence of energy on the environment, economy and society, activity-indicators and indicators for energy efficiency and politics. The system boundaries for the indicators are discussed, as are grey energy and other 'grey' effects in the environmental, economic and social areas. The various criteria, indicators and the effort needed to collect data on them are presented in table form. The report is completed with a discussion of recommendations on what is still to be done in the area, how the results of the study can be used and what actions are still to be taken

Nuclear Energy - Hydrogen Production - Fuel Cell: A Road Towards Future China's Sustainable Energy Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhiwei Zhou

2006-01-01

Sustainable development of Chinese economy in 21. century will mainly rely on self-supply of clean energy with indigenous natural resources. The burden of current coal-dominant energy mix and the environmental stress due to energy consumptions has led nuclear power to be an indispensable choice for further expanding electricity generation capacity in China and for reducing greenhouse effect gases emission. The application of nuclear energy in producing substitutive fuels for road transportation vehicles will also be of importance in future China's sustainable energy strategy. This paper illustrates the current status of China's energy supply and the energy demand required for establishing a harmonic and prosperous society in China. In fact China's energy market faces following three major challenges, namely (1) gaps between energy supply and demand; (2) low efficiency in energy utilization, and (3) severe environmental pollution. This study emphasizes that China should implement sustainable energy development policy and pay great attention to the construction of energy saving recycle economy. Based on current forecast, the nuclear energy development in China will encounter a high-speed track. The demand for crude oil will reach 400-450 million tons in 2020 in which Chinese indigenous production will remain 180 million tons. The increase of the expected crude oil will be about 150 million tons on the basis of 117 million tons of imported oil in 2004 with the time span of 15 years. This demand increase of crude oil certainly will influence China's energy supply security and to find the substitution will be a big challenge to Chinese energy industry. This study illustrates an analysis of the market demands to future hydrogen economy of China. Based on current status of technology development of HTGR in China, this study describes a road of hydrogen production with nuclear energy. The possible technology choices in relation to a number of types of nuclear reactors are

Competition and stability analyses among emissions, energy, and economy: Application for Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pao, Hsiao-Tien; Fu, Hsin-Chia

2015-01-01

In view of limited natural resources on Earth, linkage among environment, energy, and economy (3Es) becomes important perspectives for sustainable development. This paper proposes to use Lotka–Volterra model for SUstainable Development (LV-SUD) to analyse the interspecific interactions, equilibria and their stabilities among emissions, different types of energy consumption (renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel), and real GDP, the main factors of 3Es issues. Modelling these interactions provides a useful multivariate framework for prediction outcomes. Interaction between 3Es, namely competition, symbiosis, or predation, plays an important role in policy development to achieve a balanced use of energy resources and to strengthen the green economy. Applying LV-SUD in Mexico, an emerging markets country, analysing results show that there is a mutualism between fossil fuel consumption and GDP; prey-predator relationships that fossil fuel and GDP enhance the growth of emissions, but emissions inhibit the growth of the others; and commensalisms that GDP benefits from nuclear power, and renewable power benefits from fossil fuel. It is suggested that national energy policies should remain committed to decoupling the relevance between non-clean energy and GDP, to actively developing clean energy and thereby to properly reducing fossil fuel consumption and emissions without harming economic growth. - Highlights: • LV-SUD is used to analyse the competition between environment-energy-economy (3Es). • The competitions between renewable, nuclear, and fossil energy are analysed. • Competition between 3Es plays an important role in policy development. • LV-SUD provides a useful multivariate framework for prediction outcomes. • An application for emerging markets countries such as Mexico is presented

Energy Reforms in The Developing World: Sustainable Development Compromised?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Said Mbogo Abdallah

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Energy sector reforms with an emphasis on electricity growth have been taking place extensively and rapidly worldwide Particularly, motivated chiefly by classical economics’ standpoint of efficiency and market considerations, reforms have been made in the developed North. Models of reforms in the North have in turn been replicated in developing countries. However, questions arise as to whether the models used are suitable for the mostly rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged economies in the South. It is argued in this paper that a sustainability focused mode of reforms guided by futures studies is needed for such economies. Reforms taking place in Kenya and neighbouring countries are in particular examined from a sustainable future perspective; and appropriate improvements and further research are recommended.

Sustainable energy development and climate change in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xin Ren; Lei Zeng; Dadi Zhou

2005-07-01

This article analyses the national circumstances and major factors underpinning China's energy demand and supply, energy-related emissions, and consequently China's sustainable development. These factors include the huge, still growing, and aging population, rapid economic growth, ongoing industrialization and urbanization, environmental and health concerns at local, regional and global level. Against such background analysis, the article explores the potential and constraints of non-fossil fuel, fuel-switching to natural gas, economy restructuring and clean coal technology in mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and ensuring energy supply in China. The authors reiterate the importance of improving energy efficiency in China and discuss how to integrate renewable energy into rural development. The article concludes with an in-depth discussion about redefining development goals, the equity issue in climate change process, and the linkage with sustainable development. (author)

Sustainable energy development and climate change in China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, X.; Zeng, L.; Zhou, D.D. [UNFCCC Secretariat, Bonn (Germany)

2005-07-01

This article analyses the national circumstances and major factors underpinning China's energy demand and supply, energy-related emissions, and consequently China's sustainable development. These factors include the huge, still growing, and aging population, rapid economic growth, ongoing industrialization and urbanization, environmental and health concerns at local, regional and global level. Against such background analysis, the article explores the potential and constraints of non-fossil fuel, fuel-switching to natural gas, economy restructuring and clean coal technology in mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and ensuring energy supply in China. The authors reiterate the importance of improving energy efficiency in China and discuss how to integrate renewable energy into rural development. The article concludes with an in-depth discussion about redefining development goals, the equity issue in climate change process, and the linkage with sustainable development.

Evaluating Energy Efficiency Policies with Energy-Economy Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mundaca, Luis; Neij, Lena; Worrell, Ernst; McNeil, Michael A.

2010-08-01

The growing complexities of energy systems, environmental problems and technology markets are driving and testing most energy-economy models to their limits. To further advance bottom-up models from a multidisciplinary energy efficiency policy evaluation perspective, we review and critically analyse bottom-up energy-economy models and corresponding evaluation studies on energy efficiency policies to induce technological change. We use the household sector as a case study. Our analysis focuses on decision frameworks for technology choice, type of evaluation being carried out, treatment of market and behavioural failures, evaluated policy instruments, and key determinants used to mimic policy instruments. Although the review confirms criticism related to energy-economy models (e.g. unrealistic representation of decision-making by consumers when choosing technologies), they provide valuable guidance for policy evaluation related to energy efficiency. Different areas to further advance models remain open, particularly related to modelling issues, techno-economic and environmental aspects, behavioural determinants, and policy considerations.

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.

Cascading biomethane energy systems for sustainable green gas production in a circular economy

OpenAIRE

Wall, David M.; McDonagh, Shane; Murphy, Jerry D.

2017-01-01

Biomethane is a flexible energy vector that can be used as a renewable fuel for both the heat and transport sectors. Recent EU legislation encourages the production and use of advanced, third generation biofuels with improved sustainability for future energy systems. The integration of technologies such as anaerobic digestion, gasification, and power to gas, along with advanced feedstocks such as algae will be at the forefront in meeting future sustainability criteria and achieving a green ga...

Study on China's low carbon development in an Economy-Energy-Electricity-Environment framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Zhaoguang; Yuan Jiahai; Hu Zheng

2011-01-01

Emissions mitigation is a major challenge for China's sustainable development. We summarize China's successful experiences on energy efficiency in past 30 years as the contributions of Energy Usage Management and Integrated Resource Strategic Planning, which are essential for low-carbon economy. In an Economy-Energy-Electricity-Environment (E4) framework, the paper studies the low-carbon development of China and gives an outlook of China's economy growth, energy-electricity demand, renewable power generation and energy conservation and emissions mitigation until 2030. A business-as-usual scenario is projected as baseline for comparison while low carbon energy and electricity development path is studied. It is defined as low carbon energy/electricity when an economy body manages to realize its potential economic growth fueled by less energy/electricity consumption, which can be characterized by indexes of energy/electricity intensity and emissions per-unit of energy consumption (electricity generation). Results show that, with EUM, China, could save energy by 4.38 billion ton oil equivalences (toes) and reduce CO 2 emission by 16.55 billion tons; with IRSP, China, could save energy by 1.5 Btoes and reduce CO 2 emission by 5.7 Btons, during 2010-2030. To realize the massive potential, China has to reshape its economic structure and rely much on technology innovation in the future. - Research highlights: → In an E4 framework China's low-carbon development is compared with BAU scenario. → Low carbon energy/electricity and their related measuring indexes are discussed. → China's successful experiences on energy efficiency are summarized as EUM and IRSP. → With them China could save energy by 5.8 Btoe and reduce CO 2 by 22.2 Bton until 2030. → China must restructure its economy and rely on technology innovation for them.

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

The status and role of nuclear energy in the sustainable energy development strategy in China are discussed in this research report. Specifically, the role of nuclear energy in meeting the requirements of energy and electricity supply, environment protection and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission-reduction is focused on. The report is mainly composed of three component parts. The serious situation and challenges concerning the national energy security and energy sustainable development, and major tasks proposed to carry out the strategy of energy sustainable development are expounded in the first part. In the second part, the position and role of nuclear energy in China are elaborated and analyzed in detail. Firstly, it is indicated that the development of nuclear energy is the objective requirement for optimizing national energy structure. From the viewpoint of climate and environment protection, energy mix is required to transit from conventional fossil fuels to clean and high-quality energy sources. The potential role of nuclear energy in energy structure optimization in China is compared with that of hydro and other renewable energy sources. Secondly, it is proposed that the development of nuclear energy is the important security option for safely supplying the national energy and electricity in the future, mainly from the point of nuclear power providing stable and reliable power supply, relieving the burden of coal exploitation and transportation and reducing the risk of energy security caused by dependence on oil and natural gas. Thirdly, it is elaborated that the development of nuclear energy is the inevitable selection for carrying out the national energy and electricity sustainable development. It is given further details that nuclear energy is a clean and economical energy option, a preference coinciding with the principles of the circular economy, a feasible technical choice to greatly reduce emission of greenhouse gases, a selection contributing to

Sustainable energy development in Austria until 2020: Insights from applying the integrated model 'e3.at'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stocker, Andrea; Grossmann, Anett; Madlener, Reinhard; Wolter, Marc Ingo

2011-01-01

This paper reports on the Austrian research project 'Renewable energy in Austria: Modeling possible development trends until 2020'. The project investigated possible economic and ecological effects of a substantially increased use of renewable energy sources in Austria. Together with stakeholders and experts, three different scenarios were defined, specifying possible development trends for renewable energy in Austria. The scenarios were simulated for the period 2006-2020, using the integrated environment-energy-economy model 'e3.at'. The modeling results indicate that increasing the share of renewable energy sources in total energy use is an important but insufficient step towards achieving a sustainable energy system in Austria. A substantial increase in energy efficiency and a reduction of residential energy consumption also form important cornerstones of a sustainable energy policy. - Highlights: → Together with stakeholders three renewable energy scenarios for Austria were defined. → The scenarios were simulated using an integrated environment-energy-economy model. → Increasing the share of renewables in total energy use is important but insufficient. → Efficiency and a cut of energy use are also essential for a sustainable energy system.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yongping; Zhao Shoufeng; Zheng Yuhui; Yuan Yujun; Rao Shuang; Liu Qun; Ding Ruijie

2006-03-01

The status and role of nuclear energy in the energy security and sustainable energy development strategy in China are discussed. Specifically, the role of nuclear energy in meeting the requirements of energy and electricity supply, environment protection and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission-reduction is focused on. The report is mainly composed of three component parts. The serious situation and challenges concerning the national energy security and energy sustainable development are expounded. It is indicated that the development of nuclear energy is the objective requirement for optimizing national energy structure. It is proposed that the development of nuclear energy is the important security option for safely supplying the national energy and electricity in the future. It is elaborated that the development of nuclear energy is the inevitable selection for carrying out the national energy and electricity sustainable development. Nuclear energy is a preference coinciding with the principles of the circular economy, a selection contributing to improvement of ecological environment and an inexhaustible resource in the long term. Some suggestions are put forward to the nuclear energy development in China. (authors)

Low Energy Flow - The Path Towards Sustainable Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Jørgen

1996-01-01

energy consumption by a factor three to five. But it is stressed, that these efficiency gains can easily be eaten up by decline in efficiencies in the ways we conduct our lifestyles and run our economies. To apply such an overall effciency view, however, turns out to pose a threat to the presently...... prevailing economic growth practice. We have to face this challenge, if we want to secure a decent material well-being for all people on earth, also the generations to come. Countries with econmies in a transition do in fact have some advantages, if aiming directly at a sustainable economy....

The energy economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meritet, Sophie; Vaujour, Jean-Baptiste

2015-01-01

This introduction to the economy of energy applies the main economic concepts to the energy sector (nature of the good, supply, demand), proposes an overview of existing actors, and analyses challenges and tools of economic policy like network regulation, competition policy, independence and energy transition. By using recent examples, statistics and international comparisons, it gives elements to highlight issues like the relationship between shale gas exploitation and economic recovery in the USA, the choice between monopole and competition for electricity or gas supply, reaching greenhouse gas emissions of the energy sector by incentives or taxes, secure energy supplies in a changing international environment, ways to supply energy to everyone at prices guaranteeing economy competitiveness, or ways to evolve towards energy systems which would be more environment- and climate-friendly. The successive chapters address fundamentals issues (nature of the good, historical and technical overview), the State intervention (definition of an energy policy, steering the energy mix, ensuring secure supply), the reorganisation of industries and the protection of consumers, the relationship between energy and climate (worrying perspectives, progressive emergence of solutions). The last chapter addresses the future challenges like innovation, and disruptive innovations (smart grids, big data, batteries, CO 2 capture and storage, nuclear waste processing and management, development of nuclear fusion), and the issue of energy poverty

Nuclear energy option for energy security and sustainable development in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mallah, Subhash

2011-01-01

India is facing great challenges in its economic development due to the impact on climate change. Energy is the important driver of economy. At present Indian energy sector is dominated by fossil fuel. Due to international pressure for green house gas reduction in atmosphere there is a need of clean energy supply for energy security and sustainable development. The nuclear energy is a sustainable solution in this context to overcome the environmental problem due to fossil fuel electricity generation. This paper examines the implications of penetration of nuclear energy in Indian power sector. Four scenarios, including base case scenario, have been developed using MARKAL energy modeling software for Indian power sector. The least-cost solution of energy mix has been measured. The result shows that more than 50% of the electricity market will be captured by nuclear energy in the year 2045. This ambitious goal can be expected to be achieved due to Indo-US nuclear deal. The advanced nuclear energy with conservation potential scenario shows that huge amounts of CO 2 can be reduced in the year 2045 with respect to the business as usual scenario.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT. THEORY AND BEST PRACTICE: A CHALLENGE FOR ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ADRIANO CIANI

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy through the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 needs take into consideration the EU’ package from December 2015 concerning the achievement of the Circular Economy under the vision of the 3R - Recycle, Reuse, Reduce. The concept of Circular Economy has started to develop in response to the crisis of the traditional model and the need to deal with limited resources. A key role in the pursuit and implementation of circular economy is taken by investments in innovation and technologies that enhance the scraps of industrial and / or agricultural sectors. This can lead not only to a reduction of waste and hence environmental impacts but also in net savings for businesses of up to 604 billion Euros throughout the European Union, in line with the global framework (Sustainable Development Goals 2015 -2030. The paper try to demonstrate through an inductive model, several tables, figures and our analysis that the success of the Strategy of Sustainable Development depend, in the next years, by the application of the best practices of the Circular Economy.

Sustainable Development Strategy for Russian Mineral Resources Extracting Economy

Science.gov (United States)

Dotsenko, Elena; Ezdina, Natalya; Prilepskaya, Angelina; Pivnyk, Kirill

2017-11-01

The immaturity of strategic and conceptual documents in the sphere of sustainable development of the Russian economy had a negative impact on long-term strategic forecasting of its neo-industrialization. At the present stage, the problems of overcoming the mineral and raw material dependence, the negative structural shift of the Russian economy, the acceleration of the rates of economic growth, the reduction of technological gap from the developed countries become strategically in demand. The modern structure of the Russian economy, developed within the framework of the proposed market model, does not generate a sustainable type of development. It became obvious that in conditions of the market processes' entropy, without neo-industrial changes, the reconstruction of industry on a new convergence-technological basis and without increasing the share of high technology production the instability of macroeconomic system, the risks of environmental and economic security of Russia are growing. Therefore, today we need a transition from forming one industry development strategy to the national one that will take into account both the social and economic and environmental challenges facing Russia as a mineral resources extracting country.

Chemical energy conversion as enabling factor to move to a renewable energy economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abate, Salvatore; Centi, Gabriele; Perathoner, Siglinda [Mesina Univ. (Italy). Section Industrial Chemistry; ERIC aisbl and INSTM/CASPE, Messina (Italy)

2015-07-01

The role of chemical energy storage and solar fuels as key elements for the sustainable chemical and energy production is discussed in this concept paper. It is shown how chemical energy storage, with the development of drop-in carbon-based solar fuels, will play a central role in the future low-carbon economy, but it is necessary to consider its out-of-the-grid use, rather than being limited to be a tool for smart grids. Related aspects discussed are the possibility to: (i) enable a system of trading renewable energy on a world scale (out-of-the-grid), including the possibility to exploit actually unused remote resources, (ii) develop a solar-driven and low-carbon chemical production, which reduces the use of fossil fuels and (iii) create a distributed energy production, going beyond the actual limitations and dependence on the grid.

Policy options for sustainable energy use in a general model of the UK economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barker, T.; Ekins, P.; Johnstone, N.

1996-01-01

A quantitative general economic model has been developed for options available in greenhouse gas abatement policy concerning energy use. It has been applied in three exercises to explore the effects of energy taxes on the United Kingdom economy. One of these examined the effect of the proposed European Commission carbon/energy tax; the second attempts to set out a policy framework which would enable the UK to reach the IPCC target of 60% reduction in CO 2 emissions by 2040 and explores the economic implications; the third compares the proposal of the UK government to levy VAT on domestic fuel with the EC carbon/energy tax. Additionally, estimates have been made of the secondary benefits of reducing CO 2 emissions. The results present a striking contrast to much of the literature. They include the conclusions that: the EC carbon/energy tax would have negligible macroeconomic effects on the UK economy providing revenues were recycled in such a way as to neutralise inflation; reduction of UK CO 2 emissions by 60% would not necessarily cause great economic disruption; the secondary benefits of reducing CO 2 emissions are of sufficient size to alter radically the benefit cost profile of carbon abatement; equity and efficiency should be regarded as complementary, not competing, objectives in the abatement of CO 2 emissions from the domestic sector. (UK)

Energy for a sustainable post-carbon society

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio García-Olivares

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A feasible way to avoid the risk of energy decline and to combat climate change is to build a worldwide, 100% renewable energy mix. Renewable energy can be scaled up to the range of 12 electric terawatts (TWe if 10% of continental shelves are exploited with floating turbines to depths as low as 225 m, 5% of continents with ground turbines, and 5% of the main deserts with concentrating solar power (CSP farms. However, a globally electrified economy cannot grow much above 12 TWe without approaching the limit of terrestrial copper reserves. New photovoltaic silicon panels do not use silver metallization pastes and could contribute up to 1 TW of decentralized residential power. Hydroelectricity has a potential of 1 TW but a fraction of this would have to be sacrificed for energy storage purposes. Hydro, CSP, wave energy and grid integration at continental scales may be sufficient to fit supply to demand, avoiding intermittency. The renewable energy mix would have an energy return on energy invested about 18, which is 25% lower than the estimated present one. That should be sufficient to sustain an industrialized economy provided that the substitution of electricity for fossil fuels is done intelligently.

Energy white paper: Our energy future - Creating a low carbon economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-02-01

Energy is vital to a modern economy. We need energy to heat and light our homes, to help us travel and to power our businesses. Our economy has also benefited hugely from our country's resources of fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas. However, our energy system faces new challenges. Energy can no longer be thought of as a short-term domestic issue. Climate change - largely caused by burning fossil fuels - threatens major consequences in the UK and worldwide, most seriously for the poorest countries who are least able to cope. Our energy supplies will increasingly depend on imported gas and oil from Europe and beyond. At the same time, we need competitive markets to keep down costs and keep energy affordable for our businesses, industries, and households. This white paper addresses those challenges. It gives a new direction for energy policy. We need urgent global action to tackle climate change. We are showing leadership by putting the UK on a path to a 60% reduction in its carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. And, because this country cannot solve this problem alone, we will work internationally to secure the major cuts in emissions that will be needed worldwide. Our analysis suggests that, by working with others, the costs of action will be acceptable - and the costs of inaction are potentially much greater. And as we move to a new, low carbon economy, there are major opportunities for our businesses to become world leaders in the technologies we will need for the future - such as fuel cells, offshore wind and tidal power. Science and technology are vital, and we will be supporting further research and development in these areas. In parallel, we need access to a wide range of energy sources and technologies and a robust infrastructure to bring the energy to where we want to use it. We will maintain competitive markets in the UK and press for further liberalisation in Europe. And we renew our commitment that no household in Britain should be living in fuel poverty by

Does nuclear energy have a chance in the political minefield between sustainability and competition?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourdier, J.P.

1999-01-01

Sustainability harmonizes economy and ecology. The demand for energy will continue to increase over and beyond several decades. Nuclear energy not only has the advantages of 'energy on tap' (renewable energy), but also those of 'energy in store'. However, it also creates problems, which should not be underestimated. But the criticism levelled at nuclear energy is open to criticism in itself. As far as the public is concerned, nuclear waste is still the main stumbling block. Nevertheless, there is room for this form of energy between competition and sustainability. (orig.) [de

Can the social market economy be a viable solution for a future sustainable development of the Romanian economy?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Strat Vasile Alecsandru

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Social market economy (SME is a socio-economic model which attempts to unite the freedom of a competitive market economy with social equilibrium and progress. It is seen as a “third path” besides a purely liberal market economy and an economy which is heavily regulated by the state – in the SME there is an intermediate degree of regulation. Historically, the model corresponds to the real economic policy of the German Federal Republic after the 1950s, thus it is sometimes called Rhine capitalism. According to the Treaty of Lisbon from 2007, the European Union pursues a competitive social market economy with full employment and social progress. On one hand, this model wishes to exploit the advantages of a free market economy, especially its high efficiency in the production of goods, while on the other hand it uses state intervention to correct for potential negative outcomes from market processes. Further characteristics of this model are: ensuring competition, free price formation, private property, motivating performance through profit aspirations as well as guarding personal freedoms. Last but not least, this model encompasses a strong structural policy by encouraging weaker geographical regions or industries. Therefore, it is highly probable that such a socio-economic model might be the appropriate alternative to fuel a sustainable growth of the Romanian economy. Using county level data, from the National Institute of Statistics and from the National Office of the Trade Register, for the year 2015 we show that the Romanian economy is highly polarized with a few growth poles (islands and a large number of underdeveloped units. Thus, it becomes obvious that these important disparities will hinder a future sustainable development and by consequence a clear “road-map” represented by this economic model might prove to be a viable solution for the Romanian economy.

[Analysis on sustainable development of marine economy in Jiangsu Province based on marine ecological footprint correction model].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shan; Wang, Yu-ting

2011-03-01

Based on the theories and methods of ecological footprint, the concept of marine ecological footprint was proposed. According to the characteristics of marine environment in Jiangsu Province, five sub-models of marine ecological footprints, including fishery, transporation, marine engineering construction, marine energy, and tidal flat, were constructed. The equilibrium factors of the five marine types were determined by using improved entropy method, and the marine footprints and capacities in Jiangsu Province from 2000 to 2008 were calculated and analyzed. In 2000-2008, the marine ecology footprint per capita in Jiangsu Province increased nearly seven times, from 36.90 hm2 to 252.94 hm2, and the ecological capacity per capita grew steadily, from 105.01 hm2 to 185.49 hm2. In 2000, the marine environment in the Province was in a state of ecological surplus, and the marine economy was in a weak sustainable development state. Since 2004, the marine ecological environment deteriorated sharply, with ecological deficit up to 109660.5 hm2, and the sustainability of marine economy declined. The high ecological footprint of fishery was the main reason for the ecological deficit. Tidal flat was the important reserve resource for the sustainable development of marine economy in Jiangsu Province.

A SIMPLE ASSESSMENT OF FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE ROMANIAN ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALEXANDRU LEONTE

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The financial crisis has seriously impacted the economies around the world, emerging and developed alike. With interest rates at historical low levels, constrained in many cases by the zero lower bound, the emphasis is put on fiscal policy to restore the economies on the path of sustainable growth. This paper attempts to shed light on the issue of fiscal sustainability of the Romanian economy, by checking if the intertemporal fiscal constraint of the government is respected. According to the constraint, the current value of debt equals the sum of the discounted values of future government surpluses, which means that the government is not financing itself through a Ponzi scheme. I build on the econometric approach used in papers such as Hamilton and Flavin (1986, Hakkio and Rush (1991, Quintos (1995, Santos Bravo and Silvestre (2002, Bohn (2007. More specifically, I focus on the time series properties of government debt, revenue and expenditure, determining: i the order of integration for the government debt series; ii whether or not government revenue and expenditure are cointegrated. Thus I am able to evaluate the strength of the fiscal position of the Romanian economy and to see the impact of the financial crisis on this position.

'Ecological value added' in an integrated ecosystem-economy model. An indicator for sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kratena, Kurt

2004-01-01

This paper sets up an input-output system of the relevant ecosystem flows that determine the carbon cycle in the global ecosystem. Introducing energy as the value added component in the ecosystem allows to calculate ecosystem prices expressed in 'energy values'. Linking the ecosystem with the economy in an integrated input-output model then allows to calculate prices of economic activities and of ecosystem activities. In analogy to the 'Ecological Footprint', where productive land is needed to absorb anthropogenic emissions, in this integrated input-output model additional carbon sinks are introduced for emission absorption. These carbon sinks need solar energy input, i.e. 'ecological value added'. Emission absorption as well as GDP therefore become activities valued in the numeraire of the integrated system, i.e.'energy values'. From that sustainability indicators can be derived

New Systems Thinking and Policy Means for Sustainable Energy Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Niels I

2010-01-01

Sustainable energy development requires attention to both the demand and supply side. On the demand side there is an urgent need for efficient policy means promoting energy conservation. This includes changes in the institutional and economic framework to compensate for the short comings...... of the dominating neoclassical economy and the short time horizon of the present market system. On the supply side fossil fuels are becoming a central problem being the dominating global energy source while at the same time presenting serious problems in relation to global warming and limited resources (“peak oil......”). Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop alternative strategies and policy means in order to promote sustainable development....

[Health and the green economy: challenges for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty].

Science.gov (United States)

Gallo, Edmundo; Setti, Andréia Faraoni Freitas; Magalhães, Danielly de Paiva; Machado, Jorge Mesquita Huet; Buss, Daniel Forsin; Franco Netto, Francisco de Abreu; Buss, Paulo Marchiori

2012-06-01

In a scenario where ecosystemic services are being eroded and there is high social inequity, a new model of development is necessary, namely one capable of promoting social development with a reduction of its ecological footprint. The 'Green Economy' model is one of the proposed models. This paper seeks to analyze the environmental, social and individual impacts on human health in the context of a 'brown economy', and discusses the contributions of a green economy on the promotion of equity and health. The assumption is that economic development and environmental sustainability are not incompatible and both contribute to the eradication of poverty. The transition to a sustainable economy depends on political decisions, and transcends technological developments. Above all, it should instigate new models of production, consumption and social organization, which promote socio-environmental justice, encouraging social participation and democratic forms of governance to define a solid agenda for the implementation of sustainable development and mechanisms to implement them at all levels.

German enterprises and the changes in energy economics due to increased concerns regarding environmental sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weber Gregor

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This article is part of a first year doctoral research regarding the current state of knowledge in environmental sustainability, energy economics and their impact on European enterprises. As the current changes and modifications of the German energy economics system are observed by people all around the globe, the current paper analyzes what has been said until now in the scientific literature on character of the new strategy for energy consumption and production in Germany and its impact on environmental and social sustainability. With the help of two questionnaire-based surveys conducted in 2013 and 2014 through the German DIHK1, German enterprises were surveyed in order to: identify potential differences and similarities between the two periods, identify the effects of the energy transition on companies’ profitability, and analyze these effects and compare the results in terms of potential trend developments. The research findings confirmed that changes in the energy system affect not only the environmental sustainability only, but also the economy, in some cases even independent of the stage in which the changing system of the economy presently is.

Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems - Volume II

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neven Duić

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems – JSDEWES is an international journal dedicated to the improvement and dissemination of knowledge on methods, policies and technologies for increasing the sustainability of development by de-coupling growth from natural resources and replacing them with knowledge based economy, taking into account its economic, environmental and social pillars, as well as methods for assessing and measuring sustainability of development, regarding energy, transport, water, environment and food production systems and their many combinations. In total 32 manuscripts were published in Volume II, all of them reviewed by at least two reviewers. The Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems would like to thank reviewers for their contribution to the quality of the published manuscripts.

