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. Thatās 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 āThe good tax guide: A comparison of car taxation in Europeā 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 āElectric Vehiclesā 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 ā i.e. … [Read more...]
Aviation emissions: donāt 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)Ā remains low. Meanwhile, Europeās EU ETS has helped reduce the sectorās 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. Itās 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 ethanolās 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 ā¬0.003 more, a television ā¬0.03 and a refrigerator up to ā¬0.27 more. Itās because final costs are not very sensitive to fuel costs. The more startling … [Read more...]
Do e-bike subsidies lift sales, change habits and cut emissions?
What happened when Sweden introduced a 25% rebate on the cost of an e-bike for 12 months over 2017-18? Lucas Davis at the Haas School of Business reviews a study that digs into the consequences. Sales increased by 70%. E-bike prices remained steady, so the sellers didnāt simply raise prices to eat up the rebate. The study estimates that although a third of those sales would have āhappened anywayā (i.e. no additionality) the remaining two-thirds … [Read more...]
If most truck journeys are less than 300 miles the E-Truck revolution can happen now
What proportion of trucks today could go electric? Thatās the question Emily Porter at RMI has asked for California and New York. The answer is 65% of medium-duty trucks and 49% of heavy-duty trucks. Those are very encouragingly high numbers. RMIās definition of āelectrifiableā is if they travel fewer than 300 miles between trips to their home bases. The study gathered real data on how freight trucks are driven today. Clearly, a large number of … [Read more...]
New research ranks the 12 best ways to cut car use in cities
Behaviour change is as an important part of our transition journey as the clean energy revolution. Kimberly Nicholas at Lund University summarises research that has gathered together nearly 800 peer-reviewed reports and case studies from across Europe that analyse ways of reducing car use. One main challenge is to quantify the benefits so policy-makers and citizens can make evidence-based decisions on how to re-imagine city mobility. Nicholas … [Read more...]
Aviation policy alert: non-CO2 emissions have up to four times the climate impact
Thereās little point designing CO2 policies without knowing what other factors are heating up the atmosphere. So it is with aviation. The non-CO2 emissions (aromatics, NOx, SO2, H2O, particulate matter, etc.) from jet engines have up to four times the effect of CO2. You can see it in the contrail cirrus streaks trailing behind aircraft. Carlos LĆ³pez de la Osa at Transport & Environment summarises their recent summit that brought together … [Read more...]
Piloting green shipping corridors: Australia-Japan and Asia-Europe
The shipping industry is diverse, disaggregated and part of the logistical chain of 80% of global trade. So reducing its emissions (3% of the global total) will be complex. One way to cut through this complexity is to create a limited number of green shipping corridors between major port hubs, to pilot solutions. This can shrink the challenge of coordination between fuel infrastructure, vessels, firms and national policies down to a manageable … [Read more...]
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