Abating CO2 emissions in the Greek energy and industry sectors

The purpose of this paper is to construct the abatement cost curve for the Greek Energy and Industry sectors. To achieve our goal we present and analyze the abatement options available in the sector of energy and in the industrial subsectors of petroleum and gas refinery, cement and iron and steel. Next, we estimate and present the costs and abatement potentials for each abatement option in each sector. We also present the cost-effective options for individual energy and industrial sources. Finally, the marginal abatement cost curve is constructed and the policy implications are discussed. Our analysis reveals a promising potential for pollution reduction and a wide range of cost-effective abatement options

Abating CO2 emissions in the Greek energy and industry sectors

The purpose of this paper is to construct the abatement cost curve for the Greek Energy and Industry sectors. To achieve our goal we present and analyze the abatement options available in the sector of energy and in the industrial subsectors of petroleum and gas refinery, cement and iron and steel. Next, we estimate and present the costs and abatement potentials for each abatement option in each sector. We also present the cost-effective options for individual energy and industrial sources. Finally, the marginal abatement cost curve is constructed and the policy implications are discussed. Our analysis reveals a promising potential for pollution reduction and a wide range of cost-effective abatement options

Integration of the environmental management aspect in the optimization of the design and planning of energy systems

The increasing concerns regarding the environmental pollution derived from anthropogenic activities, such as the use of fossil fuels for power generation, has driven many interested parties to seek different alternatives, e.g. use of renewable energy sources, use of “cleaner” fuels and use of more effective technologies, in order to minimize and control the quantity of emissions that are produced during the life cycle of conventional energy sources. In addition to these alternatives, the use of an integrated procedure in which the environmental aspect will be taken into account during the design and planning of energy systems could provide a basis on which emissions reduction will be dealt with a life cycle approach. The work presented in this paper focuses on the examination of the possibilities of integrating the environmental aspects in the preliminary phase of the conventional design and planning of energy systems in conjunction with other parameters, such as financial cost, availability, capacity, location, etc. The integration of the environmental parameter to the design is carried out within a context where Eco-design concepts are applied. Due to the multi-parameter nature of the design procedure, the tools that are used are Life Cycle Analysis and Multi-criteria Analysis. The proposed optimization model examines and identifies optimum available options of the use of different energy sources and technologies for the production of electricity and/or heat by minimizing both the financial cost and the environmental impacts, with regard to a multiple objective optimization subject to a set of specific constraints. Implementation of the proposed model in the form of a case study for the island of Rhodes in Greece revealed that an optimized solution both cost and environmental-wise, would be an almost balanced participation of renewables and non-renewable energy sources in the energy mix

