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The implementation of energy efficiency improvement actions not only yields energy and greenhouse gas emission savings, but also leads to other multiple impacts such as air pollution reductions and subsequent health and eco-system effects, resource impacts, economic effects on labour markets, aggregate demand and energy prices or on energy security. While many of these impacts have been studied in previous research, this work quantifies them in one consistent framework based on a common underlying bottom-up funded energy efficiency scenario across the EU. These scenario data are used to quantify multiple impacts by energy efficiency improvement action and for all EU28 member states using existing approaches and partially further developing methodologies. Where possible, impacts are integrated into cost-benefit analyses. We find that with a conservative estimate, multiple impacts sum up to a size of at least 50% of energy cost savings, with substantial impacts coming from e.g., air pollution, energy poverty reduction and economic impacts.
Johannes Thema; Felix Suerkemper; Johan Couder; Nora Mzavanadze; Souran Chatterjee; Jens Teubler; Stefan Thomas; Diana Ürge-Vorsatz; Martin Bo Hansen; Stefan Bouzarovski; Jana Rasch; Sabine Wilke. The Multiple Benefits of the 2030 EU Energy Efficiency Potential. Energies 2019, 12, 2798 .
AMA StyleJohannes Thema, Felix Suerkemper, Johan Couder, Nora Mzavanadze, Souran Chatterjee, Jens Teubler, Stefan Thomas, Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Martin Bo Hansen, Stefan Bouzarovski, Jana Rasch, Sabine Wilke. The Multiple Benefits of the 2030 EU Energy Efficiency Potential. Energies. 2019; 12 (14):2798.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJohannes Thema; Felix Suerkemper; Johan Couder; Nora Mzavanadze; Souran Chatterjee; Jens Teubler; Stefan Thomas; Diana Ürge-Vorsatz; Martin Bo Hansen; Stefan Bouzarovski; Jana Rasch; Sabine Wilke. 2019. "The Multiple Benefits of the 2030 EU Energy Efficiency Potential." Energies 12, no. 14: 2798.
Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) requires sustainable production and consumption. One indicator named in the SDG for resource use is the (national) material footprint. A method and disaggregated data basis that differentiates the material footprint for production and consumption according to, e.g., sectors, fields of consumption as well as socioeconomic criteria does not yet exist. We present two methods and its results for analyzing resource the consumption of private households based on microdata: (1) an indicator based on representative expenditure data in Germany and (2) an indicator based on survey data from a web tool. By these means, we aim to contribute to monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals, especially the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. Indicators based on microdata ensure that indicators can be disaggregated by socioeconomic characteristics like age, sex, income, or geographic location. Results from both methods show a right-skewed distribution of the Material Footprint in Germany and, for instance, an increasing Material Footprint with increasing household income. The methods enable researchers and policymakers to evaluate trends in resource use and to differentiate between lifestyles and along socioeconomic characteristics. This, in turn, would allow us to tailor sustainable consumption policies to household needs and restrictions.
Johannes Buhl; Christa Liedtke; Jens Teubler; Katrin Bienge; Nicholas Schmidt. Measure or Management?—Resource Use Indicators for Policymakers Based on Microdata by Households. Sustainability 2018, 10, 4467 .
AMA StyleJohannes Buhl, Christa Liedtke, Jens Teubler, Katrin Bienge, Nicholas Schmidt. Measure or Management?—Resource Use Indicators for Policymakers Based on Microdata by Households. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (12):4467.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJohannes Buhl; Christa Liedtke; Jens Teubler; Katrin Bienge; Nicholas Schmidt. 2018. "Measure or Management?—Resource Use Indicators for Policymakers Based on Microdata by Households." Sustainability 10, no. 12: 4467.
The long-term transition towards a low-carbon transport sector is a key strategy in Europe. This includes the replacement of fossil fuels, modal shifts towards public transport as well as higher energy efficiency in the transport sector overall. While these energy savings are likely to reduce the direct greenhouse gas emissions of transport, they also require the production of new and different vehicles. This study analyses in detail whether final energy savings in the transport sector also induce savings for material resources from nature if the production of future vehicles is considered. The results for 28 member states in 2030 indicate that energy efficiency in the transport sector leads to lower carbon emissions as well as resource use savings. However, energy-efficient transport sectors can have a significant impact on the demand for metals in Europe. An additional annual demand for 28.4 Mt of metal ores was calculated from the personal transport sector in 2030 alone. The additional metal ores from semiprecious metals (e.g., copper) amount to 12.0 Mt, from precious metals (e.g., gold) to 9.1 Mt and from other metals (e.g., lithium) to 11.7 Mt, with small savings for ferrous metal ores (−4.6 Mt).
Jens Teubler; Sebastian Kiefer; Christa Liedtke. Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe. Resources 2018, 7, 49 .
