Search

• Phasing out coal-fired power is inevitable, but a deeply complex process from a social-institutional standpoint. • The nature of the coal-fired power transition is comparable to the automotive industry closures observed in Australia's recent industrial past. • This paper draws on just transitions and the transition management analytical frameworks. • Four key insights offer pointers for policymakers to support the transition away from coal-fired power in Australia and globally. Nearly three-quarters of Australia's electricity generation is coal-dependent with fossil fuel-led electricity contributing to over a third of Australia's CO 2 emissions. Climate change imperatives are calling for permanent shifts to these patterns, leading to early closure announcements of several coal-fired power plants across the country. Although the pace and scale of the energy transition are unprecedented, the closure of large-scale industries is not uncommon. The most recent closure in Australia's industrial past that remains vivid in the nation's collective memory was the end of nearly 70 years of automotive manufacturing. Drawing on expert consultations, and applying just transitions and transition management thinking, this paper identifies four key insights from the auto sector closure experience. These offer compelling pointers to guide socio-economic transformations in frontline regions that are likely to face challenging, often deeply personal, impacts resulting from the closure of coal-fired power stations over the coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen supplying to industrial users is currently the major hydrogen business worldwide and the demand for hydrogen is almost entirely supplied from fossil fuels. In the last years a widespread interest on hydrogen has grown as energy vector for the decarbonization of multiple sectors, including industry, transport and buildings. Nevertheless, the impact of natural gas and other fossil fuels substitution with hydrogen is highly affected by the mix of different technologies and energy sources applied for hydrogen generation. The paper aims to investigate current CO 2 emissions related with hydrogen generation in Australia and Italy by means of PEM and alkaline technologies; and to evaluate the potential impact considering cell characteristics variation and 3 scenarios based on energy mix. A sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the critical parameters. Based on experimental data, the energy consumption for hydrogen production using PEM technology is more sensitive to cell voltage compared to current density, which indicates the importance of cell manufacturing and electrolyte resistance. In addition, by performing sensitivity analysis regarding energy sources scenarios it is found that carbon dioxide emission in Australia is more sensitive to renewable energy sources rather than Italy. [Display omitted] • Importance of manufacturing and electrolyte resistance because of high PEM energy consumption sensitivity to cell voltage. • Predicted emission in 2030 is 5–10 kg CO 2 using PEM/alkaline technology in Italy. • 18% reduction of national electricity grid CO 2 emission in Australia is predicted. (In 2030 in comparison to 2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional glass bottles are the wine industry's major source of carbon emissions. Those wishing to reduce the carbon footprint embedded in wine have been looking to alternative packaging, such as PET, aluminium cans, and bag-in-box (BIB) to mitigate the impact. However, these alternative formats pose challenges with consumer acceptance and knowledge of the eco-benefits of each format. This paper uses a discrete choice experiment and latent class analysis to investigate the possible effects of message content and style (abstract vs concrete) on wine purchase in the context of brand size, brand prestige, and pricing. The analysis reveals the presence of two customer segments, which highly emphasise the pack format. Of the four non-glass packs tested, BIB and flat glass lookalike PET bottles score the highest preference after glass bottles. Message content and appeal type score low in their ability to alter preferences, whilst mid-to-low prices increase the chances of alternative packaging to be chosen. • Packaging format is a key choice driver for wine. • Glass is still the most preferred packaging format. • Bag in Box and low-carbon alternatives that look most like glass have the most potential for uptake. • Message content and appeal have little impact on choice. • Alternative packaging is more likely to be chosen for mid-to-low-priced wines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines changes in Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS) generator output due to several large wind farm power variations occurring in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) during 2012 and 2013. Using data from actual FCAS generator output fluctuations during selected storm events and reconstructed heat rate curves for each FCAS generator, the authors address the research question of what effect such variations have on net carbon emissions from electricity generation, given balancing fossil-fueled FCAS generators will be pushed back into less efficient operating ranges. The study finds that, for all storm events evaluated, net carbon emissions decreased with each large increase in wind power, even though FCAS generator carbon intensity increased in two of the three events. This