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This paper summarizes the main results of a study on the costs of abatement of CO2 emissions in Brazil. It discusses three possible futures for the long run (2010 and 2025) activity of the Brazilian economy and -- with the help of a linear programming model for Brazil's energy sector -- three scenarios for energy production and use. One of these scenarios illustrates the possibility of halving future carbon emissions originating from energy generation and consumption, with relatively small increases in energy associated costs and investments. This abatement scenario would require, on the supply side of the Brazilian energy balance, increased amounts of hydropower, ethanol and bagasse from sugarcane, plus wood and...
Many of the most cost-effective options for reducing emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) involve: reducing leaks; responsible handling practices; replacement with a substance with little or no global warming potential; or reducing the amount of the greenhouse gas (GHG) needed. Some of these options can be implemented immediately for quick emission reductions. However, because many of the types of equipment that rely on these gases have lifetimes ranging from 10 to 30 years, fully implementing these emission reductions can take decades. Reductions in HFC consumption, however, can generally be seen more immediately. Recent US proposals for climate legislation have considered limits on HFC consumption under a cap...
This paper summarizes the main results of a study on the costs of abatement of CO2 emissions in Brazil. It discusses three possible futures for the long run (2010 and 2025) activity of the Brazilian economy and -- with the help of a linear programming model for Brazil's energy sector -- three scenarios for energy production and use. One of these scenarios illustrates the possibility of halving future carbon emissions originating from energy generation and consumption, with relatively small increases in energy associated costs and investments. This abatement scenario would require, on the supply side of the Brazilian energy balance, increased amounts of hydropower, ethanol and bagasse from sugarcane, plus wood and...
During the past three years, working with more than 150 organizations representing public and private stakeholders, EPRI has developed the Electricity Technology Roadmap. The Roadmap identifies several major strategic challenges that must be successfully addressed to ensure a sustainable future in which electricity continues to play an important role in economic growth. Articulation of these anticipated trends and challenges requires a detailed understanding of the role and importance of reliable electricity in different sectors of the economy. This report is intended to contribute to that understanding by analyzing key aspects of trends in the economic value of electricity reliability in the U.S. economy. We first...
Because of concerns with the growing threat of global climate change from increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, the United States and other countries are implementing, by themselves or in cooperation with one or more other nations, climate change mitigation projects. These projects will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sequester carbon, and will also result in non-GHG benefits (i.e., environmental, economic, and social benefits). Monitoring, evaluating, reporting, and verifying (MERV) guidelines are needed for these projects to accurately determine their net GHG, and other, benefits. Implementation of MERV guidelines is also intended to: (1) increase the reliability of data for estimating GHG benefits;...
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To better understand drought occurrence in the Colorado River Basin (CRB) of the southwestern United States we used a hydroclimatic index to create a historical record of drought coverage and analysed the linear trend and relationships with key climate teleconnections. The past century was characterized by an increase in drought coverage during the warm portion of the year almost exclusively as a result of climatic warming. In recent decades, a significant increase in the drought coverage occurred earlier in the year, during the spring season, primarily as a function of warming, but in combination with a decline in precipitation for a significant portion of the basin. The El Ni o (La Ni a) phase of the El Ni o-Southern...
During the past three years, working with more than 150 organizations representing public and private stakeholders, EPRI has developed the Electricity Technology Roadmap. The Roadmap identifies several major strategic challenges that must be successfully addressed to ensure a sustainable future in which electricity continues to play an important role in economic growth. Articulation of these anticipated trends and challenges requires a detailed understanding of the role and importance of reliable electricity in different sectors of the economy. This report is intended to contribute to that understanding by analyzing key aspects of trends in the economic value of electricity reliability in the U.S. economy. We first...
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are greenhouse gases with high global warming potentials that are mainly used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Historically, they were emitted only slowly from such systems and long term containment remains an important engineering and environmental issue. As part of their commitment under the Rio convention, nations are required to report annual calculated production and emissions of all greenhouse gases and the reports submitted by the European countries have been examined to determine the extent to which containment of HFCs (expressed as the rate of emission from the bank remaining in equipment) has changed with time. Although there is wide variation between countries, the annual...
Recent research has suggested that changes in temperature and precipitation events due to climate change have had a significant impact on the availability and timing of streamflow. In this study, monthly temperature and precipitation data collected over 29 climate divisions covering the entire Colorado River basin and monthly natural flow data from 29 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge locations along the Colorado River are investigated for trend or step changes using parametric and nonparametric statistical tests. Temperature increases are persistent (at least 10 climate divisions over 6 months in trend analysis) throughout the year over the Colorado River basin, whereas precipitation only notably increased over...
Why did nuclear energy policies in France, Sweden, and the United States, very similar at the time of the oil crisis of 1973 and 1974, diverge so greatly in the following years? In answering this question, James Jasper challenges one of the most popular trends in political analysis: explanations relying exclusively on political and economic structures to account for public policies. Jasper proposes a new cultural and state-centered approach--one heeding not only structural factors but cultural meanings, individual biographies, and elite discretion. Surveying the period from the successful commercialization of light-water-reactor technology in the early 1960s to the present, he explains the events that occurred after...
