Believe the hype and the internal combustion engine is on course for the end of its reign with the era of electric mobility inevitable.
Categories: Academic Papers, Transport
The development of the East-West rail network across the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge arc is seen essential to contribute to the UK’s economic growth. Yet, the UK government’s commitment to become a net-zero economy by 2050 requires this large infrastructure project to be planned net-zero from the start. While the construction industry has been developing innovative, low carbon solutions these aren’t assessed in terms of their applicability to the railway projects. Moreover, the incorporation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and the use of fuel cell or electric motors can help with reducing railway emissions at the operational phase.
Categories: Academic Papers, Energy and environment, Transport
Calls have been made for a new governance framework, framed as ‘transformative innovation policy’ (TIP), which addresses pressing global sustainability problems, such as the decarbonisation challenge. Given the newness of thinking on TIP, empirical insights are needed into how ongoing efforts by public administrations link to TIP, and how policy experimentation connecting to TIP intertwines with formal institutional change and existing policy mixes. This paper examines the governance of low-carbon mobility transitions through a case study of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in Finland, which has developed as a result of successful collaboration between public and private sector actors.
Categories: Academic Papers, Energy and environment, Transport
This paper focusses on identifying the market failures associated with electric vehicle charge point investment, and developing a methodology that help identify locations where these market failures may pose particular barriers to investors in charge points.
Categories: Academic Papers, Energy and environment, Transport
Bi-directional electric vehicle (EV) charging, or ‘vehicle to grid’ (V2G), can provide electricity system flexibility in the same way as stationary battery storage — but without the need for any stationary batteries. However, unlike stationary batteries, the availability of this resource depends largely on how often the vehicles are plugged in. Whilst it is well-known that private cars are generally utilised only a small proportion of the time, it has become evident from real-world EV trials that drivers tend not to plug their vehicles in whenever they are at home, an effect that increases for longer-range vehicles. This paper presents a study of the impact of plug-in frequency on the potential of V2G to reduce i) consumer bills and ii) carbon intensity of charging.
Categories: Academic Papers, Energy and environment, Transport
Deane Somerville, Knowledge Team Manager, Energy Institute The 2016 Energy Barometer Report captures insights from UK energy professionals and enables them to form the energy debate, policymakers, influencers, the industry and the public. Deane Somerville has worked in the Knowledge Team at the Energy Institute for the past three years, and has been involved in the development and production of the Energy Barometer as well as other Knowledge Service products. Prior to joining the EI, he worked in environmental consulting, focusing on contaminated site remediation. Academically, his background is in Geology as well as Energy and Environmental Technology. Deane is a Graduate member of the Energy Institute.
Categories: Conference Presentations, Electricity and nuclear, Energy and environment, Energy demand, Energy economics, Energy efficiency, Energy policy, Energy security, Finance and investment, Gas, Oil, Renewables, Transport
Tags: electricity and nuclear, energy and environment, Energy Barometer, Energy demand, energy economics, Energy efficiency, Energy policy, energy professional survey, energy security, finance and investment, Future energy systems, Gas, Oil, Renewables, transport
Energy_Barometer_2016-Somerville.pdf 1.35 MBProfessor Peter J G Pearson, Cardiff University Victoria Johnson, Cardiff University Fionnguala Sherry-Brennan, Cardiff University Overview: This research is part of the EPSRC-funded Realising Transitions Pathways project and builds on earlier historical studies (Arapostathis et al., 2013; Carlsson-Hyslop and Pearson, 2013; Pearson and Foxon, 2012). Basing our analysis on earlier experiences of the emergence and evolution of alternative liquid fuels, we aim to provide a useful historical analogue for understanding the development, support and acceptance of technological substitutes within socio-technical transitions. Methodology: We focus on two petrol alternatives manufactured in the inter-war period (1918-1938). They were power alcohol, made by the Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL), sold as Discol between 1921 and 1973, and a petrol-from-coal made by Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. (ICI), which was blended with petroleum derived petrol and sold between 1935 and 1958. Given recent criticisms that socio-technical transitions research often underplays or neglects issues of governance, agency and power, we play particular attention to the role of actors and governance to better understand the drivers for state support for these two fuels. We do this by Read more…
