scholarly journals A comparative analysis of environmental and economic costs of PV solar imports and manufacturing for Ontario

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bich Ngoc Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Carbon Policy ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Demands

This research focuses on the environmental impacts related to the manufacturing of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to assess the environmental impacts for a CS6XVP module. The current supply chain, based in China, was compared to a hypothetical Ontario based supply chain to determine environmental and economic costs. LCA results showed that the manufacturing of modules in Ontario reduced primary energy demands by 22% and GHG emission by 88%. Moreover, the carbon difference between supply chains equated to $5.84 per module. This leads to the conclusion that there are clear environmental benefits to manufacturing PV technology in Ontario; however, the economic benefits of carbon costing are not significant enough to encourage a complete shift in the current supply chain. It is suggested that a change in carbon policy could help to support the development of PV manufacturing and other renewable energy technologies in Ontario.

scholarly journals A comparative analysis of environmental and economic costs of PV solar imports and manufacturing for Ontario

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bich Ngoc Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Economic Costs ◽  
Carbon Policy ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Demands

This research focuses on the environmental impacts related to the manufacturing of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to assess the environmental impacts for a CS6XVP module. The current supply chain, based in China, was compared to a hypothetical Ontario based supply chain to determine environmental and economic costs. LCA results showed that the manufacturing of modules in Ontario reduced primary energy demands by 22% and GHG emission by 88%. Moreover, the carbon difference between supply chains equated to $5.84 per module. This leads to the conclusion that there are clear environmental benefits to manufacturing PV technology in Ontario; however, the economic benefits of carbon costing are not significant enough to encourage a complete shift in the current supply chain. It is suggested that a change in carbon policy could help to support the development of PV manufacturing and other renewable energy technologies in Ontario.

scholarly journals Are Renewables as Friendly to Humans as to the Environment?: A Social Life Cycle Assessment of Renewable Electricity

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shutaro Takeda ◽  
Alexander Keeley ◽  
Shigeki Sakurai ◽  
Shunsuke Managi ◽  
Catherine Norris
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Social Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Electricity Mix ◽  
The Impact

The adoption of renewable energy technologies in developing nations is recognized to have positive environmental impacts; however, what are their effects on the electricity supply chain workers? This article provides a quantitative analysis on this question through a relatively new framework called social life cycle assessment, taking Malaysia as a case example. Impact assessments by the authors show that electricity from renewables has greater adverse impacts on supply chain workers than the conventional electricity mix: Electricity production with biomass requires 127% longer labor hours per unit-electricity under the risk of human rights violations, while the solar photovoltaic requires 95% longer labor hours per unit-electricity. However, our assessment also indicates that renewables have less impacts per dollar-spent. In fact, the impact of solar photovoltaic would be 60% less than the conventional mix when it attains grid parity. The answer of “are renewables as friendly to humans as to the environment?” is “not-yet, but eventually.”

scholarly journals Environmental potential of carbon dioxide utilization in the polyurethane supply chain

2015 ◽  
Vol 183 ◽  
pp. 291-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas von der Assen ◽  
André Sternberg ◽  
Arne Kätelhön ◽  
André Bardow
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Supply Chain Optimization ◽  
Environmental Evaluation ◽  
Impact Reduction ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Utilization ◽  
Systematic Exploration ◽  
The Impact

Potential environmental benefits have been identified for the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a feedstock for polyurethanes (PUR). CO2 can be utilized in the PUR supply chain in a wide variety of ways ranging from direct CO2 utilization for polyols as a PUR precursor, to indirect CO2 utilization for basic chemicals in the PUR supply chain. In this paper, we present a systematic exploration and environmental evaluation of all direct and indirect CO2 utilization options for flexible and rigid PUR foams. The analysis is based on an LCA-based PUR supply chain optimization model using linear programming to identify PUR production with minimal environmental impacts. The direct utilization of CO2 for polyols allows for large specific impact reductions of up to 4 kg CO2-eq. and 2 kg oil-eq. per kg CO2 utilized, but the amounts of CO2 that can be utilized are limited to 0.30 kg CO2 per kg PUR. The amount of CO2 utilized can be increased to up to 1.7 kg CO2 per kg PUR by indirect CO2 utilization in the PUR supply chain. Indirect CO2 utilization requires hydrogen (H2). The environmental impacts of H2 production strongly affect the impact of indirect CO2 utilization in PUR. To achieve optimal environmental performance under the current fossil-based H2 generation, PUR production can only utilize much less CO2 than theoretically possible. Thus, utilizing as much CO2 in the PUR supply chain as possible is not always environmentally optimal. Clean H2 production is required to exploit the full CO2 utilization potential for environmental impact reduction in PUR production.