Economies Evolve by Energy Dispersal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanley Salthe

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Economic activity can be regarded as an evolutionary process governed by the 2nd law of thermodynamics. The universal law, when formulated locally as an equation of motion, reveals that a growing economy develops functional machinery and organizes hierarchically in such a way as to tend to equalize energy density differences within the economy and in respect to the surroundings it is open to. Diverse economic activities result in flows of energy that will preferentially channel along the most steeply descending paths, leveling a non-Euclidean free energy landscape. This principle of 'maximal energy dispersal‘, equivalent to the maximal rate of entropy production, gives rise to economic laws and regularities. The law of diminishing returns follows from the diminishing free energy while the relation between supply and demand displays a quest for a balance among interdependent energy densities. Economic evolution is dissipative motion where the driving forces and energy flows are inseparable from each other. When there are multiple degrees of freedom, economic growth and decline are inherently impossible to forecast in detail. Namely, trajectories of an evolving economy are non-integrable, i.e. unpredictable in detail because a decision by a player will affect also future decisions of other players. We propose that decision making is ultimately about choosing from various actions those that would reduce most effectively subjectively perceived energy gradients.

Energy and sustainability: a global view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldemberg, J.

1995-01-01

A discussion is made of the conflicting concepts of sustainable development, focusing primarily on energy resources, as viewed by economists and environmentalists. According to the 'preservationist' view we 'borrow' the Earth from generations to come and have no right to use exhaustible resources. According to 'developmentalists' natural resources are either infinite or can be substituted by alternatives so there is no real problem of exhaustion of resources. It is shown that a compromise between such extreme positions is being forced by the heightened concerns for environmental protection. Outstanding among them are the problems of climate changes resulting from CO 2 (carbon dioxide) emissions from fossil fuel combustion. The energy consumed at present by industrialized and developing countries, and their projections to the year 2020 will be presented as well as the serious environmental consequences of a 'business-as-usual' scenario. These consequences will be much harder to cope with in the developing countries. Carbon emissions will be shown to increase with population, GDP and the 'energy intensity' of the economy. The 'decarbonization' trends of the present economies will be related to the decrease in total fertility rate and 'energy intensity' which is linked to technological advances in energy conservation and structural changes. Mechanisms to accelerate such trends will be discussed as well as financial mechanisms to pay for it, such as carbon taxes. (author) figs., tabs., refs

New Systems Thinking and Policy Means for Sustainable Energy Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Niels I.

2011-01-01

Sustainable energy development requires attention to both the demand and supply side. On the demand side there is an urgent need for efficient policy means promoting energy conservation. This includes changes in the institutional and economic framework to compensate for the short comings...... of the dominating neoclassical economy and the short time horizon of the present market system. On the supply side fossil fuels are becoming a central problem being the dominating global energy source while at the same time presenting serious problems in relation to global warming and limited resources (“peak oil......”). Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop alternative strategies and policy means in order to promote sustainable development. THE FULL TEXT IS IN RUSSIAN IN THE JOURNAL....

Economics of the energy economy; Oekonomie der Energiewirtschaft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henrichs, Birgit

2008-11-15

The series designed by the Federal Association of Energy and Water Economy (BDEW) presents the topic energy by means of an interdisciplinary way in seven magazines. Each magazine is dedicated to important sub-topics. The series does not only address teachers of subjects in the field of natural sciences like physics, biology and chemistry but also teachers of the subjects social studies, geography, work studies and technology of the forms 5 - 10. The present seventh magazine of the study sequence is dedicated to the subject economics of the energy economy. The following aspects are described: the history of energy supply by pipelines, from a monopoly to competition, the electric power and gas market and its mechanism, basic elements of the energy policy, the role of the energy economy in the overall economy as well as perspectives of the world energy supply. (orig./RHN)

Analysing Italian Regional Patterns in Green Economy and Climate Change. Can Italy Leverage on Europe 2020 Strategy to Face Sustainable Growth Challenges ?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco BONSINETTO

2013-12-01

Full Text Available European cities and regions are facing the crucial challenge of greening their economy towards more sustainable patterns. Politicians and policy-makers should promote new policies for sustainable growth including renewables, greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and biodiversity. All of these aspects can be considered as a boost for local and regional economy. In this regard, European countries and regions can benefit from the Europe 2020 Strategy which is defined as Europe’s blueprint for a smart, sustainable and inclusive future, providing a ten year roadmap for growth and jobs. EU2020S was designed as a European exit strategy from the global economic and financial crisis in view of new European economic governance. This study discusses the above issues regarding Italy and intends to provide some answers on the perspectives of the new EU2020S. It draws from a research project supported by ESPON, the S.I.E.S.T.A. Project, focused on the territorial dimension of the EU2020S. Therefore, this paper aims at analyzing Italian regional patterns on climate change, green economy and energy within the context of EU2020S and at providing policy recommendations for better achieving the goals of the Strategy.

Success Factors of Sustainable Social Enterprises Through Circular Economy Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stratan Dumitru

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The scope of the research is to find out how social entrepreneurship operations can be modelled within existing business methods using circular economy principles. A literature review was undertaken in order to clarify and find out different opinions regarding circularity and social businesses models. Moreover, the author interviewed managers of different social mission organizations in order to find out the critical factors that determine the sustainability and performances of the organizations. Using the results of the field and desk research, the author suggests the following business model elements to be considered by social enterprises aiming to implement circular economy principles: Desired social and environment vision; Value proposition; Alignment of organizations to the strategy and acceleration of change through executive leadership implication; Financial sustainable perspective: a to increase financial resources and b to manage costs; Stakeholders perspective: a customers segments, b users, c employees, d community beneficiaries, e channels, f customer relationships, g Key partnerships; Internal process perspective: a processes necessary to use circular economy principles; b impact measurement and key activities; c internal and external communication; Resources perspective: a networks; b skills on circular principles and social impact; c information and technologies.`

Transition management and the sustainable nutrients economy in the Netherlands: positioning paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoppe, Thomas; Arentsen, Maarten J.; Mikkila, M.; Linnanen, L.

2012-01-01

In this positioning paper transition management (TM) and the sustainable nutrient economy are addressed. We discuss TM from its scholarly origins in the 1990’s to its implementation as a comprehensive sector-wide policy program on sustainability in The Netherlands during the first decade of the

The significance of energy for the economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spreng, D.; Schwarz, J.

1993-01-01

The importance of energy for the economy is described here in practical terms. This is meant for the works and workshop manager, maintenance chief, energy specialist, sales staff of industrial and business organisations. The term 'potential for saving energy' is extensively discussed. Statistical research shows a clear connection between energy application and growth of the economy. Fact: a rational use of energy is worth while in many aspects. figs., tabs., 14 refs

Why Do People Consume and Provide Sharing Economy Accommodation?—A Sustainability Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eunsuk Sung

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In the platform-based sharing economy service, the consumer using the service and the service provider providing the service form a two-sided market around the platform. In the two-sided market, service users and service providers interact across the platform, and the value of the platform increases with the size of the network. This study aims to study the virtuous circulation of consumption and production for sustainability of sharing economy. For this purpose, several hypotheses were established based on the literature and are tested with survey data of both consumer and service provider of Airbnb. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze whether the consumer acceptance intention model and the supplier acceptance intention model can be linked through the concept of network effect, which is a major characteristic of the sharing economy service platform. The research results are expected to contribute to development of a sustainable sharing economy model.

Evaluating energy efficiency policies with energy-economy models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mundaca, L.; Neij, L.; Worrell, E.; McNeil, M.

2010-01-01

The growing complexities of energy systems, environmental problems, and technology markets are driving and testing most energy-economy models to their limits. To further advance bottom-up models from a multidisciplinary energy efficiency policy evaluation perspective, we review and critically

Cascading biomethane energy systems for sustainable green gas production in a circular economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, David M; McDonagh, Shane; Murphy, Jerry D

2017-11-01

Biomethane is a flexible energy vector that can be used as a renewable fuel for both the heat and transport sectors. Recent EU legislation encourages the production and use of advanced, third generation biofuels with improved sustainability for future energy systems. The integration of technologies such as anaerobic digestion, gasification, and power to gas, along with advanced feedstocks such as algae will be at the forefront in meeting future sustainability criteria and achieving a green gas supply for the gas grid. This paper explores the relevant pathways in which an integrated biomethane industry could potentially materialise and identifies and discusses the latest biotechnological advances in the production of renewable gas. Three scenarios of cascading biomethane systems are developed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A new energy paradigm for Turkey: A political risk-inclusive cost analysis for sustainable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oksay, Serhan; Iseri, Emre

2011-01-01

Implementing sustainable development policies in order to achieve economic and social development while maintaining adequate environmental protection to minimize the damage inflicted by the constantly increasing world population must be a major priority in the 21st century. While the emerging global debate on potential cost-effective responses has produced potential solutions such as cap and trade systems and/or carbon taxes as part of evolving sustainable energy/environmental policies, this kind of intellectual inquiry does not seem to be an issue among Turkish policy-making elites. This is mainly due to their miscalculation that pursuing sustainable energy policies is much more expensive in comparison to the utilization of fossil fuels such as natural gas. Nevertheless, the pegged prices of an energy sector dominated by natural gas are illusive, as both the political risks and environmental damage have not been incorporated into the current cost calculations. This paper evaluates energy policies through a lens of risk management and takes an alternative approach to calculating energy costs by factoring in political risks. This formulation reveals that the cost of traditional fossil-based energy is in fact more expensive than renewable energy. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the paradigm shift towards renewable energy policies would provide Turkey with a significant opportunity to stimulate its economy by being one of the first countries to develop green technologies and as a result this burgeoning sector would prompt job creation as well; mainly due to the externalities. - Research highlights: → This paper evaluates Turkish energy policies through risk management scope and takes an alternative approach on calculating electricity costs by factoring in political risks. → The cost of traditional fossil-based energy turns out to be more expensive than renewable energy. → The paradigm shift towards renewable energy policies could provide Turkey

A new energy paradigm for Turkey: A political risk-inclusive cost analysis for sustainable energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oksay, Serhan, E-mail: serhano@khas.edu.t [Kadir Has University, Department of Business Administration (Turkey); Iseri, Emre, E-mail: eiseri@khas.edu.t [Kadir Has University, Department of International Relations, Cibali Campus, Kadir Has Caddesi 34083, Istanbul (Turkey)

2011-05-15

Implementing sustainable development policies in order to achieve economic and social development while maintaining adequate environmental protection to minimize the damage inflicted by the constantly increasing world population must be a major priority in the 21st century. While the emerging global debate on potential cost-effective responses has produced potential solutions such as cap and trade systems and/or carbon taxes as part of evolving sustainable energy/environmental policies, this kind of intellectual inquiry does not seem to be an issue among Turkish policy-making elites. This is mainly due to their miscalculation that pursuing sustainable energy policies is much more expensive in comparison to the utilization of fossil fuels such as natural gas. Nevertheless, the pegged prices of an energy sector dominated by natural gas are illusive, as both the political risks and environmental damage have not been incorporated into the current cost calculations. This paper evaluates energy policies through a lens of risk management and takes an alternative approach to calculating energy costs by factoring in political risks. This formulation reveals that the cost of traditional fossil-based energy is in fact more expensive than renewable energy. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the paradigm shift towards renewable energy policies would provide Turkey with a significant opportunity to stimulate its economy by being one of the first countries to develop green technologies and as a result this burgeoning sector would prompt job creation as well; mainly due to the externalities. - Research highlights: {yields} This paper evaluates Turkish energy policies through risk management scope and takes an alternative approach on calculating electricity costs by factoring in political risks. {yields} The cost of traditional fossil-based energy turns out to be more expensive than renewable energy. {yields} The paradigm shift towards renewable energy policies could

The Political Economy of Energy Innovation

OpenAIRE

Dasgupta, Shouro; De Cian, Enrica; Verdolini, Elena

2017-01-01

This paper empirically investigates the effects of environmental policy, institutions, political orientation, and lobbying on energy innovation and finds that they significantly affect the incentives to innovate and create cleaner energy efficient technologies. We conclude that political economy factors may act as barriers even in the presence of stringent environmental policy, implying that, to move towards a greener economy, countries should combine environmental policy with a general stren...

Renewable energy consumption and income in emerging economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadorsky, Perry

2009-01-01

Increased economic growth and demand for energy in emerging economies is creating an opportunity for these countries to increase their usage of renewable energy. This paper presents and estimates two empirical models of renewable energy consumption and income for a panel of emerging economies. Panel cointegration estimates show that increases in real per capita income have a positive and statistically significant impact on per capita renewable energy consumption. In the long term, a 1% increase in real income per capita increases the consumption of renewable energy per capita in emerging economies by approximately 3.5%. Long-term renewable energy per capita consumption price elasticity estimates are approximately equal to -0.70.

The significance of renewable energy use for economic output and environmental protection: evidence from the Next 11 developing economies.

Science.gov (United States)

Paramati, Sudharshan Reddy; Sinha, Avik; Dogan, Eyup

2017-05-01

Increasing economic activities in developing economies raise demand for energy mainly sourced from conventional sources. The consumption of more conventional energy will have a significant negative impact on the environment. Therefore, attention of policy makers has recently shifted towards the promotion of renewable energy generation and uses across economic activities to ensure low carbon economy. Given the recent scenario, in this paper, we aim to examine the role of renewable energy consumption on the economic output and CO 2 emissions of the next fastest developing economies of the world. The study employs several robust panel econometric models by using annual data from 1990 to 2012. Empirical findings confirm the significant long-run association among the variables. Similarly, results show that renewable energy consumption positively contributes to economic output and has an adverse effect on CO 2 emissions. Given our findings, we suggest policy makers of those economies to initiate further effective policies to promote more renewable energy generation and uses across economic activities to ensure sustainable economic development.

Sustainable energy policy for Asia: Mitigating systemic hurdles in a highly dense city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, Artie W.; Nathwani, Jatin

2010-01-01

Greenhouse gas emission (GHG) has been increasingly a sensitive issue that is across border and impacting global public interests. While the use of renewable energy technology is perceived as a means to enable delivery of emission-free solutions, its penetration into the energy market has not been timely and significant enough as projected in prior studies. This article aims to illustrate some of the critical hurdles as the policy makers start formulating environmentally friendly energy consumption means for the public in Asian economies. In particular, through analyzing the characteristics in the case of Hong Kong, the authors unveil the challenges for this highly dense city to reach a landscape of alternative energy resources for its transition into a sustainable economy. Education and engagement with the public about a sustainable future, alignment of stakeholders' economic interests and absorption capacity of emerging technologies are argued as the three main challenges and initiatives in mitigating the underlying systemic hurdles that remain to be overcome. Observing the current responses to the externalities by the policy makers in Hong Kong, this study articulates the critical challenges to mitigate these specific systemic hurdles embedded in the existing infrastructure of a highly dense city. Possible mitigating measures to enable deployment of integrative sustainable energy solutions in dealing with climate change are discussed. (author)

THE ROLE OF THE BANKING SYSTEM IN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IMOLA DRIGĂ

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of the banking system and financial markets represents a determinant factor for sustainable development. Thus, banks are essential for any modern economy, not only because of their turnovers but also because they provide a number of important functions for the national economy, being the main financier.

An energy-economy-environment model for simulating the impacts of socioeconomic development on energy and environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wenyi; Zeng, Weihua; Yao, Bo

2014-01-01

Many rapidly developing regions have begun to draw the attention of the world. Meanwhile, the energy and environmental issues associated with rapid economic growth have aroused widespread critical concern. Therefore, studying energy, economic, and environmental systems is of great importance. This study establishes a system dynamic model that covers multiple aspects of those systems, such as energy, economy, population, water pollution, air pollution, solid waste, and technology. The model designed here attempts to determine the impacts of socioeconomic development on the energy and environment of Tongzhou District in three scenarios: under current, planning, and sustainable conditions. The results reveal that energy shortages and water pollutions are very serious and are the key issues constraining future social and economic development. Solid waste emissions increase with population growth. The prediction results provide valuable insights into social advancement.

Dimensions of sustainability in social systems: implications for energy and public policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choucri, N.

1995-01-01

Many fundamental dilemmas and obstacles to achieving sustainable development are being explored in both academic and policy-making circles. Central to sustainability are the provision and use of energy - for all societies and at all levels of development. This paper presents the essential foundations of an integrated view of sustainable development and illustrates their applicability to energy requirements in developing countries. The essential foundations are framed in terms of interactions among four dimensions of complexity: (i) ecology, (ii) economy, (iii) institutions, and (iv) decision. Jointly, these provide the bounds for modeling the dynamics of sustainability for social systems. Special attention is given here to the dual domains of institutions and decision, with reference to both national policy and corporate strategy at all levels of development. (author) 3 figs., tabs., 11 refs

Embedding Sustainability and Renewable Energy Concepts into Undergraduate Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Belu, R.; Cioca, L.

2017-12-01

Human society is facing an uncertain future due to the present unsustainable use of natural resources and the growing imbalance with our natural environment. Creation of a sustainable society is a complex multi-disciplinary and multi-stage project, believed to dominate our century, requiring collaboration, teamwork, and abilities to work with respect and learn from other disciplines and professions. Sustainable development means technological progress meeting the present needs without compromising future generation ability to meet its needs and aspirations. It has four aspects: environment, technology, economy, and societal organizations. Students are often taught to deal with technological developments and economic analysis to assess the process or product viability, but are not fully familiar with sustainability and optimization of technology development benefits and the environment. Schools in many disciplines are working to include sustainability concepts into their curricula. Teaching sustainability and renewable energy has become an essential feature today higher education. Sustainable and green design is about designs recognizing the constraints of the natural resource uses and the environment. It applies to all of engineering and science areas, as all systems interact with the environment in complex and important ways. Our project goals are to provide students with multiple and comprehensive exposures to sustainability and renewable energy concepts, facilitating the development of passion and skills to integrate them into practice. The expected outcomes include an increased social responsibility; development of innovative thinking skills; understanding of sustainability issues, and increasing student interests in the engineering and science programs. The project aims to incorporate sustainability and renewable energy concepts into our undergraduate curricula, employing the existing course resources, and developing new courses and laboratory experiments

Swiss economy and the future energy policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leuenberger, A.F.

1997-01-01

Lecture of the president of the Swiss Trade and Industry Association at their premises on the occasion of the Annual General meeting of the SVA. The lecture dealt with the subject of economic growth and the difficulties faced by this growth in Switzerland. He formulated energy-political theories in respect of provision security, market economy, free choice between suppliers, economy-friendly energy laws, keeping the nuclear energy option open

Are Green Jobs Sustainable for Sri Lankan Economy?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Jayaweera

2012-10-01

Full Text Available It is imperative that Sri Lanka grasps the concepts of green jobs to meet the most vital but intricatechallenge of the 21st Century, which is the transformation to a sustainable and a low-carbon economy.Such a transformation or a paradigm shift, which can be gradual or rapid depending on the circumstances,will undoubtedly have a considerable positive effect on the way we produce and/or consume goods andservices. The speed at which this transformation would occur is likely to accelerate in the near future asthere is a trend of global transition from a traditional to a low-carbon economy, in order to attainsustainable economies. Such trends will help create an array of different forms of green jobs across manysectors, and most probably can become a catalyst for further development. The International LabourOrganization (ILO has defined green jobs as “Jobs created when they help in reducing the negativeenvironmental impacts ultimately leading to environmentally, economically and socially sustainableenterprises and economies”. Green jobs, in general, stand on two pillars: decent work and environmentalsustainability. Thus, green jobs can be defined as decent work that contributes to environmentalsustainability. In a broader sense decent work needs to address the core of international labour standardssuch as freedom of association and effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, eliminationof all forms of forced or compulsory labour, effective abolition of child labour, elimination ofdiscrimination in respect of employment and occupation, occupational health and safety, etc. whilstaligning to laws applicable to Sri Lanka. Environmental sustainability addresses issues such as effectivelycombating climate change, pollution prevention and control, conservation of eco-systems and biodiversityetc. (ILO, 2007.

HUMAN CAPITAL IN ECO-ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ROMANIA

OpenAIRE

Ion PETRESCU

2013-01-01

The current modern civilization and, in this context, the Romanian one, faces a great challenge in finding the most effective and practical methods of implying the human capital in the process of ensuring the eco-economic progress and the sustainable development one in which people to live in communion with nature. In our communication we aim to analyze issues related to human capital involvement in eco-economy and sustainable development of Romania, based on the assessment of the impact of t...

Renewable energy and macroeconomic efficiency of OECD and non-OECD economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chien, Taichen; Hu, Jin-Li

2007-01-01

This article analyzes the effects of renewable energy on the technical efficiency of 45 economies during the 2001-2002 period through data envelopment analysis (DEA). In our DEA model, labor, capital stock, and energy consumption are the three inputs and real GDP is the single output. Increasing the use of renewable energy improves an economy's technical efficiency. Conversely, increasing the input of traditional energy decreases technical efficiency. Compared to non-OECD economies, OECD economies have higher technical efficiency and a higher share of geothermal, solar, tide, and wind fuels in renewable energy. However, non-OECD economies have a higher share of renewable energy in their total energy supply than OECD economies

Sustainable energy policy in Honduras: Diagnosis and challenges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flores, Wilfredo C. [National Directorate of Energy, Tegucigalpa (MDC) (Honduras); Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC) (Honduras); Ojeda, Osvaldo A. [Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (Argentina); Flores, Marco A.; Rivas, Francisco R. [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela de Fisica, Tegucigalpa (MDC) (Honduras)

2011-02-15

In view of having a still unexploited potential of natural resources available for clean energy and the possibility of using the regional electricity market in Central America, Honduras has several potential energy sources. The growing dependence on oil and the imminent increase in international prices of fossil fuels, coupled with the necessity of changing the energy sector arrangement, the State of Honduras has taken the lead for the development of a long-term sustainable energy policy. This energy policy must be able to develop various energy sources and guide both, the government and the private sector, to the planning and development of alternative energy sources and sustainable growth of the Honduran economy. In this paper, the various energy diagnoses and the potential for changing the Honduran energy mix are presented, as well as the investment required for sustainable management of the energy sector. Furthermore, the objectives of the energy policy and plan up to the year 2030 are presented, outlining the investment possibilities for the energy sector development, showing their costs and timeframes. - Research Highlights: {yields} This paper shows the development of a long-term energy policy for Honduras. {yields} The various diagnoses of the energy sector in Honduras are shown, considering the use of wood, biomass, biofuels, electricity, transportation, hydrocarbons and rural electrification. {yields} The most relevant results of the analysis of energy forecasting are shown, for which the LEAP software was used. {yields} The objectives of the energy policy and plan up to the year 2030 are presented, outlining the investment possibilities for the energy sector development, showing their costs and timeframes.

Energy-economy relationship and environmental regulation in the presence of unrecorded economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karanfil, F.

2008-12-01

This PhD thesis including five manuscripts and a brief international comparison analysis proposes a multi-field study on the economic and environmental effects of energy consumption. It first investigates the causal relationship between economic growth and energy consumption in Turkey and then offers a new methodology for the estimation of unrecorded economy based on environmental data. The thesis develops also asymmetric information models, where the regulator does not know the true emission level of each firm that it wishes to regulate, so as to examine to what extend different enforcement mechanisms affect incentives for the firms to reduce polluting emissions and to invest in clean energy technologies. In order to provide a complete insight on the effects of both fiscal and environmental enforcement policies, some similar analysis are conducted taking into account the existence of unrecorded economy. The results in this thesis essentially show that: first, energy conservation policies can be implemented in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without any adverse effect on the recorded economic activities; second, different audit mechanisms should be used depending on the environmental objective of the enforcement agency; third, in some cases, environmental regulations may increase the size of unrecorded economy; fourth, economic policies to combat unrecorded economy may not serve as a complement to energy conservation policies. (author)

Economy and energy politic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, J.M.

1992-01-01

This book, divided into four parts, describes, first, energy consumption and national economy growth. In a second part, the irresistible ascent of coal, natural gas and petroleum international markets is studied. In the third part, energy politic is investigated: exchanges releasing, prices deregulation, contestation of power industry monopoly, energy national market and common energetic politic, single market concept. In the last part, global risks and world-wide regulations are given: demand, energy resources, technical changes, comparative evaluations between fossil, nuclear and renewable energies, environment, investments financing and international cooperation. 23 refs., 14 figs., 16 tabs

Carbon emissions, energy consumption and output: A threshold analysis on the causal dynamics in emerging African economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mensah, Justice Tei

2014-01-01

Following the recent global economic downturn, attention has gradually shifted towards emerging economies which have experienced robust growth amidst sluggish growth of the world economy. A significant number of these emerging economies are in Africa. Rising growth in these economies is associated with surging demand for energy to propel the engines of growth, with direct implications on emissions into the atmosphere. Further, these economies are constantly being shaped by series of structural reforms with direct and indirect effects on growth, demand for energy, etc. To this end, this paper examines the causal dynamics among energy use, real GDP and CO 2 emissions in the presence of regime shifts in six emerging African economies using the Gregory and Hansen (1996a). J. Econ. 70, 99–126 threshold cointegration and the Toda and Yamamoto (1995). J. Econometrics. 66, 225–250 Granger causality techniques. Results confirm the presence of regime shift effects in the long run inter-linkages among energy use, real GDP and CO 2 emissions in the countries considered, thus indicating that structural changes have both economic and environmental effects. Hence, integration of energy and environmental policies into development plans is imperative towards attaining sustainable growth and development. - Highlights: • The paper examines the causal dynamics among output, energy demand and carbon emissions in the presence of regime shifts. • Regime shift have significant effects on the nexus among energy use, real GDP and CO 2 emissions. • Results suggest that structural changes in selected countries have both economic and environmental effects. • Integration of energy and environmental policies into development plans is desirable

China's energy economy. Situation, reforms, behavior, and energy intensity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma, Hengyun [Henan Agricultural Univ., Zhengzhou (China). College of Economics and Management; Oxley, Les [Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch (New Zealand). Dept of Economics and Finance

2012-07-01

In the new millennium, understanding China's energy economy is crucial for politicians, businesspeople and energy economists, as China's energy policy choices will mean both challenges and opportunities for the world in terms of an increasing share of primary energy consumption and investment. This book initially reviews the literature on China's energy economy and in so doing reveals that many important areas have been overlooked or are outdated in their coverage. Given the size of China and its global importance, the book then review s China's current energy situation and fills the gaps in the literature for those who are interested in and concerned about China's economic development and energy reform in the new millennium. The book is different from previous studies in several important ways: Firstly, it presents recent, pioneering research rather than a simple textbook, several sections of which have been published in high-quality energy journals. Secondly, the book first subdivides China's energy intensity change into aspects of budget constraint, technological change, factor substitution, energy demand and economic growth using a newly developed econometric approach. Thirdly, it provides many new and different econometric findings and derives many new policy implications for China's energy economy. And lastly, it brings to light a wealth of new knowledge for those who are interested in China's energy economy, the world energy market and global environmental and climate change issues.

The Institutions of «Green Economy» for Sustainable Development of Agrarian Sector: Theoretical Dimension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khodakivska Olga V.

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The article is aimed at substantiating the conceptual foundations and theoretical positions of the place and role of institutions in formation of the «green economy» in the context of implementation of the principles for sustainable development of agrarian sector. The article reflects the main scientific concepts that are directed to address the problems of environmentally oriented development, in particular the concepts of ecotopia, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, biocentrism, and the concept of sustainable development. It has been found that the conceptual foundations for sustainable development include ecologization of economy, humanization of production, introducing a system of principled approaches to public affairs. The general provisions of formation of «green economy» have been characterized and its key principles have been provided. The role and value of institutions in the organizational provision of the sustainable development of agrarian sector, which, in the organizational-economic, coordinating and enabling aspects are the key driver for harmonization of the interaction of all participants in economic relations, have been substantiated.

Nigeria: Positioning Rural Economy for Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akinbode Michael Okunola

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Nigeria as nation has over the years engaged in lots of developmental activities without actions which makes achievements to elude the people. Development of societies doesn’t happen in the vacuum. Thus, the adoption of Structural Adjustment Program, SAP, by Nigeria leading to the neglect of the custom periodic National Plan at a time when Nigeria had no structure for development was the beginning of journey to widened inequality and large poverty incidence, depth and severity. To close the gap between the rich and the poor, the Nigeria government had designed and implemented some programs and policies whose implementation has not solved the inherent problems. In year 2000, the world leaders subscribed to the Millennium Development Goals to ensure synergized global approach to solving the poverty menace. Programs designed in Nigeria to achieve the MDGs focused on the urban centers thereby relegating the rural areas which are responsible for the feeding of the teeming population of the urban dwellers. Farming households and the general rural communities do not have access to clean water, quality education and health facilities, good feeder roads, affordable and safe energy as well as other socioeconomic and socio-infrastructural facilities that would ensure sustainable living for the people whose contribution to the national economy cannot be overemphasized. This study therefore looks at the structural actions the Nigeria government should embarked upon to ensure that the rural dweller have access to life. As the government would be developing programs and policies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals whose priority is the end poverty in all forms and everywhere by 2030, this study reveals how to position the rural economy for developmental attention from the policy makers.

