Countries transitioning to zero carbon should look at more than
technology cost

Date:
August 12, 2020
Source:
Imperial College London
Summary:
A 'one-size-fits-all' approach to producing cleaner energy based
on cost alone could create social inequalities, finds a new study.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A 'one-size-fits-all' approach to producing cleaner energy based on cost
alone could create social inequalities, finds a new study.


==========================================================================
The Paris Agreement aims to keep global temperature rise this century well below 2DEGC above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit it
to 1.5DEGC. One major route to achieving this is for countries to reach
'net zero' carbon emissions by 2050 -- either producing no emissions or removing the same amount that they produce.

Reaching this goal will require a mixture of replacing fossil fuels in
energy production with sustainable alternatives like solar and wind power,
and deploying technologies that remove carbon dioxide either from power
plant emissions or directly from the atmosphere.

Many current models for determining the best mix of strategies for a
country to adopt focus on the projected cost of the technologies. However,
this 'one-size- fits-all' approach ignores the current state of a
country's energy economy and industrial strengths, which could lead to
social inequalities, argue Imperial College London researchers in a new analysis published today in Joule.

The team took the example of three countries -- Spain, Poland and the UK
-- and ran an analysis that included the economic and social implications
of different energy mixes, as well as the technology costs.

Poland, for example relies on coal for 80 percent of its energy generation
and has no in-country expertise in solar power. So, even if deploying
solar is the cheapest option technologically, the impact on the workforce
would be large as it would be difficult to reskill such a large portion of
the workforce. This could cause economic upheaval and social inequality.

For Poland, therefore, the researchers argue that a better option may
be to continue using coal in the majority, but to deploy carbon capture
and storage (CCS) technologies that remove the carbon dioxide from the
power plant emissions.

Spain, in contrast, already has a solid solar and wind power industry,
meaning the analysis based on cost alone is similar to the analysis that includes socio-economic impacts, as it would be far less disruptive to
deploy more solar and wind power.

The UK has a growing offshore wind industry but would face problems
with intermittent power from a completely renewables-based energy mix,
so the deployment of CCS power stations remains a priority.

First author of the study Dr Piera Patrizio, from the Centre for
Environmental Policy at Imperial, said: "The transition to net zero
needs to be technically feasible and financially viable, but should also
be socially equitable, avoiding any potentially regressive outcomes,
perceived or otherwise, that might be caused by changes in the labour
market." Lead author Professor Niall Mac Dowell, from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial, said: "If countries fail to account for
the national situation; what resources are available both technically
and in the labour market, they risk energy transitions that results in
deeper social divisions, which, in the long term, will affect growth, productivity, wellbeing, and social cohesion." The team are currently extending their analysis across the European Union, and to the United
States of America, considering policies such as a recent push to adopt
hydrogen fuel technologies and how that might affect different countries.

They will also consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how
decisions about the transition to net zero could affect recovering
economies.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Imperial_College_London. Original
written by Hayley Dunning. Note: Content may be edited for style and
length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Piera Patrizio, Yoga Wienda Pratama, Niall Mac Dowell. Socially
Equitable
Energy System Transitions. Joule, 2020; DOI:
10.1016/j.joule.2020.07.010 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200812115300.htm

--- up 4 weeks, 1 hour, 55 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111)