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China has been at the global forefront of alternative fuel vehicle development, including methanol vehicles, in a bid to achieve economic benefits and improve environmental outcomes for the nation. Methanol vehicle pilot projects completed in ten Chinese cities have demonstrated that methanol vehicles can reduce costs and emissions. In considering whether methanol vehicles should be deployed more widely in China, there is a role for bespoke decision-making methods as an aid for assessing the prospects for such an expansion and developing the strategies needed for implementation. In this paper, a FANP (fuzzy analytic network process) - SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) method was proposed and applied to assess the prospects for methanol vehicles in China. Based on the proposed method, an evaluation criteria system that includes 12 criteria from social, technological, economic, environmental, and political fields was established. Each criterion was weighted based on interviews with 16 experts who have extensive experience and expertise related to policy development for methanol vehicles in China. As a result, 10 strategies for the further implementation of methanol vehicles in China were proposed and prioritized. The results form the basis for six proposed policy implications for the further deployment of methanol vehicles. Policies for developing core technologies for methanol vehicles to achieve socioeconomical and environmental benefits are given the highest priority. • Novel fuzzy analytic network process combined with SWOT analysis is proposed. • The proposed method is applied to assess prospects of methanol vehicles in China. • Strategies for methanol vehicle deployment in China are proposed and prioritized. • Six policy implications for further deploying methanol vehicles are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefabricated buildings (PB) are assembled using prefabricated components, known for their cost-effectiveness and high efficiency. They are seen as an effective means to achieving sustainable development goals and mitigating climate change. This paper examines the impact of prefabricated buildings on urban green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) using panel data from 278 cities in China. The analysis is conducted through the application of a super-efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model and a difference-in-differences model. The results of the study indicate that the promotion of PB can significantly improve urban GTFEE; there is heterogeneity in the improvement of urban GTFEE by PB; the innovation effect, industrial effect and marketization effect of PB are the main ways to improve urban GTFEE. Specifically, PB exerts an innovation effect by promoting technological innovation. It influences consumer and investor demand, leading to increased activity in the secondary industry, thereby creating an industrial effect. Moreover, PB facilitates the marketization effect by phasing out outdated industries, encouraging autonomous enterprise innovation, and fostering the growth of new advanced enterprises. This study reveals the critical role of PB in urban GTFEE improvement. It clarifies its mechanism of action, which provides a reference for urban sustainable development strategies and energy efficiency. • Prefabricated buildings can improve green total-factor energy efficiency. • Urban green total-factor energy efficiency has been measured. • PB improves GTFEE through innovation, industry and marketization effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the high CO 2 emissions during the coal-to-methanol process, conventional coal-to-methanol vehicles' life cycle environmental impact is significant. As the world's largest market for methanol vehicle applications, China is exploring a 'green methanol vehicles' route: using CO 2 -to-methanol or biomass-to-methanol in internal combustion engine vehicles. However, the economy, effectiveness in reducing carbon emissions, and changes in resource consumption of green methanol vehicles have yet to be investigated. This study first conducts a 'Resource-Environment-Economy' life cycle assessment on vehicles from different routes, including green methanol vehicles. Next, this study builds a system dynamics model based on the Resource-Environment-Economy assessment boundaries to predict the development trend of green methanol vehicles in the designed scenarios. CO 2 -to-methanol vehicle emits 24% less CO 2 over their life cycle than gasoline vehicle, which can be a reasonable alternative from 2028. By 2030, biomass-to-methanol vehicle has a high development potential with minimal energy and less water consumption. It suggests that green methanol vehicles be incorporated into new energy vehicles and enjoy preferential policies. [Display omitted] • Assessing resource consumption, emissions, and cost of green methanol vehicles. • Proposing a life cycle assessment-system dynamics model. • Predicting development potential of green methanol vehicles with LCA-SD model. • The results demonstrate that green methanol vehicles are promising in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 2010s, China has been accelerating methanol vehicle development to secure energy supply and reduce environmental pollution. Although completed pilot projects have demonstrated the economic and technological maturity of methanol vehicles, their overall emissions are still high, as methanol is predominantly produced from coal in China. To combat this, two green methanol routes (CO 2 -to-methanol and biomass-to-methanol) have been proposed as vehicle fuels. Before further deployment, comprehensively comparing green methanol vehicles with other vehicles is crucial; therefore, based on life-cycle assessments and cost analyses, this study compared green methanol vehicles with coal-to-methanol, conventional gasoline, and electric vehicles considering energy-focused, environmental, and economic perspectives. Combined with these results, we developed a comprehensive evaluation model to prioritize green methanol vehicles among the different vehicles in China. The evaluation results show that biomethanol vehicle ranks first; the potential of CO2-to-methanol vehicle is limited because of its high fuel cost and high energy consumption: 2.6 and 13.9 times of biomethanol, respectively. Based on the designed scenarios, the government should develop a dynamic policy scheme consisting of scaling up the deployment of biomethanol vehicles according to local conditions and developing CO 2 -to-methanol vehicles if fuel technology advances considerably after carbon neutrality. [Display omitted] • Assessed green methanol vehicles' life-cycle energy consumption, emission, cost. • A multi-criteria model was developed to rank green methanol vehicles in China. • M100-Bio-V ranks first; M100-CO 2 -V ranks the lowest due to its high fuel cost. • The energy consumption of CO2-to-methanol is 13.9 times of biomethanol. • Five policy implications for further deploying methanol vehicles were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]