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    	<title>CE Delft - Klimaatbeleid</title>
		<copyright>Copyright (c) 2012, CE Delft</copyright>
		<link>http://www.ce.nl/ce/rapporten/114/</link>
        <atom:link href="http://www.ce.nlindex.php?go=home.showRapportenRSS&amp;pagenr=122" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<language>nl</language>
		<description>CE Delft Rich Site Summary</description>
		<webMaster>webmaster@ce.nl (Webmaster)</webMaster>
		        
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			<title><![CDATA[Moving towards a 30% carbon reduction target in the EUEconomic impacts in Slovakia]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/moving_towards_a_30%25_carbon_reduction_target_in_the_eu%3Cbr%3Eeconomic_impacts_in_slovakia/1187</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/moving_towards_a_30%25_carbon_reduction_target_in_the_eu%3Cbr%3Eeconomic_impacts_in_slovakia/1187</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[In this study we perform a quantitative economic analysis of the impacts on the Slovak economy of the EU tightening its climate target from a 20 to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 as compared to 1990. The main aim of the study is to assess the costs and benefits of meeting a more stringent climate target accruing to different players in the Slovakian economy, with a sectoral breakdown of these costs. Using statistical data (Slovstat, EU ETS Registry) and forecasts (PRIMES/GAINS), a broad macro-economic analysis was performed to assess the likely impacts not only on the electricity and industrial sectors but also on welfare more generally, including budgetary revenues and benefits accruing from abatement of associated pollutant emissions.

The overall conclusion is that the -30% target can be met without any additional direct costs to the Slovak economy. The direct costs are approximately the same as under a 20% target. The modelling effort in this study indicate that overall the -30% policy target for 2020 is about &amp;euro; 5 million cheaper than the -20% target. The higher abatement costs under a -30% scenario are mitigated by greater fuel savings in industry and the electricity sector, higher auction revenues for the government and the higher value of the substantial amount of banked credits that companies hold. In this way, the direct costs and direct benefits of the -30% scenario exactly outweigh each other.

This study identified a number of substantial indirect benefits associated with the -30% target. The required additional investment of &amp;euro; 0.7 billion between 2009 and 2020 could raise GDP by about 0.7% in 2020. Other additional benefits anticipated are improved air quality and a reduction of dependency on fuel imports. Although industry will be faced with higher costs, these are most likely to be passed through to consumers. This will result in a loss in market share for industry. It appears that the loss in value added by energy-intensive sectors more or less equals the benefits accruing from higher investments.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:24:41 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Marginal land use changes for varying biofuels volumes]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/marginal_land_use_changes_for_varying_biofuels_volumes/1108</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/marginal_land_use_changes_for_varying_biofuels_volumes/1108</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This report reflects on the RED-induced biofuels policies of individual EU member states in light of the recently produced EU studies on ILUC and in light of practical aspects such as (agricultural) feedstocks availability and fuel quality restrictions for blending of biofuels. It concludes that member states&amp;rsquo; biofuels policies and ambitions appear rather inefficient and focused on a suboptimal biofuels blend.

The National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) of the individual EU member states indicate that the range of biofuels that will be applied in 2020 will consist for at least 1/3 but probably up to &amp;frac12; of biodiesel. Bio-ethanol will make up approximately &amp;frac14; of the total mix, with waste-based biofuels and renewable electricity making up the rest. This deviates significantly from the &amp;frac12; bio-ethanol, &amp;frac12; biodiesel blend considered in the IFPRI study currently used by the EU Commission as the principal source of information on the indirect land use change (ILUC) induced by EU biofuels policy.

Based on RED and recent ILUC studies the anticipated mix of biofuels will yield an estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction of 6-17 Mt CO2 eq./a, deriving mainly from utilization of waste-based biofuels and renewable electricity and to a lesser extent from sugar-crop-based bio-ethanol. However, in contrast to the overall picture, the utilisation of oilseed-based biodiesel will probably give a net increase in GHG emissions owing to ILUC-related emissions of these gases. It is uncertain, moreover, whether there are sufficient rapeseed feedstocks for biodiesel available on the global oilseeds market to realize the projected volumes of 1st generation biofuels.

The above conclusion may serve as a guide for adjusting EU biofuels policy and further specifying the terms thereof. In this respect the EU might follow the example of the Swedish government, whose biofuels policy focuses on the use of biogas, bio-ethanol and diesel substitutes based on residues from chemical pulp production. Sugarbeet may be a land-extensive European alternative to tropical sugarcane.&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:53:20 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Improvements in the petroleum chainImproving the energy efficiency of the petroleum chain, outside refineries]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/improvements_in_the_petroleum_chain%3Cbr%3Eimproving_the_energy_efficiency_of_the_petroleum_chain%2C_outside_refineries/1107</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/improvements_in_the_petroleum_chain%3Cbr%3Eimproving_the_energy_efficiency_of_the_petroleum_chain%2C_outside_refineries/1107</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[In this study we identify ways in which the energy efficiency of the petroleum industry production chain can be improved in the Netherlands, outside refineries. The study was carried out in the framework of the Long-Term Agreement on Energy Efficiency for EU ETS industries (the so-called &amp;lsquo;MEE-covenant&amp;rsquo;) at the request of the VNPI with support from Agentschap NL.

