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Public transport is important for Sweden to acquire a fossil-fuel independent vehicle fleet by 2030. The aim of this paper is to assess the status of Swedish public bus fleets towards decarbonization, and explore factors affecting regional performance variations and fuel choices. Environmental performance indicators such as renewable fuel shares, CO2 emissions, and energy efficiency are analyzed nationally and regionally. Fuel preferences and best practices are investigated through a survey and interviews with experts working with strategic planning at Public Transport Authorities. Almost 60% of the bus transport volume ran on renewables in 2014 compared to 8% in 2007, but regional variations are significant, partly due to factors such as driving conditions, bus and fuel types, typical trip lengths, and climatic conditions. However, there is no strong correlation between population densities or bus transport volume and the share of renewables achieved. This places political will, strategic planning and policies to promote public transport as key factors affecting renewable fuel deployment. Environmental factors are a priority when choosing fuels, while barriers to renewable fuels are mainly economic and political. Meanwhile, despite the overall progress, achievements in energy efficiency improvement are falling short in comparison to emissions reduction and adoption of renewable fuels, thus requiring further attention. ; QC 20170213 ; Fuel options for public bus fleets in Sweden - funded by f3 The Swedish Knowledge Centre on Renewable Transportation Fuels

Partners to the UNFCCC have been asked to make their pledges and contribute to climate change mitigation through Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Funds have been allocated to support developing countries implement climate mitigation and adaptation measures. Meanwhile, the global sustainable development agenda has also been approved, including energy and climate goals. In other words, we would expect that INDCs explore the synergies between climate and development agendas. In 2012, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had electrification levels of 26.6%, 23% and 18% respectively. This also means the three countries had populations of 70 million, 35 million and 60 million with no access to electricity. The electricity access targets of Ethiopia, Kenya and the DRC for 2030 are 75%. The objective of this paper is to analyze how these countries improve energy access in a context of climate change mitigation. The analysis explores (i) the electricity mix aimed for, (ii) the expected GHG emissions from electricity generation until 2030, and (iii) electrification and related metrics. Ultimately, we aim at a better understanding of what these countries' climate and development strategies encompass in terms of emissions reductions as well as electrification goals, as per reflected in their INDCs. Given the bottom-up process inherent in the INDCs and the climate agreement mechanism, the paper gives insights on how these countries have used the INDCs to prioritize sustainable electricity access. The electrification goals are achieved by increasing generation in these countries for domestic use and enabling access to generated electricity. The INDCs are an ideal platform to achieve this if generation capacity is increased by catalyzing climate finance if the expansion falls under the category of climate-appropriate technologies. The BAU case electricity generation has been computed using a simple regression model. It has been compared with targets given by the countries or ...

The public transport sector in Sweden has set a target to run 90% of its total vehicle-kilometers on renewable fuels by 2020, and double its market share in the long term. The focus of this paper is the adoption of renewable fuels in public bus fleets. Data for all 21 Swedish counties were gathered and analyzed, mapping the bus fleets' condition in relation to renewable fuel deployment, CO2 emissions and energy efficiency. The main factors affecting fuel choices in the bus fleets were investigated through a survey among environmental managers and transport planners at regional public transport authorities. The analysis highlights the challenges implied in the rapid shift that regional bus fleets are undergoing to adopt renewable fuels and reduce emissions. Political will and procurement have been strong success factors in facing these challenges. The survey indicates the stakeholders' interest to switch to electricity for city routes, while biodiesel and HVO are preferred for longer routes. When it comes to how fuel choices are made, environmental factors seem to be prioritized, while the barriers identified are mainly economic and political. ; QC 20150921 ; Fuel options for public bus fleets in Sweden - funded by f3 The Swedish Knowledge Centre on Renewable Transportation Fuels

