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Abstract Household energy consumption and carbon footprints change with household characteristics such as type of residence, energy system performance, vehicle performance, and users' behavioral patterns. Accordingly, alternative energy technologies, such as clean electricity, hydrogen fuel cells, and energy efficient interventions, are being adopted in many parts of the world to reduce the residential, industrial, and transportation emissions. This paper presents a comprehensive research framework to identify the most desirable building retrofits and incentive schemes for Canadian households. Globally available incentive policies for low-emission vehicles and locally available retrofit options for single-family detached houses were identified during this study. A decision support tool based on life cycle thinking was developed to assess economic parameters, such as capital investment and annualized consumer cost, and environmental parameters such as greenhouse gas emissions. In order to rank and select the most desirable building retrofit, the TOPSIS ranking method was used. The linear programing graphical method was used to select the best incentive policy for low-emission vehicles. Finally, scenario analysis was used to compare different households based on regional economic and environmental characteristics. Provinces which have low-emission electricity grids such as Manitoba, British Columbia, and Quebec can primarily focus on incentives for electrified transportation. Additionally, the incentives for retrofits such as greener appliances and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems would also significantly reduce building carbon footprint. Conventional residential buildings with fossil fuel vehicles are more desirable for provinces like Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Nova Scotia which have high-emission electricity grids. Based on the outcomes of this research, a scientific incentive planning and management approach considering regional economic and environmental characteristics was introduced. Highlights • Life cycle thinking-based economic factors and operating emissions of single-detached household were analyzed. • Possible retrofit incentives and retrofit combinations were ranked based on regional economic and environmental factors. • Regions with low emission electric grids can primarily focus on incentives for electrified transportation system. • Conventional households and fossil-vehicles are desired for the areas with higher emission factor electric grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the recent past, the individual responsibility of climate change mitigation has been acknowledged by the society at large. Energy planning is pivotal in mitigating GHG emissions and adopting climate resilient strategies. However, community level energy planning has been overlooked in the urban development planning and the approval process. Many energy and emission reduction approaches are still voluntary for the developers and been pursued on ad-hoc basis. The objective of this study is to propose a systematic framework for renewable energy integration in community development. A scenario-based study was conducted for an upcoming neighbourhood in Okanagan, British Columbia (BC), Canada. Scenarios were assessed based on the life cycle cost (LCC) and GHG emission reduction. The scenarios were then compared based on costs and benefits to key stakeholders. Results of this study revealed that a higher share of renewable sources in the energy mix does not necessarily reduce LCC or GHG emissions. The benefits which can be achieved via incorporating renewables to the regional energy mix varies, depending on the existing energy sources in the mix. Therefore, regional power grid mix influences the feasibility and acceptability of RE integration at a given location. Developers should be aware of the optimal investment level which could be fully or partially recovered by premium home prices. The government should promote this practice via various incentives such as tax credits, grants etc. Findings of this research would mainly inform urban developers in renewable energy planning and local government in formulating climate action policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road transportation is responsible for 23% of Canada's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory due to complete dependence on fossil fuels. Decarbonizing the transportation sector using alternative energy sources is one of the most effective strategies to achieve GHG emission reduction targets. Alternative transportation modes such as electric and hydrogen fuel cell based vehicles are considered as scalable technologies for decarbonizing the transportation sector. However, there is a knowledge gap for a systematic investigation approach on regional viability of aforementioned vehicles. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the financial feasibility and environmental impact of the electric light duty vehicles (LD-EVs) and hydrogen fuel cell light duty vehicles (LD-HFCVs) use in Canada. A life cycle thinking based approach has been proposed to compare costs and emissions of transportation based on electric and Hydrogen with traditional fossil fuel. The carbon offset saving was used to quantify the economic impact of GHG reduction. The carbon taxes for selected provinces were recommended as a potential policy implementation to reduce transport based GHG emissions. The results indicate that the provinces with low emission factor electric grids have a higher potential for LD-EV based transportation system in terms of costs and footprint. Presently LD-HFCVs are less desirable due to high purchase and operational cost. Development of a Hydrogen based transportation system through the production of cost effective hydrogen is preferable for provinces with a higher emission factor electric grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing greenhouse gas emissions from the conventional fleet of diesel buses has made Canadian transit agencies explore low-emission alternative fuels. Despite electric buses showing great potential to reduce emissions during their operational phase, the transformation from diesel buses to electric buses would require in-depth analysis pertaining to their economic and social implications. Published literature highlights the importance of developing a comprehensive framework that considers multiple decision parameters over a life cycle perspective for analyzing different fuel options to replace the existing fleet of diesel buses. This paper assesses the triple-bottom-line sustainability of diesel and electric buses in different regions of Canada. Moreover, a framework is proposed to incorporate multiple decision criteria (life cycle environmental, economic, and social impacts) over different perspectives to make the best decisions for transitioning the diesel bus fleet. The results showed that the environmental performance of electric buses