| 1. |
- Lönnqvist, Tomas, 1979-
(författare)
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Biogas in Swedish transport – a policy-driven systemic transition
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The thesis analyzes the conditions for biogas in the Swedish transport sector. Biogas can contribute to the achievement of Sweden’s ambitious targets of decreased emissions of greenhouse gases and an increased share of renewables in the transport sector, a sector that encompasses the major challenges in the phase-out of fossil fuels.Biogas development has stagnated during recent years and there are several factors that have contributed to this. The use of biogas in transport has developed in niches strongly affected by policy instruments and in this thesis, the progress is understood as a policy-driven systemic transition. Biogas has (started to) become established at the regime level and has begun to replace fossil fuels. The major obstacles for continued biogas development are found to be the stagnated vehicle gas demand, the low predictability of Swedish policy instruments, and electric car development. Moreover, the current prolonged period of low oil prices has also contributed to a lack of top-down pressure.A large share of the cheap and easily accessible feedstock for conventional biogas production is already utilized and an increased use of vehicle gas could enable a commercial introduction of forest-derived methane. However, the technologies to produce forest-derived methane are still not commercial, although there are industrial actors with technological know-how.Future biogas development depends on how the policy framework develops. Policy makers should consider the dynamics of biogas as a young sociotechnical system where different system fronts develop at a varying pace. Currently the demand side is lagging behind. However, it is necessary to maintain predictable policy support throughout the entire biogas value chain, since the system fronts that lag can vary over time. The low predictability of Swedish policy instruments indicates that policy makers should exercise care in their design to create a more robust policy framework moving forward.
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| 2. |
- Paramonova, Svetlana, 1986-
(författare)
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Re-viewing industrial energy-efficiency improvement using a widened system boundary
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Improved energy efficiency in industry is important for reaching the targets within the EU strategy for increased sustainability. However, energy efficiency is not always prioritised within companies, and the improvement potential remains large. This paradox called an energyefficiency gap is explained by energy-efficiency barriers. The low interest in energy efficiency is also explained by the fact that it is not within companies’ core competences and not perceived as strategic. The public policies aiming at closing the gap have thus far been concentrated on the faster diffusion of energy-efficient technologies. This is not sufficient, and the gap can be extended by including energy management practices. To bridge the extended gap, there is a need to introduce an extended system perspective. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the industrial energy-efficiency potential and possibilities for reaching this potential using an extended system boundary.In this thesis, the extended gap was quantified by means of classification of the energy data covering the most electricity-intensive Swedish industrial companies. The results show that technology-related measures represent 61% of energy savings, whereas management-related measures account for 38%. Energy efficiency due to management-related measures can be improved with lower costs. The energy-efficiency potentials for different levels of industrial motor systems were quantified, showing that the highest potential is found in the measures that include personal involvement and the optimisation of routines. This proves that the general approaches based on technological diffusion seem to not be sufficient to solve the energy paradox.The evaluation of the Swedish energy audit programme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) proved that there is a lack of energy-related knowledge among SMEs. The implementation rate of measures proposed in the audits is only 54%, while there is also a need to reach the SMEs not covered by the programme. The international study of energy-efficiency potentials did not indicate energy management to be considered by SMEs at all.To bridge the extended gap, the external experts’ knowledge on how to work with energy efficiency has to stay within companies. For this, there is a need for methods based on longterm orientation as well as a systematic view of complicated processes. The methods should be universal and applied in a particular context. An example of such a method for large industries is presented in this thesis, whereas applying it to SMEs is problematic due to limited resources. Participating in networks for energy efficiency can be a way to initiate energy-efficiency work within SMEs on a continuous basis. Moreover, this thesis shows that there is a need for the development of a common taxonomy for energy data as well as the development of a central portal where energy data can be reported and stored. This would simplify the monitoring of energy end-use, the control of measures implementation and the comparison between processes, companies and sectors.