An Energy-Economy-Environment Model for Simulating the Impacts of Socioeconomic Development on Energy and Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenyi Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Many rapidly developing regions have begun to draw the attention of the world. Meanwhile, the energy and environmental issues associated with rapid economic growth have aroused widespread critical concern. Therefore, studying energy, economic, and environmental systems is of great importance. This study establishes a system dynamic model that covers multiple aspects of those systems, such as energy, economy, population, water pollution, air pollution, solid waste, and technology. The model designed here attempts to determine the impacts of socioeconomic development on the energy and environment of Tongzhou District in three scenarios: under current, planning, and sustainable conditions. The results reveal that energy shortages and water pollutions are very serious and are the key issues constraining future social and economic development. Solid waste emissions increase with population growth. The prediction results provide valuable insights into social advancement.

Restructuring and energy efficiency improvement of the Bulgarian energy economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moumdjian, G.

1993-01-01

The structure of the national energy economy of Bulgaria implies characteristic features that specify low efficiency as regards power production, ecology and economics. Even the qualitative assessments show that these indices stand far away from the standards established in developed countries like Denmark, Finland, Sweden, etc. The best starting position for harmful energy efficiency improvement as well as emission reduction must be based on the restructuring of energy economy. The strategy of restructuring and development of energy economy covers the whole integrated national energy flow system 'resources - end user'. The preliminary study shows that energy efficiency can be increased by 25-30% within a period of 6-10 years using the least-cost investment strategy (including the research and development activities expenses). The study covers the existing structure of energy sector. Scenarios are being elaborated for its development and restructuring in respect to: heat production and transfer; electricity generation and transmission; energy consumption and conservation in residential buildings, public buildings and commercial sector; energy consumption in transport sector and agriculture. The approach for identification of the real potential opportunities in relation to the above stated areas is based on mathematical statistics and stochastic differential equations, multicriterial assessments, approach of self organisation systems and demand-side management. (author)

Amendment of the Energy Economy Act. Novellierung des Energiewirtschaftsgesetzes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-12-20

The Federal Association of German Industry deliberates on the reform of the Energy Economy Act, arriving at the following intermediate result that is to be discussed by the member associations. The following might be essential points for the attitude of the industry regarding the reform of the energy economy act: deregulation, qualitative modernization, concentration on electric power and gas, differentiated regulations for power and gas, limitation of municipal influence (outside the scope of the energy economy act: reform of the municipal right of way), secure power and gas supply at internationally competitive prices. This is followed by considerations regarding the individual provisions of the energy economy act and their discussion. (orig./HSCH).

China's challenging fast track. Far more energy will have to be produced - and conserved - to power the expanding economy and protect the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei Zhihong

2004-01-01

China's economy is on a fast track, with growth projected to quadruple in the first two decades of this century. A mix of clean and affordable energy sources will be needed to fuel and sustain development. Since China opened to outside markets in the 1980s, the national economy has expanded steadily, with an average annual growth rate of 9.6% in gross domestic product (GDP) from 1980 to 2000. Development has stayed strong in this century, and GDP grew 9.1% in 2003, the highest rate in the past six years. For the first time, per capita GDP topped $1000, reaching $1090 last year. How to best manage and sustain growth is driving energy decisions. Analyses show that China has entered a stage of manufacturing, chemical, and heavy industrial development that is energy intensive. At the same time, demands for energy at home and in businesses are growing among China's population of 1.3 billion people. As consumption grows, so do concerns about air, water, and land pollution in the context of sustainable energy development

Sustainable Energy Development: The Key to a Stable Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kalu Uduma

2010-06-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes the use of sustainable energy systems based on solar and biomass technologies to provide solutions to utility challenges in Nigeria and acute water shortage both in rural and urban areas of that country. The paper highlights the paradoxes of oil-rich Nigeria and the stark reality of social infrastructure deprivations in that country. Perennial power outages over many years have translated to the absence of or poorly-developed basic social infrastructures in Nigeria. The consequences of this lack have been an increase in abject poverty in rural and urban communities as well as the erosion of social order and threats to citizen and their property. This paper proposes the adaptation of two emerging technologies for building sustainable energy systems and the development of decentralized and sustainable energy sources as catalyst for much-needed social infrastructure development through the creation of Renewable Energy Business Incubators, creative lending strategies, NGO partnerships and shifting energy-distribution responsibilities. These changes will stimulate grassroots economies in the country, develop large quantities of much needed clean water, maintain acceptable standards of sanitation and improve the health and wellbeing of Nigerian communities. The proposed strategies are specific to the Nigerian context; however, the authors suggest that the same or similar strategies may provide energy and social infrastructure development solutions to other developing countries as well.

The hydrogen economy urgently needs environmentally sustainable hydroelectricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodland, R.

1995-01-01

Only two sources of energy were said to have the capacity to bridge the transition to fully sustainable and renewable energy, namely natural gas and hydro. The argument was made that because of this advantage, both forms will have to be promoted fast, since the transition to sustainable energy is urgent. In so far as natural gas supplies are concerned, it was estimated that they will last for perhaps the next 50 years, whereas hydroelectric potential is practically unlimited. Developing nations could vastly accelerate their development, reduce poverty and approach sustainability by exporting hydro to industrial countries. Similarly, industrial nations switching from fossil fuels to hydrogen could move up the environmental ranking, and significantly help alleviating global pollution and climate risks. Environmental ranking of new energy sources, world reservoirs of hydroelectric power, environmental and social ranking of hydro sites, the environmental impacts of hydro projects, and the concept of environmental sustainability in hydro reservoirs, were summarized. Greater acceptance of the need for sustainable development by the hydro industry was urged, along with more care in selecting hydro development sites with sustainability as a prime objective. 23 refs., 6 figs

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 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.

Renewability emergy index calculation in the evaluation of the sustainability of a national economy; Calculo do indice de renovabillidade emergetica na avaliacao da sustentabilidade de uma economia nacional

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siche Jara, Raul Benito [Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, La Libertad (Peru). Fac. de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Escuela de Ingenieria Agroindustrial], e-mail: Siche.J.R@gmail.com; Ortega Rodriguez, Enrique [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (DEA/FEA/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Lab. de Engenharia Ecologica e Informatica Aplicada], e-mail: ortega@fea.unicamp.br

2006-07-01

In this study, the emergy methodology was used to analyze the sustainability of the Peruvian economic system. The resources (natural and not natural) and importations had been accounting in units of solar emergy using data of the Peruvian economy for the year 2004. Emergy is an energy measure based in the contribution of the resources and its influence, defined as the energy of a type required producing a flow or storage of another type. The focus of this study is the calculation of the emergy index call 'renewability' (REN), considered as a general measure of the ecological sustainability. In a long period, only systems or processes with high REN are sustainable. This index is calculated by the accounting of the resources renewed used in the economy in emergy units (2.17E+23 seJ) and divided by emergy total that enters to the economic system (6.93E+23 seJ), resulting a REN of 0.31. The renewable resources that use Peru almost represent 20% of the total of renewable resources available in the system. The great amount of renewable resources that Peru can potentially use was calculated in 11.44E+23 seJ, meaning that the system can be more sustainable if the economy is based on increasing the use of renewable resources and to diminish the use of non-renewable resources and imported resources. These data show that Peru has a relatively sustainable economy that can improve or get worse, depending of its politics in the use of resources. (author)

Energy and economic development [Brazil: A country profile on sustainable energy development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machado, G.; Schaeffer, R.

2006-01-01

energy use patterns. Section 5.2 assesses energy use in Brazil by analysing energy intensities. A decomposition analysis technique is applied to final energy use figures to help identify the factors affecting final energy use in the Brazilian economy. Such a technique allows the decomposition of energy use changes into three basic effects: activity, structure and intensity. The activity effect results from the impact of overall economic growth on final energy use. The structure effect derives from the impact that the sectoral composition of the economy has on the final energy use of a country. The intensity effect refers to the final energy requirements per unit of activity of each sector considered (sectoral breakdown). Findings are contrasted with historical events and circumstances to provide a better understanding of the impacts of Brazil's economic and social choices on its final energy use patterns. Section 5.3 recommends synergetic strategies to enhance sustainable energy development in Brazil based on what has been learned from the country's previous economic and social choices and from the experiences of other countries. The final section is a summary of the main issues related to Brazil's energy system and its economic development. The chapter presents indicators mainly related to energy intensity. Other important economic indicators that are part of the Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development (EISD) set are addressed in other parts of the report: fuel mix in Chapter 2, reserves to production ratios in Chapter 3, technology efficiencies in Chapter 4, per capita energy use in Chapter 7 and import dependence in Chapter 8

Democratizing Rural Economy: Institutional Friction, Sustainable Struggle and the Cooperative Movement

Science.gov (United States)

Mooney, Patrick H.

2004-01-01

Sustainable development demands institutions manage the conflicts and struggles that inevitably arise over material and ideal interests. While current cooperative theory privileges the economic element, a political economy of cooperation emphasizes cooperatives' tentative bridging of economic and political spheres with a democratic ethos. The…

Challenges in Building a Sustainable Biobased Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mussatto, Solange I.

2017-01-01

for the production of fuels, chemicals, energy and materials is therefore recognized as a need by numerous industries and policy makers in countries around the world. In addition, a biobased economy has the potential to generate new jobs and even new industries, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurship...

Learning for a Sustainable Economy: Teaching of Green Competencies in the University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mª Ángeles Murga-Menoyo

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper looks at universities as training centers for a sustainable economy. Their remit is to promote the required competencies to achieve that aim, including competencies in sustainability. This article describes the role that the universities in Spain are fulfilling with respect to these issues and presents a training proposal that comprises four key competencies in sustainability with their corresponding performance indicators that permit the evaluation of different levels of achievement in training processes. These competencies must embrace their formative role not only with regard to future graduates who will be employed in “green jobs” per se, but also with regard to those alumni who will work in all the other productive sectors, in addition to all citizens directly and indirectly involved in the wider economy as consumers, producers and (direct or indirect recipients of its effects. The proposal is based on the recommendations of the Conferencia de Rectores de Universidades Españolas (CRUE: Conference of Chancellors of Spanish Universities, and can be adapted to the teaching programs of different subjects in order to facilitate the training necessary in general competencies of sustainability within the ambit of the subjects taught. Furthermore, this proposal follows the institutional strategy of CRUE to promote curricula sustainability through the inclusion of the principles and values of sustainable development in every degree and educational program taught. This proposal could also be applied to other cultural contexts with similar characteristics.

Sustainable development. First part

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Colombo, U.; Lanzavecchia, G.; Berrini, M; Zambrini, M.; Bologna, G.; Carraro, C.; Hinterberger, F.; Mastino, G.; Federico, A.; Gaudioso, D.; Luise, A.; Mauro, F.; Padovani, L.; Federico, A.

1998-01-01

This paper summarizes a collective effort and represents the second edition of: Environment, energy, economy: a sustainable future. In this work are reported various interventions on sustainable development problem [it

Efficient energy-saving targets for APEC economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, J.-L.; Kao, C.-H.

2007-01-01

Energy-saving target ratios (ESTR) for 17 APEC economies during 1991-2000 are computed in a total-factor framework. All nominal variables are transformed into real variables by the purchasing power parity (PPP) at the 1995 price level. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach is used to find the energy-saving target (EST) for APEC economies without reducing their maximum potential gross domestic productions (GDPs) in each year. Energy, labor, and capital are the three inputs, while GDP is the single output. Our major findings are as follows: (1) China has the largest EST up to almost half of its current usage. (2) Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the United States have the highest energy efficiency. (3) The energy efficiency generally increases for APEC economies except for Canada and New Zealand. (4) Chile, Mexico, and Taiwan have significantly improved their energy efficiency in the last 5 years. (5) An inverted U-shape relation exists between per capita EST and per capita GDP. (6) ESTR has a positive relation with the value-added percentage of GDP of the industry sector and a negative relation with that of the service sector

Dynamic assessment of urban economy-environment-energy system using system dynamics model: A case study in Beijing.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Desheng; Ning, Shuang

2018-07-01

Economic development, accompanying with environmental damage and energy depletion, becomes essential nowadays. There is a complicated and comprehensive interaction between economics, environment and energy. Understanding the operating mechanism of Energy-Environment-Economy model (3E) and its key factors is the inherent part in dealing with the issue. In this paper, we combine System Dynamics model and Geographic Information System to analyze the energy-environment-economy (3E) system both temporally and spatially, which explicitly explore the interaction of economics, energy, and environment and effects of the key influencing factors. Beijing is selected as a case study to verify our SD-GIS model. Alternative scenarios, e.g., current, technology, energy and environment scenarios are explored and compared. Simulation results shows that, current scenario is not sustainable; technology scenario is applicable to economic growth; environment scenario maintains a balanced path of development for long term stability. Policy-making insights are given based on our results and analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Transforming cities towards sustainable low-carbon energy systems using emergy synthesis for support in decision making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lugaric, Luka; Krajcar, Slavko

2016-01-01

Recognized as implementation actors of operative measures for transition towards a low carbon economy, cities must establish a development roadmap integrating local resources with local energy development plans. A systematic approach does not exist yet and cities develop their plans individually, which is difficult for small and medium sized cities due to limited development capacities. Conventional city planning approaches do not integrate considerations on energy, economy and environment in transition plans in an easily comparable way, yet making decisions with regards to these parameters is vital to determine outcomes of planned developments on future sustainability of the city. The paper presents a framework model based on emergy synthesis which integrates energy, economic and environmental city systems in the decision making process, examining associated theoretical challenges and application limitations. The method is applied on the city of Sisak in Croatia which has developed plans to implement several initiatives geared towards creating a smart energy city. The model enables simulation and assessment of impacts of individual projects targeting the development of a smart energy city on city sustainability expressed through emergy performance, used as a tool for evaluating local development alternatives within the boundary of local resources. - Highlights: • Key concepts of present city development trends towards sustainability are examined. • Emergy synthesis is examined and applied as a tool for policy and decision makers. • Emergy model of a small city is developed, along with submodels for renewable energy sources and buildings. • Simulation of 5 different projects shows impacts on overall city sustainability in a comparable manner. • Increase in emergy sustainability index is confirmed after presumed implementation of simulated projects.

Knowledge-based Economy, an Appropriate Response to Organizational Change Pressures, with a View to Sustainable Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Mihaela Lazar

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The sustainable development of organizations within knowledge-based economy, in which knowledge represents the main priority, should focus on finding solutions for the intelligent management of the limited resources, especially through organizational change and its constant assessment as a long-term impact solution. The transition of organizations to the principles of knowledge-based economy involves a major change in organizational culture. The dynamism and complexity of the new type of society, which implies a higher and more diverse level of training, together with a continuous superior training of the workforce, increasing investment in research and development and, not least, a growing volume and a diversification of information, all these represent, chained together, an element of well-being for the future generations. The introductory section summarizes the concept of sustainability and places the development of companies and economies they aggregate, in a contemporary context of organizational change pressures, on the principles of the knowledge-based economy as the only resource, virtually inexhaustible in the long-term, and which leads to a sustainable development. There follows a methodological section, consisting in the instrumental description of the method of work and in reference to the database, thus providing the theoretical and practical foundation for the confrontation between the sustainable development index (SDI in Romania and in the European Union (EU. The results and discussion section of the paper includes a confrontation between the sustainable development of Romania and that of the European Union, drawing on the SDI for each case. This statistical tool was calculated starting from the values of several statistical indicators (available in EUROSTAT statistics, issued from four information subsystems (an economic one, a social one and an environment one as major subsystems of sustainable development, to which was added

China’s energy economy situation, reforms, behavior, and energy intensity

CERN Document Server

Ma, Hengyun

2012-01-01

In the new millennium, understanding China’s energy economy is crucial for politicians, businesspeople and energy economists, as China’s energy policy choices will mean both challenges and opportunities for the world in terms of an increasing share of primary energy consumption and investment. This book initially reviews the literature on China’s energy economy and in so doing reveals that many important areas have been overlooked or are outdated in their coverage. Given the size of China and its global importance, the book then review s China’s current energy situation and fills the gaps in the literature for those who are interested in and concerned about China’s economic development and energy reform in the new millennium.   The book is different from previous studies in several important ways: Firstly, it presents recent,  pioneering research rather than a simple textbook, several sections of which have been published in high-quality energy journals. Secondly, the book first subdivides China'...

Solar Power Generation for ICT and Sustainable Development in Emerging Economies

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, Damasen I.; Uhomoibhi, James

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to systematically examine and draw attention to the potential benefits of solar power generation for access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) aimed at sustainable development in emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach: Electricity plays a crucial role in the development and…

The Potential of Circular Economy in Sustainable Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malabi Larsen, Leonora Charlotte; Birgisdottir, Harpa; Birkved, Morten

2018-01-01

benefits of designing the buildings concrete structure for disassembly, with the purpose of reuse, as well as to exemplify how circular economy can be applied in future building projects. Moreover, the paper aims at suggesting a more industry focused approach towards circular economy in order to seize...... the inherent potentials. As a result, it was found that recycling and energy recovery are the most common circular economy practices in the building industry, even though the economic and environmental benefits of reuse are believed to be much higher. This observation is supported by the findings of the case...... and glass, thereby enabling easier disassembly for both reuse and recycling. However, main challenges preventing the industry from seizing these potentials are identified as: focus on short term goals, complex supply chains, lack of collaboration between stakeholders and absence of a commonly agreed...

Sustainable business models for wind and solar energy in Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nichifor Maria Alexandra

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Renewable energy has become a crucial element for the business environment as the need for new energy resources and the degree of climate change are increasing. As developed economies strive towards greater progress, sustainable business models are of the essence in order to maintain a balance between the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit. In recent years, European Union countries have installed important capacities of renewable energy, especially wind and solar energy to achieve this purpose. The objective of this article is to make a comparative study between the current sustainable business models implemented in companies that are active in the wind and solar energy sector in Romania. Both sectors underwent tremendous changes in the last two years due to changing support schemes which have had a significant influence on the mechanism of the renewable energy market, as well as on its development. Using the classical Delphi method, based on questionnaires and interviews with experts in the fields of wind and solar energy, this paper offers an overview of the sustainable business models of wind and solar energy companies, both sectors opting for the alternative of selling electricity to trading companies as a main source of revenue until 2013 and as the main future trend until 2020. Furthermore, the participating wind energy companies noted a pessimistic outlook of future investments due to legal instability that made them to reduce their projects in comparison to PV investments, which are expected to continue. The subject of the article is of interest to scientific literature because sustainable business models in wind and photovoltaic energy have been scarcely researched in previous articles and are essential in understanding the activity of the companies in these two fields of renewable energy.

Green economy. From theory to practice; 'Green Economy'. Von der Theorie zur Praxis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wackerbauer, Johann [ifo Institut, Muenchen (Germany)

2013-04-15

The topic of ''green economy'' took centre stage at last year's UN conference on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro. The term ''green economy'' has many interpretations to it, ranging from an emphasis on energy and resource efficiency in an otherwise ordinary economy to positions that are critical of growth as such. What can be considered as the essence of the concept of green economy, and what challenges need to be mastered on the way there? The present study shows that there is more to the term than most companies and consumers are aware of.

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.

Principles of Sustainable Economy: An Anthropologist’s Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Reuter

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Contemporary economies must undergo a transformation to sustainability if we are to avoid a descent into ecological and socio-political crises of ever escalating severity. In order to achieve such a major reform, principles consistent with sustainable ecosystems and social systems need to be identified and applied systematically. What are these principles in their most fundamental form, how can they become widely accepted, and how can they be applied? To answer these three questions, this article draws on the cumulative insights of anthropology, a bridging science dedicated to the holistic study of humanity across the entire span of our evolutionary development (physical anthropology and across the full breadth of its cross-cultural diversity (cultural anthropology.* This broad and longitudinal anthropological understanding of human societies will be compared with what we now understand about the characteristics of ecosystem, primarily to show that they are fundamentally similar. An alternative cultural outlook and political procedure is then proposed that—if adopted—would deliver a shared global vision for a socially and ecologically sustainable future and lay firm pathways toward that future in the now.

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

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.

Fuel economy of hybrid fuel-cell vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Ahluwalia, Rajesh K.; Wang, X.; Rousseau, A.

The potential improvement in fuel economy of a mid-size fuel-cell vehicle by combining it with an energy storage system has been assessed. An energy management strategy is developed and used to operate the direct hydrogen, pressurized fuel-cell system in a load-following mode and the energy storage system in a charge-sustaining mode. The strategy places highest priority on maintaining the energy storage system in a state where it can supply unanticipated boost power when the fuel-cell system alone cannot meet the power demand. It is found that downsizing a fuel-cell system decreases its efficiency on a drive cycle which is compensated by partial regenerative capture of braking energy. On a highway cycle with limited braking energy the increase in fuel economy with hybridization is small but on the stop-and-go urban cycle the fuel economy can improve by 27%. On the combined highway and urban drive cycles the fuel economy of the fuel-cell vehicle is estimated to increase by up to 15% by hybridizing it with an energy storage system.

Sustainable degrowth through more amateur economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Jørgen

2010-01-01

(back) from the prof. economy to the amateur economy will be less productive than the prof. economy in terms of output per man hour, but often more 'productive' in generating satisfaction and happiness in the process. Such a shift can create more ultimate benefit (happiness), but less product output......By a simple descriptive model is illustrated how the role of labor input tothe economy will have to revised in a degrowth economy. A destinction is made btween the Professional (GDP) economy, driven by money, and the Amateur economy (voluntary) driven by love. Shifting some economic activities...

Iceland as a demonstrator for a transition to low carbon economy?

Science.gov (United States)

Asbjornsson, Einar Jon; Stefansson, Hlynur; Finger, David Christian

2017-04-01

The energy supply in Iceland is quite unique, about 85% of the total primary energy is coming from renewable resources. Nevertheless, the ecological footprint of an average Icelander is with 6.5 worlds, one of the highest worldwide and the energy consumption per capita is about 7 times higher than the European average. Recent developments have shown that there is a great potential to reduce the footprint and develop towards low carbon economy. With its small population, well educated and governed society and clear system boundaries to the outside world, Iceland is a good research laboratory and an ideal demonstrator for a transition towards a low carbon economy. This presentation will outline how several innovative research projects at Reykjavik University could lead Iceland towards a sustainable and low carbon economy. The presentations will conclude with a visionary outlook how Iceland can become a demonstration nation towards a prosperous, low carbon and sustainable economy, helping stabilize global warming at an acceptable level.

Energy-efficient biomass processing with pulsed electric fields for bioeconomy and sustainable development.

Science.gov (United States)

Golberg, Alexander; Sack, Martin; Teissie, Justin; Pataro, Gianpiero; Pliquett, Uwe; Saulis, Gintautas; Stefan, Töpfl; Miklavcic, Damijan; Vorobiev, Eugene; Frey, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

Fossil resources-free sustainable development can be achieved through a transition to bioeconomy, an economy based on sustainable biomass-derived food, feed, chemicals, materials, and fuels. However, the transition to bioeconomy requires development of new energy-efficient technologies and processes to manipulate biomass feed stocks and their conversion into useful products, a collective term for which is biorefinery. One of the technological platforms that will enable various pathways of biomass conversion is based on pulsed electric fields applications (PEF). Energy efficiency of PEF treatment is achieved by specific increase of cell membrane permeability, a phenomenon known as membrane electroporation. Here, we review the opportunities that PEF and electroporation provide for the development of sustainable biorefineries. We describe the use of PEF treatment in biomass engineering, drying, deconstruction, extraction of phytochemicals, improvement of fermentations, and biogas production. These applications show the potential of PEF and consequent membrane electroporation to enable the bioeconomy and sustainable development.

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

ROMANIA'S ENERGY POTENTIAL OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maghear Diana

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The concept of 'sustainable development' and the necessity for its realization has gone a long way in order to be unanimously accepted. Over time many authors have written about the problem regarding resources depletion, about the effects of pollution and their economic, ecological and social aspects of it. From the observation of the pollution phenomenon and its implications and until this problem has been acknowledged and accepted by a large number of people this problem has been extensively described by various authors be they economists, ecologists, biologists or psychologists and discussed at multiple conferences conducted in order to find a solution to this problem. In the last century, the use of fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil has had disastrous effects, catastrophic even on the environment, greater than any human activity in history. Among these effects we can enumerate: global warming, the emergence of acid rains, thinning of the ozone layer, etc. In consequence, the use of alternative energy resources becomes imminent for the today world. Among these resources we can include the sun, the wind, geothermal water, biomass, water, etc., which have the capacity to generate alternative energy namely solar energy, wind energy, hydro energy, wave energy, geothermal energy, bioenergy (biofuels, biodiesel, etc. that have the as purpose the reduction of the thermal, radioactive and chemical pollution anywhere on the globe. Renewable energy sources are largely indigenous; they are not based on the future availability of conventional sources of energy, and natural or predominantly decentralized makes that the respective economy to be less vulnerable in front of the supply with volatile energy. Therefore, they constitute a key element of a sustainable energy future. This paper is meant to highlight the need for achieving a sustainable development both in terms of the problem that humanity faces which threatens the entire ecosystem and namely the

E3: Economy - Energy - Environment; Supporting Manufacturing Leadership through Sustainability

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The E3 initiative is designed to help you thrive in a new business era focused on sustainability and, working together, to promote sustainable manufacturing and...

TOPICAL ISSUES OF DIVERSIFIED POLICY AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY OF AZERBAIJAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Y. Guliyev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. It is revealed that the sharp drop in oil prices demonstrated the existing problems in oil-producing countries and created a situation of weakening the economic stability of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is established that sustainability of economy is the modern challenge for oil-producing countries of the CIS. The results of the analysis of the macroeconomic situation in the Republic of Azerbaijan on the basis of which it is confirmed that Russia is the largest trade and economic partner of Azerbaijan are given. It is proved that a diversified economy has the highest degree of stability, which is why diversification is today one of the main directions of economic policy of Azerbaijan. It is proved that industrial policy and import substitution should be adequate to global challenges.In order to increase the export potential of Azerbaijan, growth of production of competitive import-substituting products, attraction of foreign investment suggested the formation of technology parks and industrial districts based on new technology using incentives of supply, demand and market promotion of products of highest priority from the point of view of ensuring economic stability of the industries. To implement the specific strategic goals for sustainable development the use of mechanism of project financing is proposed. 

Sustainable Practices Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Better sustainability means more environmentally conscious and efficient businesses and communities. EPA helps modify the way we consume energy, deal with waste, and grow our economy through programs such as Energy Star, E3, Smart Growth, and WaterSense.

Renewable energy for sustainable urban development: Redefining the concept of energisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nissing, Christian [Environmental and Process Systems Engineering Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town (South Africa); Blottnitz, Harro von, E-mail: Harro.vonBlottnitz@uct.ac.z [Environmental and Process Systems Engineering Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town (South Africa); African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town (South Africa)

2010-05-15

It is widely recognised that access to and supply of modern energy play a key role in poverty alleviation and sustainable development. The emerging concept of energisation seems to capture this idea; however, there is no unified definition at the point of writing. In this paper, the aim is to propose a new and comprehensive definition of the concept of energisation. The chronological development of this concept is investigated by means of a literature review, and a subsequent critique is offered of current definitions and usage of the concept. Building upon these first insights, two planned cases of energisation in post-apartheid South Africa are contrasted to an unplanned one: they are the national electrification programme, the integrated energy centres initiative, and a wood fuelled local economy in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's biggest township. Especially the latter case, based on original data collection by the authors, provides a new understanding of specific elements affecting energisation. Finally, a new and detailed definition of the concept of sustainable energisation is developed by systematically reiterating three key elements: the target group, the concept of energy services, and sustainable development.

Renewable energy for sustainable urban development. Redefining the concept of energisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nissing, Christian [Environmental and Process Systems Engineering Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town (South Africa); Von Blottnitz, Harro [Environmental and Process Systems Engineering Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town (South Africa); African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town (South Africa)

2010-05-15

It is widely recognised that access to and supply of modern energy play a key role in poverty alleviation and sustainable development. The emerging concept of energisation seems to capture this idea; however, there is no unified definition at the point of writing. In this paper, the aim is to propose a new and comprehensive definition of the concept of energisation. The chronological development of this concept is investigated by means of a literature review, and a subsequent critique is offered of current definitions and usage of the concept. Building upon these first insights, two planned cases of energisation in post-apartheid South Africa are contrasted to an unplanned one: they are the national electrification programme, the integrated energy centres initiative, and a wood fuelled local economy in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's biggest township. Especially the latter case, based on original data collection by the authors, provides a new understanding of specific elements affecting energisation. Finally, a new and detailed definition of the concept of sustainable energisation is developed by systematically reiterating three key elements: the target group, the concept of energy services, and sustainable development. (author)

Renewable energy for sustainable urban development: Redefining the concept of energisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nissing, Christian; Blottnitz, Harro von

2010-01-01

It is widely recognised that access to and supply of modern energy play a key role in poverty alleviation and sustainable development. The emerging concept of energisation seems to capture this idea; however, there is no unified definition at the point of writing. In this paper, the aim is to propose a new and comprehensive definition of the concept of energisation. The chronological development of this concept is investigated by means of a literature review, and a subsequent critique is offered of current definitions and usage of the concept. Building upon these first insights, two planned cases of energisation in post-apartheid South Africa are contrasted to an unplanned one: they are the national electrification programme, the integrated energy centres initiative, and a wood fuelled local economy in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's biggest township. Especially the latter case, based on original data collection by the authors, provides a new understanding of specific elements affecting energisation. Finally, a new and detailed definition of the concept of sustainable energisation is developed by systematically reiterating three key elements: the target group, the concept of energy services, and sustainable development.

