Electricity inequality in Canada: Should pricing reforms eliminate subsidies to encourage efficient usage?

Using household expenditure data from 10,811 Canadian families, this research analyses consumption of electricity, natural gas, and other fuels to investigate the extent to which higher income families have higher energy consumption. Lorenz curves show that although inequality in electricity consumption exists, its distribution is fairer than income distribution. Knowing that electricity is fairly accessible in Canada, high electricity consumption raises environmental issues. This paper discusses how different pricing in provinces results in different consumption levels when weather and environmental conditions are comparable. It means that in a subsidized electricity market, the high-income families use more energy resources, which can be considered as a “second order” inequality in provinces with lower prices due to market structures and effective subsidies based on access to low-cost hydropower. To address this issue, the paper suggests that local governments move toward an integrated market-based pricing structure that includes royalties on public natural resources to encourage efficient energy usage.     

Saturation, energy consumption, CO2 emission and energy efficiency from urban and rural households appliances in Mexico

Energy usage and energy efficiency are of increasing concern in Mexico, electricity generation principally depends upon fossil fuels. On one hand, the stocks of these fuels have been confirmed to be critically limited. On the other hand, in process of electricity generation by means of these fuels, a number of poisonous by-products adversely affect the conservation of natural eco-system.This paper focuses on estimation of energy consumption, energy savings, reduction of emissions of CO₂ for use of urban and rural household appliances in Mexico between 1996 and 2021.The analysis concentrates on six major energy end uses in the residential sector: refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, TV set, iron and heater.It is estimated that by 2021 there will be a cumulative saving of 22,605 GWh, as a result of the implementation of government programs on energy efficiency that represents a cumulative reduction of CO2 emissions of 15,087 Tg CO2.It means that Mexico can reduce in 5650 MW the generation capacity of national electricity system, which is to avoid burning 40.35 MM barrels of oil.The findings can be useful to policy makers as well as household appliances users.     

Exploring sustainable energy future in Reunion Island

To cope with dependency of imported fossil fuels, high shares of renewable energy sources are expected to expand in electricity production in Small Islands. The case of Reunion Island that aims at having an electricity generation based to 100% on renewable energies by 2030 is analyzed using a bottom-up cost-optimization TIMES model. Future production mixes are providing according to different scenarios focusing on alternatives renewable energy sources. The case of Reunion Island provides a good example for the definition of an energy policy fostering renewable technologies to supply electricity and highlighting the crucial role of incentives policies.     

Embodied energy analysis of the indirect solar drying unit

The increase in cost of fossil fuel and unavailability of electricity are the barrier for farmers to run their farm machineries and their development. Solar drying is a technique that not only helps in reducing fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emission by avoiding the use of machines in this sector, but also reduces the post-harvest food losses too. In present study, embodied energy analysis has been done for indirect solar dryer unit. Fenugreek leaves of 02?kg were put in each tray inside indirect solar dryer unit for drying purposes. Various environmental and economic parameters have been evaluated, which includes the payback period by cost, the energy payback time (EPBT), embodied energy, CO₂ emission and the earned carbon credit. The total embodied energy of the system is 1081.83?kWh. The EPBT and CO₂ emission are found to be 4.36 years and 391.52?kg per year, respectively.     

The financials of constructing a solar PV for net-zero energy operations on college campuses

The LACCD has a goal of establishing net-zero energy operations across its nine campuses. The project faces many challenges, including limited open areas for installing solar PV, increasing energy consumption challenges associated with campus energy growth and the high cost of installing solar PV. A previous study by Kwan and Hoffmann (2010) found that the LACCD would need to install a 9.5 MW solar PV array in order to meet total campus energy demand on a college campus through the year 2020. This paper attempts to evaluate the financial feasibility of such a project, taking into account the current local, state and federal renewable energy incentives available. We find that despite the availability of financial incentives by local municipal utility companies including installation rebates and net metering, the cost of electricity generated by solar PV still remains approximately 30% higher than electricity generated by fossil fuels. We also find that the optimal solar PV array size from a financial standpoint is one that is sized to generate and meet all electrical demand during sunlight hours. Any array larger than this yields diminishing returns. Finally our analysis examined the influence of per kW installation cost and found that only when prices dropped to $3.00 per installed watt did a net-zero energy solar PV array have an NPV of 0.     

