Recently Added
- Estimation of the quantity of metals to phase out fossil fuels in a full system replacement, compared to mineral resources
Geological Survey of Finland, Bulletin 416, 2024
This study presents the physical requirements in terms of required non-fossil fuel industrial capacity, to completely phase out fossil fuels, and maintain the existing industrial ecosystem. The existing industrial ecosystem dependency on fossil fuels was mapped by fuel (oil, gas, and coal) and by industrial application. The estimated sum total of extra annual capacity of non-fossil fuel power generation to phase out fossil fuels completely, and maintain the existing industrial ecosystem, at a global scale is 48,939.8 TWh. An estimate is presented for the total quantity of metals required to manufacture a single generation of renewable technology units (EV’s, solar panels, wind turbines, etc.) sufficient to replace energy technologies based on combustion of fossil fuels. It is shown that both 2019 global mine production, 2022 global reserve estimates, 2022 mineral resources, and estimates of undersea resources, were manifestly inadequate for meeting projected demand for copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and vanadium.- Automotive Life Cycle Assessment Literature Review
Report for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Eastern Research Group, 2023
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commissioned a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis of automotive life cycle assessments (LCA) focusing on attributional LCA of battery electric vehicles (BEV) and competing technologies that included internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) as well as other electrified vehicles such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).- Environmental outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard
PNAS, 2022
The authors argue that the RFS does not give enough consideration to domestic (i.e., US) land use changes. They conclude that the RFS increased corn prices by 30% and the prices of other crops by 20%, which, in turn, expanded US corn cultivation by 2.8 Mha (8.7%) and total cropland by 2.1 Mha (2.4%) in the years following policy enactment (2008 to 2016). These changes increased annual nationwide fertilizer use by 3 to 8%, increased water quality degradants by 3 to 5%, and caused enough domestic land use change emissions such that the carbon intensity of corn ethanol produced under the RFS is no less than gasoline and likely at least 24% higher.- Evaluation of the levelised cost of hydrogen based on proposed electrolyser projects in the Netherlands - Renewable Hydrogen Cost Element Evaluation Tool (RHyCEE)
TNO, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2024
The average levelised cost of large-scale renewable hydrogen production would be €12 to €14 per kilogram H2. The study is based on actual costs from electrolysis projects in the Netherlands. The largest cost components are the cost of electricity, the investment cost and associated capital cost, and the high-voltage electricity grid transport tariff.- Current status of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies in the global economy: A survey of technical assessment
Fuel, 2023
This review covers and discusses a wide variety of technologies utilized at different scales in the CCUS system related to CO2 capture, separation, transport, storage, and utilization, as well as critically assesses their technical merits in the sense of the technology readiness level (TRL). Furthermore, it highlights significant disadvantages of specific technologies that have to be resolved, as well as difficulties that need to be addressed further in regards to the CCUS R&D projects.- Large-scale electricity storage
The Royal Society, London, UK, 2023
Meeting the UK’s commitment to reduce GHG emissions will require a large increase in electricity generation from wind and solar, which are the cheapest form of low-carbon supply, but vary over a wide range of timescales from seconds to decades. No matter how much generating capacity is installed, there will be times when wind and solar cannot meet all demand, and large-scale of very-long duration storage will be needed. The scale, on the order of tens of TWh, is over 1000 times that currently provided by pumped hydro in the UK, and far more than could conceivably be provided by conventional batteries. It is suggested that the leading candidate technology is storage of hydrogen in solution-mined salt caverns. The fall-back option, which would be significantly more expensive, is ammonia.- Review of Methane Slip from LNG Engines
Report, EU Green Ray project, 2023
Literature data on methane slip from marine engines is scarce, especially for recently built engines, posing a challenge for the estimation of total methane slip emissions from shipping. This report provides an overview of the published methane slip emission factors and complements the existing values by collecting ship owner data covering measurements conducted on newly build engines (2019-2022).- Atmospheric implications of increased hydrogen use
Policy paper, UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), 2022
A study commissioned by UK government and conducted by the University of Cambridge and the University of Reading examined the atmospheric impacts of hydrogen and calculated the radiative forcing resulting from hydrogen emissions. The global warming potential (GWP) of hydrogen over a 100-year period has been estimated to be 11±5, a value more than 100% larger than previous estimates.- Life Cycle Analysis Comparison: Electric and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles
Ricardo Strategic Consulting report for the Fuels Institute, 2022
