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Ferrada, F., Babonneau, F., Homem-de-Mello, T., & Jalil-Vega, F. (2022). Energy planning policies for residential and commercial sectors under ambitious global and local emissions objectives: A Chilean case study. J. Clean. Prod., 350, 131299.
Abstract: Chile is currently engaged in an energy transition process to meet ambitious greenhouse gas reductions and improved air quality indices. In this paper, we apply a long-term energy planning model, with the objective of finding the set of technologies that meet strong reductions of CO2 emissions and of local PM2.5 concentrations. For this purpose, we use the existing ETEM-Chile (Energy-Technology-Environment-Model) model which considers a simplified version of the Chilean electricity sector that we extend to the residential and commercial sectors and to local concentration considerations. We propose an original approach to integrate in the same framework local and global emission constraints. Results show that to meet the goal of zero emissions by 2050, electrification of end-use demands increases up to 49.2% with a strong growth of the CO2 marginal cost. It should be noted that this electrification rate is much lower than government projections and those usually found in the literature, in certain geographic areas in southern Chile with a wide availability of firewood for residential heating. Regarding local PM2.5 concentrations, our analysis shows that even without a specific emission reduction target, acceptable PM2.5 concentrations are achieved by 2045, due to first the emergence of more efficient, cleaner and cost-effective end-use technologies, in particular, residential firewood heaters, and second the use of drier and therefore less contaminating firewood. Achieving acceptable air quality as early as 2030 is also possible but comes with a high marginal cost of PM2.5 concentration. Our results illustrate the need for implementing effective public policies to (i) regulate the firewood heating market to increase its production and improve its environmental quality and (ii) incentivize the installation of efficient firewood heaters in the residential sector.
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Ferraz, A. D. N., Machado, P. G., Jalil-Vega, F., Coelho, S. T., & Woods, J. (2022). Liquefied biomethane from sugarcane vinasse and municipal solid waste: Sustainable fuel for a green-gas heavy duty road freight transport corridor in Sao Paulo state. J. Clean. Prod., 335, 130281.
Abstract: Diversifying the energy components of a country's transport sector is essential to guarantee the fuel supply to consumers and increase the market dynamics and competitiveness. Among the known alternative fuels, biogas is a renewable source and after upgrading to biomethane, it presents a similar composition to natural gas (>90% of CH4; 35-40 MJ m(-3)). In addition, it can be produced from a wide variety of biological resources and at different scales In this study, two scenarios have been developed that evaluate the use of liquefied biomethane (LBM) as a diesel replacement option in the freight sector of an area of 248,223 km(2) (equivalent to the area of the UK). Sugarcane vinasse (SVC) and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) were the sole feedstocks for biogas production. The first scenario, non-restricted scenario (NRS), covered the entire territory while, the second scenario, restricted scenario (RS), includes only the area where gas pipelines are available. An economic assessment of the entire biogas value chain including, biogas production units, purification, transport and end-use was performed. The minimum selling price (MSP) of biomethane throughout the biogas chain was then estimated. LBM is estimated to be a cost-effective and affordable fuel choice compared to diesel. The technical potential of biogas production by the sugarcane mills and landfills of Sao Paulo state can replace up to half of the diesel consumed in the territory. The minimum distances and optimal locations methodology indicated the need for 120 liquefaction plants in the NRS, 35 injection points in the RS, and 7 refuelling stations to supply LBM throughout the state of Sao Paulo. The units for CO2 removal had the greatest influence on capital costs (similar to 60%) in both scenarios. Expenditure associated with the gas injection operation and its transport comprised more than 90% of the operating costs of the RS. Electricity purchasing represented the highest share of the operating costs at biogas purification (20%-30%) and biomethane liquefaction (65%-91%) units. Personnel costs are observed along the entire biogas chain, especially, in the biomethane transport step (40%), indicating an opportunity to generate wealth, jobs, and income. Despite our projections for the cost-effective and competitive supplies of LBM as a diesel replacement fuel, policy support measures such as a feed-in tariff, are likely to be necessary in order to overcome non-technical barriers and gain wider acceptability.
