Policy & Socio-Economics

One of the options to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels is to produce gas with the quality of natural gas but based on renewable energy sources. It can encompass among other biogas generation from various types of biomass and its subsequent upgrading. The main aim of this study is to analyze under a combined technical economic and environmental perspective three of the most representative technologies for the production of biomethane (bio-based natural gas): (i) manure fermentation and its subsequent upgrading by CO₂ removal (ii) manure fermentation and biogas methanation using renewable hydrogen from electrolysis and (iii) biomass gasification in the atmosphere of oxygen and methanation of the resulted gas. Thermodynamic economic and environmental analyses are conducted to thoroughly compare the three cases. For these purposes detailed models in Aspen Plus software were built while environmental analysis was performed using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The results show that the highest efficiency (66.80%) and the lowest break-even price of biomethane (19.2 €/GJ) are reached for the technology involving fermentation and CO₂ capture. Concerning environmental assessment the system with the best environmental performance varies depending on the impact category analyzed being the system with biomass gasification and methanation a suitable trade-off solution for biomethane production.

In recent years the development of energy prices in Germany has been frequently accompanied by criticism and warnings of socio-economic disruptions. Especially with respect to the electricity sector the debate on increasing energy bills was strongly correlated with the energy system transition. However whereas fossil fuels have rapidly increased in price recently renewable substitutes such as green hydrogen and synthetic fuels also enter the markets at comparatively high prices. On the other hand the present fossil fuel supply is still considered too low-priced by experts because societal greenhouse gas-induced environmental impact costs are not yet compensated. In this study we investigate the development of the price gap between conventional energy carriers and their renewable substitutes until 2050 as well as a suitable benchmark price incorporating the societal costs of specific energy carriers. The calculated benchmark prices for natural gas (6.3 ct kWh−1 ) petrol (9.9 ct kWh−1 ) and grey hydrogen from steam methane reformation (12 ct kWh−1 ) are nearly 300% above the actual prices for industry customers in 2020 but below the price peaks of early 2022. In addition the price gap between conventional fuels and green hydrogen will be completely closed before 2050 for all investigated energy carriers. Furthermore prognosed future price developments can be considered rather moderate compared to historic and especially to the recent price dynamics in real terms. A gradual implementation of green hydrogen and synthetic fuels next to increasing CO2 prices however may temporarily lead to further increasing expenses for energy but can achieve lower price levels comparable to those of 2020 in the long term.

UK homes are primarily heated by fossil fuels and contribute 13% of UK’s carbon footprint (equivalent to all the UK’s 38.4m cars). The report says this is incompatible with UK climate legislation targeting net-zero economy by 2050. New polling finds that consumers are open to cleaner greener ways to heat their homes into the future but that they are “still in the dark about smarter greener heating solutions and lack access to independent advice to help them make better decisions for their homes pockets and the planet”.<br/><br/>The report – Uncomfortable Home Truths: why Britain urgently needs a low carbon heat strategy – says a bold new national roadmap is needed by 2020 which puts consumers and households at the heart of a revolution in green heat innovation. It recommends the creation of an Olympic-style delivery body to catalyse and coordinate regional innovation and local leadership tailored to different parts of the UK and the nation’s diverse housing stock.<br/><br/>This report is the third in the Future Gas Series which has explored the opportunities and challenges associated with using low carbon gas in the energy system and is backed by cross-party parliamentary co-Chairs

The unbridled use of fossil fuels is a serious problem that has become increasingly evident over the years. As such fuels contribute considerably to environmental pollution there is a need to find new sustainable sources of energy with low emissions of greenhouse gases. Climate change poses a substantial challenge for the scientific community. Thus the use of renewable energy through technologies that offer maximum efficiency with minimal pollution and carbon emissions has become a major goal. Technology related to the use of hydrogen as a fuel is one of the most promising solutions for future systems of clean energy. The aim of the present review was to provide an overview of elements related to the potential use of hydrogen as an alternative energy source considering its specific chemical and physical characteristics as well as prospects for an increase in the participation of hydrogen fuel in the world energy matrix.

From an evaluation of the GB housing stock it is clear that a mosaic of low carbon heating technologies will be needed to reach net zero. While heat pumps are an important component of this mix our analysis shows that it is likely to be impractical to heat many GB homes with heat pumps only. A combination of lack of exterior space and/or the thermal properties of the building fabric mean that a heat pump is not capable of meeting the space heating requirement of 8 to 12m homes (or 37% to 54% of the 22.7m homes assessed in this report) or can do so only through the installation of highly disruptive and intrusive measures such as solid wall insulation. Hybrid heat pumps that are designed to optimise efficiency of the system do not have the same requirements of a heat pump and may be a suitable solution for some of these homes. This is likely to mean that decarbonised gas networks are therefore critical to delivery of net zero. 3 to 4m homes1 (or 14% to 18% of homes assessed in our analysis) could be made suitable for heat pump retrofit through energy efficiency measures such as cavity wall insulation. For 7 to 10m homes there are no limiting factors and they require minimal/no upgrade requirements to be made heat pump-ready. Nevertheless given firstly the levels of disruption to the floors and interiors of homes caused by the installation of heat pumps and secondly the cost and disruption associated with the requirement to significantly upgrade the electricity distribution networks to cope with large numbers of heat pumps operating at peak demand times - combined with the availability of a decarbonised gas network which requires a simple like-for-like boiler replacement - is likely to mean that many of these ‘swing’ properties will be better served through a gas based technology such as hydrogen (particularly when consumer choice is factored in) or a hybrid system. A recent trial run in winter 2018-19 by the Energy System Catapult revealed that all participants were reluctant to make expensive investments to improve the energy efficiency of their homes just to enhance the performance of their heat pump. They were more interested in less costly upgrades and tangible benefits such as lower bills or greater comfort. This means that renewable gases including hydrogen as heating fuels are a crucial component of the journey to net zero and the UK’s hydrogen ambitions should be reflective of this. The analysis presented in this paper focuses on the external fabric of the buildings further analysis should be undertaken to consider the internal system changes that would be required for heat pumps and hydrogen boilers for example BEIS Domestic Heat Distribution Systems: Gathering Report from February 2021 which considers the suitability of radiators for the low carbon transition.