finding is consistent with the conclusions of other studies that while FCAS generators do move into less efficient operating ranges, the generation of zero carbon emission wind power displaces other fossil fuel generators and more than compensates for this efficiency reduction, creating an overall positive carbon effect. This is a significant finding as it shows that the inclusion of wind farms in the generation mix serving the Australian NEM can lower carbon emissions in both short and long time frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Scoping economic comparison of pipeline and ship CO2 transport in eastern australia. • CO2 captured from iron and steel plant located in port Kembla, NSW. • Estimated costs are lowest for the hub pipeline transport. • The shipping transport option presented highest cost. • There is still a case to be made for ship transport if the project duration is short. The main source of CO 2 emissions in an integrated steel manufacturing plant comes from the need to use a carbon source, often coal, in the steel making process. Amongst the pathways for reducing CO 2 emissions is the application of carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) technologies. This paper presents a scoping-level economic evaluation of transport and storage location options for CO 2 captured from an iron and steel plant located in Port Kembla, NSW, Australia. Pipeline (single and hub) and ship transport of CO 2 , and two injection locations are considered. Estimated costs are lowest for the hub transport case injecting at the Gippsland basin (∼35% lower than for single source cases) and highest for the shipping case. For the single-source cases, transport via pipeline to the Darling basin is slightly more attractive in terms of unit costs. The hub transport cases were between two-thirds and half of the cost of the shipping case. Although the shipping transport option presented the highest cost of the cases considered, there is still a case to be made for ship transport if the project duration is short. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Climate change can significantly impact on the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of residential buildings. Therefore, climate adaptation should be properly considered in both building design and operation stages to reduce the impact. This paper identified the potential adaptation pathways for existing and new residential buildings, by enhancing their adaptive capacity to accommodate the impact and maintain total energy consumption and GHG emissions no more than the current level in the period of their service life. The feasibility of adaptations was demonstrated by building energy simulations using both representative existing and new housing in eight climate zones varying from cold, temperate to hot humid in Australia. It was found that, in heating dominated climates, a proper level of adaptive capacity of residential buildings could be achieved simply by improving the energy efficiency of building envelop. However, in cooling dominated regions, it could only be achieved by introducing additional measures, such as the use of high energy efficient (EE) appliances and the adoption of renewable energy. The initial costs to implement the adaptations were assessed, suggesting that it is more cost-effective to accommodate future climate change impacts for existing and new houses by improving building envelop energy efficiency in cooling dominated regions, but installing on-site solar PVs instead in heating and cooling balanced regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The wine industry has been dedicating increasing efforts to considering the sustainability of the environment. Various approaches have been implemented to reduce the industry's carbon footprint. With over 40 million wine tourists globally, cellar door operations have become an important distribution channel, especially for the financial sustainability of small and medium-sized wineries, but this component has not been addressed in existing environmental life cycle assessments. This paper presents a methodology for measuring the carbon footprint of wine tourism and cellar door sales based on a combination of the bottom-up and the top-down approaches. In the case of Australia, we find both domestic and international wine tourism lead to substantially higher carbon emissions than the standard wine distribution channels. The difference can be more than 100 fold per bottle of wine. In addition, the benchmarking analysis indicates that cellar door sales may become the most carbon intensive component across all life cycle stages of wine. This information offers an opportunity to evaluate the environmental trade-offs that maybe involved in obtaining the numerous benefits of wine tourism, and to consider ways of minimizing wine tourism-related carbon emissions in the future. • A method for assessing the carbon emissions of direct-to-consumer "cellar door" sales to wine tourists is proposed. • The impacts of domestic and international wine tourism in Australia are evaluated and benchmarked. • Selling wine to tourists has a much larger carbon footprint than distributing through retailers. • Wine tourism and cellar door sales may be the most carbon intensive component across all wine production and consumption stages. • This methodology is a useful tool for predicting and monitoring the economic and environmental trade-offs of wine tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]