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Girard, A., Roberts, C., Simon, F., & Ordonez, J. (2019). Solar electricity production and taxi electrical vehicle conversion in Chile. J. Clean Prod., 210, 1261–1269.
Abstract: Carbon emissions from the Chilean public transport sector have doubled between 2000 and 2013. Thus, the need to find alternative clean-air solutions is becoming increasingly critical. With this in mind, this paper addresses a solution to the aforementioned problem by studying the conversion of both taxis and “colectivos” (public taxis with defined routes) into electric vehicles (EV) to be used in the Chilean public transport sector. In Chile, 80% of taxis are Nissan V16s, meaning that all of these vehicles will be replaced and end up in landfills within the next 5-8 years. This study presents an option to give a second life to these vehicles, addressing environmental and financial issues. It compares emissions from the Nissan V16's conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) with an equivalent electric conversion prototype. Furthermore, it analyses the CO2 emissions from the EV that has been fully charged by the Chilean grid as well as one that has been charged by a solar photovoltaic system. A solar recharging station for EV taxis is designed, taking advantage of the high levels of solar radiation in Chile. The results show that EV conversion does not lead to real environmental benefits, in comparison to its ICE equivalent, when it is charged with the grid. However, the results also show a considerable decrease in cost and CO2 emissions per km travelled when using solar energy to charge the batteries. Future challenges include identifying solutions to cope with solar intermittence and minimizing CO2 emissions during periods of low radiation. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Electric vehicle; Public transport; CO2 emissions; Solar charging station; Chile
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O'Ryan, R., Nasirov, S., & Alvarez-Espinosa, A. (2020). Renewable energy expansion in the Chilean power market: A dynamic general equilibrium modeling approach to determine CO2 emission baselines. J. Clean Prod., 247, 11 pp.
Abstract: Over the last decade, a high dependency on carbon-intensive fuels in the Chilean power sector has led to environmental concerns, particularly regarding rapid growth in CO2 emissions. More recently, the power sector has experienced significant structural changes with a rapid expansion of renewables in the energy matrix, and this trend is expected to cause significant variations in future CO2-emission baseline scenarios. To investigate the economy-wide impact of renewable energy expansions in Chile's energy mix, this research, based on a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model, examines different CO2 emission baseline scenarios. However, because traditional CGE modeling approaches cannot capture the impact of a sector's recent structural changes, we present a step-by-step approach to incorporate different energy matrices from an external engineering bottom-up model into the CGE model. The results indicate that the Business as Usual (BAU) scenario, in which structural changes are not considered, significantly overstates expected emissions. Conversely, considering structural changes in our CGE model shows Chile advancing towards its declared Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the methodology implemented in the study has the advantage of being a simple integrated approach that is coherent with current modeling capacities in many developing contexts. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: CGE model; Renewable energy; CO2 emissions; Chile
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O'Ryan, R., Nasirov, S., & Osorio, H. (2023). Assessment of the potential impacts of a carbon tax in Chile using dynamic CGE model. J. Clean. Prod., 403, 136694.
Abstract: Carbon taxes have been proposed as a major instrument to mitigate carbon emissions and promote an energy transition to low carbon sources. However, its adoption remains politically challenging, particularly amid rising inflation and energy prices. Despite the need for more aggressive action on carbon mitigation to reach the Paris Agreement goals, few countries in Latin America have adopted carbon taxes and the tax levels are relatively low. A key concern for these countries, is to adequately assess the tradeoffs between stricter emission goals and the potential negative economy wide as well as sectoral and distributive impacts. In this context, in this paper we first propose a step by step approach to enhance an existing dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model for Chile based on OECD's Green model. The contribution of this research is twofold. Firstly, emission factors are estimated and the development of the electricity sector is aligned with the expectations of decision makers. As a result, credible emission and energy sector development forecasts are generated by the model, that are in line with what policymakers expect to happen based on other bottom-up engineering models. Secondly, this baseline is then used in the CGE model to examine the use of a carbon tax to reach Chile's first Nationally Determined Contribution. The required tax level is determined together with CO2 emissions and the econo-mywide, sectoral and distributive impacts. The results allow concluding about the applicability of carbon taxes and possible complementary measures.
