The Need for Robust, Consistent Methods in Societal Exergy Accounting

Sousa, Tânia; Brockway, Paul E.; Cullen, Jonathan M.; Henriques, Sofia Teives; Miller, Jack L.; Serrenho, André Cabrera; Domingos, Tiago

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.05.020

Cited by 47 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…For example, large-scale gathering of standardized and comparable global data for primary energy research originates in the 1970s; CO 2 emissions from fossil fuels, which are high on the economic, political, and scientific agendas, can directly be derived from data on energy consumption. However, publicly accessible useful energy/exergy data has only recently become available for analysis (Sousa et al 2017). Material and energy flow analysis has been adopted into standardized statistical reporting only in the last~15 years (Fischer-Kowalski et al 2011 and recently UNEP started hosting a global database (UNEP-IRP 2019).…”

Section: The Empirical Basis and Development Of The Three Research Stmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review of the evidence on decoupling of GDP, resource use and GHG emissions, part I: bibliometric and conceptual mapping

Wiedenhofer

Virág

Kalt

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Lett.

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108

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As long as economic growth is a major political goal, decoupling growth from resource use and emissions is a prerequisite for a sustainable net-zero emissions future. However, empirical evidence for absolute decoupling, i.e. decreasing resource use and emissions at the required scale despite continued economic growth, is scarce and scattered across different research streams. In this two-part systematic review, we assess how and to what extent decoupling has been observed and what can be learnt for addressing the sustainability and climate crisis. Based on a transparent approach, we systematically identify and screen more than 11 500 scientific papers, eventually analyzing full texts of 835 empirical studies on the relationship between economic growth (GDP), resource use (materials and energy) and greenhouse gas emissions. Part I of the review examines how decoupling has been investigated across three research streams: energy, materials and energy, and emissions. Part II synthesizes the empirical evidence and policy implications (Haberl et al 2020 Environ. Res. Lett. 15 065003). In part I, we examine the topical, temporal and geographical scopes, methods of analysis, institutional networks and prevalent conceptual angles. We find that in this rapidly growing literature, the vast majority of studies-decomposition, 'causality' and Environmental Kuznets Curve analysis-approach the topic from a statistical-econometric point of view, while hardly acknowledging thermodynamic principles on the role of energy and materials for socio-economic activities. A potentially fundamental incompatibility between economic growth and systemic societal changes to address the climate crisis is rarely considered. We conclude that the existing wealth of empirical evidence merits braver conceptual advances than we have seen thus far. Future work should focus on comprehensive multi-indicator long-term analyses, conceptually grounded on the fundamental biophysical basis of socio-economic activities, incorporating the role of global supply chains as well as the wider societal role and preconditions of economic growth.

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Section: The Empirical Basis and Development Of The Three Research Stmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review of the evidence on decoupling of GDP, resource use and GHG emissions, part I: bibliometric and conceptual mapping

Wiedenhofer

Virág

Kalt

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Lett.

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108

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“…An abbreviated description of the methodology is provided below. For a more detailed discussion on the methodology, see Sousa et al [8]. Electricity consumption was concentrated in the regions of Lisbon and Porto due to the incipient industrialization and urbanization of the country.…”

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An abbreviated description of the methodology is provided below. For a more detailed discussion on the methodology, see Sousa et al [8]. Table 1.…”

Section: Methodsologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insights from Past Trends in Exergy Efficiency and Carbon Intensity of Electricity: Portugal, 1900–2014