highly depended on the electricity grid mix. Despite diesel buses having a low cost of production compared to electric buses, most provinces showed a low life cycle operational cost for electric buses. Electric buses' life cycle social impacts are high during their production stage, whereas diesel buses have the highest social impacts during their operational phase. Overall, electric buses have a high sustainability performance in all provinces and territories in Canada except Nunavut. The proposed framework and findings can aid policymakers and planners in implementing electric buses for public transit systems in Canada and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupant behavior in residential buildings has a direct impact on the effectiveness of energy-saving measures. In order to realize a buildings' carbon mitigation targets, the impact of individual occupancy profiles needs to be integrated with building simulation models. This paper introduces a decision support framework as a potential solution to make energy performance upgrade choices based on different occupancy profiles. This framework has been demonstrated through a case study of two single-family detached homes in Canada, which were highly instrumented with sensors for monitoring energy input and output. The case studies represented two common occupancy profiles-(1) a family of four (consisting of 2 working adults and 2 teenagers); and (2) a retired couple. Firstly, calibrated energy models were developed by using one-year energy use data collected through an intrusive load monitoring technique. Secondly, energy upgrade combinations were considered for each profile and tested for additional investment, payback period and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Lastly, the most suitable combination of energy upgrade for each profile was ranked using a multi-criteria decision-making method (e.g., TOPSIS). Results indicated that the retired couple used more energy than the family of four and required energy upgrades with usually higher payback periods to achieve the same level of GHG emission reduction. The results of this research are timely for energy policymaking and developing best management practices, which need to be implemented along with the deployment of more stringent building standards and codes. • A scenario-based framework was developed for residential homes energy upgrades. • It considers occupant behavior and preference in selecting energy upgrades. • Field data is used to represent energy use of a family of four and a stay-at-home retired couple. • Energy upgrades are same under pro-economic choices for two profiles. • Energy upgrades vary under pro-environmental scenarios for two profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recharging infrastructure (RI) deployment plays a vital role in improving the public recharging availability for transport electrification. Decarbonizing transportation using low-emission electricity requires massive RI network. Even though the consumers are reluctant to purchase electric vehicles (EVs) until RIs are sufficiently placed, the investors are not willing to invest in RIs due to recharging demand uncertainties. Therefore, a scientific planning framework is needed to ensure the sustainable deployment of EV-RIs in complex networks. In this study, a lifecycle thinking-based multi-period infrastructure-planning framework is proposed to develop sustainable public EV-RIs in an urban context. This framework consists of a temporal model to find the dynamic EV-RI demands, a stochastic model to obtain travel distances, and a multi-objective optimization model to select the best desirable capacities and locations for potential EV-RIs. A case study of a typical medium-scale municipality in Canada was assessed using the proposed framework and validated using conventional infrastructure planning scenarios. The geo-processing data, regional travel behaviors, and recharging characteristics were used as model inputs. The results of the case study showed that the proposed framework can be used to estimate multi-period public recharging demands, minimize lifecycle costs, maximize service coverage and infrastructure utilization, and ensure reasonable paybacks compared to conventional planning approaches. Moreover, this framework can be used to compare different investment assistances, which are required in the early stages of the RI deployment process to encourage investors. Furthermore, government and private institutions can use this framework to identify recharging demands, permitting, and developing RIs in the long-run. • Lifecycle thinking-based planning framework is proposed to develop EV recharging infrastructure. • Temporal and spatial models were used to obtain EV recharging demands and travel distances. • Location-based data, regional travel behaviors, and temporal variations were used as inputs. • Multi-objective optimization was used to obtain capacities and locations for potential facilities. • The method was applied to medium-scale community and validated using expert opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electricity grid with a high penetration of renewable energy can enable travelers to travel free of emissions using state-of-the-art electric vehicles (EVs). Extensive electric vehicle demands at the peak-times, and an increase in electricity consumption due to population growth, have led to higher utility infrastructure investments. Mobile energy hubs i.e. clustered EVs parked in a dedicated location, can be used as an innovative demand-side management solution to reduce long-term utility infrastructure investments. They can store and release electricity to the grid based on consumer demand. However, a scientific planning approach for grid integration has been overlooked. Accordingly, this study proposes a comprehensive framework required to plan and develop mobile energy hubs based on optimization of life cycle cost, access distance and parking duration considering the temporal variation of EV recharging demands. The results of the study show that the framework developed can minimize lifecycle costs, and improve infrastructure utilization by accounting for the interests of all stakeholders. The total cost with the proposed robust optimization model under uncertainties of 50% is lesser than the robust cost calculated from a scenario-based approach. Furthermore, the developed framework is useful for recharging infrastructure planners to devise the deployment schedules and attract investors based on the economic viability of the planned strategies. • Transport electrification is a solution to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. • Increase in EV usage requires upgradation of grid infrastructure to meet demands. • EVs could be used as a pooled resource for services with vehicle-grid integration. • A planning framework for MEHs can deliver economic and environmental benefits. • Results indicate the robust planning model attains 50% robustness to uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]