Ricardo Strategic Consulting conducted a life cycle assessment for the Fuels Institute to study the life cycle emissions and total cost of ownership of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and electric vehicles. The study involved an extensive literature review of the research work in this field and a customized life cycle analysis (LCA) model development by Ricardo.- California’s Clean Diesel Program
The International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, USA, 2021
A white paper summarizes the efforts CARB has made and plans to make to reduce emissions from diesel engines of all types. Specifically, it describes steps taken to develop plans and strategies to combat pollution from vehicles, off-road equipment and marine vessels, enforcement efforts taken to ensure compliance, and programs developed to accelerate the replacement of older, high-emitting diesel engines.- Assessment of the Extra Capacity Required of Alternative Energy Electrical Power Systems to Completely Replace Fossil Fuels
Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Espoo, Finland, 2021
This report addresses the challenges around the ambitious task of phasing out fossil fuels (oil, gas, & coal) that are currently used in vehicle internal combustion engine technology (ICE) and for electrical power generation. The global strategic decision adopted by most nations to phase out fossil fuels systems and replace them with renewable energy generation systems is largely driven by CO2 emissions and associated climate change, and not by dwindling resources, although it is well known that oil, gas, and coal reserves are finite. The calculations show that the total additional non-fossil fuel electrical power annual capacity to be added to the global grid will need to be around 37,670 TWh. Considering the resource related limits, the analysis suggests that replacing the existing fossil fuel powered system using renewable technologies, such as solar panels or wind turbines, will not be possible for the entire global human population. There is simply just not enough time, nor resources to do this by the current target set by the world’s most influential nations. What may be required, therefore, is a significant reduction of societal demand for all resources, of all kinds. This implies a very different social contract and a radically different system of governance to what is in place today. Inevitably, this leads to the conclusion that the existing renewable energy sectors and the EV technology systems are merely- Air quality impacts of biodiesel in the United States
ICCT White Paper, International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, DC, USA, 2021
This study presents a meta-analysis of air pollution changes from vehicles and engines running on biodiesel blends in the United States relative to a conventional diesel baseline. When the analysis is restricted to only studies reflecting modern conditions, the biodiesel NOx effect for B20 increases to 4% due to the introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and common-rail fuel injection systems. The analysis also found that in modern engines, B20 increases HC and CO by 7% and 10%, respectively, and does not reduce PM compared to conventional diesel. This finding presents a striking contrast with the conclusions in EPA’s 2002 meta-analysis—based on data from older technology engines—that biodiesel sharply reduces emissions of all these pollutants.- Real Driving Emissions (RDE): 2020 assessment of Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) measurement uncertainty
JRC Technical Report, 2021
The EU Joint Research Center (JRC) has updated its assessment of portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS) measurement uncertainty suggesting that the RDE conformity factors (CF) for NOx and PN can be further lowered. The NOx margin can be reduced to 0.23 (CF=1.23) and the PN margin to 0.34 (CF=1.34). The previous estimate of NOx margin was 0.32 and the current PN margin used in the legislation is 0.5.- Non-exhaust Particulate Emissions from Road Transport
OECD Publishing, Paris, France, 2020
Non-exhaust emissions of particulate matter constitute a little-known but rising share of emissions from road traffic and have significant negative impacts on public health. This report synthesizes the current state of knowledge about the nature, causes, and consequences of non-exhaust particulate emissions. It also projects how particulate matter emissions from non-exhaust sources may evolve in future years and reflects on policy instrument mixes that can address this largely ignored environmental issue.- Emissions Gap Report 2020
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2020
The report finds that, despite a brief dip in carbon dioxide emissions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century—far beyond the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.- ABS Advisory On NOx Tier III Compliance
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), 2020
Classification society ABS has published the ABS Advisory on NOx Tier III Compliance to provide best practice for IMO Tier III compliance for new build vessels and retrofitted ships. The advisory includes an overview of available technologies, evaluates considerations for the selection of compliance options and outlines the process for statutory and class approval. It also details best practices for installation and integration of exhaust emission control systems and challenges typically encountered during their operation.- Biomass-Based Diesel
Fuels Institute, Alexandria, VA, USA, 2020
This report, commissioned by the Fuels Institute, analyzes the major attributes of the U.S. Biomass-Based Diesel (biodiesel and renewable diesel) sector at every stage of the supply chain, including its production and consumption trends, distribution and blending practices, technical and environmental performance, and economics associated with production and demand.- Forecasting the Alternative Marine Fuel Ammonia