To this end the scope for energy-saving during storage, transhipment and transport of the crude oil and petroleum products was investigated. The study also considered the potential for renewable energy generation at tank and storage facilities, heat and CO2 supply from refineries and use of biomass at refineries.

The greatest abatement potential was found to lie with CO2 and heat supply from refineries and use of biomass in refining processes. In other processing steps the scope for efficiency improvement may be as much as several dozen per cent of specific energy consumption, but over the entire chain this potential is limited. It is recommended to elaborate the Top 3 measures further and examine the scope for implementing them in&amp;nbsp; greater detail.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Dec 2010 08:58:07 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Economic science and perspectives for action: more than an energy tax!]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/economic_science_and_perspectives_for_action%3A_more_than_an_energy_tax%21/1183</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/economic_science_and_perspectives_for_action%3A_more_than_an_energy_tax%21/1183</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[The Matrix is a multi-year transdisciplinary project initiated in the Netherlands as part of the &amp;lsquo;Climate changes spatial planning&amp;rsquo; programme. Its aim is to develop perspectives for action on climate change in a collaborative effort involving climate scientists, economists, spatial planners and social scientists. CE Delft is responsible for the project&amp;rsquo;s economic component. In this essay Sander de Bruyn looks at the various ways in which the economic sciences impinge on the climate issue.&amp;nbsp;

There is no denying that the economic sciences provide useful perspectives on climate change (cast-ing it as unaccounted damage, say), as well as to creation of concrete (policy) instruments like emis-sions trading. At the same time, though, they also spawn doubts and confusion about the need to in-tervene in the market process in order to avoid dangerous climate change. Much of this confusion arises because economists engage first and foremost with the question of whether climate policy is indeed desirable, to be answered in terms of whether or not the costs of market intervention exceed the benefits of reduced global warming. Economic science is unable to answer this question with any true accuracy, however, because climate change plays out in the (very) long term and economics is equipped above all to explain social phenomena ex post, not predict them. Any cost-benefit analysis of climate change simply skates over the major uncertainties surrounding numerous key issues, such as regional price and income trends across the world one hundred years hence.

When the power of economics as a descriptive science is brought to bear on the climate issue, it is immediately apparent that the costs of mitigation are in all likelihood being underestimated. That the problem of climate change can be technologically resolved at acceptable cost is the general message of the Stern Review, among other reports. In practice, though, climate change is not a technological but a social issue, characterised by complexity. Besides traditional market failures &amp;ndash; which mean that climate damage is insufficiently priced, if at all &amp;ndash; there are also government failures, which occur at two levels. In the first place, international negotiations will not yield the desired results as long as there remains a glaring imbalance between the wealthier nations, where the greatest impact will be expendi-ture on mitigation, and the poorer countries, which will bear the brunt of the actual damage as climate change unfolds. Secondly, the interconnectedness of trade and capital on a global scale has put nu-merous constraints on the scope for governments in wealthier countries to pursue effective climate policy. 

Given all these limitations, economic science should adopt a more modest approach, restricting itself to designing mechanisms that reduce to a minimum the failures of both markets and governments. 

The essay concludes by presenting three perspectives for action, three unorthodox strategies with the capacity to minimise the outlined failures. Internationally &amp;ndash; at the European level, for example &amp;ndash; agreement could be sought on creating a Carbon Added Tax (CAT) which, like Value Added Tax (VAT), would tax carbon on the consumer rather than the producer side, as is the case today. This would remove any incentive for producers to relocate outside Europe and thus shirk their responsibility for reducing global carbon emissions. Nationally &amp;ndash; in the Netherlands, say &amp;ndash; consideration might be given to extending the scope for climate compensation. If such compensation is increasingly accepted as the standard of the day, by corporations and citizens alike, and if the procedures involved are im-proved and extended (to include geo-engineering options, say), this could provide a bottom-up means of steering society in a sustainable, carbon-neutral direction. Thirdly, at the local level more thought should be given to more socially desirable forms of development, on residential or industrial estates, for example. Here there is potential for making car travel and other energy-intensive behaviour less attractive without the government evolving into a &amp;lsquo;nanny state&amp;rsquo;, as some would fear.
&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:39:22 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[BUBE: Better Use of Biomass for EnergyBackground Report to the Position Paper of IEA REDT and IEA Bioenergy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/bube%3A_better_use_of_biomass_for_energy%3Cbr%3Ebackground_report_to_the_position_paper_of_iea_redt_and_iea_bioenergy/1104</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/bube%3A_better_use_of_biomass_for_energy%3Cbr%3Ebackground_report_to_the_position_paper_of_iea_redt_and_iea_bioenergy/1104</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This report aims to provide a document that gives guidance on the issue of biomass energy policies in OECD countries. How can the use of biomass for energy be improved, in order to make better use of sustainable biomass potential and increase the positive and reduce the negative impacts?&amp;nbsp;

The first step in the biomass-to-energy chain is supply and production of the biomass. These processes can be improved by various means, in particular by improving domestic supply and trade and reducing the environmental impact of biomass production. The use of land for bioenergy crop cultivation and any associated land use changes are key to the environmental performance of bioenergy, its socio-economic impacts and competition with food and feed. The second step is conversion and use. The key issues for improving these steps in the biomass-to-bioenergy chain are improving the efficiency of conversion and use and using low-carbon auxiliary energy sources in the processes. To support policy-makers in their efforts to improve policies related to biomass for energy, the report also provides a list of criteria for better use of biomass for this purpose.

