Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Energy Sector (energy + sector)
Selected AbstractsWind power policy options in finland , analysis of energy policy actors' viewsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2006Vilja Varho Abstract Governments around the world are responding to the environmental problems caused by energy production by promoting wind power and other renewable forms of energy. Country specific political and ideological issues affect the choice of policy instruments. For example, although Finland and Sweden are already part of the same Nordic electricity market, they use different renewable energy policy instruments. The views about suitable policy instruments also vary within the Finnish energy sector. This paper is based on analysis of interviews with 25 energy sector actors that affect wind power policy in Finland. They used a number of process-oriented and value-based criteria to evaluate policies. Emphasis on deregulated market conditions was found to be strong, and to limit methods that are considered appropriate for supporting wind power. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Impact of climate change on growth planning in India's energy sectorENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2008Mrinal K. Ghose First page of article [source] Energy Security and the Division of Competences between the European Community and its Member StatesEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 4 2008Sanam S. Haghighi However, dealing with energy issues in general and securing energy supply in particular is a new phenomenon within the EU's regulatory framework. One important issue which has not yet been discussed by legal scholars and which has been questioned repeatedly by energy experts, is the question who is actually responsible to guarantee security of energy supply in Europe? Is it the European Community alone? Is it the Member States alone? Or is it both? This question cannot be answered without a detailed legal analysis of the EU law in general, and EU law on division of competences between the Community and the Member States in particular. This article seeks to highlight the complications of this area of law within the EU and expand it to cover the energy sector in order to determine who and under what circumstances is responsible for guaranteeing security of energy supply for the consumers within the EU borders. [source] FLOX® Steam Reforming for PEM Fuel Cell Systems,FUEL CELLS, Issue 4 2004H.-P. Schmid Abstract Primary energy savings and CO2 reduction is one of the key motivations for the use of fuel cell systems in the energy sector. A benchmark of domestic cogeneration by PEMFC with existing large scale power production systems such as combined steam-gas turbine cycle, clearly reveals that only fuel cell systems optimising overall energy efficiency (>,85%) and electrical efficiencies (>,35%) show significant primary energy savings, about 10%, compared with the best competing technology. In this context, fuel processing technology plays a dominant role. A comparison of autothermal and steam reforming concepts in a PEMFC system shows inherent advantages in terms of efficiency at low complexity for the latter. The main reason for this is that steam reforming allows for the straightforward and effective use of the anode-off gas energy in the reformer burner. Consequently, practical electrical system efficiencies over 40% seem to be achievable, most likely by steam reformers. FLOX®-steam reforming technology has reached a high state of maturity, offering diverse advantages including: compact design, stable anode off-gas usage, high efficiency, as well as simple control behaviour. Scaling of the concept is straightforward and offers an opportunity for efficient adaptation to smaller (1,kW) and larger (50,kW) units. [source] Assessment of Fuel-Cell-Based Passenger CarsFUEL CELLS, Issue 3 2004T. Grube Abstract Highly efficient energy conversion systems with fuel cells for vehicles, as well as for stationary and portable applications, are currently being discussed all over the world. Fuel cell technology is expected to help reduce primary energy demand and emissions of limited and climate-relevant pollutants. The high flexibility of fuel cell systems with respect to energy carriers opens up possibilities of modifying the energy sector in the long term. Introducing new fuels based on low-carbon, or in the long term carbon-free, energy carriers can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as locally and regionally active atmospheric pollutants. The use of hydrogen as feed gas for fuel cells on the basis of it being a non-fossil, renewable energy, leads to special benefits with respect to conserving resources and climate protection, but at present still represents a medium- to long-term prospect. A major milestone on the road to market success for all energy conversion systems with fuel cells is the reduction of costs. The definition of the ,appropriate" fuel represents a serious obstacle to the market introduction of fuel-cell-powered vehicles. Presenting data from a well-to-wheel analysis of various vehicle fuel systems at FZJ this article aims to discuss the potential benefits of future vehicle concepts with fuel cells in terms of primary energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Results from a comparison of international