Search Results (8)

In the intersecting field of energy consumption and human well-being, many macro-level studies link national energy use with well-being. These studies often rely on aggregate data, however, limiting insights into intra-national inequities and diverse well-being outcomes. To bridge this gap, this study used a single Nordic survey that allowed for the calculation of consumption-based energy footprints alongside well-being measures, focusing on Icelandic participants. A factor analysis of well-being responses identifies four factors: Eudaimonic, Financial, Housing/Local, and Health-related well-being. We found that well-being in Iceland largely remains decoupled from energy footprints across income and consumption groups, except for financial well-being. However, these groups differ significantly in consumption lifestyles and associated footprints, with only a small fraction of consumers maintaining energy use within global sufficiency thresholds. Most exceed these levels, suggesting that Iceland could reduce energy consumption without significantly harming well-being. Future research should explore strategies to lower consumption without triggering negative social reactions or declines in well-being. Full article

Green hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors and supporting renewable energy integration, aligning with carbon neutrality goals like the European Green Deal. Iceland’s abundant renewable energy and decarbonized electricity system position it as a strong candidate for green hydrogen production. Despite early initiatives, its hydrogen economy has yet to significantly expand. This study evaluated Iceland’s hydrogen development through stakeholder interviews and a techno-economic analysis of alkaline and PEM electrolyzers. Stakeholders were driven by decarbonization goals, economic opportunities, and energy security but faced technological, economic, and governance challenges. Recommendations include building stakeholder confidence, financial incentives, and creating hydrogen-based chemicals to boost demand. Currently, alkaline electrolyzers are more cost-effective (EUR 1.5–2.8/kg) than PEMs (EUR 2.1–3.6/kg), though the future costs for both could drop below EUR 1.5/kg. Iceland’s low electricity costs and high electrolyzer capacity provide a competitive edge. However, this advantage may shrink as solar and wind costs decline globally, particularly in regions like Australia. This work’s findings emphasize the need for strategic planning to sustain competitiveness and offer transferable insights for other regions introducing hydrogen into ecosystems lacking infrastructure. Full article

With the urgent global need to limit warming to 2 °C as well as a localized need in our case study to address rising energy demand amid electrical and thermal network limitations, a critical examination of demand-side energy reductions and the concept of energy sufficiency is needed. This paper contributes to the sparse literature on bottom-up analysis by utilizing Iceland—a leader in renewable energy generation—as a case study to explore the socio-economic factors influencing energy footprints. Our findings reveal significant energy footprints across various consumption domains, particularly housing and mobility, influenced by income levels, urbanization, and lifestyle choices. The study highlights the paradox of a high renewable energy supply leading to potential misconceptions regarding abundant and low-cost energy, resulting in substantial energy consumption-related environmental impacts. Using detailed household consumption survey data, this research provides insights crucial for developing sustainable energy policies that not only target technological advancements but also address the need for a reduction in energy demand and a shift towards energy sufficiency. This work marks a contribution to the literature through the provision of a case study of low income inequality and high energy footprints in a highly renewable energy system context. Further, this work is useful for Icelandic and international policymakers to understand in such high-demand contexts which consumption domains would be most relevant for sufficiency policies. This comprehensive analysis opens pathways for future research to further explore the intersections of energy consumption, socio-economic factors, and well-being, offering a nuanced understanding necessary for crafting sufficiency and demand-side policies aimed at a sustainable energy future. Full article

Understanding the relationship between energy use and well-being is crucial for designing holistic energy policy. The latter has to both effectively mitigate climate change driven by current fossil-based energy systems as well as promote human development, which requires energy. While a significant body of research investigates this relationship, study designs differ significantly, so findings cannot be easily generalized. This machine learning-aided review provides an overview of the current state of the literature examining this relationship. We highlight and discuss methodological differences between the studies, including their perspective (top-down or bottom-up), spatial scope, and the respective energy and well-being indicators used. The review reveals that most research takes a top-down perspective, analyzing country-level data across multiple countries. These studies typically find a positive relationship between energy use and well-being, and most confirm the existence of a saturation effect. We reveal that countries in the Global South are underrepresented in current studies. Bottom-up studies focus on specific countries or country groups using household-level data, yielding more nuanced findings that can be further disaggregated by consumption domain. We find that energy and well-being indicators differ substantially across studies, yet the implications of this choice are not always sufficiently discussed. The review shows and discusses the current shift from production- to consumption-based energy indicators. Full article

Electrification is considered key to decarbonizing the transport sector. While electric vehicles (EVs) lack tailpipe emissions, battery and electricity production can lead to significant emissions. This study analysed whether EVs can effectively mitigate GHG emissions in North America, by calculating two GHG breakeven indicators for EVs and comparing them to internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). EV life cycle emissions were compared to those of ICEVs in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. In addition, this study considered potential national electricity grids evolutions and improvements in battery production and vehicle efficiency. The study estimated that EVs in Canada, the USA, and Mexico would see environmental benefits after 18.0, 25.1, and 25.6 thousand driven kilometres, respectively, as compared to petrol vehicles. Regionally, Québec had the lowest emissions (12.9 tCO₂eq) for EVs while Iowa (62.0) had the highest. In several states, EVs did not outperform ICEVs. Emissions from EVs are expected to decrease in coming years as the carbon intensity of electrical grids decreases. Policies should consider prioritising grid decarbonization over EV uptake where regional grid GHG intensity is high. This work provides one of the first regional and international case studies determining the environmental breakeven points of EVs when considering trade. Full article

Policymakers and global energy models are increasingly looking towards hydrogen as an enabling energy carrier to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors (projecting growth in hydrogen consumption in the magnitude of hundreds of megatons). Combining scenarios from global energy models and life cycle impacts of different hydrogen production technologies, the results of this work show that the life cycle emissions from proposed configurations of the hydrogen economy would lead to climate overshoot of at least 5.4–8.1× of the defined “safe” space for greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the cumulative consumption of 8–12% of the remaining carbon budget. This work suggests a need for a science-based definition of “clean” hydrogen, agnostic of technology and compatible with a “safe” development of the hydrogen economy. Such a definition would deem blue hydrogen environmentally unviable by 2025–2035. The prolific use of green hydrogen is also problematic however, due to the requirement of a significant amount of renewable energy, and the associated embedded energy, land, and material impacts. These results suggest that demand-side solutions should be further considered, as the large-scale transition to hydrogen, which represents a “clean” energy shift, may still not be sufficient to lead humanity into a “safe” space. Full article

Electric vehicles (EVs) are often considered a potential solution to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originating from personal transport vehicles, but this has also been questioned due to their high production emissions. In this study, we performed an extensive literature review of existing EV life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and a meta-analysis of the studies in the review, extracting life-cycle GHG emission data combined with a standardized methodology for estimating GHG electrical grid intensities across the European Economic Area (EEA), which were used to estimate a set of environmental breakeven points for each EEA country. A Monte Carlo simulation was performed to provide sensitivity analysis. The results of the review suggest a need for greater methodological and data transparency within EV LCA research. The meta-analysis found a subset of countries across the EEA where there is a potential that EVs could lead to greater life-cycle GHG emissions than a comparable diesel counterpart. A policy discussion highlights how EV policies in countries with contrasting GHG electric grid intensities may not reflect the current techno-environmental reality. This paper emphasizes the importance for researchers to accurately depict life-cycle vehicle emissions and the need for EEA countries to enact policies corresponding to their respective contextual conditions to avoid potentially enacting policies that could lead to greater GHG emissions. Full article