This study was jointly commissioned by IEA RETD and IEA Bioenergy. The main conclusions and messages from this project were published in a joint IEA RETD and IEA Bioenergy Position Paper and presented at the COP15 in December 2009. This paper can be downloaded here and at www.iea-retd.org.


&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:17:30 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Technological developments in EuropeA long-term view of CO2 efficient manufacturing in the European region]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/technological_developments_in_europe%3Cbr%3Ea_long-term_view_of_co2_efficient_manufacturing_in_the_european_region/1098</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/technological_developments_in_europe%3Cbr%3Ea_long-term_view_of_co2_efficient_manufacturing_in_the_european_region/1098</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[To achieve significant CO2 reductions, technological innovation is crucial. In this exploratory study, commissioned by CAN Europe, CE Delft identifies whether innovations under development in the European steel, cement and paper sectors can be expected to yield 80-95% CO2 emission reductions in 2050, which is the EU long-term climate goal. Attention is paid to measures relating to energy use, alterations to production processes and use of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Based on the available information, several promising technologies with respect to CO2 efficiency have been identified in these sectors. They seem to have the potential to produce significantly lower CO2 emissions per unit of product compared to the current average production plant in Europe.

Most of these technologies are currently in pilot stages of technological development and are expected to become commercially available between 2020 and 2030. In the future, there may be other promising technologies that are not currently under serious development, such as electrolysis in the steel sector and innovative drying techniques in the paper industry. For successful implementation of the identified technologies, it is necessary for policy-makers to:

    Stimulate further technical development, for instance by providing additional R&amp;amp;D funds.&amp;nbsp;
    Create market conditions with a preference for low CO2 emission technologies, by appropriate design of the EU ETS, among other ways.

Finally, most technologies rely heavily on CCS, which raises a priority issue. Since there seem to be limited storage locations meeting safety requirements, the question is whether these should be reserved for use by industry rather than the energy sector (coal), where alternative CO2 abatement options appear to be available.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:35:50 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Does the energy intensive industry obtain windfall profits through the EU ETS?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/does_the_energy_intensive_industry_obtain_windfall_profits_through_the_eu_ets/1038</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/does_the_energy_intensive_industry_obtain_windfall_profits_through_the_eu_ets/1038</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Emission trading schemes belong to the most efficient and effective policy options to achieve a given emission reduction target. In an emission trading system, each source of pollution gets a certain amount allowances that give the &amp;lsquo;right&amp;rsquo; to emit one unit of pollution. By reducing the amount of allowances issued, the system can achieve emission reductions among its participants. By allowing the allowances to be traded on an organized exchange, the market assures that these reductions are achieved at the least possible cost for participants.

In theory, the efficiency of the system is achieved regardless of the initial allocation method. Allocation methods most often considered are auctioning and free allocation. Because free allocation impacts less on the costs for companies, it is believed to be a better system in the context of unilateral climate policies. Through free allocation, companies face less cost disadvantages compared to producers that do not fall under a climate policy regime. Free allocation would therefore have less distortive impacts on trade and economic growth - allowing EU producers to compete at lower price levels than would be possible under an auctioning regime.

However, this belief in the benefits of free allocation crucially hinges on the assumption that companies do not pass through the opportunity costs of their freely obtained allowances in the product prices. If they would pass through the market value of the freely obtained allowances, product prices would rise and the impacts on trade and competitiveness of a system of free allocation would be similar to that of auctioning. The only effect of free allocation would then be that companies gain windfall profits through the emission trading system and income from citizens will be transferred to business. This would be a particularly unfavourable outcome in the European context, where free allocation is presented as a solution towards carbon leakage. 

Economic theory tells us that companies will pass through the costs of the freely obtained allowances in most circumstances &amp;ndash; even if this will bring them a competitive disadvantage to producers not due to climate policies. According to economic theory, companies are profit-maximizing institutions that prefer profitability on invested capital over maintaining market shares. If passing through the opportunity costs in product prices can enhance their profitability, they will do so even if this would bring them some harm in terms of loss of market shares, as long as the additional profits do outweigh the additional costs. How much the firms will be able to pass the costs on depends on market structure and on elasticity of demand and supply. Theoretical analysis shows that typically, assuming linear demand and supply curves, the firms will be able to pass from 50% of increase in marginal costs due to the EU ETS (under the monopoly) to a 100% (under perfect competition). How much the increase in marginal costs reflects the carbon price depends on elasticity of supply and demand. Assuming non-linear demand and supply curves implies different rules and a possibility to pass on more than a 100% of additional costs due to the EU ETS. 

