scholarly journals Designing the Next Generation of Federal Tax Credits for Low-Carbon Technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devashree Saha ◽  
Rajat Shrestha ◽  
John Feldmann
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Tax Credits ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Critical Design ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Design Deficiencies ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies

Achieving emissions reductions to reach economywide net-zero emissions by 2050 will require sustained technological innovations and widespread deployment of emerging low-carbon technologies that are not yet commercially deployed on a mass-market scale. Tax credits are an important policy tool for supporting the early-stage deployment of emerging technologies as well as more mature technologies that have not yet reached widespread deployment. While existing federal tax credits have played an important role in enabling the deployment of several low-carbon technologies, including wind, solar, and electric vehicles, they also suffer from critical design deficiencies that make them less effective. This paper proposes six considerations for designing the next generation of federal tax credits that can support deployment of clean energy and low-carbon technologies in the U.S. power, transportation, industrial, and buildings sectors. Within each consideration, the paper lays out different approaches and discusses the tradeoffs between each.

2. Why do we need renewables?

2020 ◽  
pp. 16-29
Author(s):  
Nick Jelley
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Dangerous Climate Change ◽  
Low Carbon Energy

‘Why do we need renewables?’ describes the dangers of fossil fuels and explains the importance of renewable energy as an alternative. It shows that the use of fossil fuels causes global warming and climate change, leading to widespread concern, and also to a growing realization of the harm caused by the air pollution from coal burning and from internal combustion engines in cars and lorries. These threats are causing a switch away from fossil fuels to renewables that is gaining impetus from the growing awareness of the increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather seen in recent years. This transition is also being aided by the falling price of clean energy from renewables, in particular, solar and wind farms, which will become the dominant sources. The area of land or sea required for these farms is readily available, as are the back-ups required to handle their variability. Alternative supplies of low-carbon energy are examined. In the Paris Agreement in 2015, it was recognized that carbon dioxide emissions must reach net-zero by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change.

scholarly journals District Heating and Cooling Systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iván De la Cruz ◽  
Carlos E. Ugalde-Loo
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Optimal Operation ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Automatic Control Systems ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Cold Store ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies

Decarbonisation of the energy sector is a crucial ambition towards meeting net-zero targets and achieving climate change mitigation. Heating and cooling accounts for over a third of UK greenhouse emissions and, thus, decarbonisation of this sector has attracted significant attention from a range of stakeholders, including energy system operators, manufacturers, research institutions and policy makers. Particularly, the role of district heating and cooling (DHC) systems will be critical, as these two energy vectors are central to our lives not only for comfort and daily activities, but also to facilitate productive workplaces and to run a variety of industrial processes. The optimal operation of DHC systems and the design of efficient strategies to produce heat and cold, store thermal energy, and meet heating and cooling demands, together with an increased integration of low carbon technologies and local renewable energy sources, are vital to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions alike. This chapter reviews relevant aspects of DHC systems, their main elements, automatic control systems and optimal management.

Low Carbon Technologies for Our Cities of Future: Examining Mechanisms for Successful Transfer and Diffusion

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrika Mehta ◽  
Uday Shankar ◽  
Tapas K. Bandopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Legal Status ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
The One ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies ◽  
Low Carbon Energy ◽  
And Diffusion

The urge to adopt the proceedings at the recently concluded COP-21 with a binding legal status is indicative of the fact that nations now realise the seriousness of the issue, alike. The international community is just paving way for a low carbon, energy efficient planet. Rapid urbanisation has led to overpopulated cities that demand better quality of life for its residents. On the one hand, there is a global urge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and on the other hand, the world is moving towards a ‘smart’ future. Both these suppositions are interspersed by a common goal of sustainable development. Alternately, the discussion tends to focus on use of clean energy technologies. Cities will be at the centre of this unique and unprecedented challenge. This research seeks to explore the role that city governance plays in climate mitigation and adaptation at the global level. Furthermore, the article examines and evaluates low carbon technology as a choice to be inculcated in encountering climate change hazards and essentially looks into the modus operandi of the transfer and diffusion of low carbon/clean energy technologies.