Electricity power planning in Portugal: the role of wind energy

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Económica - Engenharia Produção e SistemasEnergy decisions play a major role in the achievement of sustainable development and consequently on the economic, environmental and social welfare of future generations. Combining energy efficiency with renewable energy resources constitutes a key strategy for a sustainable future, emphasised in the European and Portuguese policy guidelines. The wind power sector stands out as a fundamental element for the achievement of the European renewable objectives. Currently, most of the energy planning models focus predominantly on the economic and environmental dimensions of the problem. Although recognised as important, the social aspects of energy decisions are not fully integrated into the available decision aids for planners. The main contribution of this thesis is to provide a new integrated tool for decision makers engaged in long term electricity planning. An Integrated Electricity Planning Model (IEPM) was developed accommodating environmental, economic and social issues. The proposed approach involves complex optimisation models for cost, and emissions objective functions based on the mathematical description of the electricity system. Linear and non-linear optimisation models were developed establishing the link between the cost of generation and CO2 emissions. In addition, a value judgment assessment of each of the possible generation technologies was obtained by a combination of Delphi and Analytic Hierarchy Process to develop Social Indices for the proposed technologies. From these models possible generation plans are developed for a 10 year planning period, and their financial, CO2 emissions and social impacts are assessed and fully integrated into the final optimising decision tool. For the implementation of the IEPM, details of the Portuguese electricity system were obtained from official sources and from experts’ collaboration. According to the official reports, the increasing demand for electricity in Portugal over the next ten years will be mainly supported by new investments in coal, natural gas, wind and hydro power technologies. The rising trend of the installed wind power is analysed resulting in new insights that demonstrate the need to address the impact that energy sources with variable output may have, not only on the short-term dispatching process, but especially on the medium to long range planning activities. The study of the Portuguese case concludes that while wind power influences significantly the power system operation and it is not free of negative social impacts, it has a fundamental role in future electricity plans, particularly in regard to meeting the renewable and Kyoto protocol commitments. Although it was applied to Portugal, the proposed methodology may be used in other regions or countries if adapted to the specific features of each individual energy system under analysis. On the whole, the proposed methodology gives the decision maker a better understanding of the system characteristics and of the full impact of possible decisions, and in doing so, makes a valuable contribution to the selection of long term sustainable energy plans.As decisões no sector energético têm um papel fundamental na consecução de um desenvolvimento sustentado, influenciando decisivamente o bem estar económico, ambiental e social das gerações futuras. A combinação da eficiência energética com fontes de energia renováveis representa uma estratégia chave para um futuro sustentado, enfatizada nas políticas orientadoras Europeias e Portuguesas. O sector eólico destaca-se como um elemento essencial na concretização dos objectivos traçados para as energias renováveis ao nível da União Europeia. Actualmente a maioria dos modelos de planeamento energético centram-se predominantemente nas dimensões económica e ambiental. Apesar de reconhecidamente importantes, os aspectos sociais não estão ainda totalmente integrados nos sistemas de apoio à decisão aplicados ao sector da energia. A principal contribuição desta tese é a de dotar os decisores de uma nova ferramenta para apoio ao planeamento eléctrico de longo prazo, integrando variáveis ambientais, económicas e sociais. A abordagem apresentada envolve modelos complexos de optimização de funções objectivo custo e emissões, baseadas na descrição matemática do sistema eléctrico. Foram desenvolvidos modelos de optimização linear e não linear, estabelecendo-se a relação entre os custos de produção de energia eléctrica e emissões de dioxido de carbono associadas. Adicionalmente, a combinação do método Delphi com o Processo de Análise Hierárquica permitiu estimar e analisar julgamentos de valor relativamente aos impactos das possíveis tecnologias de geração de electricidade, resultando em Índices Sociais associados a cada uma destas tecnologias. A partir destes modelos são desenvolvidos possíveis planos para geração de electricidade para um período de 10 anos, sendo os respectivos impactos sociais analisados e integrados na decisão final. A implementação do Sistema Integrado para Planeamento Eléctrico, implicou uma recolha detalhada de informação relativa ao sistema eléctrico Português recorrendo a fontes oficiais e a especialistas na matéria. De acordo com os relatórios oficiais, o aumento de consumo de electricidade em Portugal durante os próximos 10 anos, será essencialmente suportado por novos investimentos em centrais a carvão, gás natural, energia eólica e hídrica. O esperado aumento da potência eólica instalada é analisado, demonstrando-se a necessidade de considerar o impacto que as fontes energéticas de produção variável terão, não apenas na gestão de curto prazo do sistema eléctrico, mas especialmente no planeamento a médio e longo prazo. Do estudo do caso Português conclui-se que a energia eólica tem um impacto significativo ao nível da gestão das operações do sistema eléctrico e não pode ser considerada livre de impactos sociais adversos. No entanto, a energia eólica tem também um papel fundamental no futuro sistema eléctrico Nacional, particularmente para atingir as metas traçadas pelo protocolo de Kyoto e pela Directiva Europeia das energias renováveis. Apesar da metodologia proposta ter sido aplicada ao caso Português, poderá ser aplicada a outras regiões ou países tomando em linha de conta as particularidades de cada sistema energético em análise. Na globalidade, a metodologia proposta permite que o decisor reconheça e entenda de forma clara as características do sistema e os impactos que as possíveis decisões acarretarão, contribuindo assim para a selecção de planos energéticos de longo prazo consistentes com os princípios do desenvolvimento sustentado

Life cycle environmental and economic impact assessment of pollution mitigation strategies implemented in European pig production systems

