Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-03-21T16:54:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DÉBORA JAMILA NÓBREGA DE MELO - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEQ 2015..pdf: 1660411 bytes, checksum: 435dc571b5f61082152afe1a09c340cb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-21T16:54:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DÉBORA JAMILA NÓBREGA DE MELO - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEQ 2015..pdf: 1660411 bytes, checksum: 435dc571b5f61082152afe1a09c340cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09 / CNPq / Diante da futura escassez dos recursos energéticos originados do petróleo e seus derivados, aliados aos impactos ambientais causados pelo consumo desenfreado de recursos naturais, faz-se necessário a busca por produção de energias alternativas e limpas. Nesse ínterim, surgem as microalgas como potenciais de produção de biocombustíveis, por sua elevada taxa de crescimento e capacidade produtiva de lipídios e carboidratos. Porém, o alto custo de manutenção ainda inviabiliza sua produção. Dessa forma, esse trabalho busca aumentar a produção de microalgas utilizando a vinhaça, um resíduo da indústria sucroalcooleira altamente nutritivo e poluidor, e reutilizando resíduos do próprio cultivo como suplementação nutricional ao meio de cultura. A microalga Chlorella sp. foi cultivada em meio Bold’s Basal Medium (BBM) modificado, suplementado com de 5, 10 e 15% de vinhaça e resíduos de cultivos com diferentes concentrações, reutilizados por até três vezes. O sistema de cultivo adotado foi o mixotrófico. Foram calculadas as velocidades específicas de crescimento máximas e os tempos de geração dos cultivos suplementados com vinhaça e resíduos de cultivos. Calcularam-se as remoções de Demanda Química de oxigênios dos cultivos suplementados com vinhaça. Foram quantificados os teores de açúcares redutores e lipídios das biomassas cultivadas com 10% de vinhaça e sem suplementação. Foi verificado que os cultivos suplementados com 5 e 10% de vinhaça apresentaram maior densidade celular que o cultivo sem suplementação. As taxas de crescimento máximas e os tempos de geração dos cultivos com 5 e 10% de vinhaça foram muito próximas, diferente do cultivo suplementado com 15% de vinhaça que apresentou inibição no crescimento. As remoções de DQO foram elevadas e em média 85%. A utilização dos resíduos de cultivos favoreceu o crescimento das microalgas, apresentando melhores resultados os cultivos suplementados com resíduos de segunda reutilização, em especial os cultivos suplementados com resíduos originados de um cultivo com adição de vinhaça. A biomassa da Chlorella sp. cultivada com suplementação de 10% de vinhaça apresentou 11,50% de lipídios, 0,33% de açúcares redutores. Estudos mais aprofundados devem ser realizados para uma melhor caracterização da biomassa para verificar a influência da suplementação do meio com vinhaça na produção de proteínas e carboidratos totais. / In the face of future scarcity of energy resources derived from oil and its derivatives, coupled with the environmental impacts caused by rampant consumption of natural resources, it is necessary to search for a renewable and clean energy. In the meantime, there are microalgae with potential of biofuel production due to its high growth rate and productivity capacity of lipids and carbohydrates. However, the high cost of maintenance still prevents its manufacture. In this way, the present work aims to increase the production of microalgae using vinasse which is a residue of highly nutritious sugarcane industry and a polluter, and reusing waste from the own cultivation as a nutritional supplement to the culture medium. The microalgae Chlorella sp. was grown in a modified Bold's Basal Medium (BBM), supplemented with 5, 10 and 15% of vinasse and residues of cultivations with different concentrations in what they were reused at maximum of three times. The adopted cultivation system was the mixotrophic. Calculations were made to obtain the specific maximum speed of growth and the generation times of cultivations supplemented with vinasse and cultivation waste. Also, it was calculated the removals of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of cultivations supplemented with vinasse. For the next step, it was quantified the reducing sugars and lipids of biomass cultivated with 10% of vinasse and without supplementation. It was verified that the cultivation supplemented with 5 and 10% of vinasse showed higher cell density than the unsupplemented cultivation. The maximum growth rates and generation times of cultivations with 5 and 10% of vinasse were very close whereas cultivation supplemented with 15% of vinasse showed growth inhibition. The removals of COD were high and averaged at 85%. The use of cultivation residue has favored the microalgae growth, presenting best results for the cultures supplemented with second reuse waste, in particular cultures supplemented with residues derived from a culture with addition of vinasse. The biomass of cultivated Chlorella sp. with supplementation of 10% of vinasse showed 11.50% lipids, 0.33% of reducing sugars. Further studies should be performed to better characterize the biomass to check the influence of the medium supplementation with vinasse in the production of proteins and total carbohydrates.

