Exploring the role of messenger effects and feedback frames in promoting uptake of energy-efficient technologies

The persuasive potential for varying messenger types and feedback frames to increase pro-environmental choice was explored in a 2 (feedback frame: financial vs. environmental) × 5 (messenger type: neighbour, government, industry, utilities vs. control) factorial design experiment. Using the context of home heating choice, 493 non-student participants were given information on either the financial or environmental benefits of selecting an energy-efficient heat pump versus a standard boiler, as described by one of four messenger types (versus a no-messenger control). Likelihood of selecting the ‘green’ technology was assessed, as well as any carry-over effects on real-life behavioural intentions. Additionally, we assessed the messenger attributes that appeared to be most important in this context, in terms of whether sources that were perceived to be trustworthy, knowledgeable, or a combination of both dimensions, would hold greater sway over preference formation. Overall, no evidence was found for any impact of messenger type on either preference formation or behavioural intentions. However, message content (i.e. how information on the benefits of pro-environmental choice was framed), was found to have substantial impact on behaviour; with the financial versus environmental decision frame being significantly more likely to encourage uptake of the energy-efficient versus standard technology. We suggest that the level of processing required for the kinds of large-scale purchase decisions we consider here may explain the lack of any messenger effect on choice behaviour. Implications for the development of behaviour change interventions designed to promote consideration of energy-efficient technologies in this context are discussed

Evaluation of some renewable energy technologies

Purpose. The study aims to outline and compare various renewable energy alternatives in view of the global warming crisis and depletion of fossil fuels which cause emissions of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a major source of pollution and is an absorbent for radiation. Methods. Literature surveys and analysis of benefits and drawbacks of the competing technologies should include the capital costs, running costs and carbon footprint. Liquid fuels have high energy to weight ratio compare to say solar panels or thermal absorbers, but what is neglected is the large refinery and other processing machinery behind the liquid fuel which is adding to the carbon footprint. Findings. Producer gas and bacterial engines are suggested as possible pollution reducing and cost effective methods for power generation. Coal, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectric have the lowest running cost, but carbon footprint cost is neglected. Solar chimneys, with low mechanical efficiency have low running costs, and no pollution. Modification of internal combustion engines to use producer gas and alcohol may reduce overall carbon footprint. Originality. Many researches focus on energy and mechanical efficiency. Bacterial engines have yet to be fully developed, and these are wonderful chemical factories but not understood in terms of classical thermodynamics. For all technologies, return on investment is more appropriate since capital costs are also included, which are neglected in mechanical efficiency calculations. Practical implications. Depletion of forest cover which acts as a greenhouse gas sink contributes to global warming. Worldwide, million of cars with internal combustion engines consuming petroleum, if converted to alternative fuels, can help in reducing the carbon gas emissions and ultimately to a slowdown in the global warming rate.Мета. Надати і порівняти різні види відновлюваної енергії з урахуванням енергетичної кризи, пов'язаної з глобальним потеплінням і виснаженням викопних джерел палива, що призводить до викидів вуглекислого газу, який є головним джерелом забруднення атмосфери й поглинання радіації. Методика. При огляді літературних джерел та аналізі переваг і недоліків конкуруючих технологій необхідно враховувати капітальні й експлуатаційні витрати, а також вуглецевий слід. Рідкі види палива відрізняються більш високою питомою енергією по масі в порівнянні з сонячними панелями або термокомпенсаторами. Не можна недооцінювати той факт, що виробництво рідкого палива передбачає наявність громіздкого очисного й переробного обладнання, робота якого збільшує вуглецевий слід. Результати. Генераторний газ і бактеріальні двигуни пропонуються в якості способу зменшення забруднення та економічного отримання електричної енергії. Отримання електроенергії на геотермальних і гідроелектростанціях, а також на станціях, що працюють на вугіллі чи біомасі, передбачає низькі витрати на експлуатацію. Однак, при цьому не враховуються витрати на боротьбу з вуглецевими викидами. Сонячні електростанції аеродинамічного типу при малому механічному ККД відрізняються низькими експлуатаційними витратами і практично не забруднюють навколишнє середовище. Модифіковані двигуни внутрішнього згоряння, що дозволяють отримувати генераторний газ і спирт, можуть сприяти зменшенню вуглецевих викидів. Наукова новизна. Багато вчених розглядають проблеми отримання енергії й підвищення механічного ККД. Необхідно вдосконалювати бактеріальні двигуни, свого роду хімічні фабрики, робота яких ще не до кінця зрозуміла з точки зору класичної термодинаміки. Оцінюючи різні технології, слід виходити з окупності інвестицій, оскільки вона включає капітальні витрати, які зазвичай не враховуються при розрахунках механічного ККД. Практична значимість. Скорочення лісового покриву планети, який є поглиначем парникових газів, призводить до глобального потепління. Якщо двигуни мільйонів машин по всьому світу перевести з бензину на альтернативні види палива, скоротяться парникові викиди й сповільняться темпи глобального потепління.Цель. Представить и сравнить различные виды возобновляемой энергии с учетом энергетического кризиса, связанного с глобальным потеплением и истощением ископаемых источников топлива, что приводит к выбросам углекислого газа, который является главным источником загрязнения атмосферы и поглощения радиации. Методика. При обзоре литературных источников и анализе преимуществ и недостатков конкурирующих технологий необходимо учитывать капитальные и эксплуатационные затраты, а также углеродный след. Жидкие виды топлива отличаются более высокой удельной энергией по массе по сравнению с солнечными панелями или термокомпенсаторами. Нельзя недооценивать тот факт, что производство жидкого топлива предполагает наличие громоздкого очистного и перерабатывающего оборудования, работа которого увеличивает углеродный след. Результаты. Генераторный газ и бактериальные двигатели предлагаются в качестве способа уменьшения загрязнения и экономичного получения электрической энергии. Получение электроэнергии на геотермальных и гидроэлектростанциях, а также на станциях, работающих на угле или биомассе, предполагает низкие расходы на эксплуатацию. Однако, при этом не учитываются расходы на борьбу с углеродистыми выбросами. Солнечные электростанции аэродинамического типа при малом механическом КПД отличаются низкими эксплуатационными расходами и практически не загрязняют окружающую среду. Модифицированные двигатели внутреннего сгорания, позволяющие получать генераторный газ и спирт, могут способствовать уменьшению углеродистых выбросов. Научная новизна. Многие ученые рассматривают проблемы получения энергии и повышения механического КПД. Необходимо совершенствовать бактериальные двигатели, своего рода химические фабрики, работа которых еще не до конца понятна с точки зрения классической термодинамики. Оценивая различные технологии, следует исходить из окупаемости инвестиций, поскольку она включает капитальные затраты, которые обычно не учитываются при расчетах механического КПД. Практическая значимость. Сокращение лесного покрова планеты, который является поглотителем парниковых газов, приводит к глобальному потеплению. Если двигатели миллионов машин по всему миру перевести с бензина на альтернативные виды топлива, сократятся парниковые выбросы и замедлятся темпы глобального потепления.This work was presented at the International Conference on Environmental Design and Innovation, Amman Jordan in May 2016. The author thanks the organizers and Al-Zaytoona University for local hospitality