Ph. D. Thesis.Pig production systems are significant contributors to environmental impacts arising from livestock and with the increasing demand for pork meat, their environmental footprint cannot be neglected. Many emerging technologies and alternative farm management practices have the potential to improve their environmental performance. However, the implementation of such practices is not always economically viable. Furthermore, their pollution mitigation potential can be sensitive to climate change and geographic variability. The aim of this thesis was to develop a whole-farm environmental abatement cost framework, able to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of pollution mitigation strategies from a life cycle perspective, while accounting for interactions between system components, climate change and spatial variability. To fully understand and evaluate the environmental impacts associated with European pig production, a whole-farm, environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was developed on a typical Danish, integrated pig farming system. Through this model, potential environmental impact hotspots were identified related to pig housing and manure management. The abatement potential of a range of housing and manure management related pollution mitigation strategies was then evaluated. The results of this analysis showed that anaerobic digestion of slurry and in-house slurry acidification can significantly reduce the system environmental impact for a great range of impact categories. Farm profitability was then evaluated through scenarios that simulated the implementation of the proposed pollution mitigation strategies, to determine their cost-effectiveness as stand-alone investments and through their combined implementation. For this purpose, an environmental abatement cost framework was developed by integrating the environmental LCA with a whole-farm economic model that considered capital costs, operating costs and all potential revenue streams. Anaerobic digestion of slurry was the most cost-effective strategy overall, achieving great environmental impact reductions while generating revenue and therefore increasing farm profitability. The environmental abatement cost framework was then used to investigate the mitigation potential of two pig-cooling strategies that aim for ammonia emission reductions in a Swedish pig-fattening unit. Moreover, the framework was integrated with data on projected climate change for Sweden to evaluate the resilience and cost-effectiveness of these strategies against ambient temperature increases. Both pig-cooling methods effectively mitigated heat stress related effects on animal performance, and significantly reduce system environmental impact, while improving farm profitability even under an intermediate climate change scenario. Finally, the effects of geographic variability on the assessment of potential environmental and economic implications associated with the implementation of alternative manure management strategies in Danish pig farming systems were investigated. To achieve this, Geographical Information System (GIS) data and methods were integrated along with the environmental abatement cost framework. In doing so, spatially explicit environmental impact characterisation factors, regional policies that concern pig farming near nature-sensitive areas and agglomeration effects on the economy of the farm were taken into account. The analysis revealed significant effects of location on the cost-effectiveness of several environmental abatement strategies considered. The methodologies developed and demonstrated in this thesis have the potential to guide decision making regarding farm investments that aim to improve system sustainability in a cost-effective manner.Newcastle University, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). SusAn, an ERA-Net Sustainable Animals co-funded research and innovation programme, European Union's Horizon 202

Environmental Aspects in Global Modeling. Proceedings of the 7th IIASA Symposium on Global Modeling

The Seventh Global Modeling Conference concentrated on a key problem that, it was felt, deserved special attention, namely, the role of the environment in global modeling. The purpose of the conference was not so much to look back on what had been achieved (or remained to be done), but rather to examine what should be learnt for future modeling work from past achievements or omissions. It is hoped that the papers presented in this volume will give an overview of the problematique and of possibilities for future advances

A comprehensive approach to electricity investment planning for multiple objectives and uncertainty

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Appropriate Energy-Environment-Economic (E3) modelling provides key information for policy makers in the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) faced with navigating a sustainable development path. Key challenges include engaging with stakeholder values and preferences, and exploring trade-offs between competing objectives in the face of underlying uncertainty. As such, a comprehensive framework is needed that integrates multiple objectives and uncertainty into a transparent methodology that policy makers and planners can use to analyse and plan for investment in the ESI, in a way which shapes decision outcomes, and enables confident choices to be made. This thesis is aimed at developing such a framework. As a case study the South African ESI was represented using a partial equilibrium (Energy-Economic-Environment) E3 modelling approach. This approach was extended to include multiple objectives under selected future uncertainties. This extension was achieved by assigning cost penalties (PGPs – Pareto Generation Parameters) to non-cost attributes to force the model’s least-cost objective function to better satisfy non-cost criteria. It was shown that using PGPs is an efficient method for extending the analysis to multiple objectives as the solutions generated are non-dominated and are generated from ranges of performances in the various criteria rather than from arbitrarily forcing the selection of particular technologies. Extensive sections of the non-dominated solution space can be generated and later screened to allow further, more detailed exploration of areas of the solution space. Aspects of flexibility to demand growth uncertainty were incorporated into each future expansion alternative (FEA) by introducing stochastic programming with recourse into the model. Technology lead times were taken into account by the inclusion of a decision node along the time horizon where aspects of real options theory were considered within the planning process by splitting power station investments into their Owner’s Development Cost (ODC) and Equipment and Procurement Cost (EPC) components. Hedging in the recourse programming was automatically translated from being purely financial, to include the other attributes that the cost penalties represented. The hedged solutions improved on the naïve solutions under the multiple criteria considered as well as better satisfying the non-cost objectives relative to the base case (least cost solution). From a retrospective analysis of the cost penalties, the correct market signals could be derived to meet policy goal, with due regard to demand uncertainty