Indigenous peoples are increasingly using renewable energy technologies to meet a variety of objectives. In so-called Canada, there has been a dramatic rise in Indigenous renewable energy projects due to economic, environmental, and legal trends. Nowhere are these trends more evident than in the province of British Columbia (BC). In the early 2000s, the colonial government privatized the electricity system, sparking a rapid expansion of run of river hydro projects on Indigenous lands. Over time, and with much effort, First Nations in BC began to participate in and ultimately benefit from the shift to independent power production. However, just as they increased their involvement in the renewable energy sector, the government withdrew its commitment to purchase private power for the foreseeable future. One way to understand the implications of this policy reversal is to examine it through the lens of energy justice. Using a justice framework, this research explores how First Nations are involved in renewable energy developments in BC as well as the significance of this involvement for Indigenous self-determination. Drawing from two case studies and survey data from First Nations across the province, this thesis argues that the decline in power procurement programs is not simply a barrier but an injustice. I first illustrate how provincial energy policies have shaped and been shaped by Indigenous renewable energy ambitions. While First Nations were not the intended beneficiaries of these policies, they nonetheless seized the opportunity to sell electricity to the grid. I also compare the approaches of two Indigenous power producers, Kanaka Bar Indian Band and Sts’ailes First Nation, arguing that they have generated important economic benefits by strategically navigating the private power industry. Lastly, I document how members of Kanaka Bar have leveraged the Kwoiek Creek hydro project to address the adverse impacts of colonization and further their aims of self-determination. Based on these findings, I conclude that Indigenous renewable energy projects are themselves forms of energy justice and as such, must be supported through a variety of means. / Graduate

El avance tecnológico más importante de las próximas décadas pasa por el uso del hidrógeno como combustible, sustituyendo el consumo masivo de los combustibles fósiles. De esta manera, utilizando tecnologías basadas en pilas de combustible, conseguiremos sistemas energéticos más eficientes que los actuales y, además respetuosos, con el medio ambiente. / The most important technological development in the coming decades will be the use of hydrogen as an alternative to the widely used fossil fuels. By the use of fuel cell based technologies, it will be feasible to produce energy systems that will be more efficient than the current ones and that will also be environmentally friendly.