Keywords: CGE model; Carbon tax; Economy-wide effects; CO2 emissions; Chile
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Pedrouso, A., Tocco, G., val del Rio, A., Carucci, A., Morales, N., Campos, J. L., et al. (2020). Digested blackwater treatment in a partial nitritation-anammox reactor under repeated starvation and reactivation periods. J. Clean Prod., 244, 9 pp.
Abstract: Wastewater source-separation and on-site treatment systems face severe problems in wastewater availability. Therefore, the effect of repeated short-term starvation and reactivation periods on a partial nitritation-anammox (PN/AMX) based processes were assessed treating digested blackwater at room temperature. Two sequencing batch reactors (SBR) were operated, one of them during 24 h/day the whole week (SBR-C, which served as control) and the other with repeated starvation/reactivation periods during the nights and the weekends (SBR-D), using simulated blackwater (300 mg N/L and 200 mg COD/L) as substrate. Results showed no remarkable differences in overall processes performance between both reactors, achieving total nitrogen removal efficiencies (NRE) around 90%. Furthermore, no significant variations were measured in specific activities, except for the aerobic heterotrophic one that was lower in SBR-D, presumably due to the exposure to anoxic conditions. Then, the technical feasibility of applying the PN/AMX system to treat real blackwater produced in an office building during working hours was successfully proved in a third reactor (SBR-R), with the same starvation/reactivation periods tested in SBR-D. Despite the low temperature, ranging from 14 to 21 degrees C, total NRE up to 95% and total nitrogen concentration in the effluent lower than 10 mg N/L were achieved. Moreover, the PN/AMX process performance was immediately recovered after a long starvation period of 15 days (simulating holidays). Results proved for the first time the feasibility and long-term stability (100 days) of applying the PN/AMX processes for the treatment (and potential reuse) of blackwater in a decentralized system where wastewater is not always available. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Seccatore, J., & de Theije, M. (2017). Socio-technical study of small-scale gold mining in Suriname. J. Clean Prod., 144, 107–119.
Abstract: Small-scale gold mining is Suriname's main economic sector, producing about two thirds of the nation's gold. Despite this, the sector is only very loosely regulated and most small-scale mining activities are informal. Surinamese miners are only a minority: the majority are Brazilian migrants, who have no right to the land and therefore have to pay a percentage of their production for land use. This study reports the findings of a field mission to small-scale mines in the region of Brokopondo reservoir. We document the technical aspects of small-scale gold mining in Suriname and contextualize this technology to social issues to identify links with cultural, political and sociological factors. Our findings show that informality and insecurity lead to a mine management culture that applies short-term solutions, such as cheap but polluting and inefficient technologies, and fails to produce stable, long-term mining conditions for clean, efficient technology and secure business planning. We conclude that the social context of the mining economy in Suriname strongly interacts with the technologies employed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Artisanal mining; Suriname; Gold; Mercury
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Simon, F., Girard, A., Krotki, M., & Ordonez, J. (2021). Modelling and simulation of the wood biomass supply from the sustainable management of natural forests. J. Clean. Prod., 282, 124487.
