Search

This paper presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) for the industrial Light Emitting Diode (LED) luminaire by using Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. The assessment is carried out for raw material, assembly, distribution, use and end of life (EoL) stages, and all upstream emissions are considered. The analysis results show that the electricity consumption in use stage is the significant contributor for the overall impacts. Environmental benefits are identified from the EoL scenario analysis due to the adopted WEEE treatments. Electricity mix for the UK and other European countries are modelled for the comparison study that shows the use of renewable resources for electricity generation has lower overall impacts from the PEF view, but the impact towards land use that is caused by using biomass energy source for electricity production is noticeable, which is barely mentioned in the existing LCA studies. This research has made the following original contributions: 1) it is the first study examining the LED luminaire environmental performance by using the PEF methodology; 2) the electricity mix modelling for the European countries in the comparison study reveals the possible trade-off between using renewable/non-renewable resources for the electricity generation, which would be beneficial for further policy development for lighting and energy sectors; 3) the availability demonstration of the current PEF database for luminaires, and the reported analysis results would assist future similar LCA studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impacts of energy policies for supporting low-carbon infrastructure on the economic and financial performance of energy storage when coupled with a generator. The study sets in the UK context and the unit of analysis is the generator connected with energy storage. An analytical method is derived to assess the impact of policy schemes for low-carbon infrastructure on energy storage. The case study of energy storage systems coupled with a Small Modular nuclear Reactor (SMR) is quantitatively investigated in three scenarios: 1. SMR-only (the baseline); 2. SMR with thermal energy storage; and 3. SMR with Lithium-ion battery. For the strike price at 100 £/MWh, the net present value for scenarios 2 and 3 reduces from 562 M£ to 379 M£ and from 376 M£ to -1144 M£, respectively, when the energy storage capacity increases from 100 MWh to 1 GWh. As the net present value reduces with increased energy storage capacity (when coupled with generation), this work shows that low-carbon incentives are, unintentionally, barriers to the development of energy storage due to: (A) current generator incentives give a favourable return on investment and energy storage would diminish it; (B) energy storage cannot participate in generator only incentives. • There is a growing need to deploy energy storage infrastructures. • There is no incentive scheme specifically developed for energy storage. • Low-carbon power incentive schemes can unintendedly limit energy storage deployment. • The unintended effect is analysed analytically and numerically. • Policy recommendations are suggested to address this critical issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a qualitative exploration of domestic energy consumption practices in the UK social housing sector, and perceived effectiveness of varying intervention techniques in motivating energy reductions. The study was conducted using a sample of N = 20 social housing residents, who had recently taken part in a 'serious game' energy behaviour change intervention trial, thus making them uniquely positioned to provide such insight and feedback on these issues. A series of one-on-one open-ended interview sessions was conducted in residents' homes at the end of the intervention period, using an open-ended discussion framework. Thematic analysis revealed that residents were highly engaged with the topic of energy saving, but that several psychological barriers existed which prevented many residents from changing them behaviour. In line with the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Norm Activation Model, these barriers included lack of awareness of the issue, action inertia, and perceived lack of behavioural control. Some residents did make savings following the trial, and our interviews provide useful insight into their decision making and behaviour change processes, including evidence for cross-contextual spillover effects, where residents made savings in other areas. However overall, the serious gaming approach did not inspire engagement from the target population, who frequently mentioned lack of time and/or desire to use overly 'technical' solutions for energy savings. Recommendations for ongoing intervention development are discussed, including preference for tailored non-technical visualisation tools and less time intensive versions of the game, and implications for future energy policy development are considered. • A qualitative exploration of domestic energy use practices in UK social housing. • Thematic analysis revealed determinants of energy use in line with TPB and NAM. • Barriers to behaviour change found to include action inertia and lack of awareness. • Digital technology solutions as used here may not be optimal for this target group. • Future interventions for this group should rely more on social influence processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]