A physical supply-use table framework for energy analysis on the energy conversion chain

Heun, Matthew Kuperus; Owen, Anne; Brockway, Paul E.

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.05.109

Cited by 34 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 107 publications

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“…The two main metrics utilised in NEA are: (i) the net energy balance (NEB), which quantifies the excess or deficit of energy from an energy-gathering process; and (ii) the energy return on energy investment (EROEI or EROI), the ratio between the energy output and input from a system, which describes the efficiency of the energy-gathering process. EROI can be defined in gross or net terms (Heun et al 2018). In AAFF, the net EROI represents the total 'energy cost' of biomass produced as food or fuel energy (Guzmán et al 2018), and as with fossil fuels indicates what proportion of energy is available for the rest of society and the economy.…”

Section: Framework Of Energetic Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Net Energy Analysis of the Global Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Forestry System

Marshall

Brockway

2020

Biophys Econ Sust

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The global agriculture, aquaculture, fishing and forestry (AAFF) energy system is subject to three unsustainable trends: (1) the approaching biophysical limits of AAFF; (2) the role of AAFF as a driver of environmental degradation; and (3) the long-term declining energy efficiency of AAFF due to growing dependence on fossil fuels. In response, we conduct a net energy analysis for the period 1971-2017 and review existing studies to investigate the global AAFF energy system and its vulnerability to the three unsustainable trends from an energetic perspective. We estimate the global AAFF system represents 27.9% of societies energy supply in 2017, with food energy representing 20.8% of societies total energy supply. We find that the net energy-return-on-investment (net EROI) of global AAFF increased from 2.87:1 in 1971 to 4.05:1 in 2017. We suggest that rising net EROI values are being fuelled in part by 'depleting natures accumulated energy stocks'. We also find that the net energy balance of AAFF increased by 130% in this period, with at the same time a decrease in both the proportion of rural residents and also the proportion of the total population working in AAFF-which decreased from 19.8 to 10.3%. However, this comes at the cost of growing fossil fuel dependency which increased from 43.6 to 62.2%. Given the increasing probability of near-term fossil fuel scarcity, the growing impacts of climate change and environmental degradation, and the approaching biophysical limits of global AAFF, 'Odum's hoax' is likely soon to be revealed.

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Section: Framework Of Energetic Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Net Energy Analysis of the Global Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Forestry System

Marshall

Brockway

2020

Biophys Econ Sust

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“…The energy service concept identifies and accounts for society's dependence on energy to support the functioning of complex systems, through the conversion of energy into desired end uses (services). The concept of energy services had already been mapped by various authors (including Cullen and Allwood, 2010;Heun et al, 2018;Knoeri et al, 2016;Nakićenović et al, 1996Nakićenović et al, , 1993Schaeffer and Wirtshafter, 1992), and Fell (2017, p. 137) came up with the following definition he derived via a systematic literature review: "Energy services are those functions performed using energy which are means to obtain or facilitate desired end services or states." Using a similar concept, Carmona et al (2017) defined material services as, "those benefits that materials contribute to societal wellbeing, through fuels and products (regardless of whether or not they are supplied by the market) when they are put to proper use".…”

Section: Establishing a Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illumination as a material service: A comparison between Ancient Rome and early 19th century London

Whiting

Carmona

Brand-Correa

et al. 2020

Ecological Economics

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Specific combinations of energy flows, material flows and stocks are responsible for those services that support social metabolism. However, few researchers go beyond energy services to ascertain the role that materials play in socioeconomic development. In this paper, we develop the concept and accounting method for material services, which we define as "those functions that materials contribute to personal or societal activity with the purpose of obtaining or facilitating desired end goals or states, regardless of whether or not a material flow or stock is supplied by the market". In this respect, material services act as an intermediate step that incorporates stock to bridge the gap between resource consumption, accumulation and aspects of wellbeing. We provide a material service case study, which identifies the level of lighting experienced by urban Ancient Romans relative to that enjoyed by inhabitants of 1820s London (the Georgians). Our results show that the average Roman experienced 41,102 lumen-hour, which is more lighting than the Georgian value per capita (at 35,698 lumen-hour). In terms of fuel consumption, Georgians were four times more efficient than their Roman counterparts, but there was a trade-off between materials and energy, given that stock efficiency was 53 times lower than that of the Romans. This trend of improving fuel efficiency at the expense of materials appears to have continued into the 21 st century, which holds important implications for sustainable development. Further research needs to be undertaken to ascertain whether this holds true for other material services such as heating, transport and shelter.

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“…IO methodology originated in mainstream economics as a way to track economic output and linkages across industries. Palmer and many others have recently begun to utilize environmentallyextended input-output models to study biophysical economics indicators (King et al 2015;King 2016;Brand-Correa et al 2017;Heun et al 2018). This paper was categorized as Table 12.…”

Section: Eroi (Palmer 2017)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Putting the Biophysical (Back) in Economics: A Taxonomic Review of Modeling the Earth-Bound Economy

2020

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Economists rarely model the economy as explicitly bound by earth’s ecological systems. Modeling the dynamic interactions of both human and non-human systems is admittedly a challenging task, as it requires expertise from multiple disciplines. Within the last 10 years, a wide variety of research papers have been published that include some biophysical aspects in a model of the economy. These papers all have one thing in common: the model of the economy includes physical and/or energetic exchanges, as well as monetary exchange. This theme is what defines the emerging sub-discipline of biophysical economics, BPE. BPE models of the economy originate from a variety of disciplines, and thus BPE research articles are published across a wide spectrum of academic journals. As inter-disciplinary researchers ourselves, we want to understand what BPE modeling approaches have been used so far. In this paper, we examine and classify over one hundred published articles that use biophysical models of the economy. Although BPE modeling approaches are quite varied, grouping the research by common characteristics reveals several active research areas. We highlight recent papers that are helpful examples of the most popular BPE modeling strategies. Gaps also exist. Several modeling approaches have not been used in published works yet. We identify which of those gaps could be promising avenues for future research. We conclude by suggesting which BPE modeling approach might be particularly appropriate for a variety of research questions.

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A physical supply-use table framework for energy analysis on the energy conversion chain

Cited by 34 publications

References 107 publications

A Net Energy Analysis of the Global Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Forestry System

A Net Energy Analysis of the Global Agriculture, Aquaculture, Fishing and Forestry System

Illumination as a material service: A comparison between Ancient Rome and early 19th century London

Putting the Biophysical (Back) in Economics: A Taxonomic Review of Modeling the Earth-Bound Economy

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