Monitoring changes in economy-wide energy efficiency: From energy-GDP ratio to composite efficiency index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ang, B.W.

2006-01-01

Since the 1973 world oil crisis, monitoring trends in energy efficiency at the economy-wide level has been an important component of energy strategy in many countries. To support this effort, various energy efficiency-related indicators have been developed. We examine some classical indicators which are often found in national and international energy studies in the 1970s and 1980s. We then describe the recent developments in using the index decomposition analysis to give an economy-wide composite energy efficiency index based on a bottom-up approach. This composite index is superior to the classical indicators as an economy-wide energy efficiency measure and has lately been adopted by a growing number of countries for national energy efficiency trend monitoring

Circular economy and waste to energy

Science.gov (United States)

Rada, E. C.; Ragazzi, M.; Torretta, V.; Castagna, G.; Adami, L.; Cioca, L. I.

2018-05-01

Waste management in European Union has long being regulated by the 4Rs principle, i.e. reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery, with landfill disposal as the last option. This vision recently led the European Union (especially since 2015) to the introduction of virtuous goals based on the rejection of linear economy in favour of circular economy strongly founded on materials recovery. In this scenario, landfill disposal option will disappear, while energy recovery may appear controversial when not applied to biogas production from anaerobic digestion. The present work aims to analyse the effects that circular economy principles introduced in the European Union context will have on the thermochemical waste treatment plants design. Results demonstrate that indirect combustion (gasification + combustion) along with integrated vitrification of the non-combustible fraction of treated waste will have a more relevant role in the field of waste treatment than in the past, thanks to the compliance of this option with the principles of circular economy.

Sustainability: criteria and indicators for the energy area; Nachhaltigkeit: Kriterien und Indikatoren fuer den Energiebereich

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walter, F.; Gubler, F. [Ecoplan, Berne (Switzerland); Brodmann, U. [Factor Consulting und Management AG, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2001-07-01

This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a study made on the concept of sustainability with reference to the energy area. The importance of energy topics in the fundamental ideas behind sustainability - ecological compatibility, economic efficiency and social fairness - is discussed. The methods used to define the criteria and indicators for sustainability are discussed on the basis of existing systems. >From these, criteria and indicators are proposed for the energy area, including indicators for the influence of energy on the environment, economy and society, activity-indicators and indicators for energy efficiency and politics. The system boundaries for the indicators are discussed, as are grey energy and other 'grey' effects in the environmental, economic and social areas. The various criteria, indicators and the effort needed to collect data on them are presented in table form. The report is completed with a discussion of recommendations on what is still to be done in the area, how the results of the study can be used and what actions are still to be taken.

Energy economy and industrial ecology in the Brazilian cement sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavares, Marina Elisabete Espinho; Schaeffer, Roberto

1999-01-01

The article discusses the following issues of the Brazilian cement sector: the Brazilian cement main types specification, cement quantities evolution produced in Brazil from 1987 to 1997, energy conservation in the cement production process with additives, energy economy cost estimates from the utilization of additives, and several technologies energy economy cost used in the industrial sector

Bohunice NPPs - Part of the Slovak's economy (sustainable) development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobak, Dobroslav

2001-01-01

Of the total consumption of electricity in Slovakia, 42% was generated in nuclear power plant units in 1999. Slovakia operates 6 units with a WWER 440 nuclear reactors, 4 of them are at Bohunice site and 2 at Mochovce. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority of SR is not the only regulatory body controlling nuclear activity. Both - the system of nuclear activities regulation in Slovakia as well as the approach to Nuclear Safety enhancement of the operator were positively judged by IAEA and WENRA. In 1993 -Slovakia has accepted the commitments of the UN Convention on Climate Changes, including a reduction of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by the year 2000. Moreover, as an internal target Slovakia has set the reaching of the ,'Toronto Objective', i.e. 20% reduction in CO x emissions through the year 2005 as compared to 1988. Taking into account the actual situation as well as natural conditions for some renewable sources utilisation, the target won't be reached without nuclear energy. The nuclear energy is free of emissions, does not burn oxygen, and with the share of production in Slovakia will remain significant contributor. To the environment protection it contributes also by replacing fossil heat plants with heat delivery for the region. In case of radiological wastes the environment protection is ensured by very strict system of control, evidence, treatment and repository. To conclude, Bohunice NPPs were, are and will remain very important part of the Slovak's economy, creating conditions for its (sustainable) development

Background Report for the IMAGE 2.0 Energy-Economy Model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Toet AMC; Vries HJM de; Wijngaart RA van den; MTV

1994-01-01

Dit rapport geeft achtergrond informatie over de structuur, historische invoergegevens (1970-1990) en calibratie van het Energy-Economy model van IMAGE 2.0. Ook worden de aannames voor het Energy-Economy model beschreven met betrekking tot het Conventional Wisdom scenario. Dit is het basis

Circular economy in corporate sustainability strategies: A review of corporate sustainability reports in the fast-moving consumer goods sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stewart, Raphaëlle Marie Marianne; Niero, Monia

2018-01-01

that Circular Economy has started to be integrated into the corporate sustainability agenda. Most reported activities are oriented toward the main product and packaging, focusing on end-of-life management and sourcing strategies, and to a lesser extent on circular product design and business model strategies...

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)

The Political Economy of Crisis and the Crisis of Political Economy: The Challenge of Sustainability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graham Murdock

2015-10-01

and renew the project of building a non-marketised public communications system, it also needs to ensure that its interventions mitigate rather than exacerbate the problem of climate instability and address social inequalities. The challenge is to develop models and practices that can sustain both social and environmental sustainability. About the Speaker Graham Murdock is Professor of Culture and Economy at Loughborough University. He has been a pioneer in the study of the political economy of media and culture. His recent publications include co-editorship of Money Talks: Media, Markets, Crisis (2015, The Handbook of Political Economy of Communication (2011, The Idea of the Public Sphere (2010, Digital Dynamics: Engagements and Discontinuities (2010. Cover image: By Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia (E-Waste Recycling  Uploaded by russavia [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Securitising Sustainability? Questioning the 'Water, Energy and Food-Security Nexus'

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Leese

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The water, energy and food-security nexus approach put forward by the Bonn2011 Conference highlights the need for an integrative approach towards issues of water, energy and food, and puts them under a general framework of security. While acknowledging the need for urgent solutions in terms of sustainability, the nexus approach, at the same time, makes a normative claim to tackle the needs of the poorest parts of the world population. A closer look at the underlying rationales and proposed policy instruments, however, suggests that the primary scope of the conference proceedings is not a normative one, but one that reframes the conflict between distributional justice and the needs of the world economy under the paradigm of security. Reading this slightly shifted perspective through a Foucauldian lens, we propose that security is now put forward as the key mechanism to foster a new 'green' economy, and that the needs of the poorest are, if anything at all, a secondary effect of the proposed nexus approach.

Energy, economy, and environment analysis and optimization on manufacturing plant energy supply system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Lujia; Mears, Laine; Beaufort, Cleveland; Schulte, Joerg

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Single objective and multicriteria optimization approaches are proposed. • Objectives of energy, economy, and environment are proved conflicting. • 3-input-5-output energy supply system of an automotive plant is studied. - Abstract: Increasing attention has recently been drawn to energy consumption in manufacturing plants. Facing the challenges from reducing emissions coupled with rising raw material prices and energy costs, manufacturers are trying to balance the energy usage strategy among the total energy consumption, economy, and environment, which can be self-conflicting at times. In this paper, energy systems in manufacturing environments are reviewed, and the current status of onsite energy system and renewable energy usage are discussed. Single objective and multicriteria optimization approaches are effectively formulated for making the best use of energy delivered to the production processes. Energy supply operation suggestions based on the optimization results are obtained. Finally, an example from an automotive assembly manufacturer is described to demonstrate the energy usage in the current manufacturing plants and how the optimization approaches can be applied to satisfy the energy management objectives. According to the optimization results, in an energy oriented operation, it takes 35% more in monetary cost; while in an economy oriented operation, it takes 17% more in megawatt hour energy supply and tends to rely more on the inexpensive renewable energy.

Sustainable energy development in Austria until 2020: Insights from applying the integrated model “e3.at”

Science.gov (United States)

Stocker, Andrea; Großmann, Anett; Madlener, Reinhard; Wolter, Marc Ingo

2011-01-01

This paper reports on the Austrian research project “Renewable energy in Austria: Modeling possible development trends until 2020”. The project investigated possible economic and ecological effects of a substantially increased use of renewable energy sources in Austria. Together with stakeholders and experts, three different scenarios were defined, specifying possible development trends for renewable energy in Austria. The scenarios were simulated for the period 2006–2020, using the integrated environment–energy–economy model “e3.at”. The modeling results indicate that increasing the share of renewable energy sources in total energy use is an important but insufficient step towards achieving a sustainable energy system in Austria. A substantial increase in energy efficiency and a reduction of residential energy consumption also form important cornerstones of a sustainable energy policy. PMID:21976785

UNO contribution to attract energy investments in transition economy countries in cooperation with international organizations, banks, and the business community

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Groza, L.

1996-01-01

Limited financial resources hamper the ability of transition economy countries to take advantage of recent technological progress in energy production, distribution, and consumption. Increased cooperation within and outside the UN system imposed new approaches and action programs to identify financing channels in view of implementing the economic development projects. Since the CNE'94 round table discussions on the role of the UN Economic Commission for Europe in energy cooperation for sustainable development and assistance for transition economy countries, new actions initiated by UN are supported by international organizations, banks, and the business community. The paper is based on recent UN documents, data, and information after six years of reforms. (author). 14 refs

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''

Potential of forestry biomass for energy in economies in transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apalovic, R.

1995-01-01

A rapid increase in the world's population, the gradual exhaustion of fossil fuels and serious ecological problems are making developed countries more attentive to the utilization of renewable energy sources, mainly biomass, which should form part of the global energy mix during the twenty-first century. The economies in transition have been experiencing a transformation of their political, economic and social systems and a modernization of their industry, including the energy industry. Energy supply in the transition economies is based on coal, oil, gas and nuclear power. Of the renewable sources, only hydroelectric power is utilized to any significant extent. The forest biomass resources of these economies are quantified in this paper. The economies in transition have a big potential for biomass from forestry and timber industry wastes and agricultural wastes that are not being utilized and could become a source of energy. So far, biomass is used as a source of energy in only small amounts in the wood and pulp industries and as fuelwood in forestry. The governments of some countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) have energy plans through the year 2010 that aim to develop renewable energy sources. Economic, institutional, technical and other barriers to the development of renewable sources and their utilization are analysed in this paper and some remedies are proposed. In cooperation with countries such as Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the United States of America and others, which have achieved remarkable results in the utilization of biomass for energy, it would be possible for the transition economies to quickly develop the technological know-how needed to satisfy the demand for energy of approximately 350 million inhabitants. (author)

The key role of the meat industry in transformation to a low-carbon, climate resilient, sustainable economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijsberman, Frank

2017-10-01

Climate change, air pollution and refugees have become key global challenges threatening sustainability of lifestyles, economies and ecosystems. Agri-food systems are the number one driver of environmental change. Livestock production is the world's largest land user, responsible for half of greenhouse gas emissions from agri-food systems, and the source of repeated health crises. Poor diets have become the number one cause of ill health. Recommendations for a healthy diet emphasize plant-based food. Rapidly falling costs in information technology, biotechnology, renewable energy and battery technology will disrupt current energy and transportation systems and offer opportunities for responsible meat production. Growing consumer interest in healthy food, combined with innovative information systems, offer opportunities to create value through quality control and consumer information in integrated value chains. Meat scientists have a major role to play in the necessary transformation of global agri-food systems towards a new model of green economic growth that is climate resilient, sustainable and provides green jobs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy consumption, human well-being and economic development in central and eastern European nations: A cautionary tale of sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jorgenson, Andrew K.; Alekseyko, Alina; Giedraitis, Vincentas

2014-01-01

Sustainability is fundamentally a challenge of tradeoffs. In order to improve human well-being through economic development we consume nonrenewable energy and other natural resources, relying on a broad range of ecosystem services. Enhancing sustainability requires reducing the “energy intensity of human well-being (EIWB)”: the amount of energy used per unit of human well-being. In this study we employ longitudinal analysis techniques to assess the temporally dynamic relationship between EIWB and economic development for a sample of 12 Central and Eastern European (CEE) nations for the 1992 to 2010 period. These are nations that have recently transitioned, which is still an ongoing process, from socialist command economies to market demand economies. During this ongoing transition, many of them have experienced declines in energy intensity, coupled with increased energy efficiency, while human well-being has improved considerably. The results of the analysis indicate that the relationship between EIWB and economic growth in CEE nations is complex and has changed dramatically through time. Of particular importance, the later years of the study exhibit an increasingly sustainable relationship between EIWB and economic development. The findings point to future possibilities for relatively more harmonious relationships between development, human well-being, and the natural environment. - Highlights: • We analyze the energy intensity of well-being in Central and Eastern European nations. • The effect of economic development is time-dynamic. • Other factors influence the energy intensity of well-being. • The results highlight possibilities for enhanced sustainability policies

Measuring Sustainable Competitiveness in Contemporary Economies—Insights from European Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gheorghe H. Popescu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The recent transformation of the national economies has raised numerous theoretical and practical aspects in measuring economic growth, welfare, environmental performance, and competitiveness, representing a challenging research topic within the context of economic paradigm transformation. Despite its importance, a fully operational model to be used in any context has not yet been designed. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate and analyze the macroeconomic dimension of the three determinants of sustainable competitiveness: the economic environment, the social environment, and the natural environment, at both the European and Romanian levels. This paper used the Hierarchical Clustering methodology, aiming at evaluating the global competitiveness in terms of a sustainable development model, using four indices: Human Development Index, Environmental Performance Index, Global Competitiveness Index, and GDP per capita. The clusters were designed on the basis of the role of the indices in assessment of the sustainable performances of the countries and also of the possible convergences between them. The results could sustain the conclusion that these indices are not able to offer an exhaustive image of the sustainable performances assessment. A new complex indicator could be considered in order to design a convergence model for the EU member states.

Energy and economy; Energia y Economia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz Fernandez, J. L.

2010-07-01

This article, which reflects the authors presentation at the opening of the Congress of the Spanish Nuclear Society, examines the relationship between the Spanish economy and energy consumption in our country compared with major industrialized countries. (Author)

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

[Role of socio-economy and management in sustainable transmission control of schistosomiasis in Taoyuan County, Hunan Province, China].

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Zhi-Hong; Li, Sheng-Ming; Zhou, Xiao-Nong; Yi, Ping; Ren, Guang-Hui; Franziska, Bieri; Zhao, Zheng-Yuan; Hou, Xun-Ya; Ren, Mao-Yuan; Li, Yi-Yi; Dong, Ru-Lan; Zeng, Jin-Yuan; She, Shu-Ping

2013-02-01

To clarify the role of socio-economy and management in the sustainable schistosomiasis-control in Taoyuan County, an endemic area in hilly region, Hunan Province, China. From 1996 to 2011, the data of socio-economy, the management of schistosomiasis control organizations, environment, and the changes in schistosomiasis prevalence were collected in Taoyuan County where schistosomiasis transmission had been controlled since 2008. A sampling survey of schistosomiasis prevalence of human and bovine was performed in 2011 to verify the current status of schistosomiasis transmission. All the data were analyzed statistically to evaluate the role of socio-economy and management in the sustainable schistosomiasis control. During the period from 1998 to 2012, the socio-economy including the residents' productive mode and daily life in Taoyuan County improved dramatically, but the recurrence risk of schistosomiasis endemic still existed due to the retuning of out-going workers and the migrating population. Moreover, the introduction of exotic species of plants and animals may increase the risk. The low running cost of schistosomiasis control organization as well as the efficient and adequate resource allocation in the county was in line with the national requirement to strengthen the rural grass-roots public health system. The harmonious development of socio-economy and the scientific and efficient health system in Taoyuan County are the key factors for the sustainable transmission control of schistosomiasis.

Understanding the political economy and key drivers of energy access in addressing national energy access priorities and policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, I.H.; Kar, Abhishek; Banerjee, Manjushree; Kumar, Preeth; Shardul, Martand; Mohanty, Jeevan; Hossain, Ijaz

2012-01-01

Globally, 1.5 billion people lack access to electricity and nearly 3 billion lack access to modern cooking energy options. Of the world’s “energy poor”, 95% are in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Within Asia, almost 80% of electricity-deprived and 86% of biomass-dependent populations are in the “Big 5” countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan. In this paper, we discuss the broad contours of the political economy of energy access in these countries. The political economy is assessed through an examination of three sustainability objectives: accessibility of physical infrastructure; energy service delivery; and conformance to social goals. The key areas of concern include emphasis on supply-driven grid electricity; vested power dynamics favouring affluent and urban areas; unreliability of energy service provision; and misdirected and misappropriated subsidies. The above-mentioned issues are responsible for limiting accelerated achievement of universal energy access in the “Big 5” countries and need to be addressed through innovative approaches. The paper emphasizes the need for firm commitments, policy convergence, and the implementation of 'pro-poor' equitable energy policies through a broad-based energy framework of bench-marked, technology-neutral energy provisioning that ensures reliability and equity. It highlights the need for reorienting of the subsidy regime and incorporating energy service delivery indicators in monitoring and reporting mechanisms. - Highlights: ► Limited emphasis on improved cooking programmes relative to electrification schemes. ► Strong disparity between rural and urban electrification and LPG access. ► Grid extension and subsidy on cooking fuels has limited success. ► Electricity access does not indicate transition to better cooking options. ► Technology neutrality in choosing suitable alternatives may led to improved access. ► There is need to re-orient energy subsidies and incentives. �

Does the creative economy provide a sustainable urban form?: Some European experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bajić-Brković Milica

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Three urban redevelopment projects recently undertaken in Europe-Ria 2000 in Bilbao, Spain; Emscher Park in Germany; and Gasometer in Vienna, Austria, are presented and discussed in the paper. All three innovate on three independent levels culture, economy and urban organization, and provide high quality places to assist their cities and regions to cope with a global competitive environment. All three were also designed to represent the best of the sustainable practice in Europe at the time. In the same time, the basic philosophy of all three is deeply rooted in creative economies and elaborate their basis principles. The paper explores their design solution in order to identify the points where creative industries and sustainability meet, and investigates if, and to what extent, they comply with the principles of sustainability. Urban design and physical space are in focus, while other areas are considered as long as they contribute to the design, or reflect a credo that architecture and urban design are among those that play a central role in building cities' reputation and character. The author argues that all three materialized some of the basic principles of sustainability, by elaborating ideas of genius loci and the relationship between identity and locality. Emscher Park has been the most successful in demonstrating how the Brownfield site and devastated area could be transformed into the cultural landscape. Ria 2000 brought in a new interpretation of balance between the man made and natural environments. Gasometer has been least successful, and rather its solutions go after the traditional redevelopment paradigm.

Sustainable energy development: The present (2011) situation and possible paths to the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lior, Noam

2012-01-01

This invited keynote paper is the most recent among similar reviews published by the author, update to year 2011. In a format similar to that in past reviews, recent estimates and forecasts of the conventional fossil fuel resources and their reserve/production ratio, nuclear power, and renewable energy potential, and energy uses are surveyed. A brief discussion of the status, sustainability (economic, environmental and social impact), and prospects of fossil, nuclear and renewable energy use, and of power generation is presented. Beyond the general review, the paper focuses this year on some of the many important areas that deserve more attention: (1) the recently emerging game-changing developments of postponement of “peak oil”, nuclear power future following the disaster in Japan, and effects of the recent global economy downturn of global sustainability, (2) the potential and impacts of electric cars (3) the often neglected energy status and promising potential of Africa. Some ways to resolve the problem of the availability, cost, and sustainability of energy resources alongside the rapidly rising demand are discussed. The author’s view of the promising energy R and D areas, their potential, foreseen improvements and their time scale, and last year’s trends in government funding are presented.

Potential of forestry biomass for energy in economies in transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Apalovic, R [State Forest Products Research Institute and Slovak Biomass Association, Bratislava (Slovakia)

1995-12-01

A rapid increase in the world`s population, the gradual exhaustion of fossil fuels and serious ecological problems are making developed countries more attentive to the utilization of renewable energy sources, mainly biomass, which should form part of the global energy mix during the twenty-first century. The economies in transition have been experiencing a transformation of their political, economic and social systems and a modernization of their industry, including the energy industry. Energy supply in the transition economies is based on coal, oil, gas and nuclear power. Of the renewable sources, only hydroelectric power is utilized to any significant extent. The forest biomass resources of these economies are quantified in this paper. The economies in transition have a big potential for biomass from forestry and timber industry wastes and agricultural wastes that are not being utilized and could become a source of energy. So far, biomass is used as a source of energy in only small amounts in the wood and pulp industries and as fuelwood in forestry. The governments of some countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) have energy plans through the year 2010 that aim to develop renewable energy sources. Economic, institutional, technical and other barriers to the development of renewable sources and their utilization are analysed in this paper and some remedies are proposed. In cooperation with countries such as Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the United States of America and others, which have achieved remarkable results in the utilization of biomass for energy, it would be possible for the transition economies to quickly develop the technological know-how needed to satisfy the demand for energy of approximately 350 million inhabitants. (author) 6 refs, 4 figs, 4 tabs

Comparison of district heating expansion potential based on consumer-economy or socio-economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grundahl, Lars; Nielsen, Steffen; Lund, Henrik

2016-01-01

Recent studies show that a high share of district heating is an important part of a future sustainable energy system or smart energy system with a high renewable energy penetration. These studies also show socio-economic benefits of expanding the district heating coverage. However, in order...... to implement such an expansion, district heating needs to be economically feasible for the heat consumers. This aspect is often not investigated and hence it is unknown if calculations based on consumer-economy, where tax payment is included, will yield the same potential of expansion. This study identifies...... the differences in the expansion potential of district heating calculated with a socio-economic and a consumer-economic approach, respectively, in a case study of Denmark. By also investigating the consumer-economy of expanding district heating, a deeper insight is obtained of possible locations for expanding...

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

Regional energy rebound effect: The impact of economy-wide and sector level energy efficiency improvement in Georgia, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Xuewei; Moreno-Cruz, Juan; Crittenden, John C.

2015-01-01

Rebound effect is defined as the lost part of ceteris paribus energy savings from improvements on energy efficiency. In this paper, we investigate economy-wide energy rebound effects by developing a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for Georgia, USA. The model adopts a highly disaggregated sector profile and highlights the substitution possibilities between different energy sources in the production structure. These two features allow us to better characterize the change in energy use in face of an efficiency shock, and to explore in detail how a sector-level shock propagates throughout the economic structure to generate aggregate impacts. We find that with economy-wide energy efficiency improvement on the production side, economy-wide rebound is moderate. Energy price levels fall very slightly, yet sectors respond to these changing prices quite differently in terms of local production and demand. Energy efficiency improvements in particular sectors (epicenters) induce quite different economy-wide impacts. In general, we expect large rebound if the epicenter sector is an energy production sector, a direct upstream/downstream sector of energy production sectors, a transportation sector or a sector with high production elasticity. Our analysis offers valuable insights for policy makers aiming to achieve energy conservation through increasing energy efficiency. - Highlights: • We developed a CGE model to investigate economy-wide energy rebound in Georgia, USA. • The CGE model has detailed treatment for different energy inputs for production. • The model has a highly disaggregated sector profile helpful for policy making. • We compared the economy-wide impact shocks in different epicenter sectors. • We analyzed why epicenters generate dramatically different economy-wide impacts.

Circular Economy – A New Direction for the Sustainability of the Hotel Industry in Romania?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodica Pamfilie

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The present article deals with aspects related to the transition to a new model of economy – the circular economy – a more appropriate model for the current tendencies of ensuring the sustainability of economic processes. Tourism, as an economic branch with strong dynamics in recent years, is one of the areas where resource conservation and environmental protection are of significant importance. Circular tourism, derived from the principles of circular economy, aims at recycling tourism resources and favoring the sustainable development of the environment, thus giving tourists a greater sense of responsibility. The authors sought to study the influence of the implementation of integrated quality-environment-security systems on the economic performance of hotel establishments in Romania from the perspective of industry managers, as a starting point for determining the applicability of the principles of circular economy in this sector. In order to study this influence, questionnaires were addressed to tourism operators in order to establish the existing link between the implementation of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards and the economic, social and environmental performance of those operators. From the perspective of the systemic approach and analyzing the obtained data, the authors of the paper argue that the hotel industry in Romania is not yet sufficiently prepared to adopt the principles of the circular economy, the adoption of an integrated management system not having as much influence as believed on the performances of the operators in the field.

Measuring economy-wide energy efficiency performance: A parametric frontier approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, P.; Ang, B.W.; Zhou, D.Q.

2012-01-01

This paper proposes a parametric frontier approach to estimating economy-wide energy efficiency performance from a production efficiency point of view. It uses the Shephard energy distance function to define an energy efficiency index and adopts the stochastic frontier analysis technique to estimate the index. A case study of measuring the economy-wide energy efficiency performance of a sample of OECD countries using the proposed approach is presented. It is found that the proposed parametric frontier approach has higher discriminating power in energy efficiency performance measurement compared to its nonparametric frontier counterparts.

Energy, environment and the market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Letta, E.

2000-01-01

Policy choices regarding energy and sustainable development need to be geared to the instruments that science and the economy make available in each country, partly because competitiveness restrictions be sustainable for the economy [it

Sustainable Low-Carbon Expansion for the Power Sector of an Emerging Economy: The Case of Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Carvallo, Juan-Pablo; Shaw, Brittany J; Avila, Nkiruka I; Kammen, Daniel M

2017-09-05

Fast growing and emerging economies face the dual challenge of sustainably expanding and improving their energy supply and reliability while at the same time reducing poverty. Critical to such transformation is to provide affordable and sustainable access to electricity. We use the capacity expansion model SWITCH to explore low carbon development pathways for the Kenyan power sector under a set of plausible scenarios for fast growing economies that include uncertainty in load projections, capital costs, operational performance, and technology and environmental policies. In addition to an aggressive and needed expansion of overall supply, the Kenyan power system presents a unique transition from one basal renewable resource-hydropower-to another based on geothermal and wind power for ∼90% of total capacity. We find geothermal resource adoption is more sensitive to operational degradation than high capital costs, which suggests an emphasis on ongoing maintenance subsidies rather than upfront capital cost subsidies. We also find that a cost-effective and viable suite of solutions includes availability of storage, diesel engines, and transmission expansion to provide flexibility to enable up to 50% of wind power penetration. In an already low-carbon system, typical externality pricing for CO 2 has little to no effect on technology choice. Consequently, a "zero carbon emissions" by 2030 scenario is possible with only moderate levelized cost increases of between $3 and $7/MWh with a number of social and reliability benefits. Our results suggest that fast growing and emerging economies could benefit by incentivizing anticipated strategic transmission expansion. Existing and new diesel and natural gas capacity can play an important role to provide flexibility and meet peak demand in specific hours without a significant increase in carbon emissions, although more research is required for other pollutant's impacts.

Does energy-price regulation benefit China's economy and environment? Evidence from energy-price distortions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ju, Keyi; Su, Bin; Zhou, Dequn; Wu, Junmin

2017-01-01

China's energy prices have long been regulated due to the critical role energy plays in economic growth and social development, which leads to energy-price distortion to some extent. To figure out whether energy-price regulations will benefit China's economy (measured by GDP growth) and environment (measured by carbon emissions), we conducted an in-depth simulation using path analysis, where five energy products (natural gas, gasoline, fuel oil, steam coal, and coking coal) are selected and three measurements (absolute, relative, and moving) of energy-price distortions are calculated. The results indicate that, with a series of energy pricing policies, the price distortion for a single type of energy has gradually transformed, while the energy pricing system in China is not fully market-oriented yet. Furthermore, China's economy benefits from relative and moving distortions, while the absolute distortions of energy prices have negative impacts on economic growth. Finally, with regard to the environment, carbon emissions call for fewer distortions. - Highlights: • Price distortion for a single type of energy has gradually transformed. • Energy pricing system in China is not yet fully market-oriented. • China's economy benefits from relative and moving distortions. • Absolute distortions of energy prices have negative effects on economic growth. • Carbon emissions call for less pricing distortions.

Thar Coalfield: Sustainable Development and an Open Sesame to the Energy Security of Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Masih, Adven

2018-04-01

The paper discusses the role of Thar-coalfield, a 175 Billion tones reserve in enhancing the energy and combating global environmental change from the local and regional aspects. Pakistan’s energy requirements are potentially huge. Being the sixth largest country in the world, with its growing population exceeded 190m by 2015. Rising population, improved living standards, increased per capita energy use, and industrialization has led to a high energy demand growth. According to latest reports the gap between the demand and supply of electricity is around 6,000MW. To meet the projected demand exploiting indigenous resources, such as Thar coalfield, a 100,000MW generation capacity reserve, could be the possible answer. Due to sustainable techniques in energy sector, 1) Coal mining is moving towards sustainable development; 2) circular economy has proven useful concept for promoting sustainable development; 3) coal industry can minimize its environmental impact from local to global level. Besides energy goals, environmental degradation associated with the mining activity poses a serious threat to the region. Therefore, some challenges need to be addressed, e.g., discharge management issues, concerns regarding pollution control, lack of technology needed to replenish solid waste; and, increased socioeconomic and environmental pressure on the coal industry. The study discusses how sustainable development measures in Thar coalfield can run the engines of economic growth without hurting the natural environment promoting prosperity in Pakistan.