Development Strategies of Low-Carbon Economy in Jiangxi Province

2012 ◽  
Vol 524-527 ◽  
pp. 2510-2516
Author(s):  
Qiu Gen Zhang ◽  
Wen Qing Shen ◽  
Li An Wei ◽  
Su Hua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Energy Use ◽  
Industrial Structure ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Development Strategies ◽  
Jiangxi Province ◽  
Energy Structure ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies ◽  
Carbon Economy

It is the strategic choice of sustainable social development to develop low-carbon economy in Jiangxi province. The healthy and orderly development of low-carbon economy depends on the adjustment of industrial structure, energy structure and consumption structure. It also depends on the support of policies, regulations and low-carbon technologies. Some development strategies of low-carbon economy in Jiangxi province were put forward in this paper. The development strategies include adjusting and optimizing industrial structure for building a low-carbon industrial system; optimizing energy use structure to develop low-carbon clean energy; promoting recycling economy for the development of low-carbon economy; planning and constructing experimental area to carry out the pilot and demonstration of low-carbon economy; strengthening intercommunion and co-operation to develop low-carbon technologies; constructing low-carbon culture to guide low-carbon consumption; planting tree and forestation to enhance the carbon sequestration function; improving policies and regulations to support low-carbon economy development.

scholarly journals The Role of Zero and Low Carbon Hydrogen in Enabling the Energy Transition and the Path to Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam French
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Industrial Processes ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
The World

As public pressure to limit global warming continues to rise, governments, policy makers and regulators are looking for the most effective ways to achieve the target set by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to keep the global temperature increase to below 1.5°C above pre‐industrial levels. This will require the world to move to net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and numerous governments have committed to reach net zero by this date, or even earlier. It is widely recognised that achieving net zero at the state, country and regional levels will necessitate a systems-wide approach across all the major sources of GHG emissions, which include power generation, transport, industrial processes and heating. Land use is also critical with billions of trees needing to be planted and a change in the amount of meat eaten. There is a growing realisation that hydrogen has a vital role to play, particularly to decarbonise sectors and applications that are otherwise extremely difficult to abate, such as industrial processes, heavy duty freight movement, dispatchable power generation and heating applications. Hydrogen will also provide long-term (for instance seasonal) energy storage, enabling much greater uptake of renewable power generation, which itself is a key prerequisite of the clean energy transition. Hydrogen can play a role in the decarbonisation of all major segments, and this means it can facilitate cross-sector coupling, enabling the exploitation of synergies between different key parts of the economy. This article discusses the different production routes to low and zero carbon hydrogen, and its uses across numerous applications to minimise and eliminate carbon dioxide and GHG emissions, building a picture of the key role that hydrogen will play in the energy transition and the broader global move towards decarbonisation and climate stabilisation. An overview of some of the ongoing and planned demonstration projects will be presented, outlining the importance of such activities in providing confidence that the hydrogen approach is the right one for multiple geographies around the world and that there are technologies that are ready to be deployed today.

scholarly journals Low Carbon Development through Measuring and Monitoring Carbon Emission in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-252
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Co2 Emission ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Low Carbon Development ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions through low carbon development is an appropriate solution to combating climate change. This research aims to identify ways of reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Johor Bahru towards promoting low carbon development. The research investigated the low carbon initiatives in Malaysia. The study was based on purposive case study and restricted to Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It reviewed existing practice of low carbon development in the study area. Stakeholders and organizations related to low carbon development and low carbon initiatives were interviewed. The study also observed that the initiative is relatively in the early stage with few projects accomplished. However, emphasis was placed on other themes of low carbon concept rather than direct measurement of Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. Since majority carbon emissions are from electricity and transport sectors, the Malaysian University Carbon Emission Tool (MUCET) was modified and suggested for measuring and monitoring emissions in Johor Bahru. This study facilitates the formulation of policies that target emission reduction and ensure steady movement into clean energy future.

6. Other low-carbon technologies

2020 ◽  
pp. 77-92
Author(s):  
Nick Jelley
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Global Demand ◽  
Air Capture ◽  
Tidal Stream ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies ◽  
Fossil Fuel Power Plants

‘Other low-carbon technologies’ examines other low-carbon technologies, and sees how they fare against those already discussed in previous chapters. These are the renewables: tidal, wave, and geothermal power; and the low-carbon technologies of nuclear power and carbon capture. The contribution from tidal and wave power is small, with only a few tidal stream and underwater wave devices under development, and that the power from geothermal sources is potentially large, but difficult to extract. The deployment of nuclear power has been affected by concerns over its safety, the disposal of its waste, and its cost. By 2050, the total generation from all renewables and nuclear power could be close to 90 per cent of current global demand. While capture at fossil-fuel power plants looks uncompetitive, air capture through reforestation and through using chemical absorbers might remove 10 per cent of the emissions of carbon dioxide and help the world to be on target to achieve net-zero emissions.