studies on this subject will be used to identify relevant assumptions that lead to different answers in the evaluation process. [source] The lignite electricity-generating sector in Greece: Current status and future prospectsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 9 2004N. Koukouzas Abstract Lignite plays an important role in Greece's energy sector as it satisfies over 70% of country's needs in electric power. The extraction of lignite takes place mainly in three regions of Greece, namely Ptolemais-Amyndeon, Megalopolis and Florina. The annual production of lignite is around 60 million tons, out of which 48 million tons derive from the coal fields of northern Greece (Ptolemais-Amyndeon and Florina). Almost the entire lignite production is consumed for electricity generation, while small amounts of lignite are used for briquettes and other applications. The Greek coal-fired power plants, which are about 4500 MW, use conventional technology and they are old (an average of 30 years). In the coming years new coal fields will be exploited in Florina,another 2.5 million tons of coal,in order to satisfy the currently under construction 365 MW plant located at Meliti, Florina, Northern Greece. Even though the lignite reserves are widespread in Greece and other areas such as Elassona and Drama could possibly host power plants, it is expected that the Florina power plant will be the last coal-fired plant to be build in the country. Lignite has to compete with natural gas,the construction of the main gas pipeline network has been completed,imported oil and renewable energy sources. The new EU regulations on power plant emissions raise obstacles for the firing of lignite, although it is low in sulphur. It must be shown that lignite produces low cost electricity in a environmentally friendly manner. The utilization of fly ash and land reclamation can improve the situation in lignite mining. In particular, specific attention was paid to further research and potential use of fly ash in road construction, the production of bricks and concrete, and the production of zeolites from lignitic fly ash. The use of clean coal technologies in power plants can solve many emission problems. Specific measures to increase the efficiency of lignite-fired power units might include: identification of the loss sources of every unit, improvement of the cold end of the steam turbines, optimization of the beater wheel mills operation, and the combination of natural gas-fired turbines with the existing boilers. The liberalization of the electricity market needs to be considered seriously from the lignite industry, since the potential electricity producers can freely choose from all kinds of fuels, such as imported coal, oil, gas and renewables. However, Greek lignite meets the requirements for the security of supply, as indicated in the EU's Green Paper. It needs only to be competitive in the new energy sector by improving mining and combustion conditions. Further research on these topics, through the European Commission's ECSC and Framework Programmes, as well as the national programmes, is required. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The perspectives of energy production from coal-fired power plants in an enlarged EUINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 9 2004P. Grammelis Abstract The aim of this paper is to present the current status of the coal-fired power sector in an enlarged EU (EU-15 plus EU member candidate states) in relation with the main topics of the European Strategy for the energy production and supply. It is estimated that 731 thermoelectric units, larger than 100 MWe, are operating nowadays, and their total installed capacity equals to 200.7 GWe. Coal contribution to the total electricity generation with reference to other fuel sources, is by far more intensive in the non-EU part (EU member candidate states), compared to the EU member states. It is expected that even after the enlargement, the European Union will strongly being related to coal. Enlargement will bring additional factors into play in order to meet the requirements of rising consumption, growing demand for conventional fuels and increasing dependence on imports. Besides the technology, boiler size, efficiency, age and environmental performance will determine the necessities of the coal-fired power sector in each country. Depending on the case, lifetime extension measures in operating coal-fired power plants or clean coal technologies can play an important role towards the energy sector restructuring. Low efficiency values in the non-EU coal-fired units and heavily aged power plants in EU countries will certainly affect decisions in favour of upgrading or reconstruction. The overall increase of efficiency, the reduction of harmful emissions from generating processes and the co-combustion of coal with biomass and wastes for generating purposes indicate that coal can be cleaner and more efficient. Additionally, plenty of rehabilitation projects based on CCT applications, have already been carried out or are under progress in the EU energy sector. The proclamations of the countries' energy policies in the coming decades, includes integrated renovation concepts of the coal-fired power sector. Further to the natural gas penetration in the electricity generation and CO2 sequestration and underground storage, the implementation of CCT projects will strongly contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the European Union, according to the targets set in the Kyoto protocol. In consequence, clean coal technologies can open up new markets not only in the EU member candidate states, but also in other parts of the world. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Climate for crops: integrating climate data with information about soils and crop requirements to reduce risks in agricultural decision-makingMETEOROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 4 2006D. S. Wratt Abstract Locally applicable information about climate and soil properties can help farmers identify opportunities and reduce risks associated with changing to new land uses. This article describes techniques for preparing high-resolution regional maps and GIS surfaces of agriculturally relevant climate parameters. Ways of combining these climate surfaces with soil data and information about the physical requirements of crops to identify areas likely to be the most suitable for new high-value crops are then outlined. Innovative features include methods for merging observations from temporary climate stations installed for one to two years in conjunction with longer-term climate station observations to improve input data for the maps, and techniques for mapping quantiles of climatic factors that may constrain agricultural operations. Examples are the expected ,one-in-five year' first and last frost dates, and the ,one-in-five year' lowest and highest seasonal rainfalls. The use of night-time satellite infrared observations to improve spatial resolution of frost hazard maps is also described. Typical standard errors of these climate mapping techniques are summarised. The benefits of ongoing consultation with local farmers and local government staff during the design and implementation of climate/soil/crop potential studies are described. These include optimising products to meet local needs, quality control of the resulting maps and GIS surfaces through local knowledge, and improved uptake of information by users. Further applications of techniques described in this paper include products useful to the energy sector, preparation of daily gridded climate data estimates for use in water quality and plant growth modelling, and development of regional climate change scenarios. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Indonesia fights off oil and gas crisesOIL AND ENERGY TRENDS, Issue 4 2005Article first published online: 12 APR 200 Rising domestic consumption and falling output have turned Indonesia into a net importer of oil, forcing it to consider withdrawing from OPEC. In recent years, Jakarta has depended on gas for its export revenues. Now, the gas industry is in trouble. Output from the Arun gas fields is declining and the state oil and gas company, Pertamina, was recently forced to delay LNG shipments to its three largest customers. The government is looking for new investment in an attempt to stave off an energy crisis, but foreign companies are unhappy about business conditions there. Meanwhile, oil and gas consumption is rising rapidly thanks to a system of domestic price subsidies, which the government has been unable to end. The delay to much needed reforms in the energy sector threatens not only the oil and gas industries but the economic and political stability of the country as well. [source] Natural gas in India's energy managementOPEC ENERGY REVIEW, Issue 1 2007Muhammad Azhar Thanks to the continuous implementation of liberalisation and reforms, the Indian economy has become a significant energy consumer. Further, the fast growing economy is expected to result in massive and unprecedented growth in energy consumption in India. This is sure to have important ramifications for the domestic energy sector, as well as global energy market. At the domestic level, this resulted in new discoveries of hydrocarbon resources. However, the growth in energy consumption is so high that the old, as well as newly discovered hydrocarbon resources would not be able to fulfil the growing demand for energy in the Indian economy. Hence, Indian economy would remain dependent on the global market for the supply of hydrocarbon resources. India has been adopting various strategies to manage her energy requirement and Natural gas is slated to play an important role in India's energy management. This paper therefore, attempts to study the importance of natural gas in this context. [source] A Vector Autoregressive Analysis Of An Oil-Dependent Emerging Economy , NigeriaOPEC ENERGY REVIEW, Issue 4 2000O. Felix Ayadi This paper models the interrelationship among a variety of macroeconomic variables representing the financial, as well as the energy, sectors of the Nigerian economy from 1975 through 1994. The attempt is to investigate the impact of the energy sector on the functioning of the Nigerian economy, including the financial markets. The investigation is explored within a vector autoregressive (VAR) system. The results reveal that the energy sector exerts a significant influence on the Nigerian economy by acting as a prime mover. More importantly, Nigeria seems to find itself in a vicious circle, because of its inability to exercise control over the price of its main export and its imports. Thus, the strength and autonomy exhibited by Nigerias macroeconomic managers during the oil boom era appears to have been barren. [source] Front and Back Covers, Volume 21, Number 3.ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY, Issue 3 2005June 200 Front and back cover caption, volume 21 issue 3 ENERGY AND VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE The photo on the front and back cover illustrates the article by Annette Henning in this issue. A solar collector is hoisted onto the roof of a Swedish house. In Sweden, the most common solar heating systems are those that supply hot water for both heating and general domestic hot water purposes. Contrary to popular belief, solar collectors are not dependent on a high air temperature, but produce heat throughout the year, whenever there is a clear sky. In her article, Annette Henning examines the actual and potential role of anthropology in energy studies. She reflects on her own experience of the trials of working as an anthropologist in the energy sector, where economists and technical expertise reign, and where production- and distribution-oriented approaches prevail. There is a great deal of resistance to anthropological contributions, in part because anthropologists have made so little effort to be heard in the public domain on this issue. In his editorial, Hal Wilhite makes the case for "energy anthropology". He argues that anthropologists have paid insufficient attention to one of the most urgent problems facing the world, namely our patterns of energy consumption and their economic and environmental consequences. Increasing consumerism in developing countries makes anthropological approaches indispensable, particularly in finding ways to moderate energy consumption and to help implement small-scale renewable energy initiatives. In his review of three of the latest books on vernacular architecture, Marcel Vellinga identifies architecture as a prominent cultural category and a major consumer of energy and resources, and thus a significant contributor to current environmental problems. Vellinga argues that anthropology should pay more attention to vernacular architecture as a locus of indigenous knowledge, to help the global community address the challenges of creating a sustainable built environment for all. ANTHROPOLOGY TODAY brings these contributions to your attention in the hope of stimulating discussion and promoting wider ethnographic research in areas of public concern. [source] The Durability of Managed Rivalry: Iran's Relations with Russia and the Saudi DimensionASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 1 2009Mahjoob Zweiri Russia's Middle East policy faces a dilemma. On the one hand, Moscow maintains close, although frequently terse, ties with Iran, playing an important role in Iran's nuclear program and even using its position in the United Nations to shield Iran from harsh sanctions. In return, Moscow profits from the sales of arms and nuclear expertise, participates in Iran's energy sector, and may establish valuable cooperation on gas exports, both being obvious suppliers to the lucrative Western European market. On the other hand, Russia is also seeking to strengthen ties with Iran's neighbors, such as Saudi Arabia and Israel, many of whom see Tehran as the major threat to any nonproliferation regime in the region and recognize that Russian cooperation has increased the likelihood that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons. The impact on Russia's relationship with Saudi Arabia may be especially important to planners in Moscow. Saudi Arabia appears to be an increasingly willing client for Russian arms (and possibly also nuclear expertise), and Russia may value close relations with the next biggest oil exporter in the world. In the present study, we examine Russia's recent relations with Iran and Saudi Arabia and assess Russia's strategic position regarding the two countries. At the current time, Russia, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and the primary source of technical cooperation with Tehran on the nuclear issue, is at the center of developments in the Middle East. How Moscow assesses its position in the Middle East, and whether it ultimately wishes to prioritize Riyadh or Tehran, could be central to the future stability of the region. [source] Environmental challenges in the energy sector: a chemical engineering perspective,ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2010Philippe A. Tanguy Abstract The supply of energy in sufficient quantities and the access to clean water are among the most significant global challenges to address in the decades to come, as these are key elements of human well-being and further development. These challenges are of course related, and future practices must consider their connectivity. As the present energy system is clearly reaching its limits in terms of sustainability, new approaches have been proposed based on much improved energy efficiency, development of renewable and new energy sources, and the use of carbon capture and storage for fossil resources. The industrial deployment of these alternate scenarios is intrinsically related to the availability of water on a large scale. Because the access to freshwater is becoming scarce in many countries, better water practices and the exploitation of new water resources must be developed for the supply of industrial water. This paper begins with a