Granular technologies to accelerate decarbonization

Of the 45 energy technologies deemed critical by the International Energy Agency for meeting global climate targets, 38 need to improve substan- tially in cost and performance while accelerating deployment over the next decades.Low-carbon technological solutions vary in scale from solar panels, e-bikes, and smart thermostats to carbon capture and storage, light rail transit, and whole-building retrofits. We make three contributions to long-standing debates on the appropriate scale of technological responses in the energy system. First, we focus on the specific needs of accelerated low-carbon transformation: rapid technology deployment, escaping lock-in, and social legitimacy. Second, we synthesize evidence on energy end-use technologies in homes, transport, and industry, as well as electricity generation and energy supply. Third, we go beyond technical and economic considerations to include innovation, investment, deployment, social, and equity criteria for assessing the relative advantage of alternative technologies as a function of their scale. We suggest numerous potential advantages of more-granular energy technologies for accelerating progress toward climate targets, as well as the conditions on which such progress depends

Commercialisation of Sustainable Energy Technologies

Commercialization efforts to diffuse sustainable energy technologies (SETs) need to be sustainable in terms of replication, spread and longevity, and should promote goal of sustainable development. Limited success of diffusion through government driven pathways illustrates the need for market-based approaches to SET commercialization. This paper presents a detailed treatment of the pre-requisites for adopting a private sector driven business model approach for successful diffusion of SETs. This is expected to integrate the processes of market transformation and entrepreneurship development with innovative regulatory, marketing, financing, incentive and intermediary mechanisms. Further, it envisages a public-private partnership driven-mechanism as a framework for diffusion leading to technology commercialization.Commercialisation, Energy, Financing, technology, Sustainable