O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de identificar fatores intervenientes na adoção de energias limpas nos principais setores industriais do Estado de São Paulo. Para tanto, apresenta a fundamentação teórica sobre os diversos temas pertinentes a pesquisa, tais como: o atual cenário energético brasileiro e o desenvolvimento sustentável, bem como o estudo dos métodos aplicados. A análise dos dados realizada teve caráter qualitativo e quantitativo, por meio, respectivamente, da Técnica do Incidente Crítico e da Análise Conjunta. A aplicação da Técnica do Incidente Crítico forneceu os atributos que as empresas consideram importantes no processo de escolha. Já a Análise Conjunta, técnica estatística multivariada de análise de dados, foi utilizada para determinar a utilidade e importância relativa dos atributos relevantes na escolha das empresas. Com os resultados da pesquisa acredita-se que as empresas usuárias e não usuárias de energias limpas poderão ter conhecimentos sobre a opinião de seus pares com relação às vantagens e desvantagens do uso destes energéticos nos processos produtivos, assim como ao governo estabelecer estratégias adequadas para orientar e estimular a adoção de energias que promovem baixo impacto ao meio ambiente. / The scope of the present work is to identify intervening factors in the adoption of clean energy resources in the main industrial sectors of the São Paulo state. In order to perform such evaluation, a theoretical reasoning on the various relevant issues related to the research shall be displayed, such as: the current brazilian energy context and sustainable development, as well as the study of applied methods. The data analysis was realized guided on a qualitative and quantitative basis, by means, respectively, of the Critical Incident Technique and the Conjoint Analysis. The application of the Critical Incident Technique has imputed capabilities that companies regard as pivotal in the selection process. The Conjoint Analysis, on its hand, multivariate statistics technique on data analysis, was used in order to determine the utility and relative importance of the capabilities relevant to the companies\' selection. Based on the results inferred from the research it may be conjectured that companies that adopt and do not adopt clean energy resources may acquire acknowledge about the opinion of its couples in what it concerns the advantages and disadvantages of the use of these energetic in these productive processes, as well the government may set to establish adequate strategies in order to instruct and encourage the adoption of energy resources that promote a lesser impact to the environment.

M.Phil. / Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) can be defined as one of the project-based mechanisms established under the Kyoto protocol mechanism as a supplementary measure to assist Annex 1 parties meet their emission reduction targets through investing in project activities that reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and contribute to sustainable development in Non–Annex 1 countries. These projects reduce GHG emissions and generate credits called Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) that the Annex 1 party can use to meet their emission reduction obligations under the Kyoto Protocol [Curnow & Hodes, 2009]. While countries such as China and India have benefited remarkably from the CDM, African countries (including South Africa (SA)) have failed to maximise the financial benefits offered by this mechanism. Even though South Africa is leading, in terms of the number of registered CDM projects in Africa, it is still lagging far behind other developing regions in this regard. The South African leaders in CDM project development are in the private sector. This research aims to identify the constraints that inhibit large scale implementation of CDM projects by Gauteng Municipalities and to investigate the reasons why South African municipalities are lagging behind the private sector in CDM project development, and identify opportunities for further development of CDM projects. This identification was achieved by compiling a list of known barriers (then investigating these barriers together with a number of other factors that may impact negatively on the CDM market in South Africa) The study was conducted using qualitative research techniques, which utilises methods such as participant observation, in-depth interviews and/or focus groups. Three different groups of respondents were identified: (i) the European CER buyers; (ii) the project developers/ CDM consultants in South Africa; and (iii) the Gauteng municipal officials responsible for CDM project development. A separate questionnaire was compiled for each of the three target groups, with purpose of drawing conclusions about the prevailing status of the South African CDM market from the perspectives of these three different groups. Three previous studies have been conducted to investigate the barriers of implementing CDM in South Africa, examining the problem from various perspectives. Little et al. [2007] conducted a study that focused on the inhibiting and facilitating factors affecting the implementation of CDM by South African industries. Wilson [2007] focused on the barriers against and drivers for the implementation of CDM within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality - this study drew conclusions about CDM implementation in municipalities based on the experiences of this single municipality. Winkler and van Es [2007] dealt with the opportunities and constraints of the CDM implementation in energy efficiency projects throughout South Africa.