We have tested the hypothesis that energy intensive companies did not pass through the costs of their freely obtained allowances during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the European emission trading system the EU ETS. The EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) was launched in 2005 to cap CO2 emissions from large industrial facilities and electricity producers. Covering over 10,000 installations, it is the largest international emission trading system in the world. During Phase 1 (from 2005-2007) and Phase 2 (from 2008 till 2012), allowances were issued for free to the energy intensive industries in all member countries. The question is whether the value of these free allowances have been forwarded in the price of EU products, signalling windfall profits, or that EU producers did not do that. 

This is investigated using econometric methods stemming from the concept of co-integration and market integration. The idea is that several dependencies exist between EU and non-EU markets through the prices of inputs in production processes and the prices of outputs on the various markets. If, for instance, prices of iron ores increase in Asia, they are likely to start to increase in Europe as well. This will put an upward pressure on the price of steel in both Europe and Asia. If Asian steel prices increase due to local shortages, this will also put an upward pressure on European steel prices as a larger portion of European steel will be shipped to Asia. In this system of market dependencies, it can then be investigated if the price of an emission allowance at the European ETS market is a significant variable for the variation in prices between EU and non-EU products over time. 

A standardized estimation procedure was developed (co-developed and reviewed by three independent econometricians) in order to come up with robust outcomes (and preventing data mining and spurious outcomes). This estimation procedure was subsequently applied to a few selected products from the iron and steel, refineries and (petro)-chemical industries. For these products, prices were compared between the EU and the US and it was investigated to what extent European prices were influenced by price developments on the EU ETS markets. 

The outcomes of the econometric analyses show that for most products a significant influence of the EUA prices on the European product prices can be found. For products from the refineries sectors (gasoil, diesel and gasoline) a quite direct influence can be found. Within two weeks are higher prices on the EU ETS markets translated into higher prices on the German markets for diesel and gasoline. For gasoil traded in Rotterdam an immediate price increasing effect from CO2 prices can be found. For the products of the iron and steel sectors (hot and cold rolled coil), a significant influence of CO2 prices can be found after one month, while for polyethylene, polystyrene and polyvinylchloride a delayed influence from 3-8 weeks can be found. 

The cost-pass-through rates from the econometric estimations show that for products of the refineries sector full cost-pass-through rates are likely. The econometric results even suggest that more than 100% of the costs were passed through, but this cannot be stated with certainty. For both steel varieties, the cost-pass-through was close to 100%. The same value was found for polyvinylchloride and polyethylene. For polystyrene the cost-pass-through rate was significant but much lower at 33%. 

These results cannot be directly interpreted in amount of windfall profits, as we have no information on the individual emissions stemming from producing these products. However, if the full cost-pass-through rates would prevail for all products in the refineries and iron and steel sectors, it can be calculated that the total amount of windfall profits would equal &amp;euro; 14 billion between 2005 and 2008. This implies a substantial transfer of money from consumers to the energy intensive industry. 

This research hence results in the conclusion that there is ample evidence that the energy intensive industry has passed through the prices of their freely obtained allowances during Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the EU ETS. This has generated windfall profits in these sectors. The cost price increase is identical as it would have been under an auctioning regime but without the possibility that governments would have to compensate consumers by recycling auction revenues. Politicians seem to have underestimated the potential of windfall profits in exposed sectors and have believed overall the claims of industry that additional costs cannot be passed through. The higher prices on the EU markets may have stimulated imports from non-EU producers but this was not quantitatively assessed in this study. The results, however, do point at the suggestion that free allocation falls short of its intentional goals: to prevent carbon leakage. Under free allocation both windfall profits and carbon leakage may be stimulated.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 11:47:02 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Trade Exposure of Energy Intensive Sectors]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/trade_exposure_of_energy_intensive_sectors/1028</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/trade_exposure_of_energy_intensive_sectors/1028</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This report analyses the source and destination of trade flows between EU and non-EU countries with respect to eight industrial sectors, combining these insights with an analysis of the political pledges made during the Copenhagen negotiations last December to assess the risk of carbon leakage due to EU climate policies. Our analysis shows that much of EU trade is with countries that already have climate policies in place. As these major trading partners can be expected to adopt similarly stringent climate policies to the EU, carbon emissions may be assigned a price in these markets, too, thus reducing or eliminating the risk of carbon leakage. This should be duly corrected for in trade intensities.