Energy minimization strategies and renewable energy utilization for desalination: a review

Energy is a significant cost in the economics of desalinating waters, but water scarcity is driving the rapid expansion in global installed capacity of desalination facilities. Conventional fossil fuels have been utilized as their main energy source, but recent concerns over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have promoted global development and implementation of energy minimization strategies and cleaner energy supplies. In this paper, a comprehensive review of energy minimization strategies for membrane-based desalination processes and utilization of lower GHG emission renewable energy resources is presented. The review covers the utilization of energy efficient design, high efficiency pumping, energy recovery devices, advanced membrane materials (nanocomposite, nanotube, and biomimetic), innovative technologies (forward osmosis, ion concentration polarization, and capacitive deionization), and renewable energy resources (solar, wind, and geothermal). Utilization of energy efficient design combined with high efficiency pumping and energy recovery devices have proven effective in full-scale applications. Integration of advanced membrane materials and innovative technologies for desalination show promise but lack long-term operational data. Implementation of renewable energy resources depends upon geography-specific abundance, a feasible means of handling renewable energy power intermittency, and solving technological and economic scale-up and permitting issues.     

Effects of energy and carbon taxes on building material competitiveness

The relations between building material competitiveness and economic instruments for mitigating climate change are explored in this bottom-up study. The effects of carbon and energy taxes on building material manufacturing cost and total building construction cost are modelled, analysing individual materials as well as comparing a wood-framed building to a reinforced concrete-framed building. The energy balances of producing construction materials made of wood, concrete, steel, and gypsum are described and quantified. For wood lumber, more usable energy is available as biomass residues than is consumed in the processing steps. The quantities of biofuels made available during the production of wood materials are calculated, and the cost differences between using these biofuels and using fossil fuels are shown under various tax regimes. The results indicate that higher energy and carbon taxation rates increase the economic competitiveness of wood construction materials. This is due to both the lower energy cost for material manufacture, and the increased economic value of biomass by-products used to replace fossil fuel.     

Economic optimization of a cogeneration system for apartment houses in Korea

A cogeneration system which can be used as a distributed generation source produces electricity and heat energy simultaneously from a single source of fuel. For industrial and domestic applications, where both kinds of energy are required, the cogeneration system can return fossil fuel energy savings up to 30%, and can reduce CO₂ emissions correspondingly as compared with a conventional system. In this study, eight apartments with residential areas in the range of 57200 m² to 182760 m² were chosen to study how much energy savings can be achieved by adoption of the cogeneration system in those apartments. Based on the energy demand data for heat and electricity, an optimum configuration of the cogeneration system for each apartment was determined by a developed computer program. The economic gain achieved by introducing the cogeneration system in those apartments was estimated and the monitored values compared with the estimated ones. By adoption of the cogeneration system, the natural gas saved was more than 30% and an average economic gain of US$ 3.6 m⁻²/year in the overall energy cost was obtained.     

A study on environmental impact of nanofluid-based concentrating solar water heating system

The rising cost of fossil fuels and the growing concern for a clean environment have paved the way for adoption of renewable and sustainable sources of energy. Domestic water heating can result from solar energy, a clean and renewable alternative, which can at the same time help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines the potential of the nanofluid-based concentrating solar water heating system (NCSWHS) as an alternative to systems based on fossil fuels. The paper reports a quantitative assessment to assess the potential environmental benefits which could be obtained from NCSWHS if substituted for those using fossil fuels. The analysis reveals that considerable emission reductions (about 2.2 x 10³ kg of CO₂/household/ year) and fuel savings can be achieved if the NCSWHS are adopted.     

Financial inclusion and energy poverty reduction in sub-Saharan Africa

This study examines the relationship between financial inclusion and energy poverty reduction, proxied with access to electricity and clean cooking technologies and fuels, using data from 23 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 2004 to 2019. Evidence from dynamic ordinary least squares, fully modified ordinary least squares, and canonical correlation regression techniques showed that financial inclusion significantly reduces energy poverty in SSA. However, financial inclusion's impact on energy poverty reduction differs significantly among individual SSA countries. We recommend that policies promoting financial inclusion would reduce energy poverty.     

