Green Electricity and Transportation (GET) Smart: Policy Solutions to Increase Energy Independence

Ohioans spend a large amount of money on energy. In 2010, we spent $45 billion, nearly 10 percent of our state's gross domestic product. Nearly half of those energy dollars (or more than$20 billion) was spent to fuel cars, trucks, and buses, and nearly all of which left the state or country in order to import oil. Ohio can reduce its dependence on imported oil by promoting electric vehicles (EVs) and buses, as well as passenger and freight rail

Carbon Free Boston: Energy Technical Report

Part of a series of reports that includes: Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report; Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report; Carbon Free Boston: Technical Summary; Carbon Free Boston: Buildings Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Transportation Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Waste Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Offsets Technical Report; Available at http://sites.bu.edu/cfb/INTRODUCTION: The adoption of clean energy in Boston’s buildings and transportation systems will produce sweeping changes in the quantity and composition of the city’s demand for fuel and electricity. The demand for electricity is expected to increase by 2050, while the demand for petroleum-based liquid fuels and natural gas within the city is projected to decline significantly. The city must meet future energy demand with clean energy sources in order to meet its carbon mitigation targets. That clean energy must be procured in a way that supports the City’s goals for economic development, social equity, environmental sustainability, and overall quality of life. This chapter examines the strategies to accomplish these goals. Improved energy efficiency, district energy, and in-boundary generation of clean energy (rooftop PV) will reduce net electric power and natural gas demand substantially, but these measures will not eliminate the need for electricity and gas (or its replacement fuel) delivered into Boston. Broadly speaking, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the city must therefore (1) reduce its use of fossil fuels to heat and cool buildings through cost-effective energy efficiency measures and electrification of building thermal services where feasible; and (2) over time, increase the amount of carbon-free electricity delivered to the city. Reducing energy demand though cost effective energy conservation measures will be necessary to reduce the challenges associated with expanding the electricity delivery system and sustainably sourcing renewable fuels.Published versio

Bridging the Gap Between Energy and Climate Policies in Brazil: Policy Options to Reduce Energy-Related GHG Emissions

Brazil is facing a series of important policy decisions that will determine its energy future over the next several decades, with important implications for the country's economic competitiveness, the well-being of its citizens, and the global climate. The decisions concern the direction of approximately 0.5 trillion U.S. dollars of anticipated investment in energy infrastructure over the next decade -- which can either lock in carbon-intensive infrastructure, or advance Brazil's position as a leader in the low-carbon economy. This report examines Brazil's key energy-related GHG emitting sectors through a climate lens in order to offer recommendations for a more integrated approach that can more effectively reconcile energy and climate needs. It begins with an overview of Brazil's past energy and GHG emissions profiles, current pledges and future trends, and a discussion of the implications for a possible allocation of the remaining global carbon budget. Next, it reviews available scenarios for Brazil's energy-related GHG emissions in order to identify key drivers and results and compare them to a given allocation of the global carbon budget. It then focuses on the top emitting subsectors -- transport, industry, and power generation -- to identify key abatement opportunities. The report concludes with recommendations regarding a portfolio of policies and measures that could achieve both climate and energy objectives

Energy supply transformation pathways in Iran to reduce GHG emissions in line with the Paris Agreement

Extensive dependence of the national economy on wasteful fossil fuel use as well as limited access to the international financial markets and the best available techniques over the strict economic sanctions period have hindered Iran from developing a sustainable energy system. By considering the reversal order, the present study investigated the least-cost options for improving energy efficiency and reducing GHG emissions in the energy supply sector. The essential purpose of this research work is to increase the evidence base necessary to inform policy and strategy discussions within Iran and related communities concerning the choice of GHG emissions reduction. Applying ARDL approach to project demand data besides running the bottom-up technology-rich optimization model of MESSAGEix over the 2016–2030 period help to tackle the transparency challenge of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted by Iran. The research results suggest that improving the efficiency of fossil-fueled power plants to 46% besides curbing routine gas flaring by 2030 could well cover the Iranian unconditional and conditional contributions in the energy sector to cut GHG emissions by 12% compared to the business-as-usual pattern. Ensuring technical and financial supports, Iran can undertake the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) under the Paris Agreement, in line with the national policies to reduce energy intensity

Assessment of the environmental aspects of the DOE phosphoric acid fuel cell program

The likely facets of a nationwide phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) power plant commercial system are described. The beneficial and adverse environmental impacts produced by the system are assessed. Eleven specific system activities are characterized and evaluated. Also included is a review of fuel cell technology and a description of DOE's National Fuel Cell Program. Based on current and reasonably foreseeable PAFC characteristics, no environmental or energy impact factor was identified that would significantly inhibit the commercialization of PAFC power plant technology

Synthesis gas as a fuel for internal combustion engines in transportation

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The adverse environmental impact of fossil fuel combustion in engines has motivated research towards using alternative low-carbon fuels. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in studying the combustion of fuel mixtures consisting mainly of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, referred to as syngas, which can be considered as a promising fuel toward cleaner combustion technologies for power generation. This paper provides an extensive review of syngas production and application in internal combustion (IC) engines as the primary or secondary fuel. First, a brief overview of syngas as a fuel is presented, introducing the various methods for its production, focusing on its historical use and summarizing the merits and drawbacks of using syngas as a fuel. Then its physicochemical properties relevant to IC engines are reviewed, highlighting studies on the fundamental combustion characteristics, such as ignition delay time and laminar and turbulent flame speeds. The main body of the paper is devoted to reviewing the effect of syngas utilization on performance and emissions characteristics of spark ignition (SI), compression ignition (CI), homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), and advanced dual-fuel engines such as reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engines. Finally, various on-board fuel reforming techniques for syngas production and use in vehicles are reviewed as a potential route towards further increases in efficiency and decreases in emissions of IC engines. These are then related to the research reported on the behavior of syngas and its blends in IC engines. It was found that the selection of the syngas production method, choice of the base fuel for reforming, its physicochemical properties, combustion strategy, and engine combustion system and operating conditions play critical roles in dictating the potential advantages of syngas use in IC engines. The discussion of the present review paper provides valuable insights for future research on syngas as a possible fuel for IC engines for transport.Peer reviewe

Algae biofuel: Current status and future applications

An algal feedstock or biomass may contain a very high oil fraction, and thus could be used for the production of advanced biofuels via different conversion processes. Its major advantage apart from its large oil fraction is the ability to convert almost all the energy from the feedstock into different varieties of useful products. In the research to displace fossil fuels, algae feedstock has emerged as a suitable candidate not only because of its renewable and sustainable features but also for its economic credibility based on the potential to match up with the global demand for transportation fuels. Cultivating this feedstock is very easy and could be developed with little or even no supervision, with the aid of wastewater not suitable for human consumption while absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. The overall potential for algae applications generally shows that this feedstock is still an untapped resource, and it could be of huge commercial benefits to the global economy at large because algae exist in millions compared to terrestrial plants. Algae applications are evident for everyday consumption via foods products, non-foods products, fuel, and energy. Biofuels derived from algae have no impact on the environment and the food supply unlike biofuels produced from crops. However, any cultivation method employed could control the operating cost and the technicalities involved, which will also influence the production rate and strain. The scope of this paper is to review the current status of algae as a potential feedstock with diverse benefit for the resolution of the global energy demand, and environmental pollution control of GHG