Korean Register of Shipping, 2020
An overview of ammonia as a marine fuel including: technologies from engine manufacturers, storage and transport, economics, production, stability and risks.- Role of e-fuels in the European transport system. Literature review
CONCAWE Report 14/19, 2019
A literature review on e-fuels, which aims to build a better understanding of the e-fuel production technologies and implications in terms of efficiency, greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction, technology readiness level, environmental impact, investment, costs and potential demand. Among the challenges: low thermodynamic conversion efficiency, technology is in a pilot/demo stage, massive amount of capital-intense equipment is required to deploy the technology, high production costs.- The climate implications of using LNG as a marine fuel
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), 2020
A life-cycle analysis that considers methane losses during natural gas extraction and distribution shows that the use of LNG can increase GHG emissions from shipping. Using a 20-year GWP of CH4, there is no climate benefit from using LNG, regardless of engine technology.- The impacts of EGCS washwater discharges on port water and sediment
CE Delft report for Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe, 2019
According to this study for Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe, ships that use Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCSs) to comply with the IMO sulfur regulations have a small impact on the water quality in ports, when compared to future EU standards for priority substances in water. The study calculates the predicted equilibrium concentrations for 11 metals and 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Four of these metals and seven PAHs are priority substances under the European Water Framework Directive (EU WFD). In most ports and for most substances, the increase in concentrations caused by continuous discharge of a relatively high amount of EGCS washwater is less than 0.1% of the limit value in the EU WFD for 2021 for these priority substances. In ports with low hydrodynamic exchange (such as in the Baltic sea), the increase in concentration can amount to 0.6% of the limit value for a few PAHs. The study also evaluates the accumulation of substances in port sediment.- Current state of NOx emissions from in-use heavy-duty diesel vehicles in the United States
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), 2019
This report assesses the real-world nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions behavior of heavy-duty diesel vehicles in the United States measured using portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS). This assessment is based on 160 PEMS tests from engines certified to 0.2 grams per brake horsepower-hour (g/bhp-hr) of NOx. The tests include data from eight manufacturers and 26 unique engine families certified between 2010 and 2016. Second-by-second data was analyzed to compare against the compliance evaluation results and to assess the impact of vehicle speed, vehicle type, and manufacturer on real-world NOx emissions.- Solid Particle Number (SPN) Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) in the European Legislation: A Review
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2019
An open access paper that gives an overview of the studies for SPN-PEMS from early 2013 with the first prototypes until the latest testing and improvements in 2019.- Marine fuel handling in connection to stability and compatibility
CIMAC Guideline 01/2019, By CIMAC WG7 Fuels, 2019
This guidance aims to provide a practical and working understanding of the definition of stability and compatibility of marine fuel oils and how these two specific fuel properties may be best managed in the supply chain and on-board ships. This compliments and expands on the information given in ISO/PAS 23263:2019 “Considerations for fuel suppliers and users regarding marine fuel quality in view of the implementation of maximum 0.50% Sulphur in 2020” (PAS). Details on the accepted available test methodologies for stability and for predicting compatibility are included, covering their applicability and correct interpretation.- Decoupling debunked: Evidence and arguments against green growth as a sole strategy for sustainability
European Environmental Bureau, 2019
Is it possible to enjoy both economic growth and environmental sustainability? This report reviews the empirical and theoretical literature to assess the validity of such hypothesis. The conclusion is both overwhelmingly clear and sobering: not only is there no empirical evidence supporting the existence of a decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressures on anywhere near the scale needed to deal with environmental breakdown, but also, and perhaps more importantly, such decoupling appears unlikely to happen in the future.- Joint Industry Guidance: The supply and use of 0.50%-sulphur marine fuel
Joint Industry Project (CIMAC, Concawe, IACS, IBIA, and others), 2019
The Guidance presents the specific safety and operational issues relating to the supply and use of max. 0.50%-sulfur fuels, an overview of fuel quality principles, and the controls that should be put in place to ensure that safety issues are identified, prevented and/or mitigated. It addresses issues such as fuel compatibility, fuel stability, and fuel handling and storage, and contains a comprehensive review of existing operational factors that can affect safety.- Alternatives to diesel multiple units in regional passenger rail transport
