Environmental and Sustainability Assessment of Current and Prospective Status of Coal Mine Methane Production and Use in the European Union

The study provides an analysis of the coalmine methane (CMM) status and prospects (up to 2030) in the EU from the sustainability point of view, i.e. economic, environmental and social implications. The study demonstrates the considerable potential for alternative price and regulatory drivers to encourage coal mine methane project developments. This is clear across the three scenarios considered (i.e., the existing market price scenario, the augmented price scenario, and a scenario that imposes a requirement for methane use/abatement to the extent that is technically feasible) as applied in this analysis to the three subject countries of Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. The most significant potential impact that CMM industrial development brings is the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, which occurs under all three scenarios. The costs of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through policies to promote coal mine methane projects is also very favourable. The use of CMM will also provide some enhanced domestic supply of an energy resource. Although CMM should not be viewed as a critical strategic energy resource to the EU as a whole, as its maximum expected input into the European grid systems of gas and electricity would be small compared to the overall respective market sizes and would have very small impacts on energy prices, the analysis in this study shows that full use of existing and future CMM resources can contribute considerably to the energy mix of the local regions.JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen

The Integration of Smart Meters into Electrical Grids: Bangladesh Chapter

The Smart Metering Technology paves way for increased utilization of green power through Renewable Energy Sources. With the introduction of Smart Metering Technology at Distribution level, the consumer shall have an incentive to switch on their appliances time specific, to have the benefit of choice of low cost power. This paper identifies specific issues that could be developed for Bangladesh’s deployment of Smart Metering Infrastructure, recommends appropriate goals, key strategies, and critical objectives in solving those shortcomings, and outlines a practical program, identifying key tasks and necessary expert capabilities, to accomplish that solution in a timely and affordable manner. Keywords: AMR, AMI, AMM, Power Line Carrier (PLC

Driving carbon reduction strategies adoption in the Australian construction sector - the moderating role of organizational culture

In recent years, numbers of strategies were advocated to foster carbon reduction in built environment. However, few studies have acknowledged that strategies adoption is a matter of organizational culture (OC). In this study, a conceptual model that depicts the hypothesized relationship among carbon reduction drivers, strategies adoption and OC is developed. The model is then tested with data collected via a survey conducted in Australia. The results suggest that the significant relationship between the carbon tax and the adoption of carbon reduction strategies can be further enhanced by OC in terms of goal clarity, rewards, and innovation. Surprisingly, stringent regulations may not necessarily induce adoption of carbon reduction strategies in built environment even if OC exists

the impact of the eu energy policy on member states legal orders state of art and perspectives of renewable energy in italy and great britain

Recently, the European Union has adopted the "Climate and Energy Packet" (Directives 2009/28/EC, 2009/29/EC, 2009/31/EC) and the "Third Energy Packet" (Directives 2009/72/EC, 2009/72/EC, 2009/92/EC), aimed to create a whole competitive energy market, based on both the principle of perfect competition and that of high environmental sustainability. The environment, in fact, has become one of the elements that sensibly influence the EU policy, which for some time seems to have decisively shifted towards pursuing green economy objectives. However, moving from the assumption that the effectiveness of the European legislation can be tested just when it is transposed in the Member States' legal orders, the article analyzes how Italy and Great Britain have complied with the above mentioned Directives. In so doing, it gives account of both the state of art and perspectives of the renewable energy policies in those Countries, looking for convergences and divergences, and concludes that sometimes the effective fulfilment of the European tasks could require, above all, a shift of perspective by Member States

Vulnerability and resistance in the United Kingdom’s smart meter transition

The Smart Meter Implementation Program (SMIP) lays the legal framework in the United Kingdom so that a smart gas and electricity meter, along with an in-home display, can be installed in every household by 2020. Intended to reduce national household energy consumption by 5-15%, the SMIP represents arguably the world’s largest and most expensive smart meter rollout. However, a series of obstacles and delays has restricted implementation, and progress has been far more sluggish than envisioned. To explore why, this study utilizes a mixed methods approach to investigate the socio-technical challenges facing the SMIP, with a strong emphasis on the “social” side of the equation. It first explains its two primary sources of data, a systematic review of the academic literature coupled with participant observation of seven major SMIP events in the UK during 2015-2016. It then offers a history of the SMIP rollout, including a summary of 67 potential benefits as well as the often-discussed technical challenges, before delving into pertinent non-technical challenges, specifically vulnerability as well as consumer resistance and ambivalence. The article argues that the dominant focus on technical problems may obscure societal issues that the implementation program must address. In doing so, the paper not only presents a critique of the UK’s implementation program for smart meters, it also offers a review of academic studies on consumer responses to smart meters, an analysis of the intersection between smart meters and other social concerns such as poverty or the marginalization of rural areas, and the generation of lessons for other smart meter programs

