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McNeil, Michael

Publications and source records attributed to McNeil, Michael.

At least 19 records

New Minimum Energy Performance Standard for Air Conditioners in Ecuador

This report provides technical assessment of a Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) Air Conditioner (AC) revision in Ecuador, and serves as the basis for stakeholder engagement as part of the regulatory development process to update the AC MEPS in Ecuador. This report can be used as guidance by policymakers in designing a well-founded, impactful MEPS program that is consistent with regional and international best practices and to highlight the energy, environmental, and economic benefits of the MEPS on users and the nation as a whole.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

South Africa’s Appliance Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling Program

Electricity consumption in South Africa comes with a hefty environmental cost to the society. For every kilowatt-hour (kWh) produced, 1 kilogram (kg) of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is emitted, 1.4 liters of water are used, and 0.37 grams of particulate emissions are released in the atmosphere. These environmental implications result from the large share of electricity produced from coal (91 percent in 2015). While planned new capacity will ramp up renewable energy, the integrated resource plan for the country still projects the share of col to be 64 percent in 2030. Energy savings provide environmental benefits as well as economic benefits. Energy efficiency standards and labeling (S&L) programs are a policy measure proven to save energy. Such programs have been implemented in many countries to remove inefficient technologies and transform markets to more efficient technologies. In this study, we describe the methodology, assumptions and results of a stock turnover modeling tool that estimates the energy savings achievable by South Africa’s S&L program in the residential sector. We show that if regulations are passed in 2020 and effective in 2021 for 10 major end-use adopting international standards best practices, 6 terawatt-hours (TWh) will be saved in 2030 and 9.5 TWh will be saved in 2040, representing a CO 2 mitigation of 3.7 megatonnes (Mt) in 2030 and 5.8 Mt in 2040, which will contribute to the South African government’s international engagement in fighting against climate change through its National Determined Contribution (NDC). Additional environmental benefits include saving of 6.5 billion liters of water in 2030, representing approximately 100 liters per capita in 2030. Air quality will also improve, as 4 kilotons (kt) of particulate emissions will be avoided, as well as 4.3 Mt of sulfur oxides (SOx) and 23 kt of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in 2030.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Coping with residential electricity demand in India’s future – How much can efficiency achieve?

The time when energy-related carbon emissions come overwhelmingly from developed countries is coming to a close. China will soon overtake the United States as the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, India also seems to be on track to experience rapid long-term economic expansion. With this growth will surely come continued massive growth in energy demand. This paper explores the dynamics of that demand growth for one sector – residential electricity – and the realistic potential for coping with it through efficiency.

Letschert, Virginie↗

Material world: forecasting household appliance ownership in a growing global economy

This paper presents a methodology for modeling residential appliance uptake as a function of macroeconomic variables, and presents forecasts of appliance diffusion through 2030 for several scenarios of economic (GDP) growth. The approach followed allows the modeler to construct a bottom­-up analysis based at the end use and the household level. It captures the appliance uptake and the saturation effect which will affect the energy demand growth in the residen­tial sector. With this approach, the modeler can also account for stock changes in technology and efficiency as a function of time.

Letschert, Virginie↗

Modeling technological change and its impact on energy savings in the U.S. iron and steel sector

We report market penetration of energy-efficient technologies can be estimated using energy optimization models that minimize cost; however, such models typically estimate the minimum cost of optimal pathways under a certain set of non-dynamic assumptions, so technology penetrations determined for the long-term do not fully respond to changing circumstances or costs. Here, investment costs of energy-efficient technologies are modeled dynamically in the Industrial Sector Energy-Efficiency Model (ISEEM) using a technological learning formula. Results from 24 energy-efficient technologies – 14 existing, 10 emerging – selected from the United States (U.S.) iron and steel sector show that when technological learning is incorporated into the model, total energy consumption of this sector is expected to decrease by 13% (180 PJ) in 2050 compared to energy consumption in a non-learning scenario. Average energy intensity of the steel production improves from 12.3 GJ/t in the non-learning scenario to 10.7 GJ/t in the learning scenario in 2050. This decrease represents a cost savings of US $1.6 billion and a carbon dioxide emissions reduction potential of 14.9 billion tonnes. In conclusion, results discussed in this paper focus on the U.S. iron and steel sector, but the proposed framework can be applied to study new technology development in any other industrial processes and regions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Prospective Evaluation of the Energy and CO 2 Emissions Impact of China’s 2010 – 2013 Efficiency Standards for Products