VDE Technik und Innovation report, 2019
With a focus on decarbonizing the German rail network by 2050, the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE) claims battery power and fuel cells are the most sensible options for replacing diesel multiple-units on low traffic rail lines where electrification is uneconomical. Battery operation is suitable for routes with unelectrified sections of up to 80 km, with the traction batteries being charged from overhead lines elsewhere on the route. While fuel cells are an option for routes with unelectrified sections longer than 80 km, hydrogen production and supply infrastructure is required. Battery and fuel cell technologies should be equal priorities for development, with political support provided to mitigate implementation risks. Electric-diesel or diesel-battery options were not considered as these would potentially be an expensive investment in a ‘transitional measure’. Report in German only.- DERA Fourth Report to Congress: Highlights of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Program
US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA, 2019
The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, authorized in 2005 and reauthorized in 2010, is a US federal government program addressing emissions from legacy diesel engines such as through engine replacements or retrofits. This Fourth Report to Congress summarizes final results from FY 2008-2013 and details a combination of final and estimated results from FY 2014-2016.- Germany's Energiewende – where we really stand
VERNUNFTKRAFT, English translation of a November 2017 German report, 2018
A report by Vernunftkraft, a German group opposed to wind power, claims Germany's Energiewende is a failure. The 29,000 wind turbines and 1.6 million PV systems provide only 3.1% of Germany’s energy needs at a cost well over 100 billion Euros so far and likely another 450 billion Euros over the next two decades - even when the cost of maintaining fossil generation systems to back up the lack of wind and sun is not included. Wind and solar installations receive a guaranteed price for 20 years which removes incentives to innovate, research and please customers. Consumers paid 176 billion euros for renewable electricity with a market value of 5 billion euros from 2000-2016.- Shifting the focus: energy demand in a net-zero carbon UK
Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS), Oxford, UK, 2019
A major cross-theme report, based on existing research, concludes that the reduction of energy demand is crucial to achieve zero-carbon economy, and government policies should focus on energy demand reductions, rather than on increasing energy supply. In the transportation sector, it means that the number of cars on the roads must be reduced, not increased, even if all vehicles are powered by renewable electricity.- Pentagon Fuel Use, Climate Change, and the Costs of War
Boston University, 2019
Although the US Defense Department has reduced its fossil fuel consumption since the early 2000s, it remains the world’s single largest consumer of oil—and as a result, one of the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters. The paper examines military fuel usage for the US post-9/11 wars and the impact of that fuel usage on GHG emissions. The best estimate of US military GHG emissions from 2001, when the wars began with the US invasion of Afghanistan, through 2017, is that the US military has emitted 1,212 million tonnes of CO2e. In 2017, for example, the Pentagon’s GHG emissions were greater than the GHG emissions of entire industrialized countries such as Sweden or Denmark.- Do Renewable Portfolio Standards Deliver?
Working Paper No. 2019-62, Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, 2019
A comparison of states with and without Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) policies indicates that 7 years after passage of an RPS program, the required renewable share of generation is 1.8% higher and average retail electricity prices are 11% higher. For 12 years after adoption, there is a 4.2% increase in renewables' share and a price increase of 17%. These cost estimates significantly exceed the marginal operational costs of renewables and likely reflect costs that renewables impose on the generation system, including those associated with their intermittency, higher transmission costs, and any stranded asset costs assigned to ratepayers. The estimated cost of CO2 abatement was $130-$460 per tonne of CO2, making it at least several times larger than conventional estimates of the social cost of carbon. These results do not rule out the possibility that RPS policies could dynamically reduce the cost of abatement in the future by causing improvements in renewable technology.- Understanding the life cycle GHG emissions for different vehicle types and powertrain technologies
Final Report for LowCVP, Ricardo, 2018
For larger, heavy-duty trucks, life cycle CO2e emissions are overwhelmingly (over 95%) from vehicle use. For smaller vehicles, such as passenger cars and L-category vehicles, there is greater sensitivity in each life cycle stage. Vehicle production does contribute to life cycle CO2e emissions, and may be the dominant life cycle stage for BEV technology used with low carbon electricity.- A comparison of real driving emissions from Euro 6 diesel passenger cars with zero emission vehicles and their impact on urban air quality compliance Urban air quality study: extension I
Concawe Report 8/18, 2018