Two billion people world-wide use kerosene-burning lamps for household lighting. These lamps produce large quantities of soot. In Chapter 2, I describe our field study examining 230 people in rural Uganda. I show that kerosene lamps are a major source of smoke exposure in the developing world, and that replacing such lamps with solar-powered lights reduces indoor soot levels 17-fold, leading to significant improvements in health within months. This finding is particularly notable because respiratory disease is the #1 cause of death in children under 5 worldwide. Because solar cells are a challenge to manufacture in the developing world, I next examined the potential of harvesting electrons from soil-based microbes as a source of clean energy. Such devices are known as microbial fuel cells (MFCs); because soil is available everywhere, MFCs can, in principle, be locally constructed all over the world. In Chapter 3, I describe our exploration of the biology of MFCs, using high-throughput DNA sequencing to demonstrate a role for genus Pseudomonas in energy production. I also examine numerous agricultural products available throughout the developing world to determine whether any could serve as a suitable ‘feed’ for MFC soil. I find that dried animal blood increases MFC energy production 10-fold. In Chapter 4, I describe our design of a modular, stackable MFC, demonstrate that it can be easily constructed in rural Africa, and use it to power lights and to charge a cell phone battery.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, like most parts of the African continent, faces significant modern energy services access challenges. It is estimated that less than 45% of the SADC region’s populace have access to reliable modern energy forms and the situation is worse in rural areas where access is approximately 30%. Poor energy security is exacerbated by electricity power cuts and load shedding in almost all of the member states in the region. With the advent of battery storage, all forms of green energy have the potential to contribute to the shortfall in the supply of peaking power required to meet the daily (morning and evenings) and seasonal (winter) peaks when most power is required on the grid network. The region is endowed with vast green (renewables/low carbon or clean) energy resources. The purpose of this study is to expand the empirical body of research and knowledge on factors that contribute to widespread access success to green energy in the SADC region. Investments into green energy resources require an understanding of the unique characteristics of the energy sector in the region. In order to achieve this, a conceptual theoretical model was developed and tested empirically. Factors that influence green energy access success were identified through literature reviews and discussions with energy practitioners. All identified factors were then operationalised by carefully defining them in the context of the study. In order to test the proposed theoretical model and the hypothesised relationships, a structured questionnaire was developed and sent to energy practitioners from various sections of the energy sector in the region. STATISTICA 12 was employed to analyse relationships between variables and responses between identified groups. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (Pearson r) was employed to determine correlations between variables. Conclusions about hypotheses six (6) to fifteen (15) were made based on correlations between variables. T-tests were employed to make inferences about the views of various categories of respondents with regard to the twelve (12) identified variables. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) examined associations between the dependent and independent variables with the identified categories of respondents and conclusions about hypotheses one (1) to five (5) and sixteen (16) were also made. The study finds that policy and the regulatory environment are still the main driving force behind energy access in the region. Power generation is managed by authorities’ power utility companies. Unbundling of power utilities supported by new energy business and operating models to accommodate mini and off grid power plants is found to be a key to green energy access in the region. The energy market is transforming in favour of independent power producers (IPPs) and consumers will significantly influence energy access decisions in the future. Green energy power storage to overcome intermittency will feature prominently in the success of green energy access in the region. Widespread access success to green energy will be attained when green energy access is reliable, affordable, efficient, and socially acceptable, meet the demand and reduces environmental pollution. The study recommends that strategic green energy planning must incorporate green energy infrastructure development, projects finance and human capacity development as priorities amongst SADC region’s member countries. Regional energy access enabling institutions must be strengthened; energy policies implemented with vigour and private sector participation enhanced in an integrated energy market.

D.Phil. (Environmental Management) / Clean, efficient, and low carbon energy services are crucial to the sustainable functioning of a household unit. Therefore, this study explores a vital query on the best pathway to achieve universal modern energy access in low-income South African households, based on information gathered from interviews in urban settlements. The thesis is based on published papers touching on thematic areas of household energy access – from baseline assessments to appraisal of modern energy programmes. A set of factors that are necessary for successful introduction and uptake of clean energy are identified for consideration by policy makers. Results indicate widespread use of paraffin and solid fuels in inefficient combustion technologies among low-income urban households even in the rich Johannesburg metropolis. In the absence of formal employment, some township residents use the basic fuels and conventional combustion technologies for productive purposes. Growth in the thermal-intensive informal businesses could be achieved faster through provision of efficient and reliable alternative energy technologies and better operational environment. This study has highlighted the undue risk borne by energy-poor households in the performance of the day-to-day energy tasks. The results show that household risk is positively correlated with the quality and quantity of energy used, with paraffin being the most risky fuel and the apparent risk being larger in non-electrified households. The affected communities have expressed a desire to adopt cleaner and safer forms of energy for residential and economic uses. It is incumbent upon the government and relevant role players to create enabling systems for acquisition of the preferred modern energy streams. An LPG intervention project in the City of Tshwane has demonstrated the inherent potential for modern energy to transform the socioeconomics and overall wellbeing of a family. The impact of such energy interventions could be improved through better-designed energy delivery models that cater for residential and productive needs, leading to sustainable communities. Education and income have been shown to be good precursors for modern energy uptake. Therefore, efforts towards sustainable energy for all should not only focus on indigent assistance and expansion of electrification, but also be intertwined with policies addressing skills need and better household incomes.

