Engineering topics

Evans, Meredydd

Publications and source records attributed to Evans, Meredydd.

24 records · Page 2

DOE OSTI2021

Certified Green Building Materials: Policy Impact Assessment

Chinese building construction is rapidly expanding, making it critical to focus on energy efficiency to curb the increase of energy consumption and emissions over a building’s lifetime. A key mechanism to do so is through building material certification systems and programs. These establish how building materials will perform and can be used to promote energy and resource efficiency, which help create a more sustainable and healthy building industry. This report begins by identifying characteristics of a strong certification system and ways to improve existing systems. To curb building energy demand, the Chinese government began developing a building material certification program to encourage energy and resource efficiency in the building sector. A timeline is provided of their program’s development and provides analysis. China’s building material database is highlighted and analyzed for their significance and opportunities for improvement. The report then continues to analyze the importance of policies such as procurement programs, and the Chinese government is developing their procurement programs for certified green building materials. To understand the potential large-scale impacts of green building material certifications, we conducted an analysis of the environmental and market impact of a nationwide green building procurement policy for all new residential and commercial construction.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Tariff Setting in the District Heating Sector: Recommendations Based on International Experience

Ukraine’s district heating (DH) system is an essential resource for the country and has the potential to provide efficient, local, and renewable energy to a large share of the population. However, inefficient regulation and management have caused the sector to experience a vicious cycle of financial, operational, and technological problems. Overcoming these challenges and building a sustainable DH system requires comprehensive reforms, which could attract significant investment, improve the quality of services, and increase the efficiency of DH. One of the key elements of a comprehensive reform program should be a comprehensive reform of the tariff system. The purpose of this report is to provide analysis of European models for tariff regulation and recommendations for reforms to Ukraine’s DH tariff system. The report presents several case studies from European countries, followed by analysis of the current tariff system in Ukraine and barriers to effective regulation. Based on these findings, the report proposes actions Ukraine could take to improve the tariff regulatory system and promote a sustainable DH sector.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Engagement with Ukrainian stakeholders on regulatory, legislative, and financing suggestions for mass-scale deployment of individual heat substations in Ukraine

Individual heat substations (IHSs) are important for improving the district heating (DH) infrastructure in Ukraine. The purpose of this memo is to discuss the position of key stakeholders on IHS deployment and developed amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Heat Supply.” This memo also briefly discusses ways to bring funding for mass-scale IHS installation by DH companies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Options For Large-Scale Installation of Individual Heat Substations Based on International Best Practices

The purpose of this report is to provide recommendations for actions Ukraine could take to implement large-scale installation of IHSs as part of comprehensive district heating reform. The report discusses the importance of IHS in the district heating sector, then presents several case studies of approaches that European countries have taken to facilitate large-scale IHS installation in multi-apartment buildings. These case studies focus on the ownership and financing of IHS, as there are different models for how this can be done (the DH company can make the investments and recover the costs through the tariff, or building residents can make the investments themselves). They also include details on the approval process and technical specifications, as these can add additional barriers and time to the installation process.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

DOE OSTI2020

White Paper on Transforming District Heating in Ukraine: Assessment and Recommendations

The purpose of this White Paper is to provide evidence-based guidance on reform approaches that are feasible in Ukraine and well-tested internationally. Based on experience in Europe, consistent, well-planned reforms can lead to significant improvements in DH services, transparency and financial stability. The White Paper describes key challenges faced by Ukraine’s DH sector and provides recommendations on developing and implementing a comprehensive 10-year-strategy.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2020

Global methane emissions from coal mining to continue growing even with declining coal production

This paper presents projections of global methane emissions from coal mining under different coal extraction scenarios and with increasing mining depth through 2100. The paper proposes an updated methodology for calculating fugitive emissions from coal mining, which accounts for coal extraction method, coal rank, and mining depth and uses evidence-based emissions factors. A detailed assessment shows that coal mining-related methane emissions in 2010 were higher than previous studies show. This study also uses a novel methodology for calculating methane emissions from abandoned coal mines and represents the first estimate of future global methane emissions from those mines. The results show that emissions from abandoned mines increase faster than those from active ones. Using coal production data from six integrated assessment models, this study shows that by 2100 methane emissions from active underground mines increase by a factor of 4, while emissions from abandoned mines increase by a factor of 8. Abandoned mine methane emissions continue through the century even with aggressive mitigation actions.

coal mine methane, abandoned coal mine methane, em↗