National energy policies: Obstructing the reduction of global CO2 emissions? An analysis of Swedish energy policies for the district heating sector

Difs, Kristina

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2010.08.037

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Environmental benefits such as GHG-emission reductions are mainly caused by more efficient resource use; for example, excess heat can be utilised, and CHP production can substitute for the separate production of heat and electricity. In addition, district heating systems with CHP plants have been shown to reduce GHG emissions when the electricity produced by the CHP plants is assumed to replace electricity produced separately (Difs, 2010;Henning and Trygg, 2008). The use of district heating has also been shown to imply GHG-emission reductions when it replaces the use of electricity Henning and Trygg, 2008).…”

Section: District Heating With Chp Production and Industrial Excess Heatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sociotechnical system studies of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy and transport systems

Olsson¹

2015

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Sociotechnical system studies of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy and transport systems Linda Olsson, 2015 Cover design: Per Lagman/LiU-Tryck Printed in Sweden by LiU-Tryck, Linköping, Sweden, 2015 ISBN: 978-91-7519-082-2 ISSN: 0345-7524 AbstractIt is agreed that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from energy and transport systems must be reduced. Technical means exist to reduce GHG emissions from these sources. However, these emission-reduction measures are not implemented to a high enough degree. In this thesis, it is assumed that this is because the reduction of GHG emissions from energy and transport systems is a wicked problem. Unlike a tame problem, which has an unambiguous definition and a finite number of welldefined solutions, a wicked problem is difficult to define, and its solutions are often intertwined with the problem. The "wickedness" of a wicked problem lies in the extreme difficulty of solving the problem, rather than in the problem itself.In this thesis, the wicked problem of reducing GHG emissions from energy and transport systems is studied by applying a sociotechnical systems approach to the introduction of renewable vehicle fuels, the production and use of biogas, the introduction of electric vehicles, and the sustainability of district heating. In addition, this thesis discusses how energy issues are approached in different contexts, and what implications different actions can have on GHG emissions.The analysis shows that a sociotechnical approach to energy systems analysis can offer insights with regard to how system boundaries are handled within GHGemission assessments and energy and transport policy. By problematising the use of system boundaries in GHG-emission assessments, this thesis explains how attempts to reduce GHG emissions could add to the wicked problem of GHG-emission reductions from energy and transport systems. GHG-emission assessments can give very different results depending on system boundaries. While these results can be used in attempts to solve this wicked problem, they can also contribute to complicating it. As solutions to wicked problems are mainly found in policy, the use of system boundaries in policy is studied. Results show that narrow system boundaries in energy and transport policy can hamper sustainable development of energy and transport systems. The use of wider system boundaries could facilitate approaches to solve the wicked problem of reducing GHG emissions from energy and transport systems by making the consequences and effects of policy actions more clearly visible.i ii SammanfattningDet är välkänt att energi-och transportsystemens utsläpp av växthusgaser måste minska. Tekniska förutsättningar för att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser från användning av energi och transporter existerar. Ändå genomförs inte åtgärder för att minska utsläpp av växthusgaser i tillräcklig utsträckning. I föreliggande avhandling antas detta bero på att minskandet av utsläpp av växthusgaser från energi-och transportsystem är ett 'wicked problem'. ...

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Section: District Heating With Chp Production and Industrial Excess Heatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sociotechnical system studies of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy and transport systems

Olsson¹

2015

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“…Previous research has highlighted the economic dimensions and the impact of the carbon tax in Sweden [2,6,14,15]. Various types of analysis have been carried out regarding energy policies affecting the DH sector [16], the development of DH in the country [17,18], and the increasing use of biomass in the sector [7,[19][20][21][22]. ACF has been extensively applied for analyzing Swedish policy processes in diverse fields, e.g., nuclear energy [23][24][25], wind power policies [26], and forestry industry [27,28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coalitions Towards the Carbon Tax in the Swedish Heating Sector

2020

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The carbon tax is a cornerstone of the climate policy in Sweden. Historically, it has played a central role in the replacement of fossil fuels in the heating sector. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the policy-making process that led to the formulation and adoption of the carbon tax in the Swedish heating sector, from 1980 to 1991. We used the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), according to which policy actors form coalitions based on shared beliefs. Drawing from both literature and empirical experiences gathered through in-depth interviews, we identified supporting and opposing coalitions that diverged in their views concerning bioenergy development and the potential impact of the carbon tax. This study illustrates the complex conditions for introduction of environmental taxes and expansion of new industries, particularly when established businesses perceive the new activities as a threat. The Swedish experience shows that countries can progress by exploring internal synergies and innovative policy designs, despite potential resistance of established constituencies. The successful adoption of the carbon tax in the Swedish heating sector serves as inspiration for policymakers in other sectors and countries, as they contemplate policies to promote the decarbonization of the energy system.

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“…As a result of the oil crises in the 1970's and a high oil taxation combined with governmental subsidies for domestic fuels such as peat and biomass, oil has almost been phased out in the Swedish DH sector [3]. The introduction of a national TGC (tradable green certificate) system in 2003 encourages investment in biomass-based CHP (combined heat-and-power) plants [4]. Consequently, biomass accounts for the major share 1 of the fuel use in Swedish DH systems and is used both in HOB (heat-only boilers) and, increasingly, in CHP plants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling environmental and energy system impacts of large-scale excess heat utilisation – A regional case study

Sandvall

Börjesson

Ekvall

et al. 2015

Energy

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a b s t r a c t EH (excess heat) is an important, but yet partially unused, source for DH (district heating). This study analyses energy system and CO 2 emission impacts at a regional scale of integration of EH from a large chemical cluster and local DH systems. The assessment is carried out with the optimising energy systems model MARKAL_WS, in which the DH systems in the V€ astra G€ otaland region of Sweden are represented individually. In addition, options for transport biofuel production are included. The results show that the connection contributes to a reduction of biomass and fossil fuel use, and to a related reduction of CO 2 emissions, in the DH systems. This opens opportunities for earlier production of transport biofuels but instead electricity generation from combined heat and power plants in the region decreases. In the short term, total CO 2 emissions increase if an expanded systems view is applied in which effects on the DH systems, transport system and European electricity system are accounted for, while in the mid-term they decrease. The study is based on a case and due to the diversity of Swedish DH systems in terms of use of fuels and local available resources, a generalisation of the results is not straightforward.

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National energy policies: Obstructing the reduction of global CO2 emissions? An analysis of Swedish energy policies for the district heating sector

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

Sociotechnical system studies of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy and transport systems

Sociotechnical system studies of the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from energy and transport systems

Coalitions Towards the Carbon Tax in the Swedish Heating Sector

Modelling environmental and energy system impacts of large-scale excess heat utilisation – A regional case study

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