et al. 2019

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We use the societal exergy analysis to identify periods and factors controlling efficiency dilution and carbon deepening of electricity in Portugal from 1900 to 2014. Besides estimating the carbon intensity of electricity production, we propose a new indicator, the carbon intensity of electricity use, which quantifies CO 2 /kWh of electricity derived useful exergy. Results show final to useful efficiency dilution until World War I (50% to 30%) due to a decrease in share of the high-efficiency transport sector and from mid-1940s to 1960 and mid-1990s onwards (58% to 47% and 47% to 40%) due to an increase in share of the low efficiency commercial and residential sector. Decarbonization from 1900 to mid-1960s, with carbon intensities of electricity production and use dropping respectively from 12.8 to 0.2 and from 33.6 to 0.4 kg CO 2 /kWh due to an increase in thermoelectricity efficiencies and an increase in share of hydro. Then, a period of carbon deepening until 1990 with carbon intensities tripling due to a shift in shares from hydro to thermoelectricity and more recently a period of decarbonization with carbon intensities decreasing to 0.35 and 0.9 kg CO 2 /kWh, due to the increase in renewable electricity despite a dilution in final to useful efficiency.Energies 2019, 12, 534 2 of 22 effects on the lives of women and society in general that resulted from time savings associated with electricity powered domestic devices such as the refrigerator and the washing machines.Due to its social and economic importance and ease of use, electricity has become a significant proportion of the present final energy consumption of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries (22%) [4], second only to oil. Over the next few decades, it is expected that the importance of electricity will increase even more because it is a crucial energy carrier to fuel a sustainable 4th industrial revolution based on electrical and autonomous vehicles, communication, robotization, data gathering and artificial intelligence [5,6]. Additionally, it is essential that many of the end-uses that are currently being provided by fossil fuels, such as mobility, will in the future be provided by renewable electricity [5,7]. Otherwise, the decarbonization of society imposed by the need to decrease the human impact on the climate system will be difficult to achieve.The efficiencies and carbon intensities of electricity production and use are of crucial importance in determining the environmental, social and economic benefits of the imminent energy transition. In order to estimate and locate the opportunities to increase exergy efficiency and decrease carbon intensity, a thorough societal exergy analysis of the whole energy conversion chain, from the primary to final and then to the useful stage, is necessary. To properly estimate primary to final exergy efficiency, one needs to consider the efficiency of electricity generation and distribution, which depends on the energy mix and technical efficiency of the different power statio...

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“…All three methodologies have been used to assess the performance of society [31] and of the AFF sector. However, analyses typically focus on results provided by only one methodology without justifying the use of that specific methodology in detriment of others.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do the Different Exergy Accounting Methodologies Provide Consistent or Contradictory Results? A Case Study with the Portuguese Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Sector

2017

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Three exergy accounting approaches are used to evaluate exergy efficiency: the Energy Resources Exergy Accounting (EREA), the Natural Resources' Exergy Accounting (NREA) and the Extended Exergy Accounting (EEA). To test the consistency of the results provided by these methodologies, we apply them to evaluate the Portuguese agricultural, forestry and fisheries (AFF) sector, from 2000 to 2012. EREA shows an increase of 30% in the efficiency of the Portuguese AFF sector, while NREA and EEA methodologies increases of 27% and 43%, respectively. Although the results are consistent for the AFF sector, the same does not happen in the fisheries subsector, whose exergetic efficiency increases 14% with the EREA but decreases 42% with the NREA approach. The ratio of output to useful exergy reveals that a better thermodynamic efficiency is not translated into a higher energy service efficiency because fishing vessels have to travel more to get the same fish. Thus, results provided by the EREA and NREA approaches are complementary and both are needed to provide a realistic picture of exergy efficiency. On the other hand, results obtained by the EEA approach are dominated by capital and environmental impacts, revealing the disproportionality between material and immaterial inputs in this methodology.

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The Need for Robust, Consistent Methods in Societal Exergy Accounting

Cited by 47 publications

References 37 publications

A systematic review of the evidence on decoupling of GDP, resource use and GHG emissions, part I: bibliometric and conceptual mapping

A systematic review of the evidence on decoupling of GDP, resource use and GHG emissions, part I: bibliometric and conceptual mapping

Insights from Past Trends in Exergy Efficiency and Carbon Intensity of Electricity: Portugal, 1900–2014

Do the Different Exergy Accounting Methodologies Provide Consistent or Contradictory Results? A Case Study with the Portuguese Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Sector

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