The Swedish public transport sector has defined two major targets, i.e., to run 90% of the total vehicle kilometers of the fleet on non-fossil fuels and double the volume of travel via public transport by 2020, increasing the share of public transport in relation to the total personal transport in the country . The f3 report Fuel options for public bus fleets in Sweden highlights the challenges and solutions encountered, particularly when it comes to the adoption of renewable fuels in the regional bus fleets. As a result of the efforts made in the last few years, renewables respond for 60% of the fuels used in bus transport in Sweden compared to approximately 10% in 2009. Political will to promote decarbonization of public transport has speeded up the shift towards renewables in bus fleets, while fuel tax exemptions have made deployment feasible. Environmental aspects, such as emission reduction potential and energy efficiency, are a priority when choosing fuels, together with infrastructure needs and fuel availability. Biodiesel has been the preferred fuel while increasing deployment of renewable fuels in buses, especially in scarcely populated regions. In addition, the compatibility with traditional diesel engines has favored this option among service providers. The use ofbiogas is increasing in line with incentives at local and national level. The deployment of electricity in buses is only found in city traffic, while the major choice for regional routes is usually biodiesel. ; QC 20151201

While some countries have achieved considerable development, many others still lack accessto the goods and services considered standard in the modern society. As CO2 emissions and development are often correlated, this paper employs the theoretical background of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and the learning curves toolkit to analyze how carbon intensities have changed as countries move towards higher development (and cumulative wealth) levels. The EKC concept is then tested with the methodology of learning curves for the period between 1971 and 2010, so as to capture a dynamic picture of emissions trends and development. Results of both analyses reveal that empirical data fails to provide direct evidence of an EKC for emissions and development. The data does show, however, an interesting pattern in the dispersion of emissions levels for countries within the same HDI categories. While data does not show that countries grow more polluting during intermediary development stages, it does provide evidence that countries become more heterogeneous in their emission intensities as they develop, later re-converging to lower emission intensities at higher HDI levels. Learning rates also indicate heterogeneity among developing countries and relative convergence among developed countries. Given the heterogeneity of development paths among countries, the experiences of those which are managing to develop at low carbon intensities can prove valuable examples for ongoing efforts in climate change mitigation, especially in the developing world.

Bioethanol fuel is considered by a number of countries as a tool to reduce the carbon intensity of the transport sector, improve energy security and promote rural development. (Macedo et al., 2008; Hoekman, 2009; Goldemberg, 2007). This has been reflected by the broader move towards biofuels taken by leading economic blocks. The European Union and United States have both manifested their intention to increase the share of biofuels in their final energy consumption (European Commission 2009; US Congress 2007). Most fuel-grade ethanol in the world is used as an oxygenate into gasoline (low blend) which allows the utilization of conventional fuel infrastructure. On the other hand, some countries opted for high-blend ethanol (E100 and E85) in their fuel pools as a way to offer a "green" alternative to gasoline. However, biofuels can only deliver an effective contribution to climate change mitigation if, at the end, they prove to be an attractive choice for consumers. This summary is based on work presented at the 3 rdInternational Scientific Conference on Energy Systems with IT, part of Energitinget 2010. It consists of a summary of an initial investigation from Pacini and Silveira (upcoming), with a deepened focus on a further examination on how gasoline pricing systems can be important in determining the attractiveness of high ethanol blends for the consumer (Pacini and Silveira, 2010). ; QC 20120217

The EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) aims at improving energy efficiency by implementing actions in all sectors of the economy in the EU. Article 7 of the EED sets the target of 1.5 % cumulative annual energy end-use savings. An energy efficiency obligation scheme (EEO) is one of the policy mechanisms proposed to reach this target. This paper assesses the impact of implementing a Swedish EEO and the implications that such a scheme may have for Swedish energy-intensive industries. The assessment was based on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) methodology. The benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR) ranges from 1.56 to 2.17 and the break-even cost ranges from 83.3 to 86.9 €/MWh with sensitivity analyses performed for the emission allowance prices and eventual costs of the EEO. The annual energy savings potential is estimated to be 1.25 TWh/year. A Swedish EEO could motivate investments in energy efficiency measures and thus help Sweden reach the energy efficiency targets set in the EED. ; QC 20161010