brief description of our present energy system based on fossil resources, this being a legacy of the industrial revolution. We then review the main drivers supporting the energy and water demand, and the constraints they are facing. The final section considers several chemical engineering challenges that arise when proposing ways of dealing with the energy-environment nexus in the future. Copyright © 2010 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Carbon-accounting methods and reforestation incentivesAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL & RESOURCE ECONOMICS, Issue 2 2003Oscar J. Cacho The emission of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, and the consequent potential for climate change are the focus of increasing international concern. Temporary land-use change and forestry projects (LUCF) can be implemented to offset permanent emissions of carbon dioxide from the energy sector. Several approaches to accounting for carbon sequestration in LUCF projects have been proposed. In the present paper, the economic implications of adopting four of these approaches are evaluated in a normative context. The analysis is based on simulation of Australian farm,forestry systems. Results are interpreted from the standpoint of both investors and landholders. The role of baselines and transaction costs are discussed. [source] Entreprises publiques et intérêt général à l'heure de la gouvernanceCANADIAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION/ADMINISTRATION PUBLIQUE DU CANADA, Issue 3 2006Louis Simard Sommaire: Le contexte de la mondialisation et la remise en question du rôle de l'État ont menéà des modèles de gouvernance fondés sur la multiplicité et l'hétérogénéité des acteurs dans toute question d'intérêt public. Cette nouvelle gouvernance met en valeur des mécanismes d'ajustement mutuel basés sur la concertation, la négociation et l'adaptation réciproque des acteurs. La nouvelle donne commande une réflexion en profondeur sur la place des entreprises publiques au sein de différents secteurs d'activité. Présentées à l'origine comme étant garantes de l'intérêt général, les entreprises publiques sont elles aussi remises en question et confrontées à des logiques d'action parfois contradictoires (intégration internationale, intégration territoriale, planification stratégique et stratégies émergentes). Les auteurs brossent un tableau du nouveau contexte de gouvernance dans le secteur de l'énergie en l'illustrant par le cas d'Hydro-Québec et de l'un de ses derniers projets, la centrale thermique du Suroît. Abstract: The context of globalization and the questioning of the government's role have led to governance models based on the multiplicity and the heterogeneity of the players involved in any issue of public interest. The new governance framework promotes mutual adjustment mechanisms based on consensus-building, negotiation, and reciprocal adaptation among players. This new environment requires a thorough reflection on the role of public corporations in the various industry sectors. Presented originally as guarantors of the public interest, public corporations have also been challenged and are having to deal with occasionally contradictory principles (international integration, territorial integration, strategic planning, and emergent strategies). The authors provide a picture of the new governance context in the energy sector, using as an example Hydro-Québec and one of its most recent projects, the Suroît thermal plant. [source] Market's perception of deferred tax accrualsACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 4 2009Cheryl Chang G14; M41 Abstract This study investigates the value relevance and incremental information content of deferred tax accruals reported under the ,income statement method' (AASB 1020 Accounting for Income Taxes) over the period 2001,2004. Our findings suggest that deferred tax accruals are viewed as assets and liabilities. We document a positive relation between recognized deferred tax assets and firm value using the levels model, while the results from the returns model suggest that deferred tax liabilities reflect future tax payments. The balance of unrecognized deferred tax assets provides a negative signal to the market about future profitability, particularly for companies from the materials and energy sectors and loss-makers. [source] Empirical Analysis of Delays in the Signing of Audit Reports in SpainINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2008Enrique Bonsón-Ponte This study sets out to analyse the factors that determine delays in the signing of audit reports. The delays are measured as a function of the number of days that elapse from the closure of the accounting period until the date when the audit report is signed. The study has been conducted in Spain, on 105 companies of the Spanish continuous market, from 2002 to 2005. The results obtained utilizing panel data methodology demonstrate that the two factors characterizing the companies that present less audit delay are: classification to sectors that are subject to regulatory pressure, such as the financial and energy sectors; and the size of company relative to its sector. Variables such as audit firm, qualifications or regulatory change show no significant relationship with audit delay in the Spanish context. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||