Achieving sustainable development goal 7 in Africa: Does globalization matter for electricity access,renewable energy consumption,and energy efficiency?

This paper examines the effect of globalization on progress toward SDG 7, with a particular focus on electricity access, renewable energy consumption, and energy intensity. Data are on 42 African countries over the 2000 – 2015 period. Findings from the fixed-effects model with the Driscoll-Kraay estimator show that overall globalization improves electricity access, while its effect on renewable energy consumption and energy intensity is insignificant. Additional findings show that economic globalization improves electricity access and energy efficiency; social globalization undermines renewable energy consumption while improving energy efficiency; political globalization increases electricity access and renewable energy consumption. Some recommendations are provided.     

On the relation between the energy and social characteristics of the residential sector

Social, financial, energy and technical data from about 1110 households have been collected during 2004 in the major Athens area. The sample has been divided in seven income groups and a detailed analysis has been performed. Important conclusions have been drawn regarding the quality of households, the operational conditions and the energy spent per income group. Low income people are more likely to be living in old buildings with poor envelope conditions. The cost per person and unit area is much higher for the low income group for both heating and electricity. Fuel poverty is quite high, especially when the actual oil prices are considered.     

Dimensions of energy security in Small Island Developing States

For Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that import oil, energy security is very important and dealt with seriously. This paper attempts to fill a gap in the literature by identifying the dimensions that shape a secure and sustainable supply of energy in SIDS. Seven dimensions were identified and incorporated into a framework for conceptualising and assessing SIDS energy security which are: import dependency; energy prices; climate change and resilience; governance; infrastructure; equity; and energy efficiency. This study also recommends selected strategies and actions to improve energy security in SIDS.     

Rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems for industrial halls: Achieving economic benefit via lowering energy demand

Industrial halls are characterized with their relatively high roof-to-floor ratio, which facilitates ready deployment of renewable energy generation, such as photovoltaic (PV) systems, on the rooftop. To promote deployment of renewable energy generation, feed-in tariff (FIT) higher than the electricity rate is available in many countries to subsidize the capital investment. FIT comes in different forms. For net FIT, in order to maximize the economic benefit, surplus electricity generation at each hour is desirable.One way to achieve surplus electricity generation is by increasing generation capacity, which is synonymous to higher capital investment. In fact, surplus electricity generation can also be achieved by lowering the energy demand of the building. This particularly the case for industrial halls, which are usually subject to high energy demand for space conditioning in order to remove the excess heat gain due to the many power-intensive processes.Building energy performance simulation tools can be used to explore the different building design options that could lower the energy demand. In this paper, single-objective optimization on investment return will be deployed to study the cost effectiveness among different options in lowering energy demand. It will be demonstrated with a case study of a warehouse.     

A simulation of the energy consumption monitoring in Mediterranean hotels: Application in Greece

Due to the competitiveness the importance of reducing cost and the growing sensitivity to environmental factors in the hotel design, is leading to the introduction of environmental friendly elements; if will be added the considerable increase in the cost of fossil fuel, it is obvious that all these factors create conditions favorable to the optimization of energy resources.     

Life cycle primary energy use and carbon emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building

In this study the life cycle primary energy use and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission of an eight-storey wood-framed apartment building are analyzed. All life cycle phases are included, including acquisition and processing of materials, on-site construction, building operation, demolition and materials disposal. The calculated primary energy use includes the entire energy system chains, and carbon flows are tracked including fossil fuel emissions, process emissions, carbon stocks in building materials, and avoided fossil emissions due to biofuel substitution. The results show that building operation uses the largest share of life cycle energy use, becoming increasingly dominant as the life span of the building increases. The type of heating system strongly influences the primary energy use and CO₂ emission; a biomass-based system with cogeneration of district heat and electricity achieves low primary energy use and very low CO₂ emissions. Using biomass residues from the wood products chain to substitute for fossil fuels significantly reduces net CO₂ emission. Excluding household tap water and electricity, a negative life cycle net CO₂ emission can be achieved due to the wood-based construction materials and biomass-based energy supply system. This study shows the importance of using a life cycle perspective when evaluating primary energy and climatic impacts of buildings.     