AMA StyleJens Teubler, Sebastian Kiefer, Christa Liedtke. Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe. Resources. 2018; 7 (3):49.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJens Teubler; Sebastian Kiefer; Christa Liedtke. 2018. "Metals for Fuels? The Raw Material Shift by Energy-Efficient Transport Systems in Europe." Resources 7, no. 3: 49.
Jens Teubler; Johannes Buhl; Michael Lettenmeier; Kathrin Greiff; Christa Liedtke. A Household's Burden – The Embodied Resource Use of Household Equipment in Germany. Ecological Economics 2018, 146, 96 -105.
AMA StyleJens Teubler, Johannes Buhl, Michael Lettenmeier, Kathrin Greiff, Christa Liedtke. A Household's Burden – The Embodied Resource Use of Household Equipment in Germany. Ecological Economics. 2018; 146 ():96-105.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJens Teubler; Johannes Buhl; Michael Lettenmeier; Kathrin Greiff; Christa Liedtke. 2018. "A Household's Burden – The Embodied Resource Use of Household Equipment in Germany." Ecological Economics 146, no. : 96-105.
The economic assessment of low-carbon energy options is the primary step towards the design of policy portfolios to foster the green energy economy. However, today these assessments often fall short of including important determinants of the overall cost-benefit balance of such options by not including indirect costs and benefits, even though these can be game-changing. This is often due to the lack of adequate methodologies. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive account of the key methodological challenges to the assessment of the multiple impacts of energy options, and an initial menu of potential solutions to address these challenges. The paper first provides evidence for the importance of the multiple impacts of energy actions in the assessment of low-carbon options. The paper identifies a few key challenges to the evaluation of the co-impacts of low-carbon options and demonstrates that these are more complex for co-impacts than for the direct ones. Such challenges include several layers of additionality, high context dependency, and accounting for distributional effects. The paper continues by identifying the key challenges to the aggregation of multiple impacts including the risks of overcounting while taking into account the multitude of interactions among the various co-impacts. The paper proposes an analytical framework that can help address these and frame a systematic assessment of the multiple impacts.
Diana Ürge-Vorsatz; Agnes Kelemen; Sergio Tirado-Herrero; Stefan Thomas; Johannes Thema; Nora Mzavanadze; Dorothea Hauptstock; Felix Suerkemper; Jens Teubler; Mukesh Gupta; Souran Chatterjee. Measuring multiple impacts of low-carbon energy options in a green economy context. Applied Energy 2016, 179, 1409 -1426.
AMA StyleDiana Ürge-Vorsatz, Agnes Kelemen, Sergio Tirado-Herrero, Stefan Thomas, Johannes Thema, Nora Mzavanadze, Dorothea Hauptstock, Felix Suerkemper, Jens Teubler, Mukesh Gupta, Souran Chatterjee. Measuring multiple impacts of low-carbon energy options in a green economy context. Applied Energy. 2016; 179 ():1409-1426.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDiana Ürge-Vorsatz; Agnes Kelemen; Sergio Tirado-Herrero; Stefan Thomas; Johannes Thema; Nora Mzavanadze; Dorothea Hauptstock; Felix Suerkemper; Jens Teubler; Mukesh Gupta; Souran Chatterjee. 2016. "Measuring multiple impacts of low-carbon energy options in a green economy context." Applied Energy 179, no. : 1409-1426.
This chapter addresses the resource consumption and GHG emissions associated with household activities and household types. Over the course of 6 weeks 16 participating households were asked to provide data regarding their activities in the fields of housing, mobility, nutrition, waste, goods and appliances, tourism and recreation. This extensive survey enabled the authors to calculate the households Material and Carbon Footprint, representing the environmental pressure for certain household types and lifestyles. It was found that even households with similar soziodemographics differ highly in their overall impact as well as the shares attributed to the different fields especially for nutrition, housing and mobility. Two workshops were conducted where households were asked to identify possible short-, mid- and long time strategies for reducing their environmental impact (road mapping). Although not all households participated, it had become clear that many external factors prevent households from adapting their behaviour most notably in the field of mobility. However, the road mapping process also showed a high affinity of the volunteers towards lifestyle changes. Regarding the set of methods used in the study, the authors conclude that the approach is promising, but future research is necessary: amongst other potential improvements it would certainly be helpful to not only analyze the resulting environmental impact of households but also the circumstances that lead to the household’s specific social practises and routines.
Kathrin Greiff; Jens Teubler; Carolin Baedeker; Christa Liedtke; Holger Rohn. Material and Carbon Footprint of Household Activities. Living Labs 2016, 259 -275.
AMA StyleKathrin Greiff, Jens Teubler, Carolin Baedeker, Christa Liedtke, Holger Rohn. Material and Carbon Footprint of Household Activities. Living Labs. 2016; ():259-275.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKathrin Greiff; Jens Teubler; Carolin Baedeker; Christa Liedtke; Holger Rohn. 2016. "Material and Carbon Footprint of Household Activities." Living Labs , no. : 259-275.