Climate Change: the citizen's agenda Evidence to Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

i). This paper summarises some results of research by the Open University of the key influences on the adoption – and non-adoption – by mainly environmentally-concerned UK citizens of low and zero carbon (LZC) technologies. These include energy efficiency measures (such as loft insulation, condensing boilers and compact fluorescent lamps covered by the Energy Efficiency Commitment) and micro-generation energy technologies (such as solar water heating, photovoltaics and micro-wind turbines included in the DTI's Clear Skies scheme and Low Carbon Buildings Programme). The research also includes the benefits and problems experienced by the citizens who adopted these LZC technologies, plus ideas and policies for overcoming the barriers to their adoption and their effective use in reducing carbon emissions. The tables in the paper show that each LZC technology has different drivers, barriers, benefits and problems and hence ideas and policies for improvements, but there are some common factors that affect the different technologies. ii) The main driver for citizen adoption of LZC technologies is reducing fuel bills and/or saving energy in the context of rising fuel prices. Another key driver for adoption of LZC technologies is environmental concern (esp. climate change and nature conservation), at least for the mainly 'greener' citizens we surveyed. iii) The barriers to adoption vary widely depending on the technology concerned and go beyond the well-known financial issues. Examples of significant barriers to the adoption of energy efficiency measures include peoples' concerns about irritant fibres in loft insulation materials, needing to clear the loft, and loss of loft storage space when installing the recommended thickness of insulation; the reputation of condensing boilers among installers and consumers for unreliability and shorter life; and the size and perceived ugliness of compact fluorescent lamps, and a failure to communicate improvements in CFL design and technology since their introduction. However, even for environmentally concerned citizens, capital cost is a major barrier to adoption of micro-generation technologies, together with the uncertain performance and reliability of innovative technologies. iv) The benefits of insulation are reported (even by non fuel-poor citizens) largely in terms of warmer homes rather than in reduced energy consumption, i.e. the 'rebound effect' of insulation could be higher than the figure assumed for the Energy Efficiency Commitment. In contrast, improved heating controls when used properly and condensing boilers appear to have little rebound effect and so should help more directly to reduce carbon emissions. Energy efficient lighting appears to involve a relatively small rebound effect, as some users choose to leave CFLs switched on longer and/or may install additional CFL lighting. (v) The micro-generation technologies as well as reducing carbon emissions, offer citizens who can afford to install them (for whom grants were only a relatively minor driver) great pleasure in using renewable energy as well as focusing their attention on saving energy. vi) To encourage the widespread adoption and effective use of these LZC technologies requires different actions and policies tailored to the specific technologies: e.g. allowing use of eco-friendly materials in subsidised loft insulation schemes; designing and installing user-friendly controls that provide feedback on energy used or saved; energy companies offering financing packages to install micro-generation systems; and regulations and standards guaranteeing the performance, reliability and durability of micro-generation technologies

Changing Configuration of Alternative Energy Systems

Recent and rampant regulatory changes for sustainable development are seeking to transform current energy systems towards cleaner and greener forms of energy sources. In this scenario, alternative energy technologies are considered the building blocks towards this transformed energy system. This chapter will show how the alternative energy market since the 1970s changed, in response to external oil price shocks and to other selective pressures and institutions. It will observe that the configuration of the market has been changing since 1970s, in terms of firm-composition, size and types of technologies considered in the green energy mix. It will further provide three explanations explaining why there are changes between firms, policies and these energy technologies. These three processes are considered important in determining technological innovation among firms in clean and green energy technologies.Renewable Energy, New Technologies, Firm Competition, Technology Policy, Energy Technologies

Electricity Generation in Fiji: Assessing the Impact of Renewable Technologies on Costs and Financial Risk

In recent years, renewable energy technologies have been advocated in Fiji on the basis that they improve energy security and serve as a risk-mitigation measure against oil price volatility. Despite this, there have been few attempts to measure the impact of renewable technologies on energy security. That analysis is important if the benefits of renewable energy technologies in Fiji are to be adequately evaluated. This paper develops and applies a method for assessing the potential contribution of renewable technologies to the security of electricity supply in Fiji. The method is based on an application of portfolio theory, traditionally used in financial markets, to the electricity generation mix in Fiji. The results demonstrate the impact of different renewable technologies on both portfolio generation cost and risk for Fijian electricity grids.renewable energy technologies, energy policy, electricity sector, Fiji, oil prices, portfolio analysis, Pacific islands, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Porous materials in building energy technologies—a review of the applications, modelling and experiments

Improving energy efficiency in buildings is central to achieving the goals set by Paris agreement in 2015, as it reduces the energy consumption and consequently the emission of greenhouse gases without jeopardising human comfort. The literature includes a large number of articles on energy performance of the residential and commercial buildings. Many researchers have examined porous materials as affordable and promising means of improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Further, some of the natural media involved in building energy technologies are porous. However, currently, there is no review article exclusively focused on the porous media pertinent to the building energy technologies. Accordingly, this article performs a review of literature on the applications, modelling and experimental studies about the materials containing macro, micro, and nano-porous media and their advantages and limitations in different building energy technologies. These include roof cooling, ground-source heat pumps and heat exchangers, insulations, and thermal energy storage systems. The progress made and the remaining challenges in each technology are discussed and some conclusions and suggestions are made for the future research