Now showing 1 - 10 of 32
  • Publication
    Stimulating the use of biofuels in the European Union : implications for climate change policy
    (University College Dublin. Department of Planning and Environmental Policy, 2004-12) ; ;
    The substitution of fossil fuels with biofuels has been proposed in the European Union (EU) as part of a strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from road transport, increase security of energy supply and support development of rural communities. In this paper, we examine this opportunity, by focusing on one of these purported benefits, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of subsidising the price difference between European biofuels and fossil fuels per tonne of CO2 emissions saved is estimated to be €174-269. Without including the benefits from increased security of energy supply and employment generation in rural areas, the current costs of implementing biofuel targets are high compared with other available CO2 mitigation strategies, including biofuel imports. The policy instrument of foregoing some or all of the excise and other duties now applicable on transport fuels in EU15, as well as the potential to import low cost alternatives, mainly from Brazil, are addressed in this context.
      2229
  • Publication
    The Energy Transition Process in a Rural Area: an Irish Case Study of becoming a Sustainable Energy Community
    Most commentators will agree that the net benefit of carbon is over. A paradigm shift is underway to retire the current carbon based energy system, and this energy transition to a low carbon world will be the most difficult challenge that this generation will face. In this paper the Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) Programme is introduced; this new network of Irish communities will become a driver in the current energy transition and is being championed by the Irish national energy agency, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. An SEC is a community in which everyone works together to develop a sustainable energy system for the benefit of the community. This is achieved by aiming, as far as possible, to be energy efficient; using renewable energy where feasible and also to embrace smart energy technologies. This research reports on the establishment of Erris, Co. Mayo as an SEC, and presents three years of data since their energy transition began in 2014. The literature highlights several SEC barriers. The SEC model addresses each of the barriers and directly addresses the problem that communities face due to the lack of sufficient capacity at the start of the energy transition process.
      19
  • Publication
    Vehicle Tax Design and Car Purchase Choices: A Case Study of Ireland
    (European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, 2019-06-29) ;
    This paper utilises a difference-in-differences model to study the impact of a vehicle tax reform on purchasing choices over a period of 10 years. In line with many other European countries, on the 1st of July 2008 the motor taxation regime in the Republic of Ireland was reformed to try and stem rising CO2 emissions from the passenger car fleet. To achieve this, both vehicle purchase and circulation taxes switched from an engine capacity basis to a CO2 emissions rating per kilometre basis. The aim of this study is to quantify the effectiveness of this (and subsequent) vehicle policy changes at achieving this goal. Using a difference in differences quasi-experimental design, we attempt to recreate the missing counterfactual (in the absence of the policy change(s)) of vehicle purchasing patterns in Ireland using the trend in UK new passenger car emissions over the same period. The findings suggest that the initial taxation policy change reduced average rated CO2 emissions from new passenger cars by between 8 to 11 g CO2/km. Some subsequent policy changes, such as the introduction of a scrappage scheme in 2010 also had an impact at stimulating the purchase of lower-emitting vehicles. This effect however was achieved by a substantial switch towards diesel powered vehicles, with other consequences for the environment, and a significant drop in tax revenue for the exchequer.
      507
  • Publication
    Efficient large-scale energy storage dispatch: challenges in future high renewables systems
    Future power systems with high penetrations of variable renewables will require increased levels of flexibility from generation and demand-side sources in order to maintain secure and stable operation. One potential flexibility source is largescale energy storage, which can provide a variety of ancillary services across multiple time-scales. In order for appropriate levels of investment to take place, and in order for existing assets to be utilized optimally, it is essential that market signals are present which encourage suitable levels of flexibility, either from storage or alternative sources. Suboptimal storage plant dispatch due to uncertainty and inefficient market incentives are represented as operational constraints on the storage plant, and the impact of these inefficiencies are highlighted. Thus changes required in operational practices for storage plant at different installed wind capacity levels, and the challenges that private storage plant operators will face in generating appropriate bids in a market environment at high variable renewable penetrations are explored. The impacts on system generating costs and storage profits are explored under different plant operating assumptions.
    Scopus© Citations 58  715
  • Publication
    Solar PV where the sun doesn’t shine: Estimating the economic impacts of support schemes for residential PV with detailed net demand profiling
    (University College Dublin. School of Economics, 2016-12) ;
    Countries with low irradiation and solar PV adoption rates are increasingly considering policy support for solar PV, though consumer electricity demand and solar generation profiles are often mismatched. This paper presents a methodology for policy makers in countries with such conditions to examine more precisely the financial performance of residential solar PV from the consumer perspective as part of an ex-ante policy assessment. We model a range of prospective policy scenarios and compare policy mechanisms that compensate homeowners for generation, those that reduce their upfront costs, and those that assist with financing, using Ireland as a case study. The results confirm the intuitive notion that more generous financial remuneration schemes provide quicker payback, however, we observe that upfront grants do little to accelerate payback timeframes. We also show the importance of retail tariff structure in consumer payback for a solar PV system, with one-part tariffs generating shorter paybacks than two-part tariff structures, although the latter is more likely to secure revenue for electricity infrastructure investment. Drawing from this analysis, the paper proposes some options for the design of policy supports and tariff structures to deliver a sustainable residential renewable electricity system.