Energy recovery from Municipal Solid Waste in EU: proposals to assess the management performance under a circular economy perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rada Elena Cristina

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In 2015 the European Commission issued a package of documents on Circular Economy concerning an integrated revision of legislative proposals on waste management. The aim was to stimulate a European transition towards a circular economy concept, which is expected to foster competitiveness, sustainable economic growth and new jobs generation. Three indicators are proposed in this paper to contribute to the assessment of the energy recovery management performance from MSW in a scenario of circular economy: a referring to MSW directly used (RMSW or indirectly used (SRF as input of thermochemical plants, an indicator can be the percentage of waste having LHV > 13MJ/kg; b referring to the MSW directly or indirectly used as input of thermochemical plants, the percentage of waste having ash recovered; c referring to food waste, percentage of this stream sent to anaerobic digestion. The above indicators, proposed and discussed in this paper, have to be integrated with other ones in order to complete the quantification of the role of MSW management in term of energy recovery under a circular economy strategy. It is not the aim of the present paper to give a comprehensive solution to this complex issue.

FORMING OF THE SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS BASED ON INCREASING OF THEIR INTEGRATED ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SHVETS V. J.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose. Key challenges and barriers of mining machinery enterprises in the context of forming sustainable supply chains in the mining industry are specified. Methodology. The algorithm of forming the industrial relations, which are carried out by the enterprises of mining machinery in order to increase the sustainable development of a mining industry, is offered. Conclusions.. Modern supply chains are confronted with dynamic trends and developments that are hard to predict. In order to respond to these changes and remain competitive advantage, companies should be able to identify and understand new sustainability issues in their branches. It is established that in the conditions of globalization of the market and the general orientation of Ukraine’s economy to the European principles of development, for mining machinery enterprises a proof of the commitment and observance of requirements of energy efficiency, i.e. energy saving, energy safety and social energy responsibility are very important. Supply channels should increase not only energy efficiency, economic and production stability of the company, but also strengthen the stability of all participants in the production chain, as well as other stakeholders (business partners, customers, investors, local communities, etc.. Originality. The interrelation of an indicator of energy efficiency in forming sustainable supply chain in a mining industry is established. Practical value. Using the principles of sustainable development in the forming of value chains will improve energy efficiency of industry in general; provide a competitive advantage to entry into the global production chains in terms of European integration of Ukraine.

Energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ervin, C.A.

1994-12-31

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE) is part of the U.S. Department of Energy that is specifically charged with encouraging the more efficient use of energy resources, and the use of renewable energy resources - such as solar power, wind power, biomass energy and geothermal energy. In the past several years, EE has increased its emphasis on technology deployment through partnerships with states, local governments and private companies. Partnerships move new discoveries more quickly into the marketplace, where they can create jobs, prevent pollution, save resources, and produce many other benefits. The author then emphasizes the importance of this effort in a number of different sections of the paper: energy consumption pervades everything we do; U.S. energy imports are rising to record levels; transportation energy demand is increasing; U.S. energy use is increasing; population growth increases world energy demand; total costs of energy consumption aren`t always counted; world energy markets offer incredible potential; cost of renewables is decreasing; clean energy is essential to sustainable development; sustainable energy policy; sustainable energy initiatives: utilities, buildings, and transportation.

Energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ervin, C.A.

1994-01-01

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE) is part of the U.S. Department of Energy that is specifically charged with encouraging the more efficient use of energy resources, and the use of renewable energy resources - such as solar power, wind power, biomass energy and geothermal energy. In the past several years, EE has increased its emphasis on technology deployment through partnerships with states, local governments and private companies. Partnerships move new discoveries more quickly into the marketplace, where they can create jobs, prevent pollution, save resources, and produce many other benefits. The author then emphasizes the importance of this effort in a number of different sections of the paper: energy consumption pervades everything we do; U.S. energy imports are rising to record levels; transportation energy demand is increasing; U.S. energy use is increasing; population growth increases world energy demand; total costs of energy consumption aren't always counted; world energy markets offer incredible potential; cost of renewables is decreasing; clean energy is essential to sustainable development; sustainable energy policy; sustainable energy initiatives: utilities, buildings, and transportation

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

Technological Advances and Opportunities for the Development of Sustainable Biorefineries

OpenAIRE

Mussatto, Solange I.

2017-01-01

Moving to a more sustainable economy, where renewable biomass is used to produce fuels, chemicals, energy and materials, is one of the main challenges faced by the society nowadays in order to ensure a sustainable low-carbon economy for the future. In addition, a bio-based economy has the potential to generate new jobs and new opportunities for entrepreneurship, with further benefits to the global economy and the society. Biomass can be used to replace fossil feedstocks for the production of ...

Energy economy in Nordic industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersen, P H; Finnedal, B H

1980-01-01

The employment, economic and energetic situation in various industrial branches and their importance for industry as a whole is mapped for Nordic countries. Future Nordic energy projects can base their attempts to decrease energy costs per unit on this report. In food and stimulants industry, chemical, glass and ceramic industry over 90% energy is used for processing while in steel- and metal-industry the processing consumes only about 25%. Rentability of new investments in energy saving should be considered in these branches against investments in automation, new equipment etc. Common Nordic energy-saving projects can provide much better energy economy. For instance 4% of USA energy which had formerly been used in drying processes is drastically decreased and if the USA result can be transferred to Nordic conditions DKr 160 million can be save. Prospective common projects are process-types like drying, spray-drying, heat treatments of mineral proproducts, and evaporation.

The Structural Changes in the Economy of Ukraine and its Energy Intensity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyzym Mykola O.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article is concerned with an analysis of structural changes in the economy of Ukraine in view of energy intensity of types of economic activity (TEA. On considering the main tendencies of development of Ukraine’s economy in 2000 – 2015, it has been proved that, unlike the world economy, its development is of more unevenly nature. In order to research structural changes in the domestic economy in the period from 2000 to 2015, the methodical approach consisting of a number of interconnected stages has been proposed. Using this approach: the structure of economy of Ukraine by TEA has been analyzed, the classification and structure of the TEA distribution by their importance have been suggested; the dynamics of TEA of Ukraine have been analyzed, the classification and structure of distribution of Ukraine’s TEA by dynamics of development has been proposed; a matrix of positioning of the TEA of Ukraine in the plane of «proportion – rate of change» has been built; the values have been calculated and directions of structural changes of TEA in economy of Ukraine have been defined; a characterization of the TEA of economy of Ukraine as to the degree of materiality of structural shift has been formed; the integral coefficients of structural shifts in economy for the studied period have been calculated; the classification of the TEA of Ukraine according to the level of energy intensity has been developed, the structure of economy by the energy intensity groups has been presented; the indices have been calculated and directions of structural shifts of groups with different energy intensity of TEA have been determined; the integral coefficients of structural shift of economy due to the groups of TEA with different energy intensity have been calculated; the general characterization of structural shifts of the TEA of Ukraine in 2000 – 2015 has been formed.

Interlocal collaboration on energy efficiency, sustainability and climate change issues

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ssu-Hsien

Interlocal energy collaboration builds upon network structures among local policy actors dealing with energy, climate change and sustainability issues. Collaboration efforts overcome institutional collective action (ICA) dilemmas, and cope with the problems spanning jurisdictional boundaries, externalities, and free-rider problems. Interlocal energy collaboration emerges as the agreements in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, pollution control, land use, purchasing, retrofits, transportation, and so forth. Cities work collaboratively through contractual mechanisms (i.e. formal/informal agreements) and collective mechanisms (i.e. regional partnerships or membership organizations) on a variety of energy issues. What factors facilitate interlocal energy collaboration? To what extent is collaboration through interlocal contractual mechanisms different from collective mechanisms? This dissertation tries to answer these questions by examining: city goal priority on energy related issues as well as other ICA explanatory factors. Research data are drawn mainly from the 2010 national survey "Implementation of energy efficiency and sustainability program" supported by National Science Foundation and the IBM Endowment for the Business of Government. The research results show that city emphasis on common pool resource, scale economies and externality issues significantly affect individual selection of tools for energy collaboration. When expected transaction costs are extremely high or low, the contractual mechanism of informal agreement is more likely to be selected to preserve most local autonomy and flexibility; otherwise, written and formal tools for collaboration are preferred to impose constraints on individual behavior and reduce the risks of defection.

Clean energy and the hydrogen economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandon, N P; Kurban, Z

2017-07-28

In recent years, new-found interest in the hydrogen economy from both industry and academia has helped to shed light on its potential. Hydrogen can enable an energy revolution by providing much needed flexibility in renewable energy systems. As a clean energy carrier, hydrogen offers a range of benefits for simultaneously decarbonizing the transport, residential, commercial and industrial sectors. Hydrogen is shown here to have synergies with other low-carbon alternatives, and can enable a more cost-effective transition to de-carbonized and cleaner energy systems. This paper presents the opportunities for the use of hydrogen in key sectors of the economy and identifies the benefits and challenges within the hydrogen supply chain for power-to-gas, power-to-power and gas-to-gas supply pathways. While industry players have already started the market introduction of hydrogen fuel cell systems, including fuel cell electric vehicles and micro-combined heat and power devices, the use of hydrogen at grid scale requires the challenges of clean hydrogen production, bulk storage and distribution to be resolved. Ultimately, greater government support, in partnership with industry and academia, is still needed to realize hydrogen's potential across all economic sectors.This article is part of the themed issue 'The challenges of hydrogen and metals'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Consumer Empowerment in the Digital Economy: Availing Sustainable Purchasing Decisions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrizia Gazzola

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The advent of the digital economy and, implicitly, of competition in the online marketplace has triggered new challenges in terms of consumer protection approaches. Online, consumer skills are expected to be improved and the level of consumer awareness and engagement increased. These are the baseline prerequisites of the sustainable purchasing decision and, thus, should be considered as pillars of responsible online consumption. Consistent with the novel consumption challenges, the current paper is intended to advance and test a research model integrating five main constructs, namely, competition in the online marketplace, online consumer skills, online consumer awareness, online consumer engagement and sustainable purchasing decision. A total of 318 college students—a representative population of the new Millennials generation—accepted the invitation to participate in a questionnaire-based survey. In order to pertinently analyze the collected data, a structural equation modeling technique based on partial least squares was employed for the assessment of the measurement and the structural model. The findings indicated that the model explained 24.4 percent of the variance of sustainable purchasing decisions, while the highest influence was exerted by the improvement of online consumer skills. This implies that online providers should revisit their products sustainability standards on purpose to preserve a competitive advantage.

Political economy of energy in Europe. Forces of integration and fragmentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fermann, Gunnar (ed.)

2009-07-01

The political economy of energy in Europe is defined by a large majority of states being heavily dependent upon the import of energy from a limited number of energy-producing countries located mainly outside Europe or the EU, and the relative failure of the EU to develop strong common energy policies capable of effectively counteracting the sensitivities and vulnerabilities arising from oil and gas import dependence. The eleven contributions to the Political Economy of Energy in Europe investigate unique research questions, engage in different lines of reasoning, and apply diverse sets of data fitting their particular purposes. However, the chapters of the present anthology share several common denominators defining the volume as a coherent whole: First, energy is part of the fabric of modern society and thus qualifies as a political issue of the first order. Second, political and economical aspects of the European energy condition need to be analysed in conjunction. Finally, issues of energy security need to be addressed at different levels and from several angles in order to better understand the interaction between the contradictory dynamics of integration and fragmentation pervading the political economy of energy in Europe. This volume elaborates on several lectures given at the conference ''Political Economy of Energy in Europe'', October 12-13, 2007, arranged by E.ON Ruhrgas scholarship program for Political Science at Oslo Militaere Samfund, Norway. (orig.)

The Investments in Renewable Energy Sources: Do Low Carbon Economies Better Invest in Green Technologies?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Angelo Romano

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to analyse the driving of investment in renewable energy sources in low carbon and high carbon economies. To address these issues, a dynamic panel analysis of the renewable investment in a sample of 29 countries was proposed. Results demonstrate that the dynamic of investments in renewable sources is similar in the two panels, and depends by nuclear power generation, GDP and technological efficiency. Results show that countries try to reduce their environmental footprint, decreasing the CO2 intensity. Based on the estimation results, we think that energy sustainability passes through the use of renewable resources that can complement the nuclear technology on condition that both exceed their limits.

Progress in integrated energy-economy-environment model system development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasukawa, Shigeru; Mankin, Shuichi; Sato, Osamu; Tadokoro, Yoshihiro; Nakano, Yasuyuki; Nagano, Takao

1987-11-01

The Integrated Energy-Economy-Environment Model System has been developed for providing analytical tools for the system analysis and technology assessments in the field of nuclear research and development. This model system consists of the following four model groups. The first model block installs 5 models and can serve to analyze and generate long-term scenarios on economy-energy-environment evolution. The second model block installs 2 models and can serve to analyze the structural transition phenomena in energy-economy-environment interactions. The third model block installs 2 models and can handle power reactor installation strategy problem and long-term fuel cycle analysis. The fourth model block installs 5 models and codes and can treats cost-benefit-risk analysis and assessments. This report describes mainly the progress and the outlines of application of the model system in these years after the first report on the research and development of the model system (JAERI-M 84 - 139). (author)

East Germany's future energy economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tjon, F; Zuehlke, R [Technische Univ. Berlin (Germany, F.R.). FG Energie und Rohstoffwirtschaft

1991-01-01

Since unification, the former German Democratic Republic has had to face major changes, one of which concerns the energy supply system. A secure energy supply system is an absolute requirement for the political and economical development of this Republic. Its former strategy of 'autarkical' energy supply until the end of 1989 was one of the factors which led to an economic downfall. This essay gives an overview of the major structural changes to the economy which have occurred since unification. First, the former energy situation is described and the status quo analyzed. Then, efforts in reorganizing the present energy supply system are outlined. Finally, new perspectives and strategies are described. The aspects taken into consideration include: energy price deregulation; European fossil fuel marketing trends; investments for the build up of an efficient energy supply system; and the creation of surcharges for environmental pollution abatement, in particular, the reduction of carbon and sulfur dioxide emissions.

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

Sustainability in Australia, past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sligar, J.

2001-01-01

Over the last 50 years Australia has generally maintained adequate energy supplies to its population in an increasingly efficient and sustainable manner It has also been able to help sustain other economies in supplying energy resources of coal, gas and uranium. This provides 20% of Australia's export income, contributing to the quality of life experienced by Australians.Presently the reserve margin in the electricity power system is adequate and, with the exception of oil, ample local energy resources are available. Over the same period the doubling in energy generation efficiency has matched the population growth in NSW The same contributions by technology and population can be expected over the next 50 years. The growth in demand has however increased by a factor of about five.Sensible demand management could reduce this to a more acceptable figure over the next 50 years as shown in two possible scenarios. This, coupled with ongoing energy exports will help sustain the quality of life in this economy

Energy-economy interactions revisited within a comprehensive sectoral model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanson, D. A.; Laitner, J. A.

2000-07-24

This paper describes a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model with considerable sector and technology detail, the ``All Modular Industry Growth Assessment'' Model (AMIGA). It is argued that a detailed model is important to capture and understand the several rolls that energy plays within the economy. Fundamental consumer and industrial demands are for the services from energy; hence, energy demand is a derived demand based on the need for heating, cooling mechanical, electrical, and transportation services. Technologies that provide energy-services more efficiently (on a life cycle basis), when adopted, result in increased future output of the economy and higher paths of household consumption. The AMIGA model can examine the effects on energy use and economic output of increases in energy prices (e.g., a carbon charge) and other incentive-based policies or energy-efficiency programs. Energy sectors and sub-sector activities included in the model involve energy extraction conversion and transportation. There are business opportunities to produce energy-efficient goods (i.e., appliances, control systems, buildings, automobiles, clean electricity). These activities are represented in the model by characterizing their likely production processes (e.g., lighter weight motor vehicles). Also, multiple industrial processes can produce the same output but with different technologies and inputs. Secondary recovery, i.e., recycling processes, are examples of these multiple processes. Combined heat and power (CHP) is also represented for energy-intensive industries. Other modules represent residential and commercial building technologies to supply energy services. All sectors of the economy command real resources (capital services and labor).

Energy dependency and sustainable regional development in the Baltic states: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Štreimikienė Dalia

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Energy security is one of the most important indicators of sustainable regional development and 'green' growth in implementation of EU strategy Europe 2020. It can provide the harmonized development and cohesion of 'old' and 'new' EU member states. Our paper conducts a comparative study of energy dependency and energy security indicators in the Baltic States. The Baltic countries achieved enormous progress in the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency since their EU accession in 2004. The increase of renewable energy capacities in Baltic States also contributed to the reduction of energy intensity and carbon intensity of economy and energy import dependency. Our results show that amongst all three states, it was Estonia that had achieved the best results in increased use of renewables and energy efficiency improvements and had distinguished itself with the best indicators and economic and regional policy outcomes.

Measuring the Socioeconomic and Environmental Effects of Energy Efficiency Investments for a More Sustainable Spanish Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Medina

2016-10-01

Full Text Available We present here an application of a multisector economic model to simulate the impact of investing in energy-efficiency-related sectors. Given the value chain of energy production shows several aspects to be improved, this paper intends to identify the economic sectors where investment should be allocated in order to reach the targeted energy efficiency levels in the overall economic system. We expect that an improvement in energy efficiency will bring a fall in electricity demand. Simulating these impacts will enable an assessment of the macroeconomic effects of such demand-side changes in Spain. For simulation purposes, we will use input–output methodology, based on data from a Spanish input–output table from the year 2012 that we have constructed. The scenario used for modeling has been obtained from the objectives proposed by the European Union for 2030, specifically the one promoting an increase to at least a 27% increase in energy efficiency compared with the business-as-usual scenario. This demand-side model enables us to measure the potential sector-by-sector growth of the Spanish economy and to calculate households’ expected savings in energy bills due to the implementation of energy efficiency measures. The impacts of employment and CO2 emissions are also quantified as a result of the investments aimed at improving energy efficiency.

Exploring the connections between green economy and informal economy in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suzanne Smit

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The notion of an inclusive green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication requires an approach that engages with the informal economy. However, the informal economy is generally ignored or undervalued in discussions on the green economy. This paper set out to bolster this argument by identifying the ways in which the green economy and the informal economy may be connected by establishing the extent to which policies and plans relating to green economy connect with the informal economy, and recognising several informal green activities. The barriers and opportunities for connecting the two spheres were also explored as well as possible ways in which such activities may be supported at different levels of organisation. In the case of South Africa, many informal green activities that contribute to sustainable livelihoods are recognised. However, issues pertaining to procedure, process and participation hinder the transition to a truly inclusive green economy.

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....

KNOWLEDGE BASED ECONOMY VS. SUSTAINABLE AGRO-FOOD SYSTEMS; BEST PRACTICES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Beatrice PĂUNA

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Knowledge based economy, found in more than one fields, started – considering agriculture – from a transition premise towards sustainable agro-food systems. The conceptual boundaries between the two major paradigms on sustainable development of agriculture, namely the agro-industrial paradigm and the integrated territorial paradigm, is used nowadays for teaching and research purpose, as a comparison basis with an ideal case, mostly because we only have hybrid models which tend to coexist, always improving the food and goods production, also promoting innovative agro-food systems. This paper highlights the idea that the establishment of an institutional and legal framework, will have a catalytic role acting as an engine of economic growth and boosting the development of agricultural systems by mobilizing entrepreneurs in agriculture and related areas. In this regard, we present best practices of economic actors engaged in meta network of agriculture clusters.

Energy - vital nerve of the economy|

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebner, F.

1987-01-01

A withdrawal from nuclear energy is often demanded by the same parties who also demand full employment, better working conditions, higher salaries and increased social benefits. The demands are conflicting. It would be extremely risky for Switzerland to be forced into a supply bottle-neck. Economists should warn emphatically against such a development. The economy cannot retain its strength in international competition without a sufficient and reliable supply of electricity and with other energy at competitive prices. The employers demanded in their common declaration to the energy policy of September 24, 1986 that the necessary legal preconditions for a secure energy supply should be maintained

Changes in energy intensiveness of Hong Kong economy, 1995-2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chow, Larry C.H.

2010-01-01

The growth of Primary Energy Requirements (PER) slackened appreciably since the late 1990s in Hong Kong while Final Energy Requirements (FER) actually declined. Yet GDP continued to grow at a respectable average annual growth rate during the period, leading to a drastic drop in the energy intensiveness of the economy. The article analyzed the factors that contributed to the emergence of the above phenomena and discussed its consequences. The factors that led to the drop in energy intensiveness with respect to FER includes the rising electrification of the fuel mix, improvements in energy end-use efficiency (partly induced by government policy), and changes in the structure of the Hong Kong economy. With respect to the decline in PER energy intensiveness, the following aspects are pertinent: the share of electricity consumption accounted for by nuclear imports, the efficiency of electricity generation in Hong Kong (partly determined by the type of fuels used) and losses due to transmission and distribution as well as station consumption (system losses). The decline in energy intensiveness is good to Hong Kong, both in terms of the economy and the environment. Its ramifications will be briefly discussed.

[Discussion on releasing price of Chinese patent medicine to market economy to achieve sustainable development].

Science.gov (United States)

Long, Xingchao; Huang, Luqi; Jiang, Erguo; Zhou, Yonghong; Xu, Yanfeng; Zheng, Shuhua; Ning, Xiaoling; Liu, Hongwei; Chen, Lin

2012-02-01

To analyze costs of the traditional Chinese medicine industry focusing on production costs. Data of 50 planted Chinese herbal medicines and 50 wild Chinese herbal medicines were summarized and analyzed to see the changes of price of Chinese herbal medicines. The derivative problems of limited price were analyzed by crude drug, quality of Chinese medicine and sustainable utilization of resource. The price of Chinese medicine shall be adapted to sustainable development of market economy.

Digital Economy for Sustainable Economic Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuyong Guo

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Recent decades have seen a rapid digital transformation resulting in important and sometimes even crucial changes in business, society and the global economy. After the global crisis of 2008–2009, digital industries have been among the most dynamic and promising in the global economy. Nevertheless, the world lacks equilibrium between benefits and risks in the digital economy, which explains the need for global governance in this sphere. This article analyzes the role and characteristics of the G20 in the introduction of global governance in the digital economy. The authors review what’s meant by the digital economy and define the key characteristics of this sector, as well as highlight the challenges to international cooperation, analyze the digital strategies of G20 countries, study the G20’s participation in the global governance of the digital economy, analyze the potential for the leaders of China and Russia, and make recommendations concerning the participation of the G20 in the global governance of the digital economy. The authors arrive at the following conclusions. First, society has to govern the digital economy properly in order to eliminate disparities between developed and developing countries, as well as address cyber security and other threats, and promote a higher quality of life for all. Second, the G20 has very limited experience in the governing of the digital economy, but as a leader in terms of soft power, and as an organization with limited membership that includes both countries with a developed digital sector and countries that lag behind, it may play a great role in the digital economy’s global governance. Third, the US has historically been a leader in the IT sector and the digital economy. In recent years, China has sufficiently improved its positions, which allows it to aspire to a higher role in global governance. Russia may also play a greater (though not a leading role, taking into account its experience and

Energy economy in the actomyosin interaction: lessons from simple models.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehman, Steven L

2010-01-01

The energy economy of the actomyosin interaction in skeletal muscle is both scientifically fascinating and practically important. This chapter demonstrates how simple cross-bridge models have guided research regarding the energy economy of skeletal muscle. Parameter variation on a very simple two-state strain-dependent model shows that early events in the actomyosin interaction strongly influence energy efficiency, and late events determine maximum shortening velocity. Addition of a weakly-bound state preceding force production allows weak coupling of cross-bridge mechanics and ATP turnover, so that a simple three-state model can simulate the velocity-dependence of ATP turnover. Consideration of the limitations of this model leads to a review of recent evidence regarding the relationship between ligand binding states, conformational states, and macromolecular structures of myosin cross-bridges. Investigation of the fine structure of the actomyosin interaction during the working stroke continues to inform fundamental research regarding the energy economy of striated muscle.

Water-energy-food nexus for adopting sustainable development goals in Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Taniguchi, M.

2016-12-01

Water, energy, and food are the most essential and fundamental resources for human well-beings, a sustainable society, and global sustainability. These are inextricably linked, and there are complex synergies and tradeoffs among the three resources. More issues arise and attention must be paid when it comes to the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus. Lack of integrated research between a nexus and policy implementation is the most concerning. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all, and are scheduled to be achieved by 2030. Of the 17 SDGs, Goal 2, 6 and 7 are directly related to food, water, and energy sectors. However, there are no integrated SDGs related to the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. Two different directions of nexus research exist in developing and industrialized worlds, and synthesis of both are needed. Developing countries are striving to increase their Human Development Index (HDI) while keeping Ecological Footprints, including Nexus Footprint, low. On the other hand, industrialized countries are targeting to maintain their high HDI and reduce their Ecological Footprints. Both are challenging tasks under the restrictions of planetary boundaries (limited nature) and doughnut economy (limited society). In this study, WEF Nexus research in Asian countries, including developing and industrialized countries, demonstrates the different types of nexus approaches to achieve SDGs through renewable energy, agriculture and aquaculture as food, and water management in Monsoon and semi-arid Asia. Mutual learning between the two types of nexus approaches can be made in the Asian area.

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

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.

Outlook of Japan's economy and energy demand for FY2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoshima, Momoko; Yorita, Y.; Tsunoda, M.

2017-01-01

This paper disclosed the prospects of Japan's economy and energy demand as the standard scenario, with the following major preconditions in mind: (1) world economy grows moderately, (2) supply and demand of crude oil are gently balanced, (3) exchange rate is Yen110/$, (4) nuclear power generation gradually moves back to operation, and the number of cumulative reopening units until the end of FY2017 reaches 14, and (5) supply and demand of electric power can secure 3% supply reserve ratio necessary for stable supply of electricity nationwide. In addition, this paper carried out evaluation analyses on the following various influences: macro economy, production activity, primary energy domestic supply, final energy consumption, electricity sales volume and power source composition (electric power companies), city gas sales volume (gas companies), fuel oil and LPG sales volume and crude oil throughput, renewable energy power generation, impact of nuclear power plant restart base, income/expenditure for on renewable energy generation, and impact of realization of large scale coal thermal power plant plan. (A.O.)

SUSTAINED LIVEABILITY: A FRAMEWORK BEYOND ENERGY CONSCIOUS BUILDING CONSERVATION OF MARKET HALLS

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Neveen Hamza

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Market halls are commonly found in  contexts of cultural and heritage value. Positioned in urban centres and transport networks, these unique buildings were originally constructed in the 19th century to ensure better food distribution in growing European cities, then copied to other territories such as Egypt.  We argue that leaving market halls, with their large spanning structures and indoor open space, for dilapidation is a lost opportunity for sustaining community engagement, and educating the public on the original sustainability, neighbourhood regeneration and cultural thinking that underpinned these buildings. The proposed framework extends current sustainable ‘heritage conservation frameworks’ beyond concepts of adding renewable energy technologies, recycling and sustainable goods movement,  to ‘sustaining liveability and social inclusion’. We argue that market halls offer the opportunities to merge the daily activities of buying and selling food with creating local creative economies such as culinary art exhibitions, and culinary schools. The paper consists of two parts: the first discusses the historical urban context of market halls in Cairo; the second proposes a sustainable heritage conservation model for market halls.

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...

Global Impact of Energy Use in Middle East Oil Economies: A Modeling Framework for Analyzing Technology-Energy-Environment-Economy Chain

OpenAIRE

Hodjat Ghadimi

2007-01-01

To explore choices of improving energy efficiency in energy-rich countries of the Middle East, this study lays out an integrated modeling framework for analyzing the technology-energy-environment-economy chain for the case of an energy exporting country. This framework consists of an input output process-flow model (IOPM) and a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model. The former investigates the micro-level production processes and sectoral interdependencies to show how alternative technol...

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

Role of modernization in maintenance of a sustainable development of economy of region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natal'ya Zinov'evna Solodilova

2011-09-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the need to modernize the economy and society. The authors reveal meaningful context of the term "modernization" in relation to the Russian economy. Five priority areas of economic modernization, as initiated by the President, are considered. Species, types and sources of funding for modernization of the economy (optimization of budget expenditures, state monopolies, taxation, domestic and foreign investment and business research areas are investigated. Based on the investigation of the essence and importance of the modernization process, a mechanism of modernization, which components are described in the paper (the process, purpose, types, objects, sources of financing, the results & process control and system upgrade was developed. Based on the results of the conducted study, the potential for sustainable economic development of the region in the XXI century is presented. A fundamentally new set of its components (educational, human, scientific, innovation, natural resource, industrial, construction, agriculture and infrastructure & tourism potentials is presented.