scholarly journals What are the main determinants of diffusion speed between academic research and industrial application? Evidence from four major clean-energy technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedict Probst ◽  
Laura Díaz Anadón ◽  
Andreas Kontoleon
Keyword(s):  
Data Science ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Diffusion Speed ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies

Abstract Recent evidence suggests a slowdown of economic productivity in major Western and Asian economies. One of the most convincing causes is the slowdown in research productivity in key sectors of the economy, such as low-carbon technologies. The latter trend is particularly worrying as low-carbon technologies play a critical role in keeping global warming well below the 2°C that the Paris Agreement set. We rely on a novel data science method that connects scientific articles with patented technologies. We extract the scientific publications cited in more than 600,000 clean energy technologies (wind, solar, biomass, li-ion) and investigate what determines the diffusion speed between scientific research and patented technologies. We demonstrate that the higher the quality of the scientific article (measured by citations), the lower the distance between scientists and inventors, and the higher the similarity between the content of the scientific article and the patent, the faster the diffusion between research and application. Yet, we also show that while more dissimilar content takes longer to be used in patents, the eventual impact of the patent is greater, possibly because it is more innovative. Our data also reveals that while distance appears to matter for the speed of knowledge diffusion, patents in the four low-carbon technologies on average rely on 81% of foreign sources of science, as scientific knowledge diffuses widely across the world economy. China and the United States play an outsized role as the source of scientific publications used in clean-technology patents globally. Nevertheless, while research is characterised by global spillovers, the application of such knowledge (in a patent) appears to be dominated by national teams, potentially due to greater local spillovers and secrecy issues.

scholarly journals Energy Transition Investments and Financing Instruments

Federalism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 100-114
Author(s):  
N. V. Bahtizina ◽  
A. R. Bahtizin
Keyword(s):  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Innovation Fund ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies ◽  
The Eu

International organizations representing the interests of energy-deficient developed countries are urging to solve the problem of global warming through the Energy Transition, which implies decarbonization of the world economy. The implementation of the Energy Transition requires annual investments of 3% of world GDP in energy efficiency, renewable energy, electric vehicles, etc. In 2020, despite the acceleration of dynamics, the volume of world investments was more than 5 times lower than required. The leaders in investments in clean energy are the technologically developed countries of Europe, the USA, Japan, as well as developing countries – China and Brazil, striving for technological independence. In order to expand its presence in the promising market for low carbon technologies, the EU pays special  attention  to  innovations  in  the  field  of  clean  energy,  financing  them  through  the Innovation Fund. To prevent Russia’s technological backwardness and reduce the carbon footprint of export products, it is advisable to envisage the possibility of state support for innovative projects in the field of clean energy from the Climate Fund.

scholarly journals Economic and Carbon Costs of Electricity Balancing Services: The Need for Secure Flexible Low-Carbon Generation

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 5123
Author(s):  
Mauro Lafratta ◽  
Matthew Leach ◽  
Rex B. Thorpe ◽  
Mark Willcocks ◽  
Eve Germain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Capital Investment ◽  
Electricity Sector ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Carbon Intensity ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Security Of Supply ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Low Carbon Technologies ◽  
Balancing Services

The electricity sector aims to achieve a balanced progress in all three dimensions of the energy trilemma: affordability, decarbonisation and security of supply. Separate strategies for decarbonisation and security of supply have been pursued; each with close attention to minimising costs, thus consistent with the affordability aspect of the trilemma. However, while it is evident that the pathway for decarbonisation increases pressure on security of supply, the pressures that cost-minimising security of supply measures are putting on decarbonisation goes unaddressed. The United Kingdom (UK) is a global leader in the transition towards a decarbonised economy and aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. As a major part of the UK, Great Britain (GB) has achieved greater than 50% of low-carbon electricity generation and the grid’s carbon intensity has dropped by 36% over the period 2015–2019. However, balancing services that provide security of supply uses only 8% of low-carbon generation. Their carbon intensity is double the grid’s average and this gap is widening. This is an effect of a systemic reliance on carbon-intensive fuels. Financial support for capital investment for flexible low-carbon technologies is much needed. The GB context suggests that an integrated strategy covering all three dimensions of the trilemma might achieve an improved balance between them and unlock an affordable, net-zero emissions and secure power system.

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