If the EU adopts a 30% emission reduction target, trade with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, Brazil and Mexico will need to be excluded from the calculation of trade intensities, as these countries will adopt comparable climate policies. The average downward correction of trade intensities is then 3%. If the EU eventually decides to adopt a 20% reduction scenario, trade flows with Russia, Canada and the USA should also be excluded, as these countries will then have policies of similar stringency. In that case the average downward correction of trade intensities is 8.5%. &amp;nbsp;

These findings have direct consequences for the allocation mechanism for certain sectors which will then no longer receive free emission allowances as they no longer qualify for being &amp;lsquo;exposed&amp;rsquo; to international competition. A list of sectors is provided in the report. At the same time, though, those sectors that are expected to face large cost increases (&amp;gt;5%) as a result of the EU ETS will still be eligible for free allocation.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:36:48 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Cost allocation under the EU ETS]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/cost_allocation_under_the_eu_ets/1064</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/cost_allocation_under_the_eu_ets/1064</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[After 2012, the third Phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) comes into place that lasts until 2020. New to this system is the European harmonized allocation of rights. In addition, a larger part of the rights will be auctioned. For the Netherlands the third Phase of EU ETS implies that emissions of companies under the EU ETS have to be reduced by 21% compared to 2005. This results in cost increases. Companies have to reduce their emissions by means of investing in technical measures or buy allowances on the market. Also the cost of inputs may rise, such as electricity used in production processes.

This study, commissioned by the Ministry of Finance, addresses the question who in the end will pay for these higher costs: is that consumers, governments or businesses? This study focuses primarily on direct costs. Indirect effects and costs (such as changes in sales, employment or income from the corporation for the government) are not included in this study. The study takes a quantitative stand in assessing these costs using econometric and statistical techniques.
The analyses in this study show that CO2 emissions of Dutch plants under the EU ETS are expected to decrease to 68 Mton in 2020. About half of the 68 Mton rights that will be allocated in 2020 will be auctioned&amp;nbsp;- the other half will be distributed for free. Auctioning takes place almost exclusively for electricity generation. Only 2% of industrial emissions are expected to fall under an auction regime, especially in some subsectors of the food industry and the paper industry.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:58:43 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Amsterdam Energy Transition 2040 ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/amsterdam_energy_transition_2040_/1080</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/amsterdam_energy_transition_2040_/1080</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[To engender a transition to sustainable energy systems the municipality of Amsterdam has elaborated an 'Energy Strategy 2040' describing the main routes by which this can be achieved in each of the sectors concerned. The document thus provides input for the city&amp;rsquo;s 'structural vision' document for 2040.

The Energy Strategy is set out in terms of CO2 emission cuts, in part because climate policy is one of the strategy&amp;rsquo;s cornerstones, though certainly not the only one. Among other key elements are social and economic policies. This is because policies to boost energy efficiency and encourage sustainable forms of power generation also require attention to acceptable variable housing costs and security of supply. In addition, policies on building insulation, efficient in-house installations and renewable energy sources like solar cells and wind turbines will have a major impact on regional employment as well as stimulating industrial innovation.

This means the Energy Strategy for 2040 is also an example of forward-looking social and economic policy. In adopting this strategy Amsterdam has chosen to be a front-runner, showing what is feasible and that it is feasible, with an appeal to citizens, industry and other government agencies to follow its lead. The local authority itself is setting a good example by striving for 100% climate-neutrality in 2015.&amp;nbsp;]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:11:44 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Better Use of Biomass for Energy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/better_use_of_biomass_for_energy/1059</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/better_use_of_biomass_for_energy/1059</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[What are the opportunities for bio-energy to achieve greenhouse gas reduction? Which opportunities offers bio-energy in a sustainable optimum use? These are the key questions in a study whose results are presented during the climate summit in Copenhagen. The conclusion is that there is a large number of possibilities for better use of biomass for energy both on the supply side and production of biomass and also in the conversion to a finished product (electricity, heat, transport, etc.).
Clients of this study were the International Energy Agency (IEA) Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (retd) and IEA Bio-energy. 
The study was conducted in cooperation with the &amp;Ouml;ko Institut, AIDEnvironment and the Clingendael International Energy Program. Shortly, the background document will be published. 
You can download the Position Paper en de Presentation presented on the Copenhage summit.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:16:19 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Impacts on Dutch industry from sharpening the EU CO2 target from -20 to -30%]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/impacts_on_dutch_industry_from_sharpening_the_eu_co2_target_from_-20_to_-30%25/1020</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/impacts_on_dutch_industry_from_sharpening_the_eu_co2_target_from_-20_to_-30%25/1020</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This study presents an analysis into the consequences of the costs for industry in the Netherlands of moving within the EU from a CO2 reduction target of -20 to -30%. Three scenarios have been formulated with respect to the input of CDM and the associated price developments in the EU ETS market. In these scenarios the impacts of the financial crisis have been taken into account. These three scenarios have been analyzed with respect to the potential costs for industry of complying with EU ETS. We distinguished both the direct costs of complying with EU ETS and the costs of increased electricity-inputs. It appears that the highest additional cost increases occur for the cement industry, the aluminum industry and the inorganic chemicals. These sectors have little opportunities to reduce emissions or electricity demand. The aluminium and inorganic chemical industry mainly suffer from the higher electricity prices, while the cement sector will be a net buyer of allowances. Some sectors, e.g. refineries and fertilizer, may profit from the more strict emission regime as they have opportunities to reduce their emissions at lower costs and become net sellers of emission credits. The costs presented here are gross cost price increases. However, part of these costs will be passed on to the consumers - this has not been taken into account in this study. Earlier research indicated that about half of the additional costs of EU ETS may be passed on to the consumers. . 
&amp;nbsp;
The total sum of costs were estimated at 0.4 billion annually in 2020 under the -20% target (less than 0.1% of GDP). For the target of -30% and no additional use of CDM, these costs will increase to about 0.2% of GDP.&amp;nbsp; Hence additional costs of more ambitious targets are estimated to be low.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 27 Apr 2010 10:29:24 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) in North Africa ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/concentrating_solar_power_%28csp%29_in_north_africa_/982</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/concentrating_solar_power_%28csp%29_in_north_africa_/982</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[CE Delft has investigated the scope for developing Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) in North Africa and the potential for delivering the output to the Europe. 