Energy intensity and its determinants in China's regional economies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yanrui

2012-01-01

This paper contributes to the existing literature as well as policy debates by examining energy intensity and its determinants in China's regional economies. The analysis is based on a comprehensive database of China's regional energy balance constructed for this project. Through its focus on regional China, this study extends the existing literature, which mainly covers nationwide studies. It is found in this paper that energy intensity declined substantially in China. The main contributing factor is the improvement in energy efficiency. Changes in the economic structure have so far affected energy intensity modestly. Thus there is considerable scope to reduce energy intensity through the structural transformation of the Chinese economy in the future. - Highlights: ► First study examining energy intensity and its determinants using sectoral data in Chinese regions. ► Major findings. ► Decline in energy intensity is due to the rise in energy efficiency. ► Economic structural change has played little role. ► Growth in capital intensity alone would not lead to the decline in energy consumption.

Social entrepreneurship as a way of developing sustainable township economies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Semape J. Manyaka-Boshielo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This article investigates using social entrepreneurship as a way of developing sustainabletownship economies, so that poverty can be eradicated from the townships of South Africaand township dwellers can begin to play a role in the economic development of the country.The author also thinks it is God’s purpose for people to enjoy life, free from economic hardship.A reduction in poverty would also bring down the crime rate and other social ills. It starts bydefining and clarifying the concepts of ‘entrepreneur’ and ‘social entrepreneurship’. Itcontinues by looking in more depth into township life and its challenges. This is done throughreviewing the literature and observations obtained through participant observation research.Post-foundationalist practical theology believes in interdisciplinary dialogue as a means ofallowing the concept of social entrepreneurship to bring about a sustainable townshipeconomy. From the author’s observations, it became apparent that to see the attainment of asustainable township economy, training and development should start with a strong emphasison personal identity and interpersonal and business skills. The author, therefore, proposes aholistic approach to social entrepreneurship.

The dual sustainability of wind energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Welch, Jonathan B.; Venkateswaran, Anand [413 Hayden Hall, College of Business, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

2009-06-15

Academics, practitioners, and policy makers continue to debate the benefits and costs of alternative sources of energy. Environmental and economic concerns have yet to be fully reconciled. One view is that decisions that incorporate both society's concern with the environment and investors' desire for shareholder value maximization are more likely to be truly sustainable. We coin the term dual sustainability to mean the achievement of environmental and financial sustainability simultaneously. Many experts believe that wind energy can help to meet society's needs without harming future generations. It is clean and renewable. Because the fuel is free it provides the ultimate in energy independence. Wind energy has emerged as a leading prospect, in part, because it is considered by many to be environmentally sustainable. However, a key question that remains is whether wind energy is financially sustainable without the extensive government support that has helped to create and nurture this growth industry. Using reliable, proprietary data from field research, our analysis employs a capital budgeting framework to evaluate the financial economics of investments in wind energy. We find that because of the convergence of improved technology, greater efficiency, and with the increasing cost of traditional, competing sources such as oil and natural gas, wind energy is close to becoming self-sustaining financially without the extensive federal government support that exists today. Wind energy can provide the best of both worlds. It is sustainable from an environmental perspective and it is becoming sustainable financially. In short, those companies investing in wind energy will be able to do well by doing good. Perhaps the achievement of dual sustainability is true sustainability. Our research findings and dual sustainability have several interesting and important implications for public policy towards wind energy. All imply that public policy can now be

Energy for sustainable rural development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hulscher, W.S.; Hulscher, W.S.; Hommes, E.W.; Hommes, E.W.

1992-01-01

Rural energy in developing countries is discussed with a view to sustainable development. The project-oriented approach in rural energy which has often dominated in the past, is contrasted with an overall strategy for sustainable rural energy demand and supply. An outline for a demand-oriented

An Interactive Environmental Economy Model for Energy Cycle in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Shafie-Pour Motlagh, MM Farsiabi, HR Kamalan

2005-04-01

Full Text Available The growing world economy calls for saving natural resources with sustainable development framework. This paper intends to look at the environment-energy interface (impacts on the environment stemming form the energy sector and to propose measures for reducing this impact without trying to impede economic development. In addition, this paper estimates the amounts of energy subsidies about 20% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP in 2019 if the conditions do not change. Meanwhile, environmental damage from air pollution has been assessed by scaling according to GDP per capita measured in purchase power parity (PPP terms. Using this approach, the total damage from air pollution in 2001 was assessed about $7billion; equivalent to 8.4% of nominal GDP. Lacking price reform and control policies, the authors estimate that damage in Iran will grow to 10.9% of GDP by 2019. In line with difficulties of eliminating subsidies, a list of 25 measures has been analyzed, using the environmental cost-benefit analysis and based on cost-effectiveness of the policies to verify which ones would be implemented. Finally the financial effects of implementing different combinations of price reform and carrying out those policies on the state budget, damage costs and subsidies have been calculated.

Evolutionary pattern, operation mechanism and policy orientation of low carbon economy development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Dou

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The essence of low carbon economy development is a continuous evolution and innovation process of socio-economic system from traditional high carbon economy to new sustainable green low carbon economy to achieve a sustainable dynamic balance and benign interactive development of various elements between society, economy and natural ecosystem. At the current stage, China’s socio-economy is showing the feature of "three high" (high energy consumption, high emissions and high pollution. In this case, quickly to promote the development of green low carbon economy is necessary and urgent. This research indicates that, low carbon economy development is achieved by micro-economic agents such as households, businesses and social intermediary organizations through Government’s guidance and the role of market mechanism. In low carbon economy development, the state (government is a leader and markets are core, while economic agents (e.g., households, businesses and social intermediary organizations are basis. For this reason, it is necessary to build an effective cleaner development and incentive-compatible policy system oriented to end-users.

The Institution's position on sustainable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sargent, M.A.

1999-01-01

The twenty-first century will be an era in which sustainability will be a powerful value espoused by the community. The sustainability of energy, in terms of production and consumption, and in relation to the broader impacts of energy on society and the environment, will be a particular focus of the community. Australia, as a nett exporter of energy, and with a high per capita energy consumption, has both an economic and environmental imperative to be a leader in sustainable energy concepts and technologies. Australia therefore needs to position itself strategically, with a policy framework that facilitates the strategic positioning, to use and foster its diverse resources to provide for the social and economic needs of this generation, in a manner that ensures that the energy needs of the future generations can be met. The Institution of Engineers Australia has developed a Position on Sustainable Energy. The principles and actions through which the country's transition to a sustainable energy future will be managed are outlined

2. Industrial countries: Promoting sustainable growth in a global economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammond, A.; MacKenzie, J.

1992-01-01

The chapter discusses the following topics: dimensions of sustainable development; energy resources (energy transitions, energy efficiency, renewable energy resources, economic and regulatory policies); agricultural and forest resources (effects of present policies, unsustainable practices, needed policy reform); waste, pollution, and sustainable technologies (cleanup strategies, more efficient manufacturing, emerging technologies); and a global context. It is concluded that the US could markedly improve its efficiency in using energy and other natural resources and, at the same time, reduce local and regional pollution, avoid waste, and lower its contribution to the threat of global warming. With appropriate, market-based policies, these steps need not carry heavy economic penalties and could indeed improve the country's economic competitiveness. To a large degree, similar steps could be taken, with equal benefit, in other OECD countries. Many promising new technologies exist that are both more efficient and more sustainable. The US and other OECD countries will need to move toward such technologies, and toward policies that encourage their development and use, to improve not only their own destinies but also those of other countries

Energy sustainability: consumption, efficiency, and ...

Science.gov (United States)

One of the critical challenges in achieving sustainability is finding a way to meet the energy consumption needs of a growing population in the face of increasing economic prosperity and finite resources. According to ecological footprint computations, the global resource consumption began exceeding planetary supply in 1977 and by 2030, global energy demand, population, and gross domestic product are projected to greatly increase over 1977 levels. With the aim of finding sustainable energy solutions, we present a simple yet rigorous procedure for assessing and counterbalancing the relationship between energy demand, environmental impact, population, GDP, and energy efficiency. Our analyses indicated that infeasible increases in energy efficiency (over 100 %) would be required by 2030 to return to 1977 environmental impact levels and annual reductions (2 and 3 %) in energy demand resulted in physical, yet impractical requirements; hence, a combination of policy and technology approaches is needed to tackle this critical challenge. This work emphasizes the difficulty in moving toward energy sustainability and helps to frame possible solutions useful for policy and management. Based on projected energy consumption, environmental impact, human population, gross domestic product (GDP), and energy efficiency, for this study, we explore the increase in energy-use efficiency and the decrease in energy use intensity required to achieve sustainable environmental impact le

Hydrogen production through nuclear energy, a sustainable scenario in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega V, E.; Francois L, J.L.

2007-01-01

The energy is a key point in the social and economic development of a country, for such motive to assure the energy supply in Mexico it is of vital importance. The hydrogen it is without a doubt some one of the alternating promising fuels before the visible one necessity to decentralize the energy production based on hydrocarbons. The versatility of their applications, it high heating power and having with the more clean fuel cycle of the energy basket with which count at the moment, they are only some examples of their development potential. However the more abundant element of the universe it is not in their elementary form in our planet, it forms molecules like in the hydrocarbons or water and it stops their use it should be extracted. At the present time different methods are known for the extraction of hydrogen, there is thermal, electric, chemical, photovoltaic among others. The election of the extraction method and the primary energy source to carry out it are decisive to judge the sustainability of the hydrogen production. The sustainable development is defined as development that covers the present necessities without committing the necessity to cover the necessities of the future generations, and in the mark of this definition four indicators of the sustainable development of the different cycles of fuel were evaluated in the hydrogen production in Mexico. These indicators take in consideration the emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (environment), the readiness of the energy resources (technology), the impacts in the floor use (social) and the production costs of the cycles (economy). In this work the processes were studied at the moment available for the generation of hydrogen, those that use coal, natural gas, hydraulic, eolic energy, biomass and nuclear, as primary energy sources. These processes were evaluated with energy references of Mexico to obtain the best alternative for hydrogen production. (Author)

The Role of Nuclear Energy in Establishing Sustainable Energy Paths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruggink, J.J.C.; Van der Zwaan, B.C.C.

2001-10-01

This study juxtaposes the major facts and arguments about nuclear energy and its potential role in establishing sustainable energy paths. The notion of sustainability has a strong normative character and can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Therefore, also the sustainability of energy supply technologies possesses a normative nature. This paper analyses what the major dimensions are that ought to be addressed when nuclear energy technology is compared, in sustainability terms, with its fossil-fuelled and renewable counterparts. It is assessed to what extent energy supply portfolios including nuclear energy are more, or less, sustainable in comparison to those that exclude this technology. It is indicated what this inventory of collected facts and opinions means for both policy and research regarding nuclear energy in the case of the Netherlands. 32 refs

Sustainable growth of EU economies and Baltic context: Characteristics and modelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Girts Karnitis

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The united general growth strategy for all EU Member States, a common economic and political vision as well as location in the same geographic region provides a necessary basis for the benchmarking modelling of economies. The main objective of this study is determination of the functional regularities and drivers of the growth of EU economies and the context of the Baltic States in line with the general trend of the EU, as well as development of the growth model, which can be used for sustainable planning and prediction. Analysis of several regularly published analytical indexes suggests a thesis on innovation as the real basic driving force for EU economies and outlines Innovation Performance Index, which have a very strong compliance with the economic growth of particular country. At the same time study of the data set and methodology of the Index indicates space for further optimization. By use of several linear regression tools the growth model was created. It is based on three hard independent statistical indicators (predictors only; of course, these indicators is a peak of a complex pyramid. Despite of the simplicity of the model, the long-term correlation of fitted values with the real GDP per capita is extremely strong 0.961 – 0.987.

The energy-economy-environment interaction and the rebound-effect

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Musters, A.P.A.

1995-01-01

This study examines the Energy-Economy-Environment (3-E) interaction ingeneral and the rebound-effect in particular. The rebound-effect can be defined as that part of the initially expected energy savings, resulting from energy efficiency improvements, that is lost because of the 3-E interaction. To

Major economies Forum on energy and climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

The Major Economies Forum is intended to facilitate an open dialogue among major developed and developing economies, help generate the political leadership necessary to achieve a successful outcome at the United Nations climatic change conference in Copenhagen, and advance the exploration of concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The Forum's second preparatory meeting was held in Paris in May 2009, mainly focused on greenhouse gas emissions reduction actions and objectives, the diffusion of clean technologies, the financing of activities for climate protection and adaptation to climatic change impacts

System analysis of energy utilization from waste - evaluation of energy, environment and economy. Summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundqvist, Jan-Olov; Granath, Jessica; Frostell, Bjoern; Bjoerklund, Anna; Eriksson, Ola; Carlsson, Marcus

1999-12-01

Energy, environmental, and economic consequences of different management systems for municipal solid waste have been studied in a systems analysis. In the systems analysis, different combinations of incineration, materials recycling of separated plastic and cardboard containers, and biological treatment (anaerobic digestion and composting) of easily degradable organic waste, were studied and also compared to landfilling. In the study a computer model (ORWARE) based on LCA methodology was used. Case studies were performed for three different municipalities: Uppsala, Stockholm, and Aelvdalen. The following parameters were used for evaluating the different waste management options: consumption of energy resources, global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, photo oxidant formation, heavy metal flows, financial economy and welfare economy, where welfare economy is the sum of financial economy and environmental economy. The study shows that reduced landfilling to the benefit of an increased use of energy and material from waste is positive from an environmental and energy as well as economic aspect. This is mainly due to the fact that the choice of waste management method affects processes outside the waste management system, such as production of district heating, electricity, vehicle fuel, plastic, cardboard, and fertiliser. This means that landfilling of energy-rich waste should be avoided as far as possible, both because of the the environmental impact, and because of the low recovery of resources. Incineration should constitute a basis in the waste management systems of the three municipalities studied, even if the waste has to be transported to a regional facility. Once the waste is collected, longer regional transports are of little significance, as long as the transports are carried out in an efficient manner. Comparing materials recycling and incineration, and biological treatment and incineration, no unambiguous conclusions can be drawn. There are

A new start for European nuclear energy: the forum and the sustainable nuclear energy platform

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gueldner, Ralf [E.ON Kernkraft GmbH, Hanover (Germany)

2009-06-15

In the next years we will face significant switch stands regarding the future energy mix in Europe. In general, European energy policy has to address three energy challenges for a competitive electricity production (1): - Security of supply; - Limitation of greenhouse gas emissions; and - Providing affordable energy to consumers. Regarding climate precaution the goal of a low carbon economy is very ambitious. The NPP in operation already today contribute to all three goals. Nuclear energy generates two thirds of the EU' low carbon electricity, is one of the most economic energy sources and is less vulnerable to fuel price changes, thereby protecting EU economies against the price volatility of raw materials (2). The investment decisions, which have to been taken in the next 5 to 10 years, will determine the electricity production portfolio in the European Union for the next 50 years: 1. Around 800-900 GWe capacity will be required by 2030 to replace the existing capacity and to address increasing demand. 2. More than 50 % of the electricity in 2030 will be generated in plants have not been build today. 3. A total of 57.6 GWe of new nuclear power plants are projected to be commissioned between 2000 and 2030 (3). Only 9.4 GW of these are already certain investments. To ensure sustainable investment decisions, there needs to be reliable and effective framework conditions with the underlying principles: - competition among vendors; - efficient licensing; - solvent capital markets; - political framework; and - public acceptance. With regard to public acceptance, the Commission launched, based on the results of the EU summit in 2007, a platform for a broad stakeholder discussion about risks, challenges and opportunities of nuclear energy, the European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF). E.ON is actively involved in both discussion during the annual ENEF-summit and the working group sessions throughout the year. We appreciate these discussion and we face up the pros and

The Impact of Sustainable Development Technology on a Small Economy—The Case of Energy-Saving Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiding Chen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available We investigated the impact of a sustainable development technology on the macroeconomic variables in a small economy utilizing a case study with a stochastically improving energy saving technology and a stochastically increasing energy price. The results show the technological displacement effects of energy saving technology are stronger, but there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns to physical capital. However, the energy saving technology’s displacement effects might not affect the conditions under which the Harberger-Laursen-Metzler (HLM effect holds. The effects of rising energy prices on bonds are stronger, and there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns, but the conditions under which the HLM effect holds are different.

The Impact of Sustainable Development Technology on a Small Economy—The Case of Energy-Saving Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Qinghua; Huang, Weilun; Li, Xue

2018-01-01

We investigated the impact of a sustainable development technology on the macroeconomic variables in a small economy utilizing a case study with a stochastically improving energy saving technology and a stochastically increasing energy price. The results show the technological displacement effects of energy saving technology are stronger, but there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns to physical capital. However, the energy saving technology’s displacement effects might not affect the conditions under which the Harberger-Laursen-Metzler (HLM) effect holds. The effects of rising energy prices on bonds are stronger, and there are more ambiguous instantaneous returns, but the conditions under which the HLM effect holds are different. PMID:29419788

Calculating economy-wide energy intensity decline rate: The role of sectoral output and energy shares

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baksi, Soham; Green, Chris

2007-01-01

We specify formulas for computing the rate of decline in economy-wide energy intensity by aggregating its two determinants-technical efficiency improvements in the various sectors of the economy, and shifts in economic activity among these sectors. The formulas incorporate the interdependence between sectoral shares, and establish a one-to-one relation between sectoral output and energy shares. This helps to eliminate future energy intensity decline scenarios which involve implausible values of either sectoral share. An illustrative application of the formulas is provided, using within-sector efficiency improvement estimates suggested by Lightfoot-Green and Harvey

Development of integrated models for energy-economy systems analysis at JAERI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasukawa, Shigeru; Mankin, Shuichi; Sato, Osamu; Yonese, Hiromi

1984-08-01

This report, being a revision of the preprint for distribution to participants at IEA/ETSAP Workshop held, at JAERI, Tokyo, March 1984, describes the concept of the integrated models for energy-economy systems analysis now being carried out at JAERI. In this model system, there contains four different categories of computer codes. The first one is a series of computer codes named as E 3 -SD representatively, which are utilized to develop a dynamic scenario generation in a long-term energy economy evolution. The second one, of which the main constituents are the MARKAL, i.e. an optimal energy flow analizer, and the TRANS-I/O, i.e. a multi-sectoral economy analyzer, has been developed for the analysis of structural characteristics embodied in our energy-economy system. The third one is for a strategy analysis on nuclear power reactor installation and fuel cycle development, and its main constituent is the JALTES. The fourth one is for a cost-benefit-risk analysis including various kinds of data bases. As the model system being still under development, but the idea of application of it to such a problem as '' the role of the HTGR in the prospects of future energy supply'' is also explained in the report. (author)

Role for Distributed Energy Resources (DER) in the Digital Economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Key, Thomas S [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

2007-11-01

A large, and growing, part of the Nation's economy either serves or depends upon the information technology industry. These high-tech or "digital" enterprises are characterized by a dependence on electronic devices, need for completely reliable power supply, and intolerance to any power quality problems. In some cases these enterprises are densely populated with electronic loads and have very high energy usage per square foot. Serving these enterprises presents both electric power and equipment cooling challenges. Traditional electric utilities are often hard-pressed to deliver power that meets the stringent requirements of digital customers, and the economic and social consequences of a service quality or reliability problem can be large. New energy delivery and control options must be developed to effectively serve a digital economy. This report explores how distributed energy resources, partnerships between utility and customer to share the responsibility for service quality, innovative facility designs, higher energy efficiencies and waste-heat utilization can be coupled to meet the needs of a growing digital economy.

A hydrogen economy - an answer to future energy problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seifritz, W.

1975-01-01

''The Theme was THEME''. This was the headline of The Hydrogen Economy Miami Energy Conference which was the first international conference of this type and which took place in Miami, March 18-20, 1974. For the first time, about 700 participants from all over the western world discussed all the ramifications and aspects of a hydrogen based economy. Non-fossil hydrogen, produced from water by either electrolysis or by direct use of process heat from a nuclear source is a clean, all-synthetic, automatically recyclable, and inexhaustible fuel. It may support the World's future energy requirements beyond the present self limited fossil-fuel era. A large number of papers and news were presented on this conference reflecting this effort. The following article is intended to report on the highlights of the conference and to give a survey on the present state of the art in the hydrogen field. Furthermore, the author includes his own ideas and conclusions predominantly by taking into account the trends in the development of future nuclear reactor systems and symbiotic high-temperature-reactor/breeder strategies being the primary energy input of a hydrogen economy and providing a most promising avenue for solving both the World's energy and environmental (entropy) problems. (Auth.)

Mexican energy policy and sustainability indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheinbaum-Pardo, Claudia; Ruiz-Mendoza, Belizza Janet; Rodríguez-Padilla, Víctor

2012-01-01

The authors analyze the Mexican energy policy taking as reference the methodological framework for sustainable energy development proposed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. This methodology takes eight related indicators to the social, environmental and economic dimensions in order to calculate a general sustainability indicator for the energy sector. In this methodology, the weight of each dimension is different; namely, the social and environmental issues have less relevance than the economic issues. The authors use this methodology because government institutions as the Department of Energy and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have used some indicators from such a methodology to propose plans, programs, projects and bills. Authors know of the existence of other methodologies about sustainability. Nonetheless, opting for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean's methodology is convenient because this organization is a respectable authority for civil servants from the Mexican institutions. Our objective is just to contrast the sustainability grade of the energy sector between 1990 and 2008 for Mexico whose government started reforms in the 1990s. It concludes that those reforms did not bring about a higher sustainability level for the energy sector. - Highlights: ► We used the OLADE, CEPAL and GTZ's methodology to calculate sustainability indicators for the Mexican energy sector. ► We studied the Mexican energy policy from 1990 to date and presented it. ► Currently, the Mexican energy sector is less sustainable than in 1990.

Study on Chinese model of low carbon economy-energy-electricity-environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Zhaoguang

2010-09-15

With the successful experience on energy efficiency in the past 30 years in China, it can be summarized as Energy Usage Management(EUM) and Integrated Resource Strategic Planning(IRSP). They will play essential role in Low Carbon Economy. The model of Low Carbon Economy-Energy-Electricity-Environment and an outlook of Chinese economic growth, energy-electricity demand, and renewable energy generation have been studied in this paper. It has been shown that China would save energy 4.38 billion toe and reduce CO2 emission 16.55 billion ton by EUM, and would save energy 1.5 billion toe and reduce CO2 emission 5.7 Btons by IRSP during 2010-2030.

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.

Strategies for Sustainable Energy Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Niels I

2009-01-01

The paper analyses international strategies for establishing a sustainable energy development. Proposals are given for mitigation of global warming.......The paper analyses international strategies for establishing a sustainable energy development. Proposals are given for mitigation of global warming....

Energy policy and the market economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruehle, H.; Miegel, M.

1980-01-01

The consistent supply of the people with cheap energy is one of the biggest challenges of our time. There is hardly any other sphere where the opinions on the correct means and ways are as different as in energy policy. While some people see only the market as a suitable instrument to solve the energy problems, others are of the opinion that the problems can only be solved by planning by the government, quantitative restrictions, and other directive measures. The answer to this question involves long-term results, not only for our future energy policy. Planned economy in the energy section and marketing in all other sections cannot be continued for ever. The clarification of this question is the goal of these lectures and discussions held on the experts' meeting 'energy policy in marketing'. (orig.) [de

Transportation energy in global cities: Sustainable transportation comes in from the cold?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Newman, Peter; Kenworthy, Jeffery

2001-01-01

The energy, environmental and social benefits of sustainable transportation, i.e, public transit, biking and walking, have long been recognized but are now mainstream in global and local transportation policy debates. However, the economic value of sustainable transportation has always been seen as secondary, unless many external costs were included. The results of a new global study show that cities with significant sustainable transportation systems have reduced costs on road construction and maintenance; better operating cost recovery and fuel-efficiency; fewer road accidents and less air pollution. In overall terms, the percentage of city funds going to transportation is reduced. The data show that cities with the most roads have the highest transportation costs and the most rail-oriented cities have the lowest. Further, the most sprawling cities have the highest direct and indirect costs for transportation. Thus, strategies to contain sprawl, to reurbanize, to build new rail systems info car-dependent suburbs with focussed sub-centers, and to facilitate biking and walking, not only will improve energy efficiency but will reduce costs to the economy of a city. Strategies that build freeways and add to sprawl will do the opposite. Trends indicate that moves toward sustainable urban patterns are beginning. The need to operationalize sustainable transportation strategies in planning and engineering practice and in the politics of infrastructure funding remains a major challenge. Some cities are showing how this can be done. (author)

The Energy & Raw Materials Factory: Role and Potential Contribution to the Circular Economy of the Netherlands.

Science.gov (United States)

van Leeuwen, Kees; de Vries, Eli; Koop, Stef; Roest, Kees

2018-05-01

Water is an abundant resource worldwide, but fresh and clean water is scarce in many areas of the world. Increases in water consumption and climate change will affect global water security even further in the near future. With increasing numbers of people living in metropolitan areas, water, energy, and materials need to be used carefully, reused and renewed. Resource scarcity is the driver behind the circular economy. The recovery of materials and energy can add significant new value streams and improve cost recovery and water quality. In this paper, we present the creation of the Energy & Raw Materials Factory (ERMF) of the Dutch Water Authorities, also known as the Resource Factory, as one of the solutions to this global challenge of water in the circular economy. Resources like cellulose, bioplastics, phosphate, alginate-like exopolymers from aerobic granular sludge (bio-ALE), and biomass can be recovered. Bio-ALE is an alginate-like polymer of sugars and proteins and can be used in agriculture and horticulture, the paper industry, medical, and construction industries. The ERMF demands significant investments but the return on investment is high both from a financial and environmental perspective, provided that markets can be realized. Experiences in the Netherlands show that the concept of the ERMF is viable and adds to the creation of a circular economy. Achieving climate neutrality and production of new and promising resources like bio-ALE are possible. The ERMF can contribute to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations on water and sanitation, once fully operational.

Principles of sustainable energy systems

CERN Document Server

Kreith, Frank

2013-01-01

… ""This is an ideal book for seniors and graduate students interested in learning about the sustainable energy field and its penetration. The authors provide very strong discussion on cost-benefit analysis and ROI calculations for various alternate energy systems in current use. This is a descriptive book with detailed case-based analyses of various systems and engineering applications. The text book provides real-world case studies and related problems pertaining to sustainable energy systems.""--Dr. Kuruvilla John, University of North Texas""The new edition of ""Principles of Sustainable En

Energy intensity developments in 40 major economies: Structural change or technology improvement?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voigt, Sebastian; De Cian, Enrica; Schymura, Michael; Verdolini, Elena

2014-01-01

This study analyzes energy intensity trends and drivers in 40 major economies using the WIOD database, a novel harmonized and consistent dataset of input–output table time series accompanied by environmental satellite data. We use logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition to (1) attribute efficiency changes to either changes in technology or changes in the structure of the economy, (2) study trends in global energy intensity between 1995 and 2007, and (3) highlight sectoral and regional differences. For the country analysis we apply the traditional two factor index decomposition approach, while for the global analysis we use a three factor decomposition which includes the consideration of regional structural changes in the global economy. We first show that heterogeneity within each sector across countries is high. These general trends within sectors are dominated by large economies, first and foremost the United States. In most cases, heterogeneity is lower within each country across the different sectors. Regarding changes of energy intensity at the country level, improvements between 1995 and 2007 are largely attributable to technological change while structural change is less important in most countries. Notable exceptions are Japan, the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Mexico and Brazil where a change in the industry mix was the main driver behind the observed energy intensity reduction. At the global level we find that despite a shift of the global economy to more energy-intensive countries, aggregate energy efficiency improved mostly due to technological change

Economic analysis of the energy and carbon tax for the sustainable development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, J.K.; Cho, G.L. [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea)

2001-12-01

The concept of 'Sustainable Development' has been playing a very important role since seventies. Countries all over the world, whether developed or developing, strive to achieve their economic development in a sustainable way. U.N Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992 at Rio was instrumental in the movement of the sustainable development. Korea is not an exception in this movement as Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development (PCSD) was established in September 2000. The Climate Change occupies the heart of the sustainable development. In response to the urgent need to protect global climate, the U.N. Convention on Climate Change (1992) and the Kyoto Protocol (1997) were adopted. An analysis is required to respond effectively and sustainedly to the issue of climate change. Energy sector is the main contributor to the emissions of greenhouse gases. Consequently, this study aims to analyse the implication of the energy{center_dot}carbon tax for the benefit of present and future generation, its impact on economy, industry, and energy. It also studies new elements related to the differential impact of energy carbon tax on income classes. We developed 'Overlapping Generation Equilibrium model' which consists of eleven industry, three income classes, time span of 100 years. Scenario analysis was performed for the case of the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent in 2010 and afterward in comparison with its 'Business As Usual' path. Three major analysis preformed are as follows: 1. Numerical computation was done on the differential impact of the carbon tax on three income classes. 2. The impact on various generation was calculated. 3. Most importantly, the hypothesis of 'Double Dividend' was tested. This study cautiously concludes that carbon tax recycling by the reduction of the corporate income tax may increase GDP despite the reduction of the emissions of carbon dioxides. The results of this

Energy saving certificates; Les certificats d'economies d'energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-11-15

The French ministry of economy, finances and industry and the French agency of environment and energy mastery (Ademe) have organized on November 8, 2005, a colloquium for the presentation of the energy saving certificates, a new tool to oblige the energy suppliers to encourage their clients to make energy savings. This document gathers the transparencies presented at this colloquium about the following topics: state-of-the-art and presentation of the energy saving certificates system: presentation of the EEC system, presentation of the EEC standard operations; the energy saving certificates in Europe today: energy efficiency commitment in UK, Italian white certificate scheme, perspectives of the different European systems. (J.S.)