Abstract: Wood biomass is an important energy resource, which can contribute to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. The research undertakes the microeconomic approach to estimate the technical availability and operational costs of woody biomass production with a higher level of precision than other models present in the literature, as it considers the entire supply chain of the sustainable management of natural forests. This study introduces a tool, which is applied to estimate supply curves and costs of wood biomass extraction from natural forests in the 7th Region of Chile. The simulation indicates that 531,015 tons/year of wood biomass is available in natural forests of the Region under study, with extraction costs ranging from 24.51 to 56.68 US$/ton, or an average total cost of 40.97 US$/ton. The parametric analysis revealed that the maximum admissible distance to the nearest transport route and the transportation costs are the two most influential variables in the estimation of wood biomass supply and cost. Reducing the admissible distance from 5 km to 1 km reduced the availability of biomass by 80%, while a variation of +/- 50% of transportation costs translated into +/- 18.3% variation of total extraction costs.
The proposed method can be used to identify the technical-economic potential of wood biomass from natural forests in any commune, province, region, or country; as it has the flexibility to allow tests with multiple scenarios and parameters depending on the specific characteristics of the area to be analysed. Essentially, the purpose of this tool is to serve the assessment processes of the identification of new wood biomass resources, allowing decision makers to increase the potential of sustainable and cost-effective woody biomass for heat and electricity generation, and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the dependence on fossil fuels. |
Vargas-Ferrer, P., Alvarez-Miranda, E., Tenreiro, C., & Jalil-Vega, F. (2023). Integration of high levels of electrolytic hydrogen production: Impact on power systems planning. J. Clean. Prod., 409, 137110.
Abstract: The increasing interest in electrolytic hydrogen production using renewable electricity sources will require to adapt power systems to new electrical loads for hydrogen production and supply chains. Such high loads would impact the long-term planning and operation of power systems, as they need to balance the variability of renewable generation sources with electricity demand. This stresses the importance of characterizing the impact of incorporating hydrogen supply chains into power systems and planning accordingly. This study proposes a methodological framework to assess the integration and development of a national power system with electrolytic hydrogen production and supply chain. The framework is based on the well-known optimization tool for energy systems planning, Open Source Energy Modeling System (OSeMOSYS). For a detailed representation, a module was developed where demand side technologies � such as those associated to hydrogen supply chains � can provide operating reserves. As a case study, the integration of the Chilean power system with a hydrogen supply chain for exporting hydrogen between 2018 and 2050 was modeled. Among other findings, results indicate that an on-grid hydrogen supply chain would be more cost-effective than an off-grid one. However, the new electrical loads originated from such hydrogen supply chain would require additional generation capacity � primarily photovoltaic. Other generation capacities such as concentrated solar power, wind, and storage would experience significant variations in their investment requirements, compared to the off-grid hydrogen supply chain scenario. The study revealed that the coordinated operation of electrolyzers is crucial to the operational flexibility of the new electrical system.
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Zavala, C., Babonneau, F., & Homem-de-Mello, T. (2023). Measuring the impact of regional climate change on heating and cooling demand for the Chilean energy transition. J. Clean. Prod., 428, 139390.
Abstract: The regional impact of climate change on heating and cooling demand is important to consider when designing optimal long-term energy policies. Several studies have addressed this issue, but either at a very aggregated level or without optimizing the whole energy system. The aims of this paper are to fill this gap in a generic way and to assess the impact of climate change on heating and cooling energy demands for residential and commercial sectors at the regional and nodal levels in the context of Chile's energy transition. We propose a methodology based on high resolution climate simulations for the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. First, a statistical analysis is performed to estimate the long-term trends of so-called heating and cooling degree-days and their impact on final regional energy demands. Then, demand pathways in the energy transition are assessed using a multi-sectoral energy planning model. Numerical experiments using data from Chile show an overall positive economic impact of climate change (limited to heating and cooling demands) for the energy system, with a significant decrease in heating demand compared to a limited increase in cooling requirements. For the RCP 8.5 scenario, cost reductions reach 2.1% of the total discounted system cost on the 2020-2050 period mainly due to a significant decrease of gas consumption for heating. This research highlights the importance for policymakers to consider climate change in efficient energy policies.
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