The Southern Appalachian forest region of the U.S.-a region responsible for 23% of U.S. coal production-has 24 billion metric tons of high quality coal remaining of which mountaintop coal mining (MCM) will be the primary extraction method. Here we consider greenhouse gas emissions associated with MCM terrestrial disturbance in the life-cycle of coal energy production. We estimate disturbed forest carbon, including terrestrial soil and nonsoil carbon using published U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data of the forest floor removed and U.S. Department of Agriculture - Forest Service inventory data. We estimate the amount of previously buried geogenic organic carbon brought to the soil surface during MCM using...
This viewpoint reviews renewable energy development in 14 markets that differ in market structure (restructured vs. not restructured), use of feed-in-tariff (FIT) (yes vs. no), transmission planning (anticipatory vs. reactive), and transmission interconnection cost allocated to a renewable generator (high vs. low). We find that market restructuring is not a primary driver of renewable energy development. Renewable generation has the highest percent of total installed capacity in markets that use a FIT, employ anticipatory transmission planning, and have loads or end-users paying for most, if not all, of the transmission interconnection costs. In contrast, renewable developers have been less successful in markets...
This study examines the time series behaviour of oil production for OPEC member countries within a fractional integration modelling framework recognizing the potential for structural breaks and outliers. The analysis is undertaken using monthly data from January 1973 to October 2008 for 13 OPEC member countries. The results indicate there is mean reverting persistence in oil production with breaks identified in 10 out of the 13 countries examined. Thus, shocks affecting the structure of OPEC oil production will have persistent effects in the long run for all countries, and in some cases the effects are expected to be permanent.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are greenhouse gases with high global warming potentials that are mainly used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Historically, they were emitted only slowly from such systems and long term containment remains an important engineering and environmental issue. As part of their commitment under the Rio convention, nations are required to report annual calculated production and emissions of all greenhouse gases and the reports submitted by the European countries have been examined to determine the extent to which containment of HFCs (expressed as the rate of emission from the bank remaining in equipment) has changed with time. Although there is wide variation between countries, the annual...
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are greenhouse gases with high global warming potentials that are mainly used in refrigeration and air conditioning. Historically, they were emitted only slowly from such systems and long term containment remains an important engineering and environmental issue. As part of their commitment under the Rio convention, nations are required to report annual calculated production and emissions of all greenhouse gases and the reports submitted by the European countries have been examined to determine the extent to which containment of HFCs (expressed as the rate of emission from the bank remaining in equipment) has changed with time. Although there is wide variation between countries, the annual...
During the past three years, working with more than 150 organizations representing public and private stakeholders, EPRI has developed the Electricity Technology Roadmap. The Roadmap identifies several major strategic challenges that must be successfully addressed to ensure a sustainable future in which electricity continues to play an important role in economic growth. Articulation of these anticipated trends and challenges requires a detailed understanding of the role and importance of reliable electricity in different sectors of the economy. This report is intended to contribute to that understanding by analyzing key aspects of trends in the economic value of electricity reliability in the U.S. economy. We first...
This study examines the geographic structure of observed trends in key hydrologically relevant variables across the western United States at ⅛° spatial resolution during the period 1950–99. Geographical regions, latitude bands, and elevation classes where these trends are statistically significantly different from trends associated with natural climate variations are identified. Variables analyzed include late-winter and spring temperature, winter-total snowy days as a fraction of winter-total wet days, 1 April snow water equivalent (SWE) as a fraction of October–March (ONDJFM) precipitation total [precip(ONDJFM)], and seasonal [JFM] accumulated runoff as a fraction of water-year accumulated runoff. Observed changes...
Because of concerns with the growing threat of global climate change from increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, the United States and other countries are implementing, by themselves or in cooperation with one or more other nations, climate change mitigation projects. These projects will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sequester carbon, and will also result in non-GHG benefits (i.e., environmental, economic, and social benefits). Monitoring, evaluating, reporting, and verifying (MERV) guidelines are needed for these projects to accurately determine their net GHG, and other, benefits. Implementation of MERV guidelines is also intended to: (1) increase the reliability of data for estimating GHG benefits;...
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A physically based hydrology model is used to produce time series for the period 1916–2003 of evapotranspiration (ET), runoff, and soil moisture (SM) over the western United States from which long-term trends are evaluated. The results show that trends in ET in spring and summer are determined primarily by trends in precipitation and snowmelt that determine water availability. From April to June, ET trends are mostly positive due primarily to earlier snowmelt and earlier emergence of snow-free ground, and secondarily to increasing trends in spring precipitation. From July to September trends in ET are more strongly influenced by precipitation trends, with the exception of areas (most notably California) that receive...
map background search result map search result map Twentieth-Century Trends in Runoff, Evapotranspiration, and Soil Moisture in the Western United States A hydroclimatic index for examining patterns of drought in the Colorado River Basin A hydroclimatic index for examining patterns of drought in the Colorado River Basin Twentieth-Century Trends in Runoff, Evapotranspiration, and Soil Moisture in the Western United States