Is it all about supply? Demand-side effects on the Spanish electricity market following Covid-19 lockdown policies

A key characteristic of electricity prices is their sensitivity to changes in supply and demand. In this sense, the Covid-19 lockdown policies modified electricity consumption patterns at both business and household levels, affecting the shape and position of the electricity demand curve and, thus, leading to a direct effect on electricity prices. However, could this demand-side effect be greater than other supply-induced effects? Is it persistent over time? This paper uses a synthetic bidding approach and concludes that the strict lockdown phase had a strong, immediate – but not persistent – effect on the Spanish electricity price. Furthermore, a high share of renewable energy and a reduction in fossil fuel and emission prices have also proven crucial in driving prices down, though lockdown policies had more impact on prices.     

Clean energy transition in the Turkish power sector: A techno-economic analysis with a high-resolution power expansion model

The Turkish power sector achieved rapid growth after the 1990s in line with economic growth and beyond. However, domestic resources did not support this development and therefore resulted in a high dependency on imported fossil fuels. Furthermore, the governments were slow off the mark in introducing policies for increasing the share of renewable energy. Even late actions of the governments, as well as significant decreases in the cost of wind and especially solar technologies, have recently brought the Turkish power sector into a promising state. A large-scale generation-expansion power-system model (TR-Power) with a high temporal resolution (hours) is developed for the Turkish power generation sector. Several scenarios were analyzed to assess their environmental and economic impacts. The results indicate that a transition to a low-carbon power grid with around half of the electricity demand satisfied by renewable resources over 25 years would be possible, with annual investments of 3.97–6.88 billion in 2019 US$. Moreover, TR-Power indicates that the shadow price of CO₂ emissions in the power sector will be around 17.1 and 33.8 $/per tCO2 by 2042, under 30% and 40% emission reduction targets relative to the reference scenario.     

Allocation of economic costs in trigeneration systems at variable load conditions

This paper presents a thermoeconomic analysis of a trigeneration system interacting with the economic environment. The aim is to determine the energy and total costs of internal flows and final energy services (electricity, cooling and heat). One of the main difficulties in calculating these costs in trigeneration plants within buildings is the continuous variation of energy supply services. Fuel prices and purchase/sale electricity tariffs can also vary. As a consequence there are different operation conditions that combine the possibilities of purchasing or selling electricity, consuming heat from auxiliary boilers, and wasting the excess of cogenerated heat. A novel cost allocation method valid for all possible operation conditions of the trigeneration system is proposed. The heat produced by cogeneration modules is disaggregated into three fractions: heat that meets the heat demand directly, heat utilized to drive absorption chillers (producing cooling), and heat dissipated to the environment. Cost allocation to all cogeneration co-products is determined by applying the principle of avoided expenditures. The cost allocation proposal is applied to a trigeneration system providing energy services to a hospital with 500 beds located in Zaragoza (Spain), encouraging rational and efficient energy services production and consumption.     

Gauging energy poverty in developing countries with a composite metric of electricity access

Energy poverty is a significant development issue that is not univocally interpreted. In many parts of the world, people do not have access to modern and reliable energy, which can be a big problem, particularly for vulnerable and developing countries. When vulnerable people do not have access to energy, they will often not be able to get the power they need to improve their lives. In addition, they may not be able to get proper food, education, health, sanitation, or basic needs for daily living. We use interval-based composite indicators and triplex representations of intervals to measure and assess access to electricity in 54 developing countries as a concept approximating relevant aspects of energy poverty. The proposed composite metric is innovative because it accurately quantifies how much electricity is available to people and how resilient and vulnerable people in developing countries are when they lose access to energy. After comparing the different representations, we found that one group of developing countries is more vulnerable to national and international events than the other. However, other countries are more resilient to electricity access problems. Conflicts and wars can impact the index used to measure energy poverty. However, as measured by the index, these factors contribute to poor performance.