| 1. |
- Gentile, Niko, et al.
(författare)
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A Method to Introduce Building Performance Simulation to Beginners
- 2020
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 13:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Competence in performing Building Performance Simulations (BPS) is a fundamental asset for an energy specialist. However, teaching BPS to new students can be challenging, often due to the overwhelming capabilities of the software. The consequences for students are frustration and lack of confidence using the software, dividing group work based on previous expertise and, mostimportantly, the inability to predict and critically analyse results due to the superficial understanding of simulations. This paper presents and evaluates a simple method named ‘control method’ which is intended to introduce BPS in classes where students have a limited experience working with BPS, significantly dierent educational backgrounds, and where the time to teach BPS in class is limited. The method is built around the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes taxonomy. It aims to provide the students with a basic understanding of the input-output relationship between parameters, prompting the use of BPS independently during their individual study time. The application of the method is evaluated with two survey-based studies. The findings suggest that the method prompts higher level thinking in BPS and collaborative learning in groups. Further investigation is needed to verify if students’ ability to predict results is also increased.
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| 2. |
- Adams, Sophie, et al.
(författare)
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Social and economic value in emerging decentralized energy business models: A critical review
- 2021
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073 .- 1996-1073. ; 14:23
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, numerous studies have explored the opportunities and challenges for emerging decentralized energy systems and business models. However, few studies have focussed specifically on the economic and social value associated with three emerging models: peer-to-peer energy trading (P2P), community self-consumption (CSC) and transactive energy (TE). This article presents the findings of a systematic literature review to address this gap. The paper makes two main contributions to the literature. Firstly, it offers a synthesis of research on the social and economic value of P2P, CSC and TE systems, concluding that there is evidence for a variety of sources of social value (including energy independence, local benefits, social relationships, environmental responsibility and participation and purpose) and economic value (including via self-consumption of renewable electricity, reduced electricity import costs, and improved electricity export prices). Secondly, it identifies factors and conditions necessary for the success of these models, which include willingness to participate, participant engagement with technology, and project engagement of households and communities, among other factors. Finally, it discusses conflicts and trade-offs in the value propositions of the models, how the three models differ from one another in terms of the value they aim to deliver and some of the open challenges that require further attention by researchers and practitioners.
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| 3. |
- Palm, Jenny, et al.
(författare)
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Achieving the Circular Economy: Exploring the Role of Local Governments, Business and Citizens in an Urban Context
- 2021
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Urbanisation and climate change are urging cities to find novel pathways leading to a sustainable future. The urban context may be viewed as a new experimentation space to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Urban symbiosis and circular economy are emerging concepts attracting more and more attention within the urban context. Moreover, new business models are emerging around sharing and peer-to-peer practices, which are challenging existing roles of actors in society. These developments have an important impact on the flows of resources and use of the city infrastructure, and each research area has taken a different perspective on the analysis of such impacts. This special issue aims to explore what a “circular city” could constitute and how and why cities engage in circularity. The special issue includes seven high-quality papers on theories and practices on circular cities. Actors, concepts, methods, tools, barriers to and enablers of circular cities are discussed and provide a solid base and inspiration for future developments of circular cities.
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| 4. |
- Palm, Jenny
(författare)
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Knowledge about the final disposal of nuclear fuel in Sweden : Surveys to members of parliament and citizens
- 2020
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 13:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2011, the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) applied for a permit to construct a disposal facility. The Swedish government is expected to make a decision in 2020. Three surveys have been conducted to investigate how informed the Swedish Members of Parliament (MP) and the citizens are in these issues. The first study with the MPs was done in 2013, the second in 2016 and the one with the citizens was conducted in the winter of 2018/2019. The results show that most MPs and half of the citizens were aware of the ongoing permission process. Rather surprisingly, there were more politicians and citizens who knew about the suggestions to use copper canisters, than knew the suggested location. In general, nuclear waste was seen as an important issue by all respondents. A majority of the MPs and the citizens believed that Sweden can dispose the waste in a safe manner. Among the citizens, the trust in politicians’ decisions on where and how to build a final repository were low and more trust was put into scientists and experts. Half of the citizens wanted to see a phase out of nuclear power, over half of the MPs meant that the repository should be designed so that the withdrawal of nuclear waste can be done.