scholarly journals Integrated analysis of land-use, energy and water systems for ethanol production from sugarcane in Bolivia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Gabriela Pena Balderrama ◽  
Dilip Khatiwada ◽  
Francesco Gardumi ◽  
Thomas Alfstad ◽  
Silvia Ulloa Jimenez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Ethanol Production ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Integrated Analysis ◽  
Production Chain

Abstract The use of biomass for renewable energy production is one alternative to reduce the environmental impacts of energy production worldwide. Sugarcane-based ethanol is one of the most widespread biofuels in the road transport sector and its development has been encouraged by strong incentives on production and use in several countries. The growing realization on the environmental impacts of ethanol production indicates the need to increase the efficient utilization of biomass resources by optimizing the production chain sustainably. This paper evaluates enhancements in the ethanol production chain quantitatively by identifying opportunities for agricultural intensification and investments in advanced biorefineries in a least-cost optimization model. Results of our model show that significant cost and environmental benefits can be achieved by modernizing sugarcane agriculture in Bolivia. Demands for ethanol and sugar can be met cost-effectively by increasing sugarcane yields from the current country-average of 55.34 ton/ha to 85.7 ton/ha in 2030 with a moderate cropland expansion of 11.4 thousand hectares in the period 2019-2030. Our results further suggest that it is cost-optimal to invest in efficient cogeneration in biorefineries to maximize the renewable energy output and the economic benefits of sugarcane ethanol. Finally, biofuel support in the range of 8-10 US$/GJ is required for investments in second-generation ethanol in biorefineries to be cost-competitive in the medium-term..

Consideration of food wastage along the supply chain in lifecycle assessments: A mini-review based on the case of tomatoes

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Karin Bernstad ◽  
Alba Cánovas ◽  
Rogerio Valle
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Total Contribution ◽  
Lca Case Studies ◽  
Food Wastage

In recent years, increased light has been shed on the large amounts of food wasted along the food supply chain (FSC). As lifecycle assessments (LCAs) are commonly used for estimations of environmental impacts from food production, it is relevant to investigate and discuss how such wastage is reflected in foodstuff LCAs. The objective of the present paper is to review a larger set of LCAs of foodstuff in order to (1) investigate if and how wastage along the FSC is addressed and (2) explore the importance of including wastage accumulated along the FSC in terms of environmental impacts. Twenty-eight LCA case studies and two review papers, focusing on tomatoes, were reviewed and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions chosen as indicator for the second objective. Only one third of the studies consider wastage at some part of the supply chain, in many cases in an inconsistent manner, and only in nine cases were GHG emissions from wastage included in overall systems GHG emissions. In these, wastage accounts for between 2 and 33% of total contribution to climate change. Omitting wastage when conducting LCA of foodstuff could result in underestimations of environmental impacts. Occurrence of wastage along all phases of the supply chain should be acknowledged in order to estimate environmental benefits from prevention and to identify areas where strategies with the aim of reducing wastage could be most efficient.

Global benefits, local burdens? The paradox of governing biofuels production in Kansas and Iowa

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Selfa
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
The State ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Government Mandates ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Local Impacts

AbstractRecent sociological analysis of the expansion of the biofuels industry internationally has noted the paradox between the purported global environmental benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels with biofuels, and the potential for distinctly negative environmental impacts experienced at local sites of biofuels production. The state, in both the USA and the EU, has played a prominent role in promoting the development and expansion of biofuels production through government mandates and incentives, but the state's role in governing the potentially (negative) economic, social or environmental impacts of biofuels production on local communities has been much more limited in scope. We review the environmental sociological literature to frame analysis of how the state is governing the benefits and burdens brought by the ethanol industry to rural communities in Kansas and Iowa. Drawing on data from community surveys, focus group and individual interviews and analysis of environmental violations, the paper examines the local impacts of biofuels production in three case-study communities. Findings suggest that local residents do not express many concerns about environmental impacts and that the state has played a modest role in governing the negative local environmental impacts. We argue that this lack of concern is related to the histories of these rural communities, which have long depended on resource extractive industries and currently are desperate for economic growth. We find that criticisms of negative environmental impacts are muted in relation to purported economic benefits and to other comparable industries. These community case studies illustrate some of the challenges, both at the practical and theoretical levels, of governing biofuels production.

scholarly journals Overview and Feasibility of Floating Solar Photovoltaic System in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-274
Author(s):  
Ashuhang Rai ◽  
Ashutosh Timilsina ◽  
Beni Nepali
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Photovoltaic System ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Hydropower Plants ◽  
Rate Of Evaporation ◽  
Reduced Rate ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic System

