Energy efficiency, which is one of the pillars of the EU's Energy Union strategy, has been proposed as a solution, namely as a highly effective pathway to improve economic competitiveness and ...sustainability of the European economy, lower emissions, reduce energy dependency and increase security of supply, and job creation. The paper reviews the EU strategies and policies on energy efficiency and argues that further focus should be placed on industrial energy efficiency. Despite a decline in energy consumption in recent years in industry, this sector is one of the largest users of energy in the EU. Therefore, the paper reviews the extent to which the European and national policies in the selected jurisdictions, such as Italy and the UK address energy efficiency in industry and whether there are any measures in place to promote it.
•Legal certainty is required in industrial energy efficiency policies.•White Certificates play a major role in industrial energy efficiency in Italy.•Yet, constant changes in the WC regulations can act as an investment barrier.•The UK's Energy Efficiency policy is underpinned with decarbonisation of the industry.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have important applications in different industries; however, they are environmentally unfriendly due to their high global warming potential (GWP). Hence, reclamation of ...used hydrofluorocarbons via energy-efficient adsorption-based separation will greatly contribute to reducing their impact on the environment. In particular, the separation of azeotropic refrigerants remains challenging, such as typical mixtures of CHsub.2Fsub.2 (HFC-23) and CHFsub.3 (HFC-32), due to a lack of adsorptive mechanisms. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can provide a promising solution for the separation of CHFsub.3–CHsub.2Fsub.2 mixtures. In this study, the adsorption mechanism of CHFsub.3–CHsub.2Fsub.2 mixtures in TIFSIX-2-Cu-i was revealed at the microscopic level by combining static pure-component adsorption experiments, molecular simulations, and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. The adsorption separation selectivity of CHsub.2Fsub.2/CHFsub.3 in TIFSIX-2-Cu-i is 3.17 at 3 bar under 308 K. The existence of similar TiFsub.6 sup.2− binding sites for CHsub.2Fsub.2 or CHFsub.3 was revealed in TIFSIX-2-Cu-i. Interactions between the fluorine atom of the framework and the hydrogen atom of the guest molecule were found to be responsible for determining the high adsorption separation selectivity of CHsub.2Fsub.2/CHFsub.3. This exploration is important for the design of highly selective adsorbents for the separation of azeotropic refrigerants.
This study investigates the adoption patterns of Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs) in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Switzerland, focusing on the influence of various factors such as EEM ...characteristics, company characteristics, and the role of energy auditors. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a logistic regression analysis of proposed and adopted EEMs' data with the findings of a questionnaire answered by auditors active in the field. The logistic regression analysis revealed that investment cost remains a significant barrier to EEM adoption, particularly for medium consumers (MCs), and that other company-specific characteristics, such as the sector, can influence adoption patterns. These findings highlight critical factors for promoting EE in SMEs. The role of auditors is also discussed, with the suggestion that they might lack the training and the required soft skills to present EEMs as strategic investments and to influence SMEs’ decision-making.
El presente trabajo aborda el desarrollo de un proceso metodológico y diseño arquitectónico sostenible a partir del intercambio de información entre modelos constructivos realizados con la ...metodología BIM (Building Information Modelling) y los programas de certificación energética más comunes. Este traspaso de información constructiva ha resultado ser históricamente una tarea manual a la que el diseñador ha debido enfrentarse, a menudo, a partir de la generalización y simplificación de los modelos energéticos. Este escrito describe una metodología y aplicación web gratuita de desarrollo propio (IMIP-appweb), que permite la lectura de la información contenida en ficheros IFC y GBXML, e incorpora de forma automatizada los datos necesarios en el modelo energético, facilitando su calificación, contribuyendo a su evaluación, a la mejora de su rendimiento energético y, consecuentemente, a la reducción de su huella de carbono. La aplicación ha sido evaluada exitosamente a partir de los casos de estudio y pruebas piloto llevadas a cabo en el transcurso del proyecto IMIP (Innovative Eco-Construction System Based on Interlocking Modular Insulation Wood & Cork-Based Panels), simulados energéticamente con la ayuda de la herramienta. Esta aproximación supone una nueva estrategia en la lucha contra el cambio climático ya que: (a) reduce los tiempos de trabajo en los procesos de certificación energética; (b) facilita la interacción entre distintos modelos digitales promoviendo una toma de decisiones más informada en materia de diseño ambiental, que ha de contribuir finalmente a reducir el impacto de los edificios públicos y privados en el Sudoeste Europeo.
Over the last two decades, the European Union and its Member States have introduced policies aimed at improving energy efficiency. The Energy Service Directives (ESD) introduced the concept of ...measurement of energy savings attributed to policies. Two different and complementary methodologies for the evaluation of energy savings have been developed under the ESD: the bottom-up (BU) approach, based on a technical analysis of each measure, and the top-down (TD) approach, based on the analysis of how energy intensity changes over time. BU methods can hardly take into account policy-induced behavioural changes, whereas TD methods have difficulties in disentangling policy-induced savings from other savings. Econometric models have been proposed as a viable alternative to deal with both drawbacks. The purpose of this article is to present an econometric model aimed at estimating the energy savings induced by energy efficiency policies in the EU Member States in the period 1990–2013. We introduce an explicit measure of Energy Policy Intensity based on the MURE database, which is used as explanatory variable in a dynamic panel model for 29 European countries. Our results suggest that energy consumption in 2013 in Europe would have been about 12% higher in the absence of energy efficiency policies.
•Evaluation of energy savings resulting from the EU energy efficiency policies.•New methodology based on panel data and an explicit measure of Policy Intensity.•The new methodology overcomes limitation of bottom-up and top-down approaches.•Energy consumption would have been 11% higher in the absence of energy policies.
The traditional electrochemical caustic soda recovery system uses the generated pH gradient across the ion exchange membrane for the regeneration of spent alkaline absorbent from COsub.2 capture. ...This electrochemical COsub.2 capture system releases the by-products Hsub.2 and Osub.2 at the cathode and anode, respectively. Although effective for capturing COsub.2, the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limit the energy efficiency of this technique. Hence, this study proposed and validated a hybrid electrochemical cell based on the Hsub.2-cycling from the cathode to the anode to eliminate the reliance on anodic oxygen generation. The results show that our lab-scale prototype enabled effective spent caustic soda recovery with an electron utilisation efficiency of 90%, and a relative carbonate/bicarbonate diffusional flux of approximately 40%. The system also enabled the regeneration of spent alkaline absorbent with a minimum electrochemical energy input of 0.19 kWh/kg COsub.2 at a COsub.2 recovery rate of 0.7 mol/msup.2/h, accounting for 30% lower energy demand than a control system without Hsub.2-recycling, making this technique a promising alternative to the conventional thermal regeneration technology.
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![Study of CHF[sub.3]/CH[sub....](http://api.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/image/issn/XR4PS5YY4K/1420-3049/small "Study of CHF[sub.3]/CH[sub.2]F[sub.2] Adsorption Separation in TIFSIX-2-Cu-i")