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| 5. |
- Palm, Jenny, et al.
(författare)
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The role of cities in the sharing economy : Exploring modes of governance in urban sharing practices
- 2019
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 12:24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cities have for a long time been key actors in sustainable urban development, and in recent times, also for the sharing economy, as they provide a fertile breeding ground for various sharing initiatives. While some of these initiatives build on existing practices and infrastructures such as public libraries and repair workshops, others require the involvement of private companies, as in the case of car sharing. The sharing economy might therefore require a significant reinterpretation of the role of local governments, businesses and citizens, which in turn might imply a complex re-organisation of governing. This article will explore what potential roles cities might have in governing the sharing economy. Four Swedish cities serve as case studies for this purpose: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Umeå. City data was collected primarily through qualitative means of investigation, including workshops, interviews and desk research. In Malmö, additional participatory observations were conducted on the testbed Sege Park. Results were analysed with a framework developed for understanding the various governing roles for cities in the sharing economy. Three dominant modes of governing were identified and discussed: Governing by provision and authority; governing by partnership and enabling; and governing through volunteering. The four cities made use of all three governing modes, although with a primary focus on governing by authority and governing through partnership. When characterised by governing through volunteering, projects were always initiated by the city, but then run formally by an NGO. While all governing modes may have a role and a purpose in the sharing economy, it is still important that cities reflect upon what are their actual implications. Risks include a collaborative governing mode out-competing some businesses, for example, and a self-governing mode reducing the action space of the volunteer sector.
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| 6. |
- Eggert, Håkan, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Promoting Second Generation Biofuels: Does the First Generation Pave the Road?
- 2014
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 7:7, s. 4430-4445
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The U.S., Brazil and a number of European and other countries worldwide have introduced various support schemes for bioethanol and biodiesel. The advantage of these biofuels is that they are relatively easily integrated with the current fossil fuel-based transport sector, at least up to a certain point. However, recent studies point to various negative effects of expanding the production of first generation (1G) biofuels further. 1G biofuels’ problems can be overcome by a transition to second generation (2G) biofuels. So far, 2G biofuels are much more costly to produce. We therefore ask: to what extent is targeted support to 2G biofuels likely to bring costs down? Additionally, are current support schemes for biofuels well designed in order to promote the development of 2G biofuels? We find that the prospects for cost reduction look better for 2G bioethanol than for 2G biodiesel. Bioethanol made from cellulose is far from a ripe technology, with several cost-reducing opportunities yet to be developed. Hence, targeted support to cellulosic ethanol might induce a switch from 1G to 2G biofuels. However, we find little evidence that production and use of 1G bioethanol will bridge the conversion to 2G bioethanol. Hence, to the extent that private investment in the development of 2G bioethanol is too low, current support schemes for 1G biofuels may block 2G bioethanol instead of promoting it.
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| 7. |
- Ellegård, Kajsa, et al.
(författare)
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Who Is Behaving? Consequences for Energy Policy of Concept Confusion
- 2015
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 8:8, s. 7618-7637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Policies to reduce household energy use usually target the individual customer. This is probably one explanation to the limited effect of many information policies, because two concepts with different meanings are confused: individual and household. In most contexts, an individual stands for what s/he does, but in the policy context, an individual is taken to represent the entire household. This is not problematic for a single-person household, but, in a multi-person household, activities performed by different household members influence the whole households energy use. This paper illuminates problems arising from confusing the concepts of household and individual when developing policies to reduce household energy use. Examples relate to indoor space heating and energy-intensive home-based activities. The results indicate that it is analytically simple to consider individuals at home, as well as their activities using electrical appliances contributing to heating, but much more complicated to take the whole household into consideration. Our model provides a basis for better-targeted information actions to reduce energy use. Also, empirically based models capturing variations between households with different activity patterns are important for developing policies resulting in reduced energy use for space heating in multi-person households.