Categories: Academic Papers, Transport
Tags: alternative fuels, energy transitions, fuel distribution, governance, Subsidies
Pearson-Alternative-Liquid-Fuels-BIEE.pdf 819.78 KBMr Nelson Mojarro Gonzalez, SPRU, University of Sussex Biofuels can be used either as an additive or as a fuel substitute having different implications for oil firms. This paper focuses on the use of ethanol by oil firms and examines how and why ethanol has been employed by oil companies, and how this might lead to a (technological) shift in a historically path dependent technological system towards a potentially more sustainable trajectory. The article analyzes the case of the major Brazilian oil company, Petrobras and argues that after decades of complying the highest ethanol blending mandate in the world, the Brazilian oil firm, has until recently has until recently enter biofuel upstream activities, potentially unlocking its oil-only based path dependency. Oil firms are almost the sole providers of motor fuels and “the infrastructure necessary to provide fuels can be identified as a path dependent large technological system. This system has since the early 20th century employed the same raw material (crude oil) to produce its main process refining output, motor gasoline. The vast majority of oil firms in this system Read more…
Categories: Academic Papers, Renewables, Transport
Tags: bioethanol, Biofuels, conference 2012, European Energy in a Challenging World, oil companies
Unlocking-a-path-dependency-The-case-of-Brazilian-ethanol-implementation-in-Petrobras.pdf 1.21 MBDr Gervasio Santos, Federal University of Bahia The objective of this paper is to estimate the price and income elasticity for gasoline and ethanol in the fuel market for light vehicles in Brazil using spatial panel data models. The presence of two main fuels – gasoline and ethanol – in this market makes it considerably competitive. In addition, vehicular natural gas (VNG) also has a marginal presence in the market. Besides diversification, there are three main spatial features of fuel supply that might influence heterogeneity in the behavior of regional consumers. First, sugar-cane ethanol production is concentrated in some states. Second, besides marginal imports of gasoline, its production also is concentrated in some states. And third, along with the small share of VNG, production and logistical problems lead to a concentration of supply in a few states and cities. As a consequence, consumer behavior is heterogeneous and directly and indirectly influenced by different supply gaps and transportation and distribution costs. For this reason, there may be spatial autocorrelation patterns in fuel demand. Thus, spatial panel data models are used to Read more…
Categories: Academic Papers, Transport
Tags: bioethanol, conference 2012, emerging markets, European Energy in a Challenging World, fuels
Spatial-Panel-Data-Models-and-Fuel-Demand-in-Brazil.pdf 515.64 KBSANTOS-Spatial_Panel_Data_Model_and_Fuel_Demand_in_Brazil-6mw.pdf 663.33 KBIn order to meet the target of 450 ppm CO2-equivalent by 2050, a minimum of 50% energy-related GHG emission reduction needs to be achieved globally. The transport of passengers and goods, mainly dominated by road vehicles, is responsible for 26% of global energy-related GHG emissions (IEA, 2010). A reduction of its emissions by 95% will be necessary to compensate for other sectors where it is harder to reduce emissions, such as aviation and heavy industry (DECC, 2010). One way, is the electri?cation of the transport sector. However, the electri?cation the current transport system relies on a range of vehicle technologies such as plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), battery electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCEV), which depend on the availability of manufacturing capabilities and refuelling/recharging infrastructures. The challenge is to initiate and drive forward major structural changes to the current road passenger transport system, the related industries, as well as to the society: its needs, expectations and behaviours. The whole transition process towards electric mobility will be a result of interactions between di?erent groups of customers, industries and policy makers, Read more…
Categories: Academic Papers, Energy policy, Transport
Tags: conference 2012, Electric vehicles, European Energy in a Challenging World, Student poster
MAZUR_Christoph_Exploring_policies_for_the_transition_towards_electric_vehicles.pdf 548.1 KBFor priority access to our events & gain access to our downloadable resources
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