Since China introduced its first mandatory minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for eight major household products in 1989, its MEPS program has expanded significantly to cover nearly 60 residential, industrial and commercial products. In June of 2012, the pace of standards development for new and revised standards was further accelerated with the launch of the national “100 Energy Efficiency Standards.” Initiatives. An unprecedented 21 MEPS were adopted by China from 2012 to 2013, compared to only 7 MEPS adopted from 2010 to 2011. The Chinese MEPS program now covers 15 products in the residential sector, 15 types of commercial and office equipment, 14 types of industrial equipment and 13 lighting products, making it one of the most comprehensive MEPS program in the world. This study provides an updated prospective evaluation of the potential energy and CO 2 impact of 23 of the 28 MEPS adopted by China from 2010 to 2013. This study updates a previous analysis (Zhou et al. 2011) by quantifying the additional potential energy and CO 2 reductions from the newest standards that have been adopted since 2010. The most recent actual and projected sales, usage, and efficiency data were collected for 14 product categories covered under 23 MEPS adopted between 2010 and 2013. Three scenarios are then used to quantify the energy and CO 2 reduction potential of the one-time implementation of these 23 MEPS, including a baseline counterfactual scenario, the actual MEPS scenario and a best available technologies efficiency scenario. The setting of the baseline efficiency is crucial to determining the savings potential of the new and revised MEPS and international best available technology efficiency levels, as it reflects the market average in the absence of MEPS. For this study, the average baseline is based on either the reported 2010 market-average efficiency if sales-weighted efficiency data is available for new product MEPS and selected products with revised MEPS, or the minimum efficiency requirement of the previous MEPS for products with revised MEPS from 2010 to 2013 that do not have sales-weighted efficiency data. Using sales-weighted efficiency data for the baseline help capture market transformation that has already occurred prior to the implementation of the MEPS, and can better differentiate the savings that are attributable to MEPS. The efficiency levels of best available technologies are taken from recent reviews of international commercially available best available technologies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Benefits of creating a cross-country data framework for energy efficiency

As manufacturers now sell a similar range of consumer electronics and home appliances to major markets around the world, the task of identifying a product’s energy efficiency rating has usually been the responsibility of each country and its respective government agency. This has led to a multitude of energy efficiency testing procedures, ratings, and certifications, resulting in disparate data being captured on identical products. Furthermore, lack of consistent product identification criteria means product energy performance is not easily connected to relevant information about the product such as market availability, price or real world energy consumption. This paper presents a new data standard for reporting energy performance and related product information that can be adopted internationally. To inform the development of this standard, we explore the existing energy efficiency market data for the two example products of TVs and Room Air Conditioners. This paper discusses current/future use cases of appliance level energy efficiency data across all stakeholders, including consumers, retailers/manufacturers, global standards organizations, third party service providers, and regulatory agencies. It also explains the key benefits of moving to a common international data framework for energy efficiency, such as: 1) a centralized product information repository for comparing energy use, ratings/certifications, and pricing data 2) improved access to relevant consumer electronics and appliance data to facilitate new policy development and harmonization across markets 3) enablement of retailers and other third parties to embed actionable energy efficiency information as part of the consumer experience.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Evidence of progress. Measurement of impacts of Australia's S and L program from 1990-2010

Australia first put categorical energy efficiency labels on residential appliances in the mid-1980s, and the first Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for refrigerators was implemented in 1999. Updated in 2005, these MEPS were aligned with US 2001 levels. Considered together, these actions set Australia apart as having one of the most aggressive appliance efficiency programs in the world. For these reasons, together with good data on product sales over time, Australia represents a potentially fruitful case study for understanding the dynamics energy efficiency standards and labeling (EES and L) programs impacts on appliance markets. This analysis attempts to distinguish between the impacts of labeling alone as opposed to MEPS, and to probe the time-dependency of such impacts. Fortunately, in the Australian case, detailed market sales data and a comprehensive registration system provides a solid basis for the empirical evaluation of these questions. This paper analyzes Australian refrigerator efficiency data covering the years 1993-2009. Sales data was purchased from a commercial market research organization (in this case, the GfK Group) and includes sales and average price in each year for each appliance model – this can be used to understand broader trends by product class and star rating category, even where data is aggregated. Statistical regression analysis is used to model market introduction and adoption of high efficiency refrigerators according to logistic adoption model formalism, and parameterizes the way in which the Australian programs accelerated adoption of high-efficiency products and phased out others. Through this analysis, the paper presents a detailed, robust and quantitative picture of the impacts of EES and L in the Australian case, but also demonstrates a methodology of the evaluation of program impacts that could form the basis of an international evaluation framework for similar programs in other countries.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Evidence of Progress - Measurement of Impacts of Australia's S&L Program from 1990-2010