The findings were as follows. In technical terms CSP is a proven technology and 
North Africa is excellently placed as a region to develop it. There is sufficient potential for distributing renewably sourced power from here to the countries of the EU. As yet, though, the Dutch government&amp;rsquo;s focus in developing renewable energy is firmly within the country&amp;rsquo;s own territory (as with onshore and offshore wind power and solar cells). When it comes to developing CSP, Dutch industries still show a preference for the south of Europe rather than North Africa. 

Meanwhile, however, twelve major European companies have announced their intention to invest around &amp;euro; 400 billion in creating the infrastructure and capacity for generating solar power in North Africa. CE Delft sees opportunities for the Netherlands &amp;ndash; government, knowledge institutes and industry &amp;ndash; to respond to these developments and contribute to the sustainable development of North African nations, exploiting the opportunities that CSP brings with it in this particular region.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:48:10 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Second IMO GHG Study 2009 ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/second_imo_ghg_study_2009_/942</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/second_imo_ghg_study_2009_/942</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Shipping currently accounts for 3.2% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions and its emissions are forecasted to increase 2-3 fold until 2050. While a significant potential exists to increase the efficiency of ships and thus reduce emissions, much of this potential is left untapped because of a lack of adequate incentives. The introduction of a global emissions trading scheme for shipping or a global emissions levy would provide the right incentive to make shipping contribute to the solution of the climate problem.

This report provides a full overview of climate issues for maritime transport. It shows:
- Past, current and future CO2 emissions of shipping.
- Current and future climate impact of shipping.
- A comprehensive list of technical and operational measures to reduce emissions.
- The costs and abatement potential of these options.
- An assessment of policies to reduce the climate impact of shipping.

The report has been written by a consortium led by MARINTEK for the IMO. CE Delft was responsible for assessing costs and potential of technical and operational options to reduce emissions and for the policy evaluation. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:13:23 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[New energy for the fishing industry ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/new_energy_for_the_fishing_industry_/943</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/new_energy_for_the_fishing_industry_/943</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Background
Fishing vessels, notably the large North Sea trawlers that fish for plaice and sole, gasoline guzzlers. One way to curb their fuel consumption &amp;ndash; both for financial and energy transition/climate reasons &amp;ndash; is to use alternative energy sources. This report, which was commissioned by InnovationNetwork, explores the opportunities for generating various forms of energy on board. The result is a number of promising options that could be developed further. Clearly, there are other options for reducing fuel consumption, such as alternative fishing techniques, but these were not examined in this report.


Wind
Until the advent of steamships and motorized vessels, wind was the main source of energy in the fishing industry. Modern fishing techniques, however, rely on the greater power generated by the engines of today, so a straightforward return to traditional sailing ships is not possible.
Besides traditional sails, other techniques for harvesting wind energy include the kite, the Flettner rotor and the wind turbine. The kite appears to be the most promising option in the mid-term, while sails too may prove viable. In the longer term the Flettner rotor may also become interesting. Kites and Flettner rotors can probably be fitted with only minimal modifications to the ship&amp;rsquo;s design. All three options can in principle make a significant contribution to the propulsion of the vessel.

Sun
Solar energy can be harnessed with solar panels. This is an already known technology that is still undergoing further development. It is applied on a very small scale on ships. Given the currently high costs and low potential, this technology does not seem immediately suitable. Another solar energy option is Concentrated Solar Power, where mirrors are used to concentrate sunlight. However, the constant motion of the ship rules out the on-board application of this technology at the present moment.

Water
Energy can also be extracted from water, e.g. from tides and waves17(*). Existing ideas for harnessing the movement of water on board are still in their infancy. These are long-term options and further research is necessary to quantify their potential and develop the technologies.

Other energy sources
Two technologies that come under none of the above headings involve generating energy from gravity and from water discharges. The gravity option involves storing the energy released when nets are lowered; with the water discharge option, small turbines are placed in the conduits for discharging water. The potential of both technologies is limited, but they
have the advantage of only requiring minor modifications on board the fishing vessels.

Which options are recommended?
All technologies were tested against two criteria:
1. Can they generate a significant amount of energy?
2. Are they practicable solutions for application on board beam trawlers?
In addition, we looked at the time scale within which the technologies
could be made available to the fishing industry. Some of the technologies
are immediately available, some are still being developed, and some are still
in their infancy.

We conclude that the following options could lead to significant fuel savings
and thus help to achieve InnovationNetwork&amp;rsquo;s objective:
- Sail (medium to long term).
- Kite (medium term).
- Flettner rotor (long term).