The German government has set itself the target of reducing the country׳s GHG emissions by between 80 and 95% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. Alongside energy efficiency, renewable energy sources are set to play the main role in this transition. However, the large-scale deployment of renewable energies is expected to cause increased demand for critical mineral resources. The aim of this article is therefore to determine whether the transformation of the German energy system by 2050 (“Energiewende”) may possibly be restricted by a lack of critical minerals, focusing primarily on the power sector (generating, transporting and storing electricity from renewable sources). For the relevant technologies, we create roadmaps describing a number of conceivable quantitative market developments in Germany. Estimating the current and future specific material demand of the options selected and projecting them along a range of long-term energy scenarios allows us to assess potential medium- or long-term mineral resource restrictions. The main conclusion we draw is that the shift towards an energy system based on renewable sources that is currently being pursued is principally compatible with the geological availability and supply of mineral resources. In fact, we identified certain sub-technologies as being critical with regard to potential supply risks, owing to dependencies on a small number of supplier countries and competing uses. These sub-technologies are certain wind power plants requiring neodymium and dysprosium, thin-film CIGS photovoltaic cells using indium and selenium, and large-scale redox flow batteries using vanadium. However, non-critical alternatives to these technologies do indeed exist. The likelihood of supplies being restricted can be decreased further by cooperating even more closely with companies in the supplier countries and their governments, and by establishing greater resource efficiency and recyclability as key elements of technology development
Peter Viebahn; Ole Soukup; Sascha Samadi; Jens Teubler; Klaus Wiesen; Michael Ritthoff. Assessing the need for critical minerals to shift the German energy system towards a high proportion of renewables. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2015, 49, 655 -671.
AMA StylePeter Viebahn, Ole Soukup, Sascha Samadi, Jens Teubler, Klaus Wiesen, Michael Ritthoff. Assessing the need for critical minerals to shift the German energy system towards a high proportion of renewables. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2015; 49 ():655-671.
Chicago/Turabian StylePeter Viebahn; Ole Soukup; Sascha Samadi; Jens Teubler; Klaus Wiesen; Michael Ritthoff. 2015. "Assessing the need for critical minerals to shift the German energy system towards a high proportion of renewables." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 49, no. : 655-671.
The concept Material Input per Service Unit (MIPS) was developed 20 years ago as a measure for the overall natural resource use of products and services. The material intensity analysis is used to calculate the material footprint of any economic activities in production and consumption. Environmental assessment has developed extensive databases for life cycle inventories, which can additionally be adopted for material intensity analysis. Based on practical experience in measuring material footprints on the micro level, this paper presents the current state of research and methodology development: it shows the international discussions on the importance of accounting methodologies to measure progress in resource efficiency. The MIPS approach is presented and its micro level application for assessing value chains, supporting business management, and operationalizing sustainability strategies is discussed. Linkages to output-oriented Life Cycle Assessment as well as to Material Flow Analysis (MFA) at the macro level are pointed out. Finally we come to the conclusion that the MIPS approach provides relevant knowledge on resource and energy input at the micro level for fact-based decision-making in science, policy, business, and consumption.
Christa Liedtke; Katrin Bienge; Klaus Wiesen; Jens Teubler; Kathrin Greiff; Michael Lettenmeier; Holger Rohn. Resource Use in the Production and Consumption System—The MIPS Approach. Resources 2014, 3, 544 -574.
AMA StyleChrista Liedtke, Katrin Bienge, Klaus Wiesen, Jens Teubler, Kathrin Greiff, Michael Lettenmeier, Holger Rohn. Resource Use in the Production and Consumption System—The MIPS Approach. Resources. 2014; 3 (3):544-574.
Chicago/Turabian StyleChrista Liedtke; Katrin Bienge; Klaus Wiesen; Jens Teubler; Kathrin Greiff; Michael Lettenmeier; Holger Rohn. 2014. "Resource Use in the Production and Consumption System—The MIPS Approach." Resources 3, no. 3: 544-574.
The German government aims to obtain at least 40 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. One of the central steps to reach this target is the construction of deep sea offshore wind farms. The paper presents a material intensity analysis of the offshore wind farms “Alpha Ventus” and “Bard Offshore I” under consideration of the grid connection. An additional onshore scenario is considered for comparison. The results show that offshore wind farms have higher resource consumption than onshore farms. In general, and in respect to the resource use of other energy systems, both can be tagged as resource efficient.
Klaus Wiesen; Jens Teubler; Holger Rohn. Resource Use of Wind Farms in the German North Sea—The Example of Alpha Ventus and Bard Offshore I. Resources 2013, 2, 504 -516.
AMA StyleKlaus Wiesen, Jens Teubler, Holger Rohn. Resource Use of Wind Farms in the German North Sea—The Example of Alpha Ventus and Bard Offshore I. Resources. 2013; 2 (4):504-516.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKlaus Wiesen; Jens Teubler; Holger Rohn. 2013. "Resource Use of Wind Farms in the German North Sea—The Example of Alpha Ventus and Bard Offshore I." Resources 2, no. 4: 504-516.