System analysis of energy utilization from waste - evaluation of energy, environment and economy. Case study - Stockholm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundqvist, Jan-Olov; Granath, Jessica; Frostell, Bjoern; Bjoerklund, Anna; Eriksson, Ola; Carlsson, Marcus

1999-12-01

Energy, environmental, and economic consequences of different management systems for municipal solid waste have been studied in a systems analysis. In the systems analysis, different combinations of incineration, materials recycling of separated plastic and cardboard containers, and biological treatment (anaerobic digestion) of easily degradable organic waste, were studied and also compared to landfilling. In the study a computer model (ORWARE) based on LCA methodology was used. The following parameters were used for evaluating the different waste management options: consumption of energy resources, global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, photo oxidant formation, heavy metal flows, financial economy and welfare economy, where welfare economy is the sum of financial economy and environmental economy. The study shows that reduced landfilling to the benefit of an increased use of energy and material from the waste is positive, from an environmental and energy as well as economic aspect. This is mainly due to the fact that the choice of waste management method affects processes outside the waste management system, such as production of district heating, electricity, vehicle fuel, plastic, cardboard, and fertiliser. This means that landfilling of energy-rich waste should be avoided as far as possible, both because of the the environmental impact, and because of the low recovery of resources. Incineration should constitute a basis in the waste management system of Stockholm. Once the waste is collected, longer regional transports are of little significance, as long as the transports are carried out in an efficient manner. Comparing materials recycling and incineration, and biological treatment and incineration, no unambiguous conclusions can be drawn. There are benefits and drawbacks associated with all these waste management options. Materials recycling of plastic containers is comparable to incineration from a welfare economic aspect, but gives less

Circular Economy as an Important Subject of Environmental Education in the Era of Energy Demand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Kluczkowski

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Civilization development has led to many facilities in human life and business, but has also introduced major changes and created a new order that over time has come to be in opposition to nature. The opportunity to reconcile ecological, economic and social reasons is to be found in the idea of sustainable development. The prerequisite for achieving sustainable development is education, which is one of the fundamental human rights that enables integral development. The purpose of the study was to verify the role and importance of education in the emergence and implementation of a circular economy idea. As it turned out, research has shown that sustainable development is largely dependent on the implementation of the circular economy, in which, the education is a fundamental and necessary tool.

Towards a low carbon economy in the Amazon: the role of land-use policies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verburg, R.W.; Lindoso, D.; Debortolli, N.; Rodrigues Filho, S.

2011-01-01

Climate change, rising oil prices and the global financial crisis has put sustainability and ‘green growth’ of the economy on the political agenda. While the transition towards a “low carbon” economy in developed countries like in the European Union should mainly be found in renewable energy

Are there limits to growth? The need for a transition to a solar-based economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovejoy, D.

1996-01-01

The idea of limits to growth has, understandably, achieved notoriety since the days of Malthus and, more recently, the Club of Rome. However, there must be some limits to the ability of the earth to sustain a growing population. Fortunately, population models suggest that the world's population will probably level out at about two to three times the present numbers over the next hundred years. The question is whether the earth's resources are sufficient to sustain that population at a high standard of living for all. In this the key issue is energy. It is clear that present trends in energy consumption, especially oil, cannot be sustained much longer. Regardless of this, however, prudence demands a drastic reduction in fossil fuel consumption, in view of the possibility of global warming. It can be shown that, combined with greatly improved energy efficiency, a transition to a solar (renewable) energy based economy, capable of sustaining the anticipated growth in the world economy, is possible, but the constraints are extremely tight. (author). 10 refs

Towards a new world: The contributions of nuclear energy to a sustainable future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffey, R. B.; Miller, A. I.; Fehrenbach, P. J.; Kuran, S.; Tregunno, D.; Suppiah, S.

2007-01-01

Over the last few years, the world has seen growing concern about the sustainability of the Planet when supplying increasing energy use. The major issues are: increased energy prices in the world markets; growing energy demand in emerging economies; security and stability of oil and gas supply; potentially adverse climate change due to carbon-based emissions; and the need to deploy economic, sustainable and reliable alternates. Large undefined 'wedges' of alternate energy technologies are needed. In light of these major difficulties, there is renewed interest and need for a greater role for nuclear energy as a safe, sustainable and economic energy contributor. The shift has been, from being viewed by some as politically discounted, to being accepted as absolutely globally essential. We have carefully considered, and systematically, extensively and technically analyzed the contributions that nuclear energy can and should make to a globally sustainable energy future. These include restraining emissions, providing safe and secure power, operating synergistically with other sources, and being both socially and fiscally attractive. Therefore, we quantify in this paper the major contributions: a) The reduction in climate change potential and the global impact of future nuclear energy deployment through emissions reduction, using established analysis tools which varying the plausible future penetration and scale of nuclear energy. b) The minimization of economic costs and the maximization of global benefits, including investment requirements, carbon price implications, competitive market penetration, and effect of variable daily pricing. c) The introduction of fuel switching, including base-load nuclear energy synergistically enabling both hydrogen production and the introduction of significant wind power. d) The management and reduction of waste streams, utilizing intelligent designs and fuel cycles that optimize fuel resource use and minimize emissions, waste disposal

Financing energy investments world-wide and in the economies in transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brendow, K.

1998-01-01

The necessity of mobilizing the finance under given circumstances is pointed out. The energy sector investments needs correspond to only 3-4% of world GDP or 6-7% of world capital formation. In most developing countries mobilizing financing is a issue, where the risk/return ratio of a given energy investment project does not compare favourably with competing projects and if their handicap is not compensating for by public financing or government guarantees. Compared to the other regions, the energy systems of the economies in transition absorb a high proportion of domestic capital. This is due to past and continuing supply-oriented energy policies and inefficiencies and the export orientation of the energy-rich countries, and to limited domestic capital markets. As a result only a estimated 9-13% of long-term investment 'needs' is presently financed. The root of the problem is slow progress in the reform of energy and capital markets at a time government withdraw from financing and guaranteeing energy investments. Recommendations include transition to sustainable energy strategies ; the liberalization of energy prices and tariffs; the phasing out of subsides and cross-subsides; the stabilization of tax and depreciation regimes; neutrality with regard of the various forms of ownership; reliable law enforcement; non-discrimination of foreign investors, shareholders, competitors; the ratification of the Energy Charter Treaty; and generally, institutional and regulatory frameworks that address market imperfections. Regarding domestic capital markets the goal is to increase traded volume, reduce volatility, and avoid discrimination and favour international integration

Of energy and the economy. Theory and evidence of their functional relationships

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, V.

2007-07-01

The author of the contribution under consideration offers a set of explicit functional relationships that link energy and the economy. Despite the reliance on energy permeating the whole economy, no such complete relationships had been presented before. The relevant questions are: (a) How related are energy and the economy? (b) What role does energy play in the economic growth? Under this aspect, the author theorizes the role of energy and then tests it with economic models, using data from 16 OECD countries from 1980 to 2001. The main results are the following: (a) Energy is a cross-country representative good whose prices are equalized when converted to a reference currency. Thus, energy prices satisfy the purchasing power parity. For all but one country, the half life of the real exchange rate is less than a year and as low as six months, shorter than those derived by other real exchange rate measures; (b) Considering energy a cross-time representative good, a country's utility function is inversely proportional to both its income share of energy and its energy price. The author obtains an explicit, unified two-dimensional (cross countries and time) production function with energy and non-energy as the two inputs; (c) The author concludes a cross-country parity relationship for income shares of energy, similar to that for energy prices. Furthermore, the author provides an intertemporal connection between the trajectory of the income share of energy and the productivity growth of the economy; (d) The author demonstrates the tradeoffs between energy efficiency and economic wellbeing, with the energy price being the medium of the tradeoffs.

Assessing the efficiency versus the inefficiency of the energy sectors in formerly centrally planned economies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vorsatz, D. [Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA (United States)

1995-12-01

As much the extreme inefficiency of Eastern European energy sectors is emphasized, as little attention their relatively efficient aspects receive. Indeed, a few efficiency indicators show the highest global efficiencies for the formerly centrally planned economies, such as the overall primary to useful energy efficiency. These figures draw the attention to an underestimated feature of former socialist energy sectors and to crucial policy implications: in some respects central planning lead to a more efficient use of energy than the market economy. Consequently, if transitions from the central planning to the market economy are not managed carefully, further reductions in energy efficiency can be expected in some sectors of the economy.

Energy sustainability under the framework of telecoupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Baling; Tan, Yi; Li, Canbing; Cao, Yijia; Liu, Jianguo; Schweizer, Pia-Johanna; Shi, Haiqing; Zhou, Bin; Chen, Hao; Hu, Zhuangli

2016-01-01

Energy systems, which include energy production, conversion, transportation, distribution and utilization, are key infrastructures in modern society. Interactions among energy systems are generally studied under the framework of energy trade. Although such studies have generated important insights, there are limitations. Many distant interactions (e.g. those due to the Fukushima nuclear crisis) are not in the form of trade, but affect energy sustainability. Even when distant interactions are related to energy trade, they are not systematically analyzed. Environmental impacts of trade are often not integrated with economic analysis of trade. In this paper, to identify and fill important knowledge gaps, we apply an integrated framework of telecoupling (socioeconomic and environmental interactions over distances). The framework of telecoupling, which is more comprehensive and cross-disciplinary than the energy trade framework, is a useful theoretical and methodological tool for analyzing distant interactions among coupled human and natural systems (including energy systems). Telecouplings widely exist in energy systems with various forms and link energy sustainability of different countries closely, so we proposed some methods for energy sustainability analysis under the framework of telecoupling. From the aspect of causes, a method is proposed to judge whether the telecoupling driven by economic factors is conducive to energy sustainability. From the aspect of effects, a method is proposed to assess whether an event is conducive to energy sustainability. The telecoupling framework presents opportunities for more profound and comprehensive understanding of energy sustainability. - Highlights: • A new perspective to study energy sustainability under telecoupling is proposed. • Methods for assessing the causes and effects of energy sustainability are proposed. • Some specific examples of telecoupling in the energy systems are demonstrated.

Meta-analysis data for 104 Energy-Economy Nexus papers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajko, Vladimír; Kociánová, Agáta; Buličková, Martina

2017-06-01

The data presented here are manually encoded characteristics of research papers in the area of Energy-Economy Nexus (empirical investigation of Granger causality between energy consumption and economic growth) that describe the methods, samples, and other details related to the individual estimations done in the examined empirical papers. Data cover papers indexed by Scopus, published in economic journals, written in English, after year 2000. In addition, papers were manually filtered to only those that deal with Energy-Economy Nexus investigation and have at least 10 citations at (at the time of query - November 2015). This data are to be used to conduct meta-analysis - associated dataset was used in Hajko [1]. Early version of the dataset was used for multinomial logit estimation in Master thesis by Kociánová [2].

Hydrogen energy economy: More than utopia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, R.

1992-01-01

Under the pressure of increasing climate changes in the last years the attitude towards hydrogen technology has changed. Germany has taken a leading position in hydrogen research. Above all there is not only government-sponsored research but also industrial research. It is even assumed that an energy economy on the basis of solar energy as well as of hydrogen is technically possible. If the fact that the total power of all cars in the FRG amounts to 200.000 MW - twice as much as all power stations - is taken into consideration it should be possible to produce in large-scale production decentralized solar or hydrogen energy converters at similar kilowatt rates. (BWI) [de

Clean energy, non-clean energy, and economic growth in the MIST countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pao, Hsiao-Tien; Li, Yi-Ying; Hsin-Chia Fu

2014-01-01

This paper explores the causal relationship between clean (renewable/nuclear) and non-clean energy consumption and economic growth in emerging economies of the MIST (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey) countries. The panel co-integration tests reveal that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship among GDP, capital formation, labor force, renewable/nuclear, and fossil fuel energy consumption. The panel causality results indicate that (1) there is a positive unidirectional short-run causality from fossil fuel energy consumption to economic growth with a bidirectional long-run causality; (2) there is a unidirectional long-run causality from renewable energy consumption to economic growth with positive bidirectional short-run causality, and a long-run causality from renewable to fossil fuel energy consumption with negative short-run feedback effects; and (3) there is a bidirectional long-run causality between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth and a long-run causality from fossil fuel energy consumption to nuclear energy consumption with positive short-run feedback effects. These suggest that MIST countries should be energy-dependent economies and that energy conservation policies may depress their economic development. However, developing renewable and nuclear energy is a viable solution for addressing energy security and climate change issues, and creating clean and fossil fuel energy partnerships could enhance a sustainable energy economy. - Highlights: • This novel study can provide more robust bases to strengthen sustainable energy policy settings. • Fossil fuel/nuclear energy use and economic growth is bidirectional causality. • Renewable energy consumption long term causes economic growth. • There is substitutability between renewable and fossil fuel energy. • Clean and non-clean energy partnerships can achieve a sustainable energy economy

Energy sustainable development through energy efficient heating devices and buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bojic, M.

2006-01-01

Energy devices and buildings are sustainable if, when they operate, they use sustainable (renewable and refuse) energy and generate nega-energy. This paper covers three research examples of this type of sustainability: (1) use of air-to-earth heat exchangers, (2) computer control of heating and cooling of the building (via heat pumps and heat-recovery devices), and (3) design control of energy consumption in a house. (author)

Hydrogen and fuel cells. Towards a sustainable energy future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, P.P.; Kuznetsov, V.L.; David, W.I.F.; Brandon, N.P.

2008-01-01

A major challenge - some would argue, the major challenge facing our planet today - relates to the problem of anthropogenic-driven climate change and its inextricable link to our global society's present and future energy needs [King, D.A., 2004. Environment - climate change science: adapt, mitigate, or ignore? Science 303, 176-177]. Hydrogen and fuel cells are now widely regarded as one of the key energy solutions for the 21st century. These technologies will contribute significantly to a reduction in environmental impact, enhanced energy security (and diversity) and creation of new energy industries. Hydrogen and fuel cells can be utilised in transportation, distributed heat and power generation, and energy storage systems. However, the transition from a carbon-based (fossil fuel) energy system to a hydrogen-based economy involves significant scientific, technological and socioeconomic barriers to the implementation of hydrogen and fuel cells as clean energy technologies of the future. This paper aims to capture, in brief, the current status, key scientific and technical challenges and projection of hydrogen and fuel cells within a sustainable energy vision of the future. We offer no comments here on energy policy and strategy. Rather, we identify challenges facing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies that must be overcome before these technologies can make a significant contribution to cleaner and more efficient energy production processes. (author)

Reappraising the role of energy in the economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gross, Christian

2013-01-29

This dissertation is another step towards a better understanding of the role of energy in the economy. Although renowned theorists such as Cleveland et al. and Ayres and Warr argue that energy and GDP are strongly coupled, the evidence from an empirical perspective is often ambiguous. We address this pressing question from different angles, namely by means of metaregression techniques, by introducing important findings from strands of literature other than the empirical energy-growth literature, and by augmenting Baumol's cost disease model with energy-related parameters. All in all, we find that the way how the relationship between energy and growth has been investigated often underrates the importance of energy for our economic system. In Chapter 2 we conclude that the relationship between energy and GDP should be reconsidered from an empirical point of view, because the empirical evidence has systematically moved away from what can be considered a true effect from a theoretical point of view, namely that energy and GDP are closely related. In Chapter 3 we analyze the Granger causality between energy and growth in the U.S. for the period from 1970 to 2007 on the macro level as well as for the industry sector, the commercial sector, and the transport sector. For our analysis we used the recently developed ARDL bounds testing approach as proposed by Pesaran and Shin and Pesaran et al. In Chapter 4 we highlight the role that energy plays in the context of the growth of the ''service economy''. We distinguish three sectors in our analysis: industry, transport, and commercial services. The ''service economy'' is characterized by a dominant role of the commercial service sector in terms of value added and employment. In order to understand the importance of energy, disaggregating to the sectoral level is essential. Empirical tests which investigate the causality from energy consumption to economic growth at an aggregate

Energy Security, Innovation & Sustainability Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2010-04-30

More than a dozen energy experts convened in Houston, Texas, on February 13, 2009, for the first in a series of four regionally-based energy summits being held by the Council on Competitiveness. The Southern Energy Summit was hosted by Marathon Oil Corporation, and participants explored the public policy, business and technological challenges to increasing the diversity and sustainability of U.S. energy supplies. There was strong consensus that no single form of energy can satisfy the projected doubling, if not tripling, of demand by the year 2050 while also meeting pressing environmental challenges, including climate change. Innovative technology such as carbon capture and storage, new mitigation techniques and alternative forms of energy must all be brought to bear. However, unlike breakthroughs in information technology, advancing broad-based energy innovation requires an enormous scale that must be factored into any equation that represents an energy solution. Further, the time frame for developing alternative forms of energy is much longer than many believe and is not understood by the general public, whose support for sustainability is critical. Some panelists estimated that it will take more than 50 years to achieve the vision of an energy system that is locally tailored and has tremendous diversity in generation. A long-term commitment to energy sustainability may also require some game-changing strategies that calm volatile energy markets and avoid political cycles. Taking a page from U.S. economic history, one panelist suggested the creation of an independent Federal Energy Reserve Board not unlike the Federal Reserve. The board would be independent and influence national decisions on energy supply, technology, infrastructure and the nation's carbon footprint to better calm the volatile energy market. Public-private efforts are critical. Energy sustainability will require partnerships with the federal government, such as the U.S. Department of Energy

The Role of Bioenergy in Enhancing Energy, Food and Ecosystem Sustainability Based on Societal Perceptions and Preferences in Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lilibeth A. Acosta

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper discussed the analysis of the survey on sustainability of bioenergy conducted in the Philippines, India and China. It acquired general perceptions of the people by asking them (a specific questions about their level of familiarity with bioenergy; (b relationship of their work to bioenergy; and (c their opinion on contribution of various feedstock on the economy and impact of bioenergy production on food security. In addition to these questions, we estimated preference weights of various feedstock based on the conjoint choices on bioenergy’s contribution to social stability, social welfare and ecological balance. The estimates revealed significant trade-offs not only among these three dimensions of sustainability but also the relative importance of energy security, food security and ecosystem capacity to other economic, social and environmental objectives. The types of first generation feedstock that are currently used for biofuel production in the respective countries and those that offer alternative household use are perceived as important to the economy and preferred bioenergy feedstock. Based on the results of the study, the preferred role of bioenergy for sustainable development reflects the social and economic concerns in the respective Asian countries, e.g., energy security in China, food security in India, and ecosystem degradation in the Philippines.

Fueling Wisconsin's economy with renewable energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clemmer, S.

1995-01-01

A dynamic macroeconomic model of the Wisconsin economy is used to estimate the economic impacts of displacing a portion of future investment in fossil fuel power plants (coal and natural gas) with renewable energy resources (biomass, wind, solar and hydro). The results show that renewable energy investments produce over three times more jobs, income and economic activity than the same amount of electricity generated from coal and natural gas power plants. Between 1995 and 2020, a 75% increase in renewable energy use generates approximately 65,000 more job-years of employment, $1.6 billion in higher disposable income and a $3.1 billion increase in gross regional product than conventional power plant investments. This includes the effects of a 0.3% average annual increase in electricity prices from renewable energy investments

System analysis of energy utilization from waste - evaluation of energy, environment and economy. Case study - Uppsala

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundqvist, Jan-Olov; Granath, Jessica; Frostell, Bjoern; Bjoerklund, Anna; Eriksson, Ola; Carlsson, Marcus

1999-12-01

Energy, environmental, and economic consequences of different management systems for municipal solid waste have been studied in a systems analysis. In the systems analysis, different combinations of incineration, materials recycling of separated plastic and cardboard containers, and biological treatment (anaerobic digestion and composting) of easily degradable organic waste, were studied and also compared to landfilling. In the study a computer model (ORWARE) based on LCA methodology was used. The following parameters were used for evaluating the different waste management options: consumption of energy resources, global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, photo oxidant formation, heavy metal flows, financial economy and welfare economy, where welfare economy is the sum of financial economy and environmental economy. The study shows that reduced landfilling to the benefit of an increased use of energy and material from waste is positive from an environmental and energy as well as economic aspect. This is mainly due to the fact that the choice of waste management method affects processes outside the waste management system, such as production of district heating, electricity, vehicle fuel, plastic, cardboard, and fertiliser. This means that landfilling of energy-rich waste should be avoided as far as possible, both because of the the environmental impact, and because of the low recovery of resources. Incineration should constitute a basis in the waste management system of Uppsala. Once the waste is collected, longer regional transports are of little significance, as long as the transports are carried out in an efficient manner. Comparing materials recycling and incineration, and biological treatment and incineration, no unambiguous conclusions can be drawn. There are benefits and drawbacks associated with all these waste management options. Materials recycling of plastic containers is comparable to incineration from a welfare economic aspect, but gives

Energy consumption and economic growth revisited: Does the size of unrecorded economy matter?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karanfil, Fatih

2008-01-01

We analyze the long-run relationship between energy consumption and real gross domestic product (GDP) in Turkey taking into account the size of unrecorded economy. Since in developing countries, mainly due to the unrecorded economic activities, the official GDP is not measured correctly, the investigation of the linkage between energy consumption and official GDP may not give reliable results. In this study, empirical results for the case of Turkey over the period 1970-2005 suggest that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between the officially calculated GDP and energy consumption. Besides, using the error-correction modeling technique, we find out that unidirectional causality runs from official GDP to energy in both short and long runs. However, when we take into account unrecorded economy, we detect neither cointegration nor causality between energy consumption and true GDP. These empirical findings imply that: first, energy conservation policies can be implemented in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without any adverse effect on the recorded economic activities; second the production function in the unrecorded economy is not stable. Furthermore, economic policies to combat unrecorded economy may not serve as a complement to energy conservation policies

Energy Efficiency and Urban Renewal in the Economies in Transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brendow, K.

1997-01-01

The Paper notes the importance of energy consumption in agglomerations (65-70% in the economies in transition) and of related emissions. It assesses the technical and cost-effective potential for a 40% and more decrease in urban energy intensities and SO 2 /NO x emissions by 2020, resulting from a systematic approach to urban as well as energy planning. Compared to approaches worldwide, urban energy renewal in the economies in transition appears, as its beginning, characterized by a traditional focus on existing technological supply sub-systems such as district heating and co-generation. The obstacles to a more systematic approach, including demand side management, are slow progress in urban and energy reforms and a lack of acquaintance with modern planning tools. International cooperation is incommensurate with the long-term challenge of s ustainable urban development . (author)

Capacity building for sustainable energy development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogner, Hans-Holger

2006-01-01

Capacity Building for Sustainable Energy Development - Mission: To build capacity in Member States (MS) for comprehensive energy system, economic and environmental analyses to assist in: - making informed policy decisions for sustainable energy development; - assessing the role of nuclear power; - understanding environmental and climate change issues related to energy production and use

Transport and environmental sustainability: An adapted SPE approach for modelling interactions between transport, infrastructure, economy and environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verhoef, Erik; Van den Bergh, Jeroen [Department of Spatial Economics, Faculty of Economics and Econometrics, Free University Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

1994-05-01

The present paper aims at shedding some light on the concept of `sustainable transport`. Within the context of a sustainable development, the consequences of interdependencies between transport, infrastructure, economy and environment for the formulation of optimal regulatory policies are investigated. The Spatial Price Equilibrium approach is adapted for the analysis of sustainable spatio-economic development, and for the evaluation of first-best and second-best regulatory policies on the issues at hand. The analysis demonstrates the need for integration of elements concerning economic structure, infrastructure, transportation, environment and space in one single analytical framework when considering questions on sustainability in relation to transport. 2 figs., 1 appendix, 10 refs.

Enabling Sustainable Agro-Food Futures: Exploring Fault Lines and Synergies Between the Integrated Territorial Paradigm, Rural Eco-Economy and Circular Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Dan Kristian; Kjeldsen, Chris; Thorsøe, Martin Hvarregaard

2016-01-01

What kind of futures does agro-food imaginaries enable and who can get involved in the making of agro-food futures? In this respect, what can the increasingly influential idea of circular economy potentially offer in terms of enabling more sustainable agrofood futures? We approach this task...... important contributions in relation to studies of alternative food networks and the “quality” turn. These research agendas have challenged the current logic of the food system in terms of offering alternative visions of future development. We highlight two examples from the literature—the eco......-economy and the integrated territorial agri-food paradigm—that develop broader frameworks for rethinking the future of the agro-food system and which have distinguished themselves in contrast to the industrialized and globalized conventional food system. We find that with respect to reorienting and reconfiguring economic...

Economic thinking, sustainable development and the role of solar energy in the 21st century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hohmeyer, O.

1993-01-01

The long term survival of mankind will only be possible if economic thinking as well as economic theory understands that the world economy is only a subsystem of the global ecological system. Only if the scale of the economic system stays within the limits determined by the long term resource availability and the assimilative capacity of the global ecological system, sustainable development and the survival of mankind can be achieved. Solar energy as the only long term energy source supplied from outside the global ecological system needs to be a central building block of sustainable development. Today the main obstacle for a widespread use of solar energy is its relative price. The paper shows that the present prices of non-renewable energy sources are heavily subsidized by not including the costs of health and environmental damages as well as the long term costs of wasting non-renewable energy sources at the expense of future generations. If these costs are taken into account the relative costs of solar energy look far more favorable than present market prices show. Photovoltaic electricity generation may become cost effective within this decade

System analysis of energy utilization from waste - evaluation of energy, environment and economy. Case study - Aelvdalen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundqvist, Jan-Olov; Granath, Jessica; Frostell, Bjoern; Bjoerklund, Anna; Eriksson, Ola; Carlsson, Marcus

1999-12-01

Energy, environmental, and economic consequences of different management systems for municipal solid waste have been studied in a systems analysis. In the systems analysis, different combinations of incineration, materials recycling of separated plastic and cardboard containers, and biological treatment (anaerobic digestion and composting) of easily degradable organic waste, were studied and also compared to landfilling. In the study a computer model (ORWARE) based on LCA methodology was used. The following parameters were used for evaluating the different waste management options: consumption of energy resources, global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, photo oxidant formation, heavy metal flows, financial economy and welfare economy, where welfare economy is the sum of financial economy and environmental economy. The study shows that reduced landfilling to the benefit of an increased use of energy and material from waste is positive from an environmental and energy as well as economic aspect. This is mainly due to the fact that the choice of waste management method affects processes outside the waste management system, such as production of district heating, vehicle fuel, plastic, cardboard, and fertiliser. This means that landfilling of energy-rich waste should be avoided as far as possible, both because of the the environmental impact, and because of the low recovery of resources. Incineration should constitute a basis in the waste management system of Aelvdalen, even if the waste has to be transported to a regional facility. Once the waste is collected, longer regional transports are of little significance, as long as the transports are carried out in an efficient manner. Comparing materials recycling and incineration, and biological treatment and incineration, no unambiguous conclusions can be drawn. There are benefits and drawbacks associated with all these waste management options. Materials recycling of plastic containers is comparable to

Shoe midsole longitudinal bending stiffness and running economy, joint energy, and EMG.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Jean-Pierre R; Stefanyshyn, Darren J

2006-03-01

It has been shown that mechanical energy is dissipated at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint during running and jumping. Furthermore, increasing the longitudinal bending stiffness of the midsole significantly reduced the energy dissipated at the MTP joint and increased jump performance. It was hypothesized that increasing midsole longitudinal bending stiffness would also lead to improvements in running economy. This study investigated the influence of midsole longitudinal bending stiffness on running economy (performance variable) and evaluated the local effects on joint energetics and muscular activity. Carbon fiber plates were inserted into running shoe midsoles and running economy, joint energy, and electromyographic (EMG) data were collected on 13 subjects. Approximately a 1% metabolic energy savings was observed when subjects ran in a stiff midsole relative to the control midsole. Subjects with a greater body mass had a greater decrease in oxygen consumption rates in the stiff midsole relative to the control midsole condition. The stiffer midsoles showed no significant differences in energy absorption at the MTP joint compared with the control shoe. Finally, no significant changes were observed in muscular activation. Increasing midsole longitudinal bending stiffness led to improvements in running economy, yet the underlying mechanisms that can be attributed to this improvement are still not fully understood.

The taxes allocation devoted to the sustainable development (energy conservation, renewable energies); Le credit d'impot dedie au developpement durable (economies d'energie, energies renouvelables)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

This document aims to bring a better knowledge of the sustainable energy equipment which benefit of tax allocation. It presents the expenditure concerned by this law, the buildings where the expenditure are allowed, the expenditure amount and the administrative procedure to benefit of this decree. (A.L.B.)

Energy and electricity within the transformed economy of the Czech Republic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazac, V.