The kite probably offers the best opportunities in the medium term, so the
advice is to explore this option further and to see whether a pilot project can
be carried out. The two other alternatives, notably sail, also seem promising
in the longer term and merit further research.

The following options probably have a fairly limited potential, but the
uncertainties over their potential and practicability are still substantial:
- Energy from water movement (long term).
- Energy from vessel movement (long term).

(*) Another technology for generating energy from sea water is to make use of differences in temperature between deep and surface water. However, the differences in temperature in the North Sea are too small for this.
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:18:53 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[GHG reduction in transport: an expensive option?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/ghg_reduction_in_transport%3A_an_expensive_option/999</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/ghg_reduction_in_transport%3A_an_expensive_option/999</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[On behalf of the Joint Transport Research Centre Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies for the Transport Sector (which is part of OECD&amp;rsquo;s International Transport Forum), CE Delft has examined abatement costs for measures in the transport sector compared to costs in other sectors. 
A series of large studies on GHG abatement costs has been investigated, especially in the EU, the USA and on a global level. These show that, compared to other sectors, the transport sector has a significant reduction potential available at negative abatement costs. Especially for the longer term (2030) the total reduction potential with GHG abatement costs below e.g. 20 or 40 &amp;euro;/ton CO2 eq. is not only a significant share of the total emissions of the transport sector, but also substantial in absolute terms compared to reduction potentials available in the same cost range in other sectors. Compared to other sectors technical measures in the transport sector do tend to require relatively large up-front capital investments per tonne of GHG reduction.
The review presented in this report has also provided a range of insights regarding methodological and other aspects that influence the outcome and comparability of GHG abatement cost estimates. Given the inherent uncertainties in (ex ante) technology cost estimates and the impact of parameter variations, abatement cost figures should not be expected to have much more than a single digit accuracy. This means that only the order of magnitude (is it -10, 0, 10, 25 or 100 &amp;euro;/tonne) can be considered significant or meaningful.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:17:49 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Evaluation of the Dutch Environment ministry's 'climate standards']]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/evaluation_of_the_dutch_environment_ministrys_climate_standards/964</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/evaluation_of_the_dutch_environment_ministrys_climate_standards/964</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[One of the ways in which the Dutch government can effectuate &amp;lsquo;climate compensation&amp;rsquo; is to purchase voluntary emission reduction (VER) credits, and in this context it is important there are guarantees as to the soundness of such credits. The Environment minister has therefore stated in the Lower Chamber that minimum quality standards will be developed for future activities in this area. Arcadis and CE Delft were commissioned by the Environment ministry (VROM) to research the issue.

In the VER market there are numerous standards for the credits on offer. At a minimum there are two criteria such standards should meet to guarantee the credibility of emission cuts. First, the quality of the auditors needs to be validated. These auditors evaluate project proposals, and on this basis a decision is taken on whether a particular project is assigned VER credits and, if so, how many. Second, projects must be tested for &amp;lsquo;additionality&amp;rsquo;: the guarantee that the CO2 emissions reduction would not have occurred without additional investment in VER credits. From a preliminary (desk) survey of VER standards it emerged that only the Gold Standard scores as well as CDM(1). Gold Standard checks auditors&amp;rsquo; validation (and verification) reports and whether the additionality tests used are equivalent to or even tougher than the CDM tests. As yet it is only renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that are eligible for the Gold Standard.

At the request of VROM, the study paid particular attention to projects involving land use, land-use change and forestry (&amp;lsquo;LULUCF&amp;rsquo;) and projects in which the emissions reduction will only be secured at some dat in the future (&amp;lsquo;futures&amp;rsquo;). The question is to what extent it is desirable for national government to invest public funds in projects like this.

With regard to LULUCF projects, Arcadis and CE Delft recognise on the one hand that financial incentives have a crucial role to play in preserving the world&amp;rsquo;s afforested regions. This is something the government can contribute to by purchasing VER credits. Land-owners to whom credits are allocated receive a financial reward for afforestation/reforestation and for preventing deforestation. On the other hand, there are a number of valid criticisms of LULUCF projects, such as the risk of only temporary emissions cuts, &amp;lsquo;carbon leakage&amp;rsquo; and the issuing of credits for &amp;lsquo;non-additional&amp;rsquo; projects. To guarantee the quality of emission cuts, CE Delft therefore recommends that the government only purchase LULUCF credits that have been certified by the CDM Executive Board. This standard requires that credits be replaced in the course of time, as a means of guaranteeing permanent CO2 reductions. For the time being, these relate only to afforestation, as the prevention of deforestation is still not internationally accepted and is not CDM-certified.

Finally, Arcadis and CE Delft recommend that the government not acquire any &amp;lsquo;futures&amp;rsquo;, as there is a risk of projects turning out to deliver lower emission cuts (or none at all), even though these have already been paid for. In terms of communication, it is also hard for the government to explain that it is engaging in &amp;lsquo;climate compensation&amp;rsquo;, while at the time of announcement no such compensation has yet actually been effectuated.