This statutory report provides a comprehensive overview of the UK Government’s progress to date in reducing emissions. It is accompanied by a new Monitoring Framework which details the CCC’s updated approach to tracking real-world progress through a host of new indicators.<br/>This is a pivotal point in the UK’s journey to Net Zero. The UK is one of the few countries with emissions targets in line with the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. Policy ambition has moved substantially with the publication of the UK’s Net Zero Strategy. Now is the time to deliver the promised action.

In this paper we report the effect of adding Zr + V or Zr + V + Mn to TiFe alloy on microstructure and hydrogen storage properties. The addition of only V was not enough to produce a minimum amount of secondary phase and therefore the first hydrogenation at room temperature under a hydrogen pressure of 20 bars was impossible. When 2 wt.% Zr + 2 wt.% V or 2 wt.% Zr + 2 wt.% V + 2 wt.% Mn is added to TiFe the alloy shows a finely distributed Ti₂Fe-like secondary phase. These alloys presented a fast first hydrogenation and a high capacity. The rate-limiting step was found to be 3D growth diffusion controlled with decreasing interface velocity. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the fast reaction is likely to be the presence of Ti₂Fe-like secondary phases that act as a gateway for hydrogen.

This study aimed to identify the impact of achieving the 1.5 ◦C target on the petroleum supply chain in Japan and discuss the feasibility and challenges of decarbonization. First a national material flow was established for the petroleum supply chain in Japan including processes for crude petroleum refining petroleum product manufacturing plastic resin and product manufacturing and by-product manufacturing. In particular by-product manufacturing processes such as hydrogen gaseous carbon dioxide and sulfur were selected because they are utilized in other industries. Next the outlook for the production of plastic resin hydrogen dry ice produced from carbon dioxide gas and sulfur until 2050 was estimated for reducing petroleum consumption required to achieve the 1.5 ◦C target. As a result national petroleum treatment is expected to reduce from 177048.00 thousand kl in 2019 to 126643.00 thousand kl in 2030 if the reduction in petroleum consumption is established. Along with this decrease plastic resin production is expected to decrease from 10500.00 thousand ton in 2019 to 7511.00 thousand ton by 2030. Conversely the plastic market is expected to grow steadily and the estimated plastic resin production in 2030 is expected to be 20079.00 thousand ton. This result indicates that there is a large output gap between plastic supply and demand. To mitigate this gap strongly promoting the recycling of waste plastics and making the price competitiveness of biomass plastics equal to that of petroleum-derived plastics are necessary

This paper aims to review existing energy-sector and hydrogen-energy-related legal policy and strategy documents in the ECOWAS region. To achieve this aim current renewable-energyrelated laws acts of parliament executive orders presidential decrees administrative orders and memoranda were analyzed. The study shows that ECOWAS countries have strived to design consistent legal instruments regarding renewable energy in developing comprehensive legislation and bylaws to consolidate it and to encourage investments in renewable energy. Despite all these countries having a legislative basis for regulating renewable energy there are still weaknesses that revolve around the law and policy regarding its possible application in green hydrogen production and use. The central conclusion of this review paper is that ECOWAS member states presently have no official hydrogen policies nor bylaws in place. The hydrogen rise presents a challenge and opportunity for members to play an important role in the fast-growing global hydrogen market. Therefore these countries need to reform their regulatory frameworks and align their policies by introducing green hydrogen production in order to accomplish their green economy transition for the future and to boost the continent’s sustainable development.

As environmental awareness among the public gradually improves it is predicted that the trend of green consumption will make green products enter the mainstream market. Hydrogen-electric motorcycles with eco-friendly and energy-efficient characteristics have great advantages for development. However as a type of innovative product hydrogen-electric motorcycles require further examination with regard to consumer acceptance and external variables of the products. In this study consumer behavioral intention (BI) for the use of hydrogen-electric motorcycles and its influencing factors are discussed using innovation resistance as the basis and environmental concern as the adjusting variable. Consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for hydrogen-electric motorcycles is estimated using the contingent valuation method (CVM). The results found that (1) perception barriers viz. usage barrier value barrier risk barrier tradition barrier and price barrier are statistically significant whereas image barrier is not; (2) a high degree of environmental concern will reduce the consumers’ innovation resistance to the hydrogen-electric motorcycles; (3) up to 94.79% of the respondents of the designed questionnaire suggested that the promotion of hydrogen-electric motorcycles requires a subsidy of 21.9% of the total price from the government. The mean WTP of consumers for the purchase of hydrogen-electric motorcycles is 10–15% higher than that of traditional motorcycles.