Air pollution is the world’s greatest environmental health risk factor and reducing exposure remains an ongoing challenge around the world. Among the world’s poor, marginalized, and rural populations, household air pollution from the inefficient burning of biomass fuels like firewood, charcoal, dung, and agricultural residues for daily household energy needs is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially for children under the age of five years. However, household air pollution exposure is a modifiable risk factor and clean-burning cooking fuels like gas and electricity promise substantial health benefits for the 2.8 billion people reliant on biomass fuels. But, clean fuels remain prohibitively expensive or inaccessible for those most reliant on biomass fuels. It is in this context that I examine Ecuador – where substantial cooking gas subsidies have facilitated a nationwide transition to household clean fuel use over four decades – as a long-term case study to understand the potential for widespread clean fuel uptake to reduce air pollution exposure and improve children’s health. Chapter 1 provides background information that contextualizes the work presented in this dissertation. In Chapter 2, I discuss the development of Ecuador’s clean fuel policies. Originally established as a part of broad social support reforms in the 1970s, direct-to-consumer subsidies that lowered the cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) – a popular clean-burning cooking fuel used widely around the world – have driven a transition from 80% of households cooking primarily with firewood in the 1970s to now 90% relying primarily on LPG. However, widespread clean fuel use has come at a cost; each year, the Government of Ecuador spends approximately 1% of the national growth domestic product subsidizing LPG (300-700 million USD). To reduce this financial burden, the government has offered incentives to households to install and use induction electric stoves, which can be powered by the nation’s growing hydroelectric capacity, thereby reducing the cost of LPG subsidies and greenhouse gas emissions. To supplement national data, I administered household energy surveys in a northern province, finding that while all households regularly used LPG, 80% still used firewood for cooking. In these remote regions along the Colombian border, limited access to LPG cylinder refills remains a significant barrier to exclusive LPG use, even after decades of building a robust distribution system. In Chapter 3, I describe results from tailored household surveys – covering energy end uses, costs and access to fuels, and fuel use preferences – administered in 808 households across coastal and Andean Ecuador. Nearly all participants reported using LPG for more than a decade and having frequent, convenient access to cheap LPG cylinder refills. Nonetheless, half of rural households and one-fifth of peri-urban households relied on firewood for cooking and to meet specific household energy needs, like space heating or heating water for bathing. Induction stoves were rare and many induction stove owners reported zero use because the required equipment had never been installed by electricity companies, their stove had broken, or they feared high electricity costs. Here, I show that nationally-representative surveys reporting only “primary cooking fuel” use may underestimate solid fuel use as a secondary option, particularly in rural areas where LPG fuel availability issues play an important role in cooking fuel decision making. These findings additionally indicate that persistent biomass use may curtail the benefits from even the most aggressive clean fuel policies and suggest that additional targeted interventions may be needed to more fully displace biomass. Furthermore, they highlight the need for more nuanced nationally- and subnationally-representative surveys to better understand the extent to which biomass fuels are used secondary to LPG throughout all regions of Ecuador. In Chapter 4, I present results from a sensor monitoring study where we measured personal PM2.5 exposure and stove use for 48-hour monitoring periods among 157 households in peri- urban and rural Ecuador. Firewood-using participants had higher distributions of 48-hour and 10-minute PM2.5 exposure as compared with primary LPG and induction stove users. Accounting for within-subject clustering, contemporaneous firewood stove use was associated with 101 μg/m3 higher 10-min PM2.5 exposure (95% confidence interval: 94–108 μg/m3). Cooking events with clean fuels were not associated with contemporaneous increases in PM2.5 exposure. These findings confirm our expectations that in a region with low ambient air pollution, long-term cooking gas subsidies can lead to relatively low personal air pollution exposures. And