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| 3. |
- Rodriguez, Emily, 1988-
(författare)
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Promises and Pitfalls of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage : Actors' Perspectives, Challenges, and Mitigation Deterrence in Sweden
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods, such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), have gained traction in international climate policy arenas to meet net-zero goals. Even though companies operating facilities with large point sources of biogenic emissions, such as pulp and paper industries and energy utilities, could implement carbon capture, there are few studies that take a bottomup perspective to study these key actors. With more large point sources of biogenic emissions than any other country in Europe, Sweden has theoretical potential to implement BECCS. The Swedish Government seeks to leverage this potential to reach net-zero emissions by 2045. The aim of this thesis is to examine challenges for the implementation of BECCS in Sweden to contribute to sustainability transitions, and to analyze the prospect for deploying BECCS through the lens of mitigation deterrence. This lens is a way to study risks of foregone emissions, overshoots, and rebound effects when relying on a future carbon removal method such as BECCS. This thesis studies how BECCS is socially constructed by key actors in Sweden by analyzing perspectives held by companies, civil servants, political parties, and other key actors, through interviews and focus groups. This study also analyzes how plans to include BECCS impact net-zero strategies in Stockholm, the first city to have a pilot and demonstration facility for BECCS in Europe. Even though the Swedish Government has already been co-financing research and development on BECCS, there is very little planning regarding transport and storage of carbon dioxide. Key actors suggest that neighboring Norway is a logical starting point for geological storage. Therefore, this study includes a literature review on geological storage in the North Sea and Norway to problematize some of the complexities with storage. Based on the empirical material, the main challenges for implementing BECCS in Sweden include: (1) unclear distribution of responsibility for BECCS in sustainability transitions; (2) insufficient financial support, enabling policies, and structure for governing BECCS; and (3) transport and storage uncertainties. These challenges combine to create risks of mitigation deterrence, in the form of policymakers’ overoptimism towards the potential of BECCS. Furthermore, relying on BECCS can lead to less focus on minimizing residual emissions from other sectors. Since Sweden faces several challenges in implementing BECCS, this shows that the global promises for BECCS are more difficult to realize than is often portrayed by integrated assessment models.
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| 4. |
- Andersson, Joakim, 1993-
(författare)
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Non-geological hydrogen storage for fossil-free steelmaking
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the last half-century, global steel use has increased more than threefold and further growth is expected, particularly in developing economies. However, steelmaking is currently responsible for 7% of the global net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and any substantial further optimization of existing processes that utilize fossil fuels for iron ore reduction is infeasible. Therefore, steelmaking must change for climate change mitigation targets to be achievable. Hydrogen (H2) steelmaking using H2 produced via electrolysis is one way forward. A challenge is the substantial electricity demand of electrolysis. H2 storage may lower the electricity cost of electrolysis by allowing a larger share of H2 to be produced when the electricity price is low. Existing experience with large-scale H2 storage is limited to salt caverns and the construction of such caverns requires suitable geological formations, which are neither ubiquitous nor well-distributed. However, geologically-independent H2 storage technologies have not previously been evaluated for integration with H2 steelmaking. This is the aim of this thesis. H2 storage technologies were reviewed and liquid H2 carriers were identified as the most techno-economically feasible non-geological options. Out of these liquid carriers, methanol (CH3OH) was found particularly promising for H2 steelmaking due to the low heat demand of its dehydrogenation, its low-cost storage, and the high technological readiness of plants for both its production and dehydrogenation. A complete CH3OH-based H2 storage concept was developed, including processes for CO2 and heat supply. Its ability to reduce the H2 production cost in a H2 steelmaking process was evaluated via a deterministic optimization method based on historical electricity prices. Results indicate that CH3OH-based storage may be competitive with geological storage options, especially for cases with long-duration electricity price patterns. The option to also sell off accumulated CH3OH from the storage was investigated. Such steel and CH3OH co-production may improve storage utilization and reduce the risk of investment into H2 storage as it allows for profitability to be reached under a more diverse set of electricity market conditions.