1995-01-01

The development of the contribution of electricity generation to the power economy of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic, and of selected market economy countries is documented. The countries include Belgium, Japan, West Germany (prior to unification), Austria, Switzerland, and the US. The following parameters are given: per capita electricity and energy use (in kWh and GJ, respectively) and the share of electricity in the energy used by the country (in kWh/GJ). In all of the countries except Switzerland, the electricity share in the total energy use exhibits an increasing trend. (J.B.). 3 tabs

Estimating Potential GDP for the Romanian Economy and Assessing the Sustainability of Economic Growth: A Multivariate Filter Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Armeanu

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In the current context of economic recovery and rebalancing, the necessity of modelling and estimating the potential output and output gap emerges in order to assess the quality and sustainability of economic growth, the monetary and fiscal policies, as well as the impact of business cycles. Despite the importance of potential GDP and the output gap, there are difficulties in reliably estimating them, as many of the models proposed in the economic literature are calibrated for developed economies and are based on complex macroeconomic relationships and a long history of robust data, while emerging economies exhibit high volatility. The object of this study is to develop a model in order to estimate the potential GDP and output gap and to assess the sustainability of projected growth using a multivariate filter approach. This trend estimation technique is the newest approach proposed by the economic literature and has gained wide acceptance with researchers and practitioners alike, while also being used by the IMF for Romania. The paper will be structured as follows. We first discuss the theoretical background of the model. The second section focuses on an analysis of the Romanian economy for the 1995–2013 time frame, while also providing a forecast for 2014–2017 and an assessment of the sustainability of Romania’s economic growth. The third section sums up the results and concludes.

An Empirical Study on Key Indicators of Environmental Quality: Green Budgeting - a Catalyst for Sustainable Economy and a Factor for Institutional Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Violeta – Maria Cimpoeru

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the phenomenon of institutional change through the implementation of sustainable strategies of medium-term budgeting, having as an effect the growth of opportunity to attract proper resources for social and environmental programs. The study analyzes green budget practices and suggests several ways to use them in order to ensure consistency in implementing key elements of sustainable economy. Thus, we conducted an empirical study to explain the decisive factors impact (greenhouse gas emissions and national income on health expenditure and we obtained statistically significant positive relationship, suggesting that green budgeting is an important factor for sustainable economy. The reasons behind the introduction of a sustainable perspective for budgeting in any country are important since they will dictate, to a large extent, the way the medium term budgeting will be institutionalized

Sustainable Energy Business Visits 2009; Duurzame Energie bedrijfsbezoeken 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gielen, J.H. [C Point, DLV Plant, Horst (Netherlands)

2010-03-15

Because the Steering Committee for Long-term Agreements on Energy for Mushrooms found the sustainable energy business visits of 2008 very valuable, it was decided in 2009 to assign Cpoint the task of conducting sustainable energy advisory visits, enabling mushroom cultivators to sign up for a free of charge sustainable energy visit. This report summarizes the results of these business visits [Dutch] Omdat de Duurzame Energie (DE) bedrijfsbezoeken van 2008 door de Stuurgroep MJA-e Paddestoelen als erg waardevol zijn ervaren, is er ook voor het jaar 2009 aan Cpoint een opdracht voor het uitvoeren van DE adviesbezoeken verstrekt, waarbij champignontelers zich konden opgeven voor een gratis DE adviesbezoek. In dit rapport wordt verslag gedaan van de resultaten van de bedrijfsbezoeken.

Geographies of energy transition: Space, place and the low-carbon economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bridge, Gavin; Bouzarovski, Stefan; Bradshaw, Michael; Eyre, Nick

2013-01-01

This paper makes a case for examining energy transition as a geographical process, involving the reconfiguration of current patterns and scales of economic and social activity. The paper draws on a seminar series on the ‘Geographies of Energy Transition: security, climate, governance' hosted by the authors between 2009 and 2011, which initiated a dialogue between energy studies and the discipline of human geography. Focussing on the UK Government's policy for a low carbon transition, the paper provides a conceptual language with which to describe and assess the geographical implications of a transition towards low carbon energy. Six concepts are introduced and explained: location, landscape, territoriality, spatial differentiation, scaling, and spatial embeddedness. Examples illustrate how the geographies of a future low-carbon economy are not yet determined and that a range of divergent – and contending – potential geographical futures are in play. More attention to the spaces and places that transition to a low-carbon economy will produce can help better understand what living in a low-carbon economy will be like. It also provides a way to help evaluate the choices and pathways available. - Highlights: ► Examines transition as a geographical process, reconfiguring patterns and scales of activity. ► Provides concepts for assessing geographical implications of transition to a low-carbon economy. ► Outlines location, landscape, territoriality, uneven development, scaling, and embeddedness.

Towards a Green Economy. Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication. A Synthesis for Policy Makers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-07-01

Nearly 20 years after the Earth Summit, nations are again on the Road to Rio, but in a world very different and very changed from that of 1992. Then we were just glimpsing some of the challenges emerging across the planet from climate change and the loss of species to desertification and land degradation. Today many of those seemingly far off concerns are becoming a reality with sobering implications for not only achieving the UN's Millennium Development Goals, but challenging the very opportunity for close to seven billion people - rising to nine billion by 2050 - to be able to thrive, let alone survive. Rio 1992 did not fail the world - far from it. It provided the vision and important pieces of the multilateral machinery to achieve a sustainable future. But this will only be possible if the environmental and social pillars of sustainable development are given equal footing with the economic one: where the often invisible engines of sustainability, from forests to freshwaters, are also given equal if not greater weight in development and economic planning. Towards a Green Economy is among UNEP's key contributions to the Rio+20 process and the overall goal of addressing poverty and delivering a sustainable 21st century. The report makes a compelling economic and social case for investing two per cent of global GDP in greening ten central sectors of the economy in order to shift development and unleash public and private capital flows onto a low-carbon, resource-efficient path. Such a transition can catalyse economic activity of at least a comparable size to business as usual, but with a reduced risk of the crises and shocks increasingly inherent in the existing model. New ideas are by their very nature disruptive, but far less disruptive than a world running low on drinking water and productive land, set against the backdrop of climate change, extreme weather events and rising natural resource scarcities. A green economy does not favour one political

Towards a Green Economy. Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication. A Synthesis for Policy Makers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Nearly 20 years after the Earth Summit, nations are again on the Road to Rio, but in a world very different and very changed from that of 1992. Then we were just glimpsing some of the challenges emerging across the planet from climate change and the loss of species to desertification and land degradation. Today many of those seemingly far off concerns are becoming a reality with sobering implications for not only achieving the UN's Millennium Development Goals, but challenging the very opportunity for close to seven billion people - rising to nine billion by 2050 - to be able to thrive, let alone survive. Rio 1992 did not fail the world - far from it. It provided the vision and important pieces of the multilateral machinery to achieve a sustainable future. But this will only be possible if the environmental and social pillars of sustainable development are given equal footing with the economic one: where the often invisible engines of sustainability, from forests to freshwaters, are also given equal if not greater weight in development and economic planning. Towards a Green Economy is among UNEP's key contributions to the Rio+20 process and the overall goal of addressing poverty and delivering a sustainable 21st century. The report makes a compelling economic and social case for investing two per cent of global GDP in greening ten central sectors of the economy in order to shift development and unleash public and private capital flows onto a low-carbon, resource-efficient path. Such a transition can catalyse economic activity of at least a comparable size to business as usual, but with a reduced risk of the crises and shocks increasingly inherent in the existing model. New ideas are by their very nature disruptive, but far less disruptive than a world running low on drinking water and productive land, set against the backdrop of climate change, extreme weather events and rising natural resource scarcities. A green economy does not favour one political perspective

MARKAL-MACRO: A linked model for energy-economy analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manne, A.S.; Wene, C.O.

1992-02-01

MARKAL-MACRO is an experiment in model linkage for energy and economy analysis. This new tool is intended as an improvement over existing methods for energy strategy assessment. It is designed specifically for estimating the costs and analyzing the technologies proposed for reducing environmental risks such as global climate change or regional air pollution. The greenhouse gas debate illustrates the usefulness of linked energy-economy models. A central issue is the coupling between economic growth, the level of energy demands, and the development of an energy system to supply these demands. The debate is often connected with alternative modeling approaches. The competing philosophies may be labeled ''top-down macroeconomic'' and ''bottom-up engineering'' perspectives. MARKAL is a systems engineering (physical process) analysis built on the concept of a Reference Energy System (RES). MARKAL is solved by means of dynamic linear programming. In most applications, the end use demands are fixed, and an economically efficient solution is obtained by minimizing the present value of energy system's costs throughout the planning horizon. MACRO is a macroeconomic model with an aggregated view of long-term economic growth. The basis input factors of production are capital, labor and individual forms of energy. MACRO is solved by nonlinear optimization

Making sustainability work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binswanger, Hans Christoph

1998-01-01

Today's economic theory usually neglects the role of nature and environment. To make sustainability work it is, however, essential to (re-)integrate nature into the standard concepts of economics, especially by incorporating natural factors into the production function. It must be acknowledged that economic growth is not (only) the result of technical change but is mainly caused by rising energy-inputs into the economy, and that this is necessarily followed by resource exhaustion and pollution. Therefore, nature must not only be taken into account as a central factor of production but also in the form of environmental quality which is the basis for human quality of life. A numeric example shows that a small, but steady decrease of yearly resource consumption is already apt to redirect the economy on a path of sustainable development

Collaborative Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

collaborative economy and tourism Dianne Dredge and Szilvia Gyimóthy PART I - Theoretical explorations 2.Definitions and mapping the landscape in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy and Dianne Dredge 3.Business models of the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 4.Responsibility and care...... and similar phenomena are among these collective innovations in tourism that are shaking the very bedrock of an industrial system that has been traditionally sustained along commercial value chains. To date there has been very little investigation of these trends, which have been inspired by, amongst other...... in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge 5.Networked cultures in the collaborative economy Szilvia Gyimóthy 6.Policy and regulatory perspectives in the collaborative economy Dianne Dredge PART II - Disruptions, innovations and transformations 7.Regulating innovation in the collaborative economy: An examination...

Sustainable cities and energy policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Capello, R.; Nijkamp, P.; Pepping, G.

1999-01-01

This book starts out with the optimistic perspective that modern cities can indeed play a strategic role in the necessary pathway to sustainable development, with particular emphasis on the opportunities offered by local energy and environmental initiatives. Our study aims to demonstrate that an urban sustainability policy has many socio-economic benefits, while it also seeks to identify the critical success and failure factors of sustainable city innovations. After a comprehensive review of various opportunities and experiences, attention is focused particularly on renewable energy resources which may offer new potential for the active involvement of local authorities. The study also highlights major impediments regarding the adoption and implementation of renewable energies, in particular, the development of advanced energy-environmental technology in a world dominated by natural (public) monopolies and/or monopolistic competition elements. In this context both theoretical and empirical elements are discussed, as well as institutional aspects. The theory and methodology is tested by a thorough empirical investigation into local renewable energy initiatives in three European countries, viz. Greece, Italy and The Netherlands. Based on an extensive data base, various statistical models are estimated in order to identify the key elements and major driving forces of sustainable development at the city level. And finally, the study is concluded with a long list of applicable and operational policy guidelines for urban sustainability. These lessons are largely based on meta-analytic comparative studies of the various initiatives investigated. (orig.)

Energy for sustainable road transportation in China: Challenges, initiatives and policy implications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Xiaojun; Chang, Shiyan; Li, Jingjie; Qin, Yining [Institute of Energy and Environmental Economics, Energy Science Building, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-11-15

This paper presents an overview of the initiatives launched in energy supply and consumption and the challenges encountered in sustainable road transportation development in China. It analyzes the main energy challenges related to road transportation development arising in the context of economic development, rapid urbanization, and improvement in living standards. It also discusses technological- and policy initiatives needed to deal with these challenges, drawing comparisons with foreign experience: promoting the development and dissemination of alternative fuels and clean vehicles such as: LPG, CNG, EV, HEV, FCV, ethanol, methanol, DME, bio-diesel, and CTL, strengthening regulations relating to vehicle fuel economy and emission, improving traffic efficiency and facilitating public transport development, and strengthening management of the soaring motor vehicle population. If the current pattern continues, by the year 2030, the vehicle population in China will be 400 million and fuel demand will be 350 million tons. The potential energy saving capacity being 60%, the actual oil demand by 2030 from on-road vehicles might technically be kept at the current level by improving fuel economy, propagating use of HEV and diesel vehicles, improving supply of alternative fuels, and developing public transport. Several uncertainties are identified that could greatly influence the effect of the technical proposals: traffic efficiency, central government's resolve, and consumers' choice. (author)

Assessment of the Sustainable Development Capacity with the Entropy Weight Coefficient Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qingsong Wang

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Sustainable development is widely accepted in the world. How to reflect the sustainable development capacity of a region is an important issue for enacting policies and plans. An index system for capacity assessment is established by employing the Entropy Weight Coefficient method. The results indicate that the sustainable development capacity of Shandong Province is improving in terms of its economy subsystem, resource subsystem, and society subsystem whilst degrading in its environment subsystem. Shandong Province has shown the general trend towards sustainable development. However, the sustainable development capacity can be constrained by the resources such as energy, land, water, as well as environmental protection. These issues are induced by the economy development model, the security of energy supply, the level of new energy development, the end-of-pipe control of pollution, and the level of science and technology commercialization. Efforts are required to accelerate the development of the tertiary industry, the commercialization of high technology, the development of new energy and renewable energy, and the structure optimization of energy mix. Long-term measures need to be established for the ecosystem and environment protection.

Energy and the Wealth of Nations Understanding the Biophysical Economy

CERN Document Server

Hall, Charles A S

2012-01-01

For the past 150 years, economics has been treated as a social science in which economies are modeled as a circular flow of income between producers and consumers.  In this “perpetual motion” of interactions between firms that produce and households that consume, little or no accounting is given of the flow of energy and materials from the environment and back again.  In the standard economic model, energy and matter are completely recycled in these transactions, and economic activity is seemingly exempt from the Second Law of Thermodynamics.  As we enter the second half of the age of oil, and as energy supplies and the environmental impacts of energy production and consumption become major issues on the world stage, this exemption appears illusory at best. In Energy and the Wealth of Nations, concepts such as energy return on investment (EROI) provide powerful insights into the real balance sheets that drive our “petroleum economy.” Hall and Klitgaard explore the relation between energy and the we...

Decomposing Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Regulatory Standards in the Energy Conversion Efficiency and Tractive Energy Domain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pannone, Greg [Novation Analytics; Thomas, John F [ORNL; Reale, Michael [Novation Analytics; Betz, Brian [Novation Analytics

2017-01-01

The three foundational elements that determine mobile source energy use and tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are the tractive energy requirements of the vehicle, the on-cycle energy conversion efficiency of the propulsion system, and the energy source. The tractive energy requirements are determined by the vehicle's mass, aerodynamic drag, tire rolling resistance, and parasitic drag. Oncycle energy conversion of the propulsion system is dictated by the tractive efficiency, non-tractive energy use, kinetic energy recovery, and parasitic losses. The energy source determines the mobile source CO2 emissions. For current vehicles, tractive energy requirements and overall energy conversion efficiency are readily available from the decomposition of test data. For future applications, plausible levels of mass reduction, aerodynamic drag improvements, and tire rolling resistance can be transposed into the tractive energy domain. Similarly, by combining thermodynamic, mechanical efficiency, and kinetic energy recovery fundamentals with logical proxies, achievable levels of energy conversion efficiency can be established to allow for the evaluation of future powertrain requirements. Combining the plausible levels of tractive energy and on-cycle efficiency provides a means to compute sustainable vehicle and propulsion system scenarios that can achieve future regulations. Using these principles, the regulations established in the United States (U.S.) for fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are evaluated. Fleet-level scenarios are generated and compared to the technology deployment assumptions made during rule-making. When compared to the rule-making assumptions, the results indicate that a greater level of advanced vehicle and propulsion system technology deployment will be required to achieve the model year 2025 U.S. standards for fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

Sharing economy as a new business model for energy storage systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lombardi, P.; Schwabe, F.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Sharing economy as new business model for Energy Storage Operators. • More attractiveness of Battery Storage Systems. • Optimal Dimensioning of Battery Storage Systems for sharing economy application. - Abstract: Energy storage systems (ESS) are the candidate solution to integrate the high amount of electric power generated by volatile renewable energy sources into the electric grid. However, even though the investment costs of some ESS technologies have decreased over the last few years, few business models seem to be attractive for investors. In most of these models, ESS are applied only for one use case, such as primary control reserve. In this study, a business model based on the sharing economy principle has been developed and analyzed. In this model, the energy storage operator offers its storage system to different kinds of customers. Each customer uses the ESS for their single use case. A set of different use cases has been identified to make the operation of the ESS profitable (e.g. peak shaving, self-consumption and day-ahead market participation). Different kinds of stationary batteries (lithium-ion, sodium-sulfur and vanadium redox-flow) have been considered as energy storage technologies, which differ both in their investment costs and their technical properties, such as round-trip efficiency. The simulation of the business model developed showed that a sharing economy-based model may increase the profitability of operating a battery storage system compared to the single use case business model. Additionally, larger battery dimensions regarding power and capacity were found to be profitable and resulted in an increased revenue stream.

Evaluating energy-system alternatives in the context of sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, D.

1993-01-01

Growing awareness of the negative social, environmental and economic impacts caused by the production, distribution and end-use consumption of energy has led the search for alternatives to become increasingly urgent and complex. The need for analytical methods and tools for evaluating options and opportunities is particularly acute in rapidly developing countries. The aim of this article is to illustrate the broad range of issues and impacts that are important for evaluating and comparing energy-system alternatives in the context of sustainable development. The feasibility of producing and utilizing biomass-based ethanol as an alternative transportation fuel in Thailand is explored herein to provide examples and a forum for discussion of these issues. Scenarios describe the conditions under which a significant potential for fuel-switching to domestically-produced ethanol appears to exist. Harnessing this potential could lead to important improvements in the energy system's impacts on human health, Thailand's economy, and the environment. Achieving these improvements, however, would require comprehensive and long-term planning and support on the part of the Thai government

Energy policy and regional inequalities in the Brazilian economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Gervasio F.; Haddad, Eduardo A.; Hewings, Geoffrey J.D.

2013-01-01

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the long-run regional impacts of the tariff policy of the Brazilian electric power sector. This sector has undergone a reform process that started in the 1990s. Since the beginning of the reform, two spatial trends of distribution of electric power tariffs have emerged among the Brazilian states, one of convergence and another of spatial divergence. These trends have been guided by the new electric power tariff policy and by the spatial features of the Brazilian economy, which is marked by a high degree of spatial concentration and hierarchical distribution of large markets. In addition, because of the presence of strong economies of scale, the recent electric power prices differentials might be caused by differentials in market size that provide better conditions for the achievement of economies of scale for electric power utility companies located in larger markets. Given the role of electric power as an important intermediate input in the production process and the interdependence between sectors, an Energy Interregional Computable General Equilibrium model was used to simulate the long-run regional impacts of electric power tariff policy in Brazil. The simulations showed that the heterogeneity of energy-intensity and the differentials of energy substitution drive the spatial impacts of changes in electric power prices. On the other hand, the recent trend of spatial dispersion of electric power prices might contribute to a decrease in the long-run economic growth and to an increase in the regional inequalities in Brazil. - Highlights: ► We model the regional impacts of tariff policy of the electric power sector in Brazil. ► High electric power tariffs increases in regions with higher electric-power-intensity. ► Heterogeneity of energy supply determines an unequal pattern of energy substitution. ► Low possibilities of energy substitution generate the most negative economic impacts

Profiting from negawatts: Reducing absolute consumption and emissions through a performance-based energy economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinberger, Julia K.; Niel, Johan van; Bourg, Dominique

2009-01-01

Current energy and GHG emissions policies either focus directly on emissions or promote renewable production and the implementation of specific efficiency measures. Meanwhile, the fundamental structure of the energy market based on profits through energy throughput remains largely unchallenged. This policy oversight prevents the transition to an energy economy in which profits are based on energy services delivered at the lowest energy cost: a performance-based energy economy (PBEE). The PBEE applies the combined concepts of the performance economy and energy services to the energy sector. Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) are discussed as an example of PBEE practices. The implications for energy suppliers and consumers as well as the conditions for PBEE diffusion and consequences for technological change are also explored. The expected environmental, social and economic benefits are described. However, absolute consumption and emissions reductions may prove elusive due to the rebound effect. In order to forestall rebound-led increases, complementary policy measures likely to lead to absolute reductions are required

Profiting from negawatts. Reducing absolute consumption and emissions through a performance-based energy economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steinberger, Julia K. [IPTEH, Quartier Sorge-Bat. Amphipole, University of Lausanne, CH-1015-Lausanne (Switzerland); Institute of Social Ecology, Klagenfurt University, Schottenfeldg. 29, A-1070 Vienna (Austria); van Niel, Johan [IPTEH, Quartier Sorge-Bat. Amphipole, University of Lausanne, CH-1015-Lausanne (Switzerland); CREIDD, University of Technology of Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France); Bourg, Dominique [IPTEH, Quartier Sorge-Bat. Amphipole, University of Lausanne, CH-1015-Lausanne (Switzerland)

2009-01-15

Current energy and GHG emissions policies either focus directly on emissions or promote renewable production and the implementation of specific efficiency measures. Meanwhile, the fundamental structure of the energy market based on profits through energy throughput remains largely unchallenged. This policy oversight prevents the transition to an energy economy in which profits are based on energy services delivered at the lowest energy cost: a performance-based energy economy (PBEE). The PBEE applies the combined concepts of the performance economy and energy services to the energy sector. Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) are discussed as an example of PBEE practices. The implications for energy suppliers and consumers as well as the conditions for PBEE diffusion and consequences for technological change are also explored. The expected environmental, social and economic benefits are described. However, absolute consumption and emissions reductions may prove elusive due to the rebound effect. In order to forestall rebound-led increases, complementary policy measures likely to lead to absolute reductions are required. (author)

Profiting from negawatts: Reducing absolute consumption and emissions through a performance-based energy economy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steinberger, Julia K. [IPTEH, Quartier Sorge-Bat. Amphipole, University of Lausanne, CH-1015-Lausanne (Switzerland); Institute of Social Ecology, Klagenfurt University, Schottenfeldg. 29, A-1070 Vienna (Austria)], E-mail: julia.steinberger@uni-klu.ac.at; Niel, Johan van [IPTEH, Quartier Sorge-Bat. Amphipole, University of Lausanne, CH-1015-Lausanne (Switzerland); CREIDD, University of Technology of Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France); Bourg, Dominique [IPTEH, Quartier Sorge-Bat. Amphipole, University of Lausanne, CH-1015-Lausanne (Switzerland)

2009-01-15

Current energy and GHG emissions policies either focus directly on emissions or promote renewable production and the implementation of specific efficiency measures. Meanwhile, the fundamental structure of the energy market based on profits through energy throughput remains largely unchallenged. This policy oversight prevents the transition to an energy economy in which profits are based on energy services delivered at the lowest energy cost: a performance-based energy economy (PBEE). The PBEE applies the combined concepts of the performance economy and energy services to the energy sector. Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) are discussed as an example of PBEE practices. The implications for energy suppliers and consumers as well as the conditions for PBEE diffusion and consequences for technological change are also explored. The expected environmental, social and economic benefits are described. However, absolute consumption and emissions reductions may prove elusive due to the rebound effect. In order to forestall rebound-led increases, complementary policy measures likely to lead to absolute reductions are required.

Bill asserting the national commitment for the environment (declared urgency), text from the commission of economy, sustainable development and town and country planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-07-01

The bill asserting the French national commitment for the environment (also named 'Grenelle 2') is considered as the juridical tool-box of the French environmental policy. It confirms, strengthens, and concretizes the objectives defined by the Grenelle 1 law. The main dispositions of the bill concern the following domains: settlement and urbanism with the improvement of the energy efficiency, energy conservation and life-cycle of buildings; transports with the development of sustainable transportation systems; energy with the creation of regional climate, air and energy schemes with the aim of developing renewable energies (with some restrictions concerning wind power) and reducing CO 2 emissions; biodiversity with the creation of ecological pathways between protected areas for the migration of flora and fauna species; environment and waste management with the reinforcement of measures for the abatement of environmental pollutant effects. Among the numerous dispositions involving more than 20 codes (urbanism, environment, buildings etc..) one concerns the progressive implementation of a 'carbon price' index taking into account the greenhouse gas emission costs during the whole life cycle of a product, another one concerns the monitoring of indoor air quality in public buildings. This document is the text of the bill as prepared by the Commission of economy, sustainable development and town and country planning. (J.S.)

FROM CIRCULAR ECONOMY TO BLUE ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iustin-Emanuel, ALEXANDRU

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Addressing the subject of this essay is based on the background ideas generated by a new branch of science - Biomimicry. According to European Commissioner for the Environment, "Nature is the perfect model of circular economy". Therefore, by imitating nature, we are witnessing a process of cycle redesign: production-consumption-recycling. The authors present some reflections on the European Commission's decision to adopt after July 1, 2014 new measures concerning the development of more circular economies. Starting from the principles of Ecolonomy, which is based on the whole living paradigm, this paper argues for the development within each economy of entrepreneurial policies related to the Blue economy. In its turn, Blue economy is based on scientific analyses that identify the best solutions in a business. Thus, formation of social capital will lead to healthier and cheaper products, which will stimulate entrepreneurship. Blue economy is another way of thinking economic practice and is a new model of business design. It is a healthy, sustainable business, designed for people. In fact, it is the core of the whole living paradigm through which, towards 2020, circular economy will grow more and more.

Enterprising with new energy; Ondernemen met nieuwe energie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-12-15

To realize the transition to a clean economy in 2040 the Dutch province of Utrecht needs to eliminate the emission of 12.1 Mton CO2 annually. Based on the strategy developed by Jeremy Rifkin, the province of Utrecht wants to realize energy saving objectives, have sustainable energy sources used by energy companies and other energy suppliers, adjust dwellings to make them function as ten thousands of small sustainable energy plants, increase the capacity for energy storage and establish an intelligent energy grid. [Dutch] Voor de transitie naar een schone economie in 2040 moet Utrecht een einde hebben gemaakt aan de emissie van 12,1 megaton CO2 per jaar. Gebaseerd op een door Jeremy Rifkin ontwikkelde strategie wil de provincie Utrecht energiebesparingsdoelstellingen realiseren, duurzame energiebronnen door energiebedrijven en andere energieleveranciers laten toepassen, woningen en gebouwen aanpassen zodat zij gaan functioneren als tienduizenden kleine, duurzame energiecentrales, de capaciteit voor energieopslag vergroten, en een intelligent energienet opzetten.

Sustainable Energy Survey. Main report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-02-01

This report shows the results of a quick survey of current developments in the Dutch sustainable energy market. The companies and organizations, which are all members of the branch organizations under the umbrella of the Duurzame Energie Koepel, were interviewed about their situation in relation to the credit crisis and their vision on what is needed to put a halt to (further) slumping in the sustainable energy branch and in fact to promote the growth in turnover and employment. [nl

Effects of Energy Drinks on Economy and Cardiovascular Measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Peveler, Willard W; Sanders, Gabe J; Marczinski, Cecile A; Holmer, Brady

2017-04-01

Peveler, WW, Sanders, GJ, Marczinski, CA, and Holmer, B. Effects of energy drinks on economy and cardiovascular measures. J Strength Cond Res 31(4): 882-887, 2017-The use of energy drinks among athletes has risen greatly. Caffeine and taurine are the 2 primary performance enhancing ingredients found in energy drinks. The number of emergency department visits involving energy drinks doubled over the past 5 years. Reviews of the health complications have highlighted adverse cardiovascular events. The literature reveals that caffeine is known to moderately increase blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of 3 different energy drinks on cardiovascular and performance measures. Fifteen recreational runners completed 5 trials. The first trial consisted of a graded exercise protocol. The 4 remaining trials consisted of 15-minute economy trials at a treadmill speed consistent with 70% of subject's V[Combining Dot Above]O2max. An hour before subjects ingested 1 of the 3 energy drinks or a placebo. HR, BP, V[Combining Dot Above]O2, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded during the 15-minute trial. Mean values for dependent measures were compared using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Fifteen-minute systolic BP readings were significantly lower in the placebo trials (156.93 ± 15.50) in relation to the 3 energy drink trials (163.87 ± 13.30, 166.47 ± 13.71, and 165.00 ± 15.23). There were no significant differences in diastolic BP and HR. There were no significant differences found in V[Combining Dot Above]O2 or RPE measures. Ingestion of energy drinks demonstrated no change in V[Combining Dot Above]O2 or RPE during the economy trials. The findings show no performance benefits under the conditions of this study. However, there does appear to be a significant increase in systolic BP.

Sustainability dilemmas in emerging economies

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Rama K. Jayanti

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Increasing evidence of climate change is forcing businesses to play an active role in reducing sustainability burdens and preserving resources for future generations. Extant research on sustainability has an exclusive focus on developed countries with stringent environmental regulations and activist scrutiny. Emerging markets present interesting dilemmas since rapid mass urbanisation aimed at raising standards of living poses concomitant threats to environmental health. This round table aimed to showcase best practices in sustainability within the Indian business context. Insights from the discussion regarding sustainability dilemmas provide a fertile ground for bench marking global sustainability best practices.

Reactor and process design in sustainable energy technology

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