A triple bottom line assessment of concentrated solar power generation in China and Europe 2020-2050

Concentrated solar power (CSP) can be a flexible renewable resource on electric grids. Here we assess the direct and upstream socio-economic and environmental impacts of the projected deployment of CSP in China and Europe, using Input-Output Analysis. We first quantify the CSP experience curve, finding a learning rate of similar to 16%, and combine this with future projections for installed capacity from China's National Development and Reform Commission and the International Energy Agency. We find employment intensities of 4.2 and 2.3 person-year/GWh in China and Europe, respectively (higher than PV and wind). The carbon emission intensity of CSP is currently higher than alternatives but this gap may narrow through learning. Carbon intensities are estimated at 129.7 and 99.8 gCO2eq/kWh in 2020 (in China and Europe, respectively) and could drop to 40.4 and 31.1 gCO2eq/kWh by 2050 given the projected expansion. We discuss the importance of including both environ -mental and socio-economic dimensions when assessing the impact of energy technologies and provide context for the role of CSP in the energy transition.Industrial Ecolog

Rebound effects may jeopardize the resource savings of circular consumption: evidence from household material footprints

Industrial EcologyGlobal Challenges (FGGA

Determining global distribution of microplastics by combining citizen science and in-depth case studies

Industrial EcologyConservation Biolog

Environmental impacts of the nutrition transition and potential hunger eradication in emerging countries

Industrial Ecolog

Linking global crop and livestock consumption to local production hotspots

International trade plays a critical role in global food security, with global consumption having highly localized environmental impacts. It has been difficult to gain insights into these effects due to the diversity of food production, and complexity of supply chains in international trade. We present a Spatially-explicit Multi-Regional Input-Output (SMRIO) model which couples primary crops and livestock at a high spatial resolution with a global Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) model. We then identify hotspots (the most significant production regions) for primary crops and livestock driven by international consumption. We present the method and data behind this approach, and provide illustrative case studies for Indonesian palm oil and Brazilian soy and beef production. Regionally, China is the largest primary crop consumer, while the EU28 is the largest livestock consumer. Primary crops and livestock hotspots are highly unequal, and the embodied primary crops and livestock for high-income countries are distributed over larger areas when compared to lower-income countries since high-income countries have more numerous trade links. Identified hotspots could allow for increased cooperation between consumers (high-income countries) and producers (lower-income countries) to improve sustainability programs for global food security.Industrial Ecolog

China's potential SO2 emissions from coal by 2050

Global Challenges (FGGA)Industrial Ecolog

A standardized method for sampling and extraction methods for quantifying microplastics in beach sand

Conservation Biolog

Environmental, economic, and social impacts of feed-in tariffs: A Portuguese perspective 2000–2010

Industrial Ecolog

The energy-water nexus of China’s interprovincial and seasonal electric power transmission

Industrial Ecolog

Water use of electricity technologies: A global meta-analysis

Understanding the water use of power production is an important step to both a sustainable energy transition and an improved understanding of water conservation measures. However, there are large differences across the literature that currently present barriers to decision making. Here, the compiled inventory of the blue water use of power production from existing studies allowed to uncover the characteristics of water use and to investigate current uncertainties. The results show that photovoltaics, wind power, and run-of-the-river hydropower consume relatively little water, whereas reservoir hydropower and woody and herbaceous biomass can have an extremely large water footprint. The water consumption of power production can differ greatly across countries due to different geographic conditions. Only a few studies provided the values for the influencing factors of water use, such as the capacity factor. Values that are reported came mainly from assumptions and other literature rather than direct measurement. Omitting a life cycle stage may lead to significant underestimations. Water scarcity is attracting more attention, but the few existing results are not useable for a regional comparison due to data gaps and inconsistent measurements. In the future, a clear and detailed definition of the water footprint and system boundary of power production is essential to improving comparisons and energy systems modelling.Industrial Ecolog