Australia first put categorical energy efficiency labels on residential appliances in the mid-1980s, and the first Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for refrigerators was implemented in 1999. Updated in 2005, these MEPS were aligned with US 2001 levels. Considered together, these actions set Australia apart as having one of the most aggressive appliance efficiency programs in the world. For these reasons, together with good data on product sales over time, Australia represents a potentially fruitful case study for understanding the dynamics energy efficiency standards and labeling (EES&L) programs impacts on appliance markets. This analysis attempts to distinguish between the impacts of labeling alone as opposed to MEPS, and to probe the time-dependency of such impacts. Fortunately, in the Australian case, detailed market sales data and a comprehensive registration system provides a solid basis for the empirical evaluation of these questions. This paper analyzes Australian refrigerator efficiency data covering the years 1993-2009. Sales data was purchased from a commercial market research organization (in this case, the GfK Group) and includes sales and average price in each year for each appliance model; this can be used to understand broader trends by product class and star rating category, even where data is aggregated. Statistical regression analysis is used to model market introduction and adoption of high efficiency refrigerators according to logistic adoption model formalism, and parameterizes the way in which the Australian programs accelerated adoption of high-efficiency products and phased out others. Through this analysis, the paper presents a detailed, robust and quantitative picture of the impacts of EES&L in the Australian case, but also demonstrates a methodology of the evaluation of program impacts that could form the basis of an international evaluation framework for similar programs in other countries.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

The Benefits of Creating a Cross-Country Data Framework for Energy Efficiency

As manufacturers now sell a similar range of consumer electronics and home appliances to major markets around the world, the task of identifying a product?s energy efficiency rating has usually been the responsibility of each country and its respective government agency. This has led to a multitude of energy efficiency testing procedures, ratings, and certifications, resulting in disparate data being captured on identical products. Furthermore, lack of consistent product identification criteria means product energy performance is not easily connected to relevant information about the product such as market availability, price or real world energy consumption. This paper presents a new data standard for reporting energy performance and related product information that can be adopted internationally. To inform the development of this standard, we explore the existing energy efficiency market data for the two example products of TVs and Room Air Conditioners. This paper discusses current/future use cases of appliance level energy efficiency data across all stakeholders, including consumers, retailers/manufacturers, global standards organizations, third party service providers, and regulatory agencies. It also explains the key benefits of moving to a common international data framework for energy efficiency, such as: 1) a centralized product information repository for comparing energy use, ratings/certifications, and pricing data 2) improved access to relevant consumer electronics and appliance data to facilitate new policy development and harmonization across markets 3) enablement of retailers and other third parties to embed actionable energy efficiency information as part of the consumer experience.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Estimate of Technical Potential for Minimum Efficiency Performance Standards in 13 Major World Economies

As part of the ongoing effort to estimate the foreseeable impacts of aggressive minimum efficiency performance standards (MEPS) programs in the world’s major economies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has developed a scenario to analyze the technical potential of MEPS in 13 major economies around the world1 . The “best available technology” (BAT) scenario seeks to determine the maximum potential savings that would result from diffusion of the most efficient available technologies in these major economies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Peak CO2? China's Emissions Trajectories to 2050

As a result of soaring energy demand from a staggering pace of economic growth and the related growth of energy-intensive industry, China overtook the United States to become the world's largest contributor to CO{sub 2} emissions in 2007. At the same time, China has taken serious actions to reduce its energy and carbon intensity by setting both short-term energy intensity reduction goal for 2006 to 2010 as well as long-term carbon intensity reduction goal for 2020. This study focuses on a China Energy Outlook through 2050 that assesses the role of energy efficiency policies in transitioning China to a lower emission trajectory and meeting its intensity reduction goals. In the past years, LBNL has established and significantly enhanced the China End-Use Energy Model based on the diffusion of end-use technologies and other physical drivers of energy demand. This model presents an important new approach for helping understand China's complex and dynamic drivers of energy consumption and implications of energy efficiency policies through scenario analysis. A baseline ('Continued Improvement Scenario') and an alternative energy efficiency scenario ('Accelerated Improvement Scenario') have been developed to assess the impact of actions already taken by the Chinese government as well as planned and potential actions, and to evaluate the potential for China to control energy demand growth and mitigate emissions. It is a common belief that China's CO{sub 2} emissions will continue to grow throughout this century and will dominate global emissions. The findings from this research suggest that this will not likely be the case because of saturation effects in appliances, residential and commercial floor area, roadways, railways, fertilizer use, and urbanization will peak around 2030 with slowing population growth. The baseline and alternative scenarios also demonstrate that the 2020 goals can be met and underscore the significant role that policy-driven energy efficiency improvements will play in carbon mitigation along with a decarbonized power supply through greater renewable and non-fossil fuel generation.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Strategies for Low Carbon Growth In India: Industry and Non Residential Sectors

This report analyzed the potential for increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the non-residential building and the industrial sectors in India. The first two sections describe the research and analysis supporting the establishment of baseline energy consumption using a bottom up approach for the non residential sector and for the industry sector respectively. The third section covers the explanation of a modeling framework where GHG emissions are projected according to a baseline scenario and alternative scenarios that account for the implementation of cleaner technology.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