Switching to clean alternative fuels is the key component of the decarbonisation of shipping. But it faces the classic âchicken and eggâ problem of who moves first: the fuel producers, the refuelling ports or their customers the ship and cargo owners. Aparajit Pandey and Oscar Hernandez at RMI explain how a âbook and claimâ system can be the answer. Itâs already proven itself in electricity markets and the aviation sector. Digital tokens are … [Read more...]
Global âexplosiveâ growth means 1 in 3 new cars will be electric by 2030. But SUV emissions could wipe out those gains
More than a third of all new vehicles sold globally in 2030 will be electric, according to the IEA. Thatâs a doubling of its prediction made only two years ago. Josh Gabbatiss at Carbon Brief summarises the report. The IEA describes the growth as âexplosiveâ: from just 1% of global car sales in 2017, to 14% last year, and now 18% expected by the end of 2023. China has consistently dominated those sales while new policies in the U.S. and EU are … [Read more...]
How can Europe stop U.S. and China dominance of cars and batteries without being protectionist?
European and Chinese car and battery makers are making plans to set up plants in the U.S. to take advantage of their big new âmade in the USAâ subsidies. They can then ship their vehicles to Europe to sell into its very large and generously subsidised company car market. This puts electric vehicle production in Europe at a serious disadvantage. As William Todts at T&E explains, the EU must respond, instead of effectively assisting the U.S. … [Read more...]
Poorly defined âefficiencyâ incentives birthed the SUV. Beware the same mistake with âclean energyâ jobs, âdomesticâ batteries + more
Financial support for the transition needs clear and carefully chosen definitions of what qualifies for that support. Getting it wrong leads to unintended consequences, some which may not reduce emissions, explains James Sallee at the Energy Institute at Haas. Ever wondered why SUVs and big cars proliferated after the 1970s in the U.S. (and are on roads all over the world now)? The 1970s oil crisis triggered new rules that penalised fuel … [Read more...]
EU: no CO2-emitting car sales from 2035. But beware of the small exemption for e-fuels
At the end of March, EU countries gave final approval to end sales of new CO2-emitting cars in 2035. It came after Germany argued for and won an exemption for cars running on e-fuels. William Todts at T&E celebrates the landmark decision, but warns that this lifeline for e-fuels will be used by its supporters and the oil lobby to obstruct the rapid transition to EVs. He quotes T&E research that shows e-fuels are far less efficient than … [Read more...]
Strategic home + workplace EV charging: thereâs no need for extra power plants, storage, advanced demand management
High EV usage introduces new power consumption problems. At first look, extra storage and plants will be needed to cope with charging peaks. Either that, or sophisticated advanced demand management connected to every charging point, to smooth out demand. David Chandler at MIT describes research there that shows how, done right, none of that may be necessary. The study, tested on real life data in New York and Dallas, reveals that two things can … [Read more...]
Will the computing power needed for self-driving cars create a carbon emissions problem akin to data centres?
Few predicted, in their early days, that the scale-up of data centres would result in them having a measurable impact on global energy consumption. Today they contribute 0.3% of global emissions. Thatâs a big enough number to put it on the global radar and for the IEA to be monitoring it. Will the wide scale take-up of autonomous vehicles have the same effect? Yes, explains Adam Zewe at MIT who describes new research from there. In summary, one … [Read more...]
Can Global Shipping turn talk into action on reducing emissions?
This week the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) member states are meeting to find ways and agree on how to step up their climate goals. Strategies and targets have been presented, but agreement and binding commitments are needed urgently. There are big differences of opinion within the IMO, and it might turn out that regional and industry developments will drive change faster, explains Christiaan De Beukelaer at Durham University. For … [Read more...]
How European nations are using tax to promote zero-emissions cars
Taxation is an effective way to steer people towards zero-emission cars. But there is wide variation between European countries in how this is done, and therefore the results. Griffin Carpenter at Transport & Environment (T&E) summarises their report âThe good tax guide: A comparison of car taxation in Europeâ that covers seven forms of car taxation across 31 European countries in detail. The ultimate goal should be to create a clear … [Read more...]
EVs are on track for net-zero emissions
The IEA says âElectric Vehiclesâ is one category that is on track to meet their Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario. Road transport accounts for 16% of global emissions. Recent years have seen exponential growth in the sale of EVs, together with improved range, wider model availability and increased performance. The IEA estimates that 13% of new cars sold in 2022 will be electric. Most of the progress is taking place in established markets â i.e. … [Read more...]
Aviation emissions: donât wait for CORSIA. Strengthen EU ETS and Fit-for-55
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has projected growth in flights of 40% between 2018 and 2035. So how do we reduce aviation emissions? The global implementation of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)Â remains low. Meanwhile, Europeâs EU ETS has helped reduce the sectorâs emissions by around 17m tonnes of CO2eq per year - but it did not bring a net decrease in emissions. Technological progress … [Read more...]
How to turn a 17-minute private jet flight into investment for green aviation
Flights in private jets are 10 times more polluting than commercial flights, according to T&E. Itâs why, this summer, public anger grew over their use by celebrities and rich individuals, following the attention drawn to them by the Twitter account @CelebJets that tracks their use. Kylian Mbappe, Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner, Elon Musk and many more: sports stars, pop stars, rich entrepreneurs, they were all named along with the very short … [Read more...]
EVs vs Biofuels: new study looks at ethanolâs impact on agricultural land use, food prices, emissions
For transport, biofuels have lower emissions than gasoline/petrol, but EVs will have the lowest emissions of all. Hence the opposition to those biofuels, along with objections to the valuable cropland used to make the ethanol. But the overall advantage depends on the speed of transition to EVs charged with clean electricity. Now, a calculation has been made of the amount of agricultural land preserved for global food production - or kept as … [Read more...]
SAFFiRE: cheap, Sustainable Aviation Fuel from agricultural waste
SAFFiRE (Sustainable Aviation Fuel From [i] Renewable Ethanol) is a 10-ton-per-day pilot plant project. The goal is 7bn gallons of sustainable, low-carbon aviation fuel by 2040. Ryan Horns at NREL explains that the sustainable fuel is made from corn stover, an agricultural waste product, chemically broken down into sugars that can then be converted to fuels. The SAFFiRE process can take advantage of the existing infrastructure of over 200 ethanol … [Read more...]
100% green shipping would add less than 10 cents to the cost of Nike trainers from China
Upcoming EU policies intended to cut shipping emissions would add just a few cents to the cost of goods all the way from China, says an analysis by T&E. Extending carbon pricing to shipping and mandating small amounts of green e-fuel use by 2030 will mean a pair of trainers would cost just âŹ0.003 more, a television âŹ0.03 and a refrigerator up to âŹ0.27 more. Itâs because final costs are not very sensitive to fuel costs. The more startling … [Read more...]
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