By the expansion of oil palm plantations, Indonesia has become a world leading producer of crude palm oil. However, Indonesia has also been largely criticized due to issues of land use change and deforestation. The country now promotes the use of palm oil for biodiesel production as part of policies to achieve renewable energy targets. Currently yields on palm oil plantations are far from optimal. Do new policies promoting biodiesel production address the issue of yields properly? This study analyses the driving forces for the expansion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia and the palm oil yields obtained in the country. Data is collected through a multi-disciplinary structured literature review of relevant palm oil publications from the last 15 years. We identify the policies that have been put in place and the strategies used to establish palm oil plantations in the past years. We look at the newly defined policies of the Indonesian government towards renewables and climate mitigation, in particular, targets for biodiesel production and fuel substitution. The idea is to verify whether the new policy will address the low yield issue. Presently, palm oil yields are much lower in Indonesia than in neighbouring Malaysia, also a major producer. Particularly, smallholders have lower yields than private and government estate plantations. Expanding production has been focused on covering new areas with palm oil plantations and less on developing farming methods. In earlier stages, the establishment of plantations included proper education of farmers and incentives to maintain production. Smallholders nowadays start palm oil production with little or no previous experience; still they favour oil palm over traditional crops. New policies have to address farming improvements to guarantee sustainable feedstock for biodiesel. ; QC 20160523 ; STEMBIOENERGI INDONESIEN

In their outline of ongoing rural electrification in Nepal, the three authors note that the country is endowed with large amounts of renewable energy resources but still trapped in imports of fossil fuels, a major drain on the national economy. They argue that the ongoing process of rural electrification is progressing well but unevenly and that challenges lie ahead for reaching the poorest communities. The authors call on government agencies and donors to consider strengthening credit opportunities for renewable energy at the local level. They say that market-based rural electrification mechanisms can function well in least developed countries, subject to understanding the peculiarities of the local demand, anchoring efforts on locally available human and natural resources and creating mechanisms of support to improve affordability. ; QC 20120412

Understanding the linkages between multiple targets of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) may help to integrate different sectoral programmes and develop coherent cross-sectoralpolicy to explore synergies. Synergy is interaction among two or more actions, which will lead toan impact greater or less than the sum of individual effects. Therefore, synergy can be positive ornegative (trade-off). This paper aims at developing an analytical framework to evaluate sectorallinkages and examine potential synergies and trade-offs among various SDGs' goals and targets.Synergies and trade-offs related to energy access (SDG7), clean water and sanitation access (SDG6),food security and sustainable agriculture (SDG2) and poverty alleviation (SDG1) have been evaluatedfrom the perspective of developing countries using examples from South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal,and Sri Lanka) and Sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda), and historical data for theperiod between 1990 and 2012. The analytical framework includes both qualitative and quantitativemethods. Network analysis technique has been used for exploring the conceptual linkage amongdifferent indicators, and capturing the targets associated with SDGs. Advanced SustainabilityAnalysis (ASA) developed under the European framework programme has been used for quantifyingthe synergies and trade-offs among sustainability indicators. The analysis showed strong synergyamong various SDG targets. Interestingly, the potential synergy differs from country to countryand over time. Ghana and Sri Lanka had relatively higher potential synergy, whereas Rwanda andNepal had relatively lower potential synergy among the various targets. Higher synergy valueswere evidenced in those cases where the policy have recognized and emphasized on linkages amongcross-sectoral targets.

This paper analyzes the development of the European biofuels policy, from its origins in the form of scattered national initiatives tocurrent directives enforced at EU level. Future trends are discussed based on a forecastingexercise for biofuels consumption in the EU27 following three steps. Firstly, the origins and evolution of biofuels policy in Europe arepresented, with particular attention to thegradual shift from national initiatives toEU-level directives after 2003. Secondly, theEuropean Energy Journal | Volume 3 | Issue 1 | January 2013The European Biofuels Policy: from where and where to18paper analyses recent developments, such asthe implementation of the RED, the RenewableEnergy Action Plans (NREAPs), the mandatorysustainability criteria for biofuels and thedevelopment of certification schemes. Toconclude, the paper provides projections forthe future use of biofuels in the EU27 based onthe policy framework in place as well as recent information from member states' strategies.These projections serve as a tool for policy benchmark and baseline for policy adjustments. ; QC 20130125