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| 8. |
- Mirzaei Alavijeh, Nima, 1993, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-Effectiveness of Carbon Emission Abatement Strategies for a Local Multi-Energy System - A Case Study of Chalmers University of Technology Campus
- 2020
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073 .- 1996-1073. ; 13:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper investigates the cost-effectiveness of operation strategies which can be used to abate CO2 emissions in a local multi-energy system. A case study is carried out using data from a real energy system that integrates district heating, district cooling, and electricity networks at Chalmers University of Technology. Operation strategies are developed using a mixed integer linear programming multi-objective optimization model with a short foresight rolling horizon and a year of data. The cost-effectiveness of different strategies is evaluated across different carbon prices. The results provide insights into developing abatement strategies for local multi-energy systems that could be used by utilities, building owners, and authorities. The optimized abatement strategies include: increased usage of biomass boilers, substitution of district heating and absorption chillers with heat pumps, and higher utilization of storage units. The results show that, by utilizing all the strategies, a 20.8% emission reduction can be achieved with a 2.2% cost increase for the campus area. The emission abatement cost of all strategies is 36.6–100.2 (€/tCO2 ), which is aligned with estimated carbon prices if the Paris agreement target is to be achieved. It is higher, however, than average European Emission Trading System prices and Sweden’s carbon tax in 2019.
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| 9. |
- Nielsen, Hana, et al.
(författare)
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Trade in the Carbon-Constrained Future: Exploiting the Comparative Carbon Advantage of Swedish Trade
- 2020
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 13:14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper introduces a new concept of comparative carbon advantage as a potential climate mitigation tool. According to the concept, welfare gains in terms of reduced global CO2 emissions can be achieved by exploiting cross-country sectoral differences in carbon intensity and decarbonized electricity system. The paper empirically tests the concept by utilizing annual data of Sweden between 1995 and 2008. Overall, the results show that Sweden contributed nearly 590 million tons of potential CO2 emissions savings through its exports by having an efficient and low-carbon production and electricity system. This total amount of 590 million tons of CO2 emissions relates to the total savings made if the same amount and composition of Swedish exports was produced using the world average technology. Furthermore, the contribution of Sweden’s low carbon electricity generation was over 34% of the total savings, of which some 20% were direct exports of electricity and 80% was electricity embodied in exported products. This research provides a critical understanding of the impact of efficient production and low carbon electricity in generating relative comparative carbon advantage—a policy relevant aspect for the increasingly globalized, and carbon-constrained, world.
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| 10. |
- Souza Filho, Pedro, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Valorization of Wheat Byproducts for the Co-Production of Packaging Material and Enzymes
- 2020
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Ingår i: Energies. - : MDPI AG. - 1996-1073. ; 13:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Waste management systems are overloaded with huge streams of plastic, a large part of this being originated from packaging. Additionally, the production of wheat, one of the most cultivated crops in the world, generates low-value lignocellulosic materials, which are mostly discarded. In this study, the wheat lignocellulosic byproducts straw and bran were used for the co-production of enzymes and bio-based materials with possible application as packaging via the compression molding method. The mechanical properties of the films were studied based on the effects of the removal of lignin by alkali and biological pretreatment, the growth of filamentous fungi, the size of the particles, and the enzyme recovery. Generally, the straw films were stiffer than the bran ones, but the highest Young’s modulus was obtained for the biologically pretreated bran (1074 MPa). The addition of a step to recover the fungal cellulases produced during the cultivation had no statistical effect on the mechanical properties of the films. Moreover, alkali and biological pretreatments improved the anaerobic biodegradability of the straw films. Thus, the wheat bran and straw can be used for the co-production of enzymes, materials, and biogas, potentially changing how wheat and packaging wastes are managed.
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