The results of a real driving emissions study conducted by Ricardo indicate that for diesel passenger cars driven under real driving conditions, the latest Euro 6 technologies deliver a significant reduction in the emissions of nitrogen oxides compared to pre-2015 vehicles. This reduction in emissions means that both Euro 6d diesel cars and zero emission cars have an almost identical effect on compliance with ambient air quality limit values and consequent population exposure. This holds true for all of the pollutants examined: NO2, PM2.5 and PM10. Therefore, the choice of drive train (diesel or electric) in new passenger car registrations will have negligible impact on compliance with air quality limit values in European urban environments. From an air quality perspective, it is unlikely that excluding newer Euro 6 diesel passenger cars from cities will result in earlier compliance or a reduction in population exposure.- Enabling Technologies for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Cummins 55BTE
Final Scientific / Technical Report: DoE Program Award Number: DE-EE0007281, 2018
The Cummins 55% BTE (55BTE) program has completed the planned technical work on the project. This work includes the planned engine system demonstration in pursuit of the goal of demonstrating a peak system brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of 55%. A BTE of 54% was demonstrated and a revised path is identified showing how the system could be improved to reach 55% BTE with some minor modification to the engine system. The changes in the revised path not completed due to time and money constraints placed on the program. The combustion system was re-designed for a shorter combustion duration and lower in-cylinder heat loss through optimization of the fuel injection rate shape, number of spray holes, piston bowl shape, compression ratio, piston oil cooling, heat flow through the piston and in-cylinder charge motion. The air handling system was re-designed to provide cooled EGR at virtually no pumping penalty through implementation of a dual loop EGR system and reduction of EGR system pressure drop.- Decarbonisation of transport: options and challenges
European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC), 2019
The report reviews options for reducing GHG emissions from European transport. EASAC recommends a combination of transitional measures for the next 10-15 years and sustainable measures for the long term, based on a three level policy framework: avoid and contain demand for transport services; shift passengers and freight to transport modes with lower emissions (trains, buses and ships); and improve performance through vehicle design, more efficient powertrains and replacing fossil fuels with sustainable energy carriers including low-carbon electricity, hydrogen and synthetic fuels.- RIA Electrification Cost Challenge Report
UK's Railway Industry Association, 2019
Better planning of projects, wider adoption of best practice and a long-term commitment to a rolling program could reduce the cost of overhead line electrification by between 33% and 50%. Conventional electrification remains the optimal technical solution for an intensively-used railway, despite the introduction of new technologies such as ‘bimode, trimode, battery and hydrogen’ trains. It should therefore be the first consideration in any move to decarbonise the railway by 2040. The report argues that the significant increase in cost on the Great Western Electrification Program should be seen as a one-off, caused by an unrealistic program of work and unpreparedness in using novel technologies resulting in poor productivity. The government had authorized a ‘glut’ of electrification projects following a 20-year hiatus. This ‘feast and famine’ approach had also impacted on costs, with up to eight schemes competing for limited resources at one stage.- Shell LNG-Studie "Verflüssigtes Erdgas – Neue Energie für Schiff und Lkw?" (Liquefied Natural Gas – New Energy for Vessels and Trucks?)
Shell, Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) and Technischen Universität Hamburg (TUHH) report, 2019
Assuming that by 2040 there will be 6,000 (mainly) large LNG ships worldwide and 480,000 LNG trucks in the EU, greenhouse gas emissions from shipping could be reduced by 132 million tonnes by 2040 and from heavy trucks by up to 4.7 million tonnes, depending on engine technology. With a 30% share of renewable LNG, an additional reduction of around 20% would be possible for trucks. Methane slip is addressed in Euro VI legislation with a 0.5 g/kWh methane emission limit. Methane emissions from marine are not currently addressed adequately and methane emission reductions are required. Report is in German.- Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 37
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2019
A statistical compendium prepared and published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under contract with the US Department of Energy. Designed for use as a desk-top reference, the Data Book represents an assembly and display of statistics and information that characterize transportation activity, and presents data on other factors that influence transportation energy use.- Compilation and Assessment of Lab Samples from EGCS Washwater Discharge on Carnival ships
Clean Shipping Alliance 2020 Technical Conference, London Marriott Hotel County Hall, 21st February 2019, 2019
A study carried out by Carnival Corp. on washwater from scrubbers on cruise ships shows that it compares well with numerous water quality standards. The three-year study collected 281 wash water samples from 53 EGCS-equipped cruise ships and then assessed against 54 different test parameters by ISO accredited independent laboratories. All the resulting laboratory analysis reports were then evaluated by DNV GL’s Maritime Advisory Services and the data compared against various water quality standards, after first confirming that the samples analysed were consistently well within the allowable IMO criteria and regulatory limits.
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