Start-Up or Scale-Up? An Approach through Economic Impact

Entrepreneurship is considered to be one of the engines for transforming our world and overcoming the diverse nature of global challenges as it promotes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, higher levels of productivity, technological innovation, full and productive employment, and decent work for all peoples (United Nations, n.d.). Over the last decade, however, this belief has been shown to be flawed given that the typical start-up is not innovative, creates only a few jobs, and generates little wealth. Policy makers are increasingly focusing as such on the so-called scale-ups, or start-ups that have experienced growth of more than 20% over the last three consecutive years. The general belief is that these companies have a big impact on the economy, especially in terms of job creation. The purpose of this paper, then, is to test whether public resources should continue to be devoted to the generation of new companies or if these should be oriented toward the promotion of high growth companies that are defined as scale-ups. To accomplish this task, we developed a multisector model based on Social Accounting Matrices (SAM) to measure this impact of start-ups and scale-ups and applied it to a regional economy (Andalusia). The results obtained suggest that while scale-ups have a greater impact on gross domestic product, productive output, and job creation compared to traditional entrepreneurial activity, this is not large enough to replace the latter

START-UP OR SCALE-UP?: An Approach through Economic Impact

Entrepreneurship is considered to be one of the engines for transforming our world and overcoming the diverse nature of global challenges as it promotes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, higher levels of productivity, technological innovation, full and productive employment, and decent work for all peoples (United Nations, n.d.). Over the last decade, however, this belief has been shown to be flawed given that the typical start-up is not innovative, creates only a few jobs, and generates little wealth. Policy makers are increasingly focusing as such on the so-called scale-ups, or start-ups that have experienced growth of more than 20% over the last three consecutive years. The general belief is that these companies have a big impact on the economy, especially in terms of job creation. The purpose of this paper, then, is to test whether public resources should continue to be devoted to the generation of new companies or if these should be oriented toward the promotion of high growth companies that are defined as scale-ups. To accomplish this task, we developed a multisector model based on Social Accounting Matrices (SAM) to measure this impact of start-ups and scale-ups and applied it to a regional economy (Andalusia). The results obtained suggest that while scale-ups have a greater impact on gross domestic product, productive output, and job creation compared to traditional entrepreneurial activity, this is not large enough to replace the latter

Women's home-based income generation as a strategy towards poverty survival : dynamics of the 'khannawalli' (mealmaking) activity of Bombay

For generations. the "khannawallis" have supplied daily cooked meals for thousands of single male migrant textile workers who live in appalling conditions in Bombay. In this way. they have become essential to Bombay's industrial development and daily functioning. However. the activity remains "invisible" and very little notice is taken of the women or their work. This thesis uses the khannawalli activity as a case study to understand the dynamics and problematics of women's home-based income generation. By exploring the Marxist and the feminist discourse on the "informal" sector; women; and poverty. the thesis comes to the conclusion that the best way of analyse the khannawalli activity is by adopting a "livelihoods system" approach. In doing so. it suggests that women's home-based income activities are better understood as strategies towards survival. rather than small entrepreneurial activities. Understood in this way, the central point of analysis becomes the access each individual has to the resources and opportunities necessary to start and maintain an activity. An analysis based on access is able to draw out social differentiation between individual operators and their operations. It also enables a comment on individual relationships. both within the household and outside of it. Altogether. this develops an understanding of how women's home-based income activities operate. and what problems they create. Furthermore, by setting the activity within a historical context. this case study is also able to look at recent changes that have affected the khannawalli activity. Whilst some of these changes have been detrimental to the activity, the khannawallis have proved that it is possible. even for those in the "informal" sector to address their future by organising themselves. The khannawallis show that women in poverty are not simply the passive recipients of their destiny