A novel state-of-charge-based method for plug-in hybrid vehicle electric distance analysis validated with actual driving data

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Promoting Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) is viewed as a promising strategy to mitigate the energy consumption and greenhouse gas...     

Well-to-wheels greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from battery electric vehicles in China

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Electric vehicles (EVs) play a crucial role in addressing climate change and urban air quality concerns. China has emerged as the global...     

Optimal range of plug-in electric vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai

Both China’s national subsidy policies for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) purchasers and passenger cars corporate average fuel consumption and new vehicle credit regulation (dual-credit policy) favor long-range 300+ km battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and 80+ km plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). However, these electric vehicles tend to have lower energy efficiency and higher purchase and operation costs. Vehicle with larger batteries can also be less equitable because the subsidies are often provided to more expensive vehicles and wealthier owners. This study takes advantage of a novel dataset of daily driving data from 39,854 conventional gasoline vehicles in Beijing and 4999 PHEVs in Shanghai to determine the optimal range of BEVs and PHEVs within their respective cities. We simulate a model to explore ranges with which PEVs emit less GHGs than that of a baseline hybrid and conventional gasoline vehicle while ensuring that all daily travel demands are met. Our findings indicate that in both cities, the optimal ranges to balance cost and travel demand for BEVs are 350 km or less and for PHEVs are 60 km or less in Beijing and 80 km or less in Shanghai. We also find that to minimize carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, the ranges are even lower 10 km in Beijing and 30 km in Shanghai. Our study suggests that instead of encouraging long-range PEVs, governments should subsidize PEV models with shorter ranges. Parallel efforts should also be made to both increase renewable energy over fossil fuels and expand charging facilities. Although individual mobility demand varies, the government could reduce occasional long-distance driving by subsidizing alternative transportation choices. Providing week-long driving trials to consumers before their purchases may help decrease the demand of very long range PEVs by alleviating the range anxiety through a learning process.

     

Simulation of a 100-MW solar-powered thermo-chemical air separation system combined with an oxy-fuel power plant for bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

The combination of concentrated solar power–chemical looping air separation (CSP-CLAS) with an oxy-fuel combustion process for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture is a novel system to generate electricity from solar power and biomass while being able to store solar power efficiently. In this study, the computer program Advanced System for Process Engineering Plus (ASPEN Plus) was used to develop models to assess the process performance of such a process with manganese (Mn)-based oxygen carriers on alumina (Al₂O₃) support for a location in the region of Seville in Spain, using real solar beam irradiance and electricity demand data. It was shown that the utilisation of olive tree prunings (Olea europaea) as the fuel—an agricultural residue produced locally—results in negative CO₂ emissions (a net removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere). Furthermore, it was found that the process with an annual average electricity output of 18 MW would utilise 2.43% of Andalusia’s olive tree prunings, thereby capturing 260.5 k-tonnes of CO₂, annually. Drawbacks of the system are its relatively high complexity, a significant energy penalty in the CLAS process associated with the steam requirements for the loop-seal fluidisation, and the gas storage requirements. Nevertheless, the utilisation of agricultural residues is highly promising, and given the large quantities produced globally (~?4 billion tonnes/year), it is suggested that other novel processes tailored to these fuels should be investigated, under consideration of a future price on CO₂ emissions, integration potential with a likely electricity grid system, and based on the local conditions and real data.

     

An assessment of land-based climate and carbon reversibility in the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator

Future levels of climate change depend not only on carbon emissions but also on carbon uptake by the land and the ocean. Here we are using the Earth system model (ESM1) version of the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS) to explore the potential and impact of removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere through the climate and carbon cycle reversibility experiment. This experiment builds on the standard Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) experiment, increasing CO₂ at 1% per year until 4xCO₂ is reached. The atmospheric CO₂ levels are then decreased at the same rate which brings the CO₂ back to pre-industrial levels. We then continue to run the model with constant CO₂ for another 350 years. Our analysis focuses on the response of the land carbon cycle. We find that carbon stores are largely reversible at the global scale over the timescale of changing CO₂. However, carbon stores continue to decrease after CO₂ returns to its initial value, and the land loses another 40 Pg of carbon (PgC) with the largest change in the tropics. It takes about 300 years beyond the period of changing CO₂ for the carbon stores to recover. Interestingly, we saw strong regional variations in the strength of the land response to changing CO₂. Australia showed the largest increase/decrease in biomass carbon (about 40%) and the largest variability in productivity, which was strongly correlated with rainfall. This highlights the importance of assessing the regional response to understanding the processes underlying the response and the sensitivity of these processes within each model. This understanding will benefit future multi-model analyses of this reversibility experiment. It also illustrates more generally the potential to use Earth system model experiments as part of the evaluation of proposed applications of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. As such, we recommend that these types of modelling experiments be included when mitigation policies are developed.

     

Can a low-carbon development path achieve win-win development: evidence from China’s low-carbon pilot policy

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Low-carbon pilot (LCP) policy aims to not only achieve economic development but also address climate change problems in China. With a...     

Green innovation efficiency across China’s 30 provinces: estimate,comparison, and convergence

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Considering government and market failure of environmental regulation to combat increasing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, green innovation...     

Heterogeneity in the relationship between carbon emission performance and urbanization: evidence from China

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Global change caused by carbon emissions alone has become a common challenge for all countries. However, current debates about urbanization...     

Evaluating national hydrogen refueling infrastructure requirement and economic competitiveness of fuel cell electric long-haul trucks

This study explored the national hydrogen refueling infrastructure requirement along major United States (US) interstate highway corridors to support the deployment of fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) for the national long-haul trucking fleet. Given the long-haul trucking shipment demand in 2025 projected by the Freight Analysis Framework, locations and capacities of hydrogen stations were identified for inter-zone freight flows, and the total daily refueling demand was estimated for intra-zone flows for each FAF zone. Based on the infrastructure deployment results, we conducted an economic feasibility analysis of FCETs by evaluating the total ownership cost. We found that when the FCET penetration is relatively high (e.g., 10% penetration), FCETs become more competitive in terms of fuel cost and idling cost and could be economic viable if the incremental vehicle cost is reduced to meet the near-term FCET technology cost targets and the liquefaction cost is reduced to an optimal case. We also observed that the station cost depends on regional factors, particularly regional demand, which is used to determine station capacity. Thus, one possible strategy for station roll-out is to have early investment in target regions where station costs are expected to be relatively low such as the Pacific and West South Central regions.

     

南京八卦洲农用地表层土壤重金属分布特征及风险评价

为查明南京八卦洲土壤重金属污染物类型及其影响范围,于2017年12月在洲内采集了471个表层土壤样品,测定了pH及As、Cd、Cr、Cu、Hg、Ni、Pb、Zn等8种重金属元素浓度,采用单因子指数法、内梅罗综合指数法和潜在生态危害指数法进行了污染风险评价。研究结果表明:As、Cd、Cr、Cu、Hg、Ni、Pb和Zn平均浓度分别为10.66、0.32、86.74、43.25、0.10、40.34、33.50和108.33 mg·kg-1,除As、Hg元素外,其余6种元素均超过南京市背景值,出现大范围的富集;Cd元素为研究区主要污染物,绝大部分为Ⅱ级轻微污染,均分布于八卦洲服务区附近的中、酸性土覆盖区,需做好安全利用措施。从全区来看研究区大部分农用地土壤处于安全生产级别,仅有少部分区域处于Ⅱ级和Ⅲ级风险水平,总体上潜在生态危害较低。