As a next generation technology, Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV) System has had a remarkable growth in the field of Renewable Energy since 2014 with an installed capacity of more than 200 MWp as of 2017. Interest in FSPV system is on the rise compared to its land-based counterpart due to significant benefits like an increased efficiency of the panel, omission of land-related cost and cost of the mounting structure along with environmental benefits like water conservation of the reservoir through a reduced rate of evaporation and containment of algae boom. In this paper, the overall benefit of exploiting FSPV system in case of Nepal has been explored and the techno-economic feasibility of such system in Nepalese scenario has been analyzed. Improvement in efficiency of the panel has been calculated mathematically which also seems to support results from previous works. After analyzing the techno-economic benefits, it was found that FSPVs, even though having a marginal financial profit at current PPA rate of Rs. 7.3/kWh, can still prove beneficial if used concomitantly with storage type hydropower plants.

scholarly journals A Multi-Objective Optimization Model for Green Supply Chain Considering Environmental Benefits

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 5911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Jian ◽  
Yu Guo ◽  
Lin Jiang ◽  
Yanyan An ◽  
Jiafu Su
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Stackelberg Game ◽  
Revenue Sharing ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Green Supply Chain ◽  
Multi Objective Optimization ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Revenue Sharing Contract ◽  
Environmental Objectives

Whether the upstream and downstream members in a supply chain (considering environmental objectives) simultaneously stabilize economic benefits has become an important problem in the process of green development. However, few quantitative studies on green supply chains have considered environmental and economic benefits to realize multi-objective optimization. To study operation and cooperation strategies with a consideration of the different objective on the level of supply chain, we first establish a green supply chain game model with profit and environment objectives simultaneously considered by the manufacturer. Then, we analyze the multi-objective decisions of the supply chain members under centralized control using a manufacturer-led Stackelberg game and revenue-sharing contract. Using the manufacturer’s environmental preference as a variable, the effects of environmental benefits on the supply chain are also investigated. Finally, this study determines that the manufacturer’s profit will be reduced after considering the objective of environmental benefits, while the retailer’s profit, product greenness, and environmental benefits will be improved. Meanwhile, the total profit of the green supply chain will first increase and then decrease. In particular, a revenue-sharing contract can facilitate the coordination of multiple objectives; in this way, both the manufacturer and the retailer achieve higher profits and environmental benefits compared to a decentralized control condition, which is of great significance in achieving a win–win situation for the economy and the environment.

Supply Chain Modelling Under Carbon Trading

2019 ◽  
pp. 282-299
Author(s):  
Nidhi M. B. ◽  
V. Madhusudanan Pillai
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Emission Trading ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Carbon Trading ◽  
Cap And Trade ◽  
Supply Chain Operation

In the recent decades, carbon footprint assessment of an activity has been emerging as a major research area. The carbon trading called “CAP and TRADE system” is evolved out of the Kyoto Protocol and emission trading schemes and is experimented across countries to encourage organizations to control emission. The region or country fixes the CAP which is the limit for emissions emitted by an organization. This chapter depicts the performance evaluation of a supply chain under the carbon cap and trade scheme. A mathematical model is proposed which considers carbon emissions as a result of supply chain operation, carbon trading among members of the supply chain, and carbon trading with members of outside supply chain. A mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed for the performance evaluation of a forward supply chain having 4 stages. The analysis shows that carbon trading allows economic benefits as well as environmental benefits.

Environmental Benefits of Precision Agriculture Adoption

2020 ◽  
pp. 637-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Medici ◽  
Søren Marcus Pedersen ◽  
Giacomo Carli ◽  
Maria Rita Tagliaventi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Herbicide Application ◽  
Pesticide Application ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Biodiversity Policy ◽  
Lime Application

The purpose of this study is to analyse the environmental benefits of precision agriculture technology adoption obtained from the mitigation of negative environmental impacts of agricultural inputs in modern farming. Our literature review of the environmental benefits related to the adoption of precision agriculture solutions is aimed at raising farmers' and other stakeholders' awareness of the actual environmental impacts from this set of new technologies. Existing studies were categorised according to the environmental impacts of different agricultural activities: nitrogen application, lime application, pesticide application, manure application and herbicide application. Our findings highlighted the effects of the reduction of input application rates and the consequent impacts on climate, soil, water and biodiversity. Policy makers can benefit from the outcomes of this study developing an understanding of the environmental impact of precision agriculture in order to promote and support initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable agriculture.

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