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| 5. |
- Larsson, Mårten
(författare)
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The role of methane and hydrogen in a fossil-free Swedish transport sector
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Drastic reductions of greenhouse gas emissions are required to limit the severe risks associated with a changing climate. One measure is to disrupt the fossil-fuel dependency in the transport sector, but it appears difficult and costly in comparison to other measures.Vehicles and fuels are available, but no single alternative can replace petrol and diesel in all parts of the transport system. None of them are ideal regarding all of the following aspects: vehicle performance, fuel production potential, sustainability, infrastructure, technology development and economy. Instead, several fuels are needed.In this thesis, the aim is to investigate the role of methane and hydrogen in a fossil- free vehicle fleet in Sweden, and compare them with other fuels in terms of well-to-wheel energy efficiency and economy. Processes for producing methane from biomass, waste streams from pulp mills and electricity are studied with techno-economic methods. Furthermore, well-to-wheel studies and scenarios are used to investigate the fuel chains and the interaction with the energy and transport systems.Effects of policy instruments on the development of biogas in the Swedish transport sector are also analysed and policy instruments are suggested to increase the use of methane and to introduce hydrogen and fuel cell electric vehicles. The results reveal that tax exemptions and investment support have been and will continue to be important policy instruments, but that effective policy instruments are needed to develop fuelling infrastructure and to support alternative vehicles.Electricity will be an important transport fuel for several reasons; the electric powertrain enables high energy efficiency and electricity can be produced from various renewable energy sources. Nevertheless, other fuels will be needed as complements to electricity. The results reveal that methane and hydrogen and associated vehicles may be necessary to reach a fossil-free vehicle fleet in Sweden. These fuels have several advantages:- The function of the vehicles resembles conventional vehicles but with lower local and global emissions.- Methane is a well proven as a transport fuel and hydrogen infrastructure and FCEVs, are commercial or close to commercialisation.- They enable high well-to-wheel energy efficiency.- They can be produced from renewable electricity and act as energy storage.
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| 6. |
- Olsson, Alexander
(författare)
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Assessing Carbon Dioxide Removal methods amid uncertainty : soil carbon sequestration, biochar and harvested wood products as methods for climate change mitigation
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Measures to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) away from the atmosphere have become increasingly important in the discussion of which methods humans can employ to limit global warming. These measures, which are broad and varied, fall under the umbrella of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods. CDR methods can be used to reach so-called net-zero targets, since targets are politically determined to allow for CDR methods to compensate for some emissions that are hard to abate.Several CDR methods provide co-benefits in addition to mitigating climate change. They are therefore not pure climate measures. Using an interdisciplinary approach and a methodology including quantitative estimates and interview data, I investigate how some important CDR methods with co-benefits may be assessed and potentially supported by policy. Soil carbon sequestration using solar powered irrigation systems in the drylands of China, biochar-producing cookstoves in Tanzania, and biochar and wood-based panel production using forestry by-products in Sweden are CDR methods that I assess in their local context in this thesis.To increase the ambitions towards reaching the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement, some countries, such as Sweden, are looking to invest in international mitigation activities. This thesis illustrates that there is a heavy focus on measurable parameters when estimating the outcome of international climate change mitigation activities. However, unmeasurable uncertainties, such as political issues and economic rebound effects, tend to be neglected. These unmeasurable uncertainties are likely to be important and cannot be neglected if international mitigation activities, for example under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, are to be used to reach net-zero targets.Designing policy instruments that seek to encourage the use of CDR methods with co-benefits based on their ability to store CO2 may cause unintended consequences, such as inefficient use of resources. In addition, many of the co-benefits are not yet supported by scientific studies, which complicates policymaking. Despite often being considered win-win solutions, CDR methods with co-benefits face resistance since they often challenge current practices. In this thesis, I suggest various approaches to manage these uncertainties and challenges.
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| 7. |
- Persson, Johannes, 1981-
(författare)
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Low-energy buildings : energy use, indoor climate and market diffusion
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Low-energy buildings have, in recent years, gained attention and moved towards a large-scale introduction in the residential sector. During this process, national and international criteria for energy use in buildings have become stricter and the European Union has through the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive imposed on member states to adapt their building regulations for ‘Nearly Zero Energy Buildings’, which by 2021 should be standard for new buildings.With a primary focus on new terraced and detached houses, this thesis analyses how the concept of low-energy buildings may be further developed to reduce the energy use in the residential sector. The main attention is on the technical performance in terms of indoor climate and heat consumption as well as on the market diffusion of low-energy buildings into the housing market.A multidisciplinary approach is applied, which here means that the concept of low-energy buildings is investigated from different perspectives as well as on different system levels. The thesis thus encompasses methods from both engineering and social sciences and approaches the studied areas through literature surveys, interviews, assessments and simulations.The thesis reveals how an increased process integration of the building’s energy system can improve the thermal comfort in low-energy buildings. Moreover, it makes use of learning algorithms – in this case artificial neural networks – to study how the heat consumption can be predicted in a low-energy building in the Swedish climate. The thesis further focuses on the low-energy building as an element in our society and it provides a market diffusion analysis to gain understanding of the contextualisation process. In addition, it suggests possible approaches to increase the market share of low-energy buildings.
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