This doctoral thesis contains three essays on the economics of climate change and the electricity sector. The first essay deals with the subject of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and economic growth. The second essay addresses the issues of climate change policies, especially the role of the emergent innovative technologies, and the restructuring of the electricity sector. The third essay presents a model of transmission investments in electric power networks. Chapter One studies the impacts of climate change on economic growth in the world economies. The paper contains explicit formalization of the depletion process of exhaustible fossil fuels and the phase of technology substitution. The impacts of climate change on capital flows and welfare across countries are also investigated. The restructuring of the electricity sector is studied in Chapter Two. It also analyzes how climate change policies can benefit from emergent innovative technologies and how emergent innovative technologies can lower GHG emissions. It is shown that the price of electricity is strictly rising before emergent innovative firms with zero GHG emissions enter the market, but strictly declining as the entry begins. In Chapter Three, a model of electricity transmission investments from the perspective of the regulatory approach is formulated. The Mid-West region of Western Australia, a sub-system of the South West Interconnected System is considered. In contrast with most models in the literature that deal only with network deepening, this model deals with both network deepening and network widening. Moreover, unlike the conventional investment models which are static and deal only with the long run, this model is dynamic and focuses on the timing of the infrastructure investments. The paper is a study of an optimal transmission investment program which is part of the optimal investment program for an integrated model in which investments in transmission and investments in generation are made at the same time.

Sweden aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2045. The need to immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve climate targets affects industry directly. The pulp and paper sector is responsible for more than 50% of industrial energy use in Sweden. Increased energy efficiency is expected to contribute significantly to the reduction of primary energy use. The recovery and utilisation of industrial excess heat (IEH) has been identified as an important potential contribution to energy efficiency in industry. Previous research based on top-down studies has estimated the availability of IEH for entire sectors, and bottom-up results for many case studies are available. While top-down studies lack detailed information on the profile of the excess heat available, bottom-up studies have limited coverage. Detailed information about excess heat amounts and temperature levels is required for the assessment of the potential of the various heat recovery technologies that are available.  The aim of this thesis is to present, in a series of steps, methods to systematically analyse an industrial process to obtain a detailed profile of the excess heat available under various process conditions, to aggregate results that can be generalised to whole industrial sectors, and to obtain IEH recovery potentials using different technologies. The assessment of the utilisation options for IEH recovery is complemented with an analysis of system aspects that could affect profitability and global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. An energy-targeting procedure combined with optimisation has been applied to six case studies of kraft pulp and paper mills in Sweden. This method obtained IEH profiles that were used in a regression analysis to estimate the IEH availability and electricity generation potentials from low and medium temperature IEH using organic Rankine cycles (ORC). A comparison of profitability and global GHG emissions between ORC electricity generation using IEH and small-scale combined heat and electricity (CHP) production is presented for three energy markets. The results show that there is a potential to increase electricity generation from low and medium temperature IEH by 7–9% in the kraft mills in Sweden, depending on the level of process integration considered. The utilisation of low and medium temperature IEH for electricity generation has the potential to reduce global GHG emissions in all the energy-market scenarios considered, but if biomass is considered a limited resource, district heating (DH) deliveries can achieve higher global GHG reductions. ORC electricity generation from low and medium temperature IEH is economically viable and showed overall better profitability and GHG emissions reductions than small-scale CHP using ORCs. The economic feasibility of ORC electricity generation is less affected by external conditions and uncertainties than direct DH deliveries. / Sverige siktar på att uppnå klimatneutralitet till 2045. Behovet av att omedelbart minska utsläppen av växthusgaser för att nå klimatmålen påverkar industrin direkt. Massa- och papperssektorn står för mer än 50% av den industriella energianvändningen i Sverige. Ökad energieffektivitet förväntas i hög grad bidra till att minska primärenergianvändningen. Återvinning och utnyttjande av industriell överskottsvärme (IÖV) har identifierats som ett betydande potentiellt bidrag till energieffektivitet i industrin. Tidigare forskning baserad på top-down studier har uppskattat tillgängligheten av IÖV för hela sektorer eller regioner, och bottom-up resultat för många fallstudier finns tillgängliga. Medan top-down studier saknar detaljerad information om profilen för tillgänglig överskottsvärme, har bottom-up studier begränsad täckning och precision. Detaljerad information om överskottsvärmemängder och temperaturnivåer krävs för att bedöma potentialen hos flera värmeåtervinningstekniker. Denna avhandling syftar till att i en serie steg presentera metoder för att systematiskt analysera en industriell process för att erhålla en detaljerad profil av tillgänglig överskottsvärme under olika processförhållanden, för att aggregera resultat som kan generaliseras för hela industrisektorer, och att erhålla återvinningspotentialer för industriell överskottsvärme med hjälp av olika teknologier. Bedömningen av olika möjligheter att använda industriell överskottsvärme kompletteras med en analys av systemaspekter som kan påverka lönsamhet och globala växthusgasutsläpp. Ett energimålsförfarande kombinerat med optimering har tillämpats på sex fallstudier av massa- och pappersbruk i Sverige, med produktion baserat på sulfatmassa. Med denna metod erhålls IÖV-profiler som används i en regressionsanalys för att uppskatta tillgängligheten av IÖV och potentialen för elproduktion från låg- och medeltempererad IÖV med organiska Rankine-cykler (ORC). En jämförelse av lönsamhet och globala växthusgasutsläpp mellan elproduktion med ORC, där IÖV utgör grunden, och småskalig kombinerad värme och el (KVV) produktion presenteras för tre energimarknader. Resultaten visar en potential att öka elproduktionen från låg- och medeltempererad IÖV med 7% till 9% i sulfatmassabruken i Sverige, beroende på graden av processintegration som beaktas. Användningen av låg- och medeltempererad IÖV för elproduktion kan potentiellt minska de globala växthusgasutsläppen i alla övervägda energimarknadsscenarier. Om biomassa betraktas som en begränsad resurs, kan emellertid direkta fjärrvärmeleveranser uppnå högre globala minskningar av växthusgaser. ORC-elproduktion från låg- och medeltempererad IÖV är ekonomiskt lönsam och visade överlag bättre lönsamhet och minskade växthusgasutsläpp än småskalig ORC-kraftvärme. Den ekonomiska genomförbarheten av ORC-elproduktion påverkas mindre av yttre förhållanden och osäkerheter än fjärrvärmeleveranser.