      940
  • Publication
    The landlord-tenant problem and energy efficiency in the residential rental market
    (Elsevier, 2021-10) ;
    The aim of this paper is to test for the persistence of the landlord-tenant energy efficiency problem in the residential rental property market in the presence of information on property energy performance. To do this, we compare the efficiency of rental and non-rental properties using a combination of Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) and parametric regression. We use a sample of 585,578 residential properties in the Republic of Ireland - a region that legally requires rental properties to display energy performance certificates when advertised. The findings suggest that the landlord-tenant problem is present in the Irish rental market but that it is not uniform across locations, indicating the influence of other factors. To explore this further, we exploit the regional variation in rental property prices. We find a larger difference between rental and non-rental properties’ energy efficiency in markets with scarcity in rental property supply. In addition, we are able to take advantage of a unique trait in building design to compare rental and non-rental properties which were identical at the time of their construction. The findings from this sub-group mirror our finding for the sample as a whole.
    Scopus© Citations 8  36
  • Publication
    Can the composition of energy use in an expanding economy be altered by consumers’ responses to technological change?
    (International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), 2019-07) ; ; ; ;
    Technological change is necessary for economies to grow and develop. This paper investigates how this technological change could be directed in order to simultaneously reduce carbon-intensive energy use and deliver a range of economic benefits. Using both partial and general equilibrium modelling, we consider improvements in the efficiency in the delivery of electricity as an increasingly low carbon option in the UK. We demonstrate how linking this to policy action to assist and encourage households to substitute away from more carbon-intensive gas- to electricity-powered heating systems may change the composition of energy use, and implied emissions intensity, but not the level of the resulting economic expansion.
    Scopus© Citations 2  442
  • Publication
    Adoption of Renewable Home Heating Systems: An Agent-Based Model of Heat Pump Systems in Ireland
    Concerns about climate change and desire for more secure energy provision. Deployment of renewable energy technologies such as heat pump systems for home heating is among the viable solution. The uptake of such technology depends not only on financial aspects but also on behavioural factors and social networks. We develop an agent-based model (computational simulation) to analyze the adoption process of heat pump systems and the underlying diffusion factors. We use a recent nationally representative Irish household survey data to derive parameters for decision rules based on empirical data
      36
  • Publication
    COVID-19 and EU Climate Targets: Going Further with Less?
    (University College Dublin. School of Economics, 2020-05) ; ;
    The COVID-19 crisis comes at a complex moment for European climate policy as it pivots from a 40% 2030 emissions reduction target to a European Green Deal that is in better alignment with long-term Paris Agreement goals. Here, the implications of the dramatic fall in economic output associated with the crisis are examined using a representative range of growth scenarios. With lower economic activity resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, existing policy measures could achieve the 40% target sooner than 2030. However, we find that even in the most severe economic scenario examined, this falls well short of the 50-55% emissions reduction target under the Green Deal. Maintaining the existing 40% target in 2030 with reduced policy measures on the other hand would move European climate policy away from the required path. This analysis indicates the feasibility of increased climate ambition in the wake of the pandemic and supports the Green Deal 50-55% targets in 2030.
      145
  • Publication
    Energy efficiency in the food retail sector: Barriers, drivers, and acceptable policies
    (University College Dublin. School of Economics, 2017-07) ;
    The objective of this research is to empirically examine the drivers and barriers to energy efficiency measures in an important energy-using sector, namely the food retail sector, and support more effective energy efficiency policies for this sector. Although food retailers consume a significant amount of energy due to the refrigeration, air conditioning and specialised lighting needs of stores, there has been little research in this sector on the barriers and drivers for implementing energy efficiency measures. A survey of small food retailers was carried out to understand the barriers and drivers to greater uptake of energy efficiency measures and to examine the acceptability of different energy efficiency policy options for food retailers. In addition, external stakeholders were consulted in order to validate and contextualise the results of the survey. We find there is a complementary relationship between energy efficiency barriers and drivers for food retailers that is remarkably coherent. We identify policies, such as subsidies and support for ESCOs, that both exploit the complementarities between barriers and drivers and are acceptable to food retailers also. This methodology should help identify and design more effective policies to deliver energy efficiency improvements in the food retail sector.
      520