yet, persistent secondary firewood use led to higher average and peak exposures, further motivating the displacement of firewood use to reduce health risks from air pollution. I also outline the methodological challenges faced in combining time-resolved sensor data on participant location, stove use monitors, and PM2.5 concentration and offered advice for future studies. In Chapter 5, I assess whether Ecuador’s increased clean cooking fuel use has resulted in improvements in under-5 lower respiratory infection (LRI) mortality. Globally, LRIs are the leading cause of death for children under-5 and household air pollution exposure is a leading risk factor. I employ public use data on cooking fuel use and cause-coded mortalities from 1990 to 2019 to estimate the association between clean cooking fuel use and the rate of under-5 LRI mortalities at the canton (county) level in Ecuador. Using generalized additive mixed models with fixed effects for canton and study period, I observed a significant, non-linear negative association providing evidence that when more than 60% of households in a canton cook primarily with a clean fuel, increased clean fuel use is associated with reductions in under-5 LRI mortality. In total, I estimated that increased clean cooking fuel use is associated with 7,343 under-5 LRI mortalities averted since 1990. In Chapter 6, I conclude by discussing the broader implications of my work. Energy is an important thread connecting climate change, air pollution, and human health, and pathways towards cleaner energy generation will be important drivers of climate change mitigation, reduced environmental exposures, and improved population health. Investments in clean cookstoves have had mixed results over the last 40 years, with many studies revealing only limited uptake of intervention stoves and substantial continued use of polluting traditional fuels, resulting in lower-than-expected exposure reductions and health benefits. Ecuador’s transition has been remarkable in the context of its peer low- and middle-income countries in the rest of Latin America and beyond. The findings presented in this dissertation demonstrate that cooking gas is popular; when it is made cheap and available, gas significantly displaces the use of polluting fuels. Nevertheless, even under ideal cost and access circumstances, my work also reveals that policies and interventions will need to consider specific local needs – like space heating in cold climates – to further encourage a transition toward cleaner indoor air. In the context of efforts to eliminate the use of polluting fuels in the Americas, my work offers hope that ambitious clean cooking fuel policies will improve health.

Thesis (M. Com. (Accounting)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Since 2008, South Africa has been experiencing significant bottlenecks in its energy supply. The transition to renewable energy is no longer just an option but a necessity. In demonstrating the commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, which requires a reduction in greenhouse gases and is a response to the electricity crisis, various mechanisms have been applied to stimulate renewable energy production. This study examines the effect of the influencing factors and enablers on renewable energy generation in selected developing countries. To this end, the study investigated if the amount invested in renewable energy, economic, governance, environmental and social factors have an impact on renewable energy output produced in the selected emerging economies. Secondary data which comprised of the renewable energy output, investment and proxy data for the other factors being tested was used in the investigation. A quantitative research design was used, and panel data for the periods 2000-2016 was analysed. Results of the study revealed that the renewable energy generation is impacted diversely by the elements tested. A positive causal link was found between the dollar amount invested and the production of renewable energy. Additionally, the study found that governance, economic, environmental, and social factors can influence renewable energy output favourably or unfavourably. Results of the study suggest that policymakers should consider the effect of these variables when formulating policies to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy supply system. Furthermore, the results provide possible solutions for budgetary constraints which have limited the transformation of the energy industries in the selected developing countries. Potential to investigate this study further on a country by country basis as data becomes available exists. Additionally, mixed methods may be applied to explore a qualitative element in the study. Keywords: Renewable Energy, Non-renewable energy, Green energy