The worldwide fast growth of the transportation sector contributes to a large andgrowing share of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Swedish TransportAdministration report indicates that emissions from domestic transport increasedin 2018. Having an idea that the workplace parking lots have the potential toincrease the share of renewable energy production in Sweden, an investigation forthe solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station is conducted. This studyaims to clarify the knowledge on what the potentials are, financial assessment, andassessment of the photovoltaic (PV) self-consumption of EV charging in theworkplace charging station. Without knowledge about the highlighted parameters,investors may hesitate to invest in a PV project such as a solar-powered EV chargingstation system. To achieve the objective of this thesis, appropriate tools and/orsoftware are used. PV*SOL software tool is used for simulation and analysis ofenergy system efficiency with EV charging station integrated for different PVsystems deployed in the same location of Sweden. This software tool allows thedesign and calculations of the PV system and EV charging station integrated.Currently registered cars in Sweden indicate that EVs are dominating and will keepthe pulse in the future. This domination will enforce more need for electricity, callfor renewable energy use, and promising significant GHG emissions reduction –sustainable environment. The study has proven that there is no immense insolationin Sweden, thus, the power converter can be undersized up to 30 % with respect tothe PV array to reduced energy loss. A feasible solar-powered EV charging stationrequires several factors such as initial investment (EV charging station, PV module,inverter, transport and installation, operation, and maintenance, etc.), andelectricity trading rate. The study of five PV system cases showed that the increasein size significantly increases the self-sufficiency ratio while self-consumption ratiodecreases. By increasing the PV array, both levelized cost of electricity and paybackperiod were considerably decreased as was intended. However, the more PV arrayincreased in size the more initial investment is required. Study on GHG emissionsof the solar-powered EV charging station as well as the deployment of local energystorage and EV smart charging are recommended as future works.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 乙第12808号 / 論エネ博第61号 / 新制||エネ||60(附属図書館) / 80852 / (主査)教授 東野 達, 教授 石原 慶一, 教授 手塚 哲央 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 甲第19818号 / エネ博第324号 / 新制||エネ||65(附属図書館) / 32854 / 京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー社会・環境科学専攻 / (主査)教授 東野 達, 教授 宇根﨑 博信, 准教授 MCLELLAN,Benjamin / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(エネルギー科学) / 甲第19904号 / エネ博第336号 / 新制||エネ||67(附属図書館) / 32981 / 京都大学大学院エネルギー科学研究科エネルギー社会・環境科学専攻 / (主査)教授 手塚 哲央, 教授 石原 慶一, 教授 杉万 俊夫 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Energy Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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<p>Freshwater wetlands are capable of processing large amounts of excess nutrients from agricultural fields. These systems also have the potential to produce substantial amounts of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), both potent greenhouse gasses. Agricultural land use alters delivery of nutrients and carbon to downstream wetlands. These changes can impact denitrification and methanogenesis, leading to increased or decreased rates of greenhouse gas production. While there have been studies on effects of carbon and nutrients on greenhouse gasses separately, few studies in the region have identified how the combination of nutrients and carbon come together to modulate greenhouse gasses. Identifying the variation of carbon and nutrient processing in wetlands systems with different hydrology and agricultural impacts could potentially change what we know about carbon and nutrient cycling and how they impact greenhouse gasses emitted from wetlands. This study showed that 1) watershed land cover and wetland size correlated to water chemistry including concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfate, and dissolved organic carbon concentration and composition and that 2) wetlands with higher levels of labile carbon, lower concentrations of nitrogen and sulfate are linked to higher rates of methane in wetland water while higher levels of nitrate were linked to increased wetland nitrous oxide. </p>

<p>This study investigates the price premium for labeling of carbon-relevant practices and other potentially relevant labels on meat product, including organic, grass-feeding/-fed, gluten-free, and whether it is non-GMO, etc. Prices and labeling information about beef, pork, chicken, and other meat products in selected stores from 48 states were collected via web-scraping and investigated for product claims and labels directly or indirectly related to carbon. Market-observed price premiums for reduced carbon labels or using sustainable practices were investigated alongside impacts of geography on product prices. </p> <p>Our results showed significant price premiums for almost all of the claims investigated. For beef and chicken products the variable/label with the highest price premium associated was <em>Less greenhouse gas </em>and for the pork products, the variable/label <em>Non-GMO</em> was associated with the highest price premium of those studied.</p>