(1) CDM was taken as a reference point because this system is grounded in the Kyoto Protocol, currently has a major share of the market and is embedded in numerous procedural guarantees with which there is already considerable experience.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:38:23 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Comparison of Ecomel packagings]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/comparison_of_ecomel_packagings/917</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/comparison_of_ecomel_packagings/917</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[In environmental analyses beverage cartons often score just as well as varieties of two-way packaging and sometimes even better. A simple comparison of a 1-litre beverage carton with a frequently returned 1-litre bottle made of PC or glass shows that in terms of climate impact the former performs best. In terms of energy consumption beverage cartons perform worse, however, although most of the energy is in the form of bio-energy (including feedstock). The report provides information on the issue, targeted at dairy consumers.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:03:30 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Peer review of LEI report on phasing out mink farming]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/peer_review_of_lei_report_on_phasing_out_mink_farming/919</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/peer_review_of_lei_report_on_phasing_out_mink_farming/919</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[
At the request of the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality the Netherlands Agronomic Institute (LEI) estimated the financial compensation that would have to be given to the sector if a ban on mink farming were to be introduced. This calculation was included in the report 'Sanering nertsenhouderij in Nederland: een actualisatie', which provides an update of the situation in the Netherlands (LEI, 2008). In this report LEI calculates the total financial damage as the sum of loss of financial assets, loss of income and demolition costs under two policy scenarios: an outright ban and a gradual phase-out of the sector within ten to fifteen years. The anti-fur campaigning group Bont voor Dieren asked CE Delft to carry out a peer review of the main elements of the LEI report.
CE Delft concludes that under both scenarios LEI overestimates the funds required to compensate the sector for the damage that would result from discontinuation of mink farming.
In the &amp;lsquo;outright ban&amp;rsquo; scenario our cost estimate is at least 23% lower than that of LEI: 490.8 million Euro compared with 638.5 million. This difference is due mainly to LEI ignoring the opportunity costs of labour, having the government unjustly pay a certain amount of compensation for entrepreneurial risk and overestimating capital destruction and demolition costs. The recalculated figure of 490.8 million Euro in damages should even be seen as a maximum, i.e. &amp;lsquo;worst case&amp;rsquo; scenario. There are a number of other crucial parameters involved which we suspect have been overestimated by LEI. However, as we have no access to the microdata in question (from LEI), we have no way of presenting reliable alternative figures. A sensitivity analysis indicates that if a 10% decrease in the price of mink fur is assumed and a 50% decrease in the current book value of assets, the required compensation would be 373 million Euro.
In the &amp;lsquo;gradual phase-out&amp;rsquo; scenario the differences between the two sets of calculations are particularly pronounced. For phase-out periods of ten and fifteen years, LEI calculates respective figures of 535.6 and 508.4 million Euro for damage compensation. In our calculations these figures come to only 16.5 and 5.6 million Euro. This difference is due mainly to LEI making the in our view inappropriate assumption of there being loss of income and capital that requires compensation. In reality, though, the entrepreneurs in question will have plenty of time to gear up to the approaching phase-out, i.e. switch to other activities or another job and cancel investments that would not be recuperated within the transition period (with the exception of the animal welfare investments required by law). If so desired, the government might provide a retraining and/or investment subsidy to support the entrepreneurs in this process.
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:38:16 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Examples of climate laws. The UK Climate Change Bill]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/examples_of_climate_laws._the_uk_climate_change_bill/913</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/examples_of_climate_laws._the_uk_climate_change_bill/913</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[November 2008 saw introduction of the Climate Change Bill in England. In legal terms this kind of climate legislation is more powerful than current Dutch climate policy, as it obliges successive governments to draw up policy plans based on the recommendations of an independent organisation (in England the Committee on Climate Change). In this way greater political scope is created for implementing (sometimes unpopular) measures to address climate change. These are the conclusions of a recent CE study carried out for Milieudefensie, the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth International.
In other countries, too, there are &amp;lsquo;positive&amp;rsquo; examples of climate legislation to be found. In Germany, for example, the law on feed-in tariffs has given a major impulse to renewably generated electricity. In the Netherlands a feed-in subsidy is used that is paid for out of the national budget, without the &amp;lsquo;polluter pays&amp;rsquo; principle being applied. In Germany, moreover, grid operators are obliged to buy renewable energy as a priority. Since introduction in 2000, the share of renewables in the German electricity mix has doubled.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:31:36 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Examples of climate laws]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/examples_of_climate_laws/914</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/examples_of_climate_laws/914</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[November 2008 saw introduction of the Climate Change Bill in England. In legal terms this kind of climate legislation is more powerful than current Dutch climate policy, as it obliges successive governments to draw up policy plans based on the recommendations of an independent organisation (in England the Committee on Climate Change). In this way greater political scope is created for implementing (sometimes unpopular) measures to address climate change. These are the conclusions of a recent CE study carried out for Milieudefensie, the Dutch branch of Friends of the Earth International.
In other countries, too, there are &amp;lsquo;positive&amp;rsquo; examples of climate legislation to be found. In Germany, for example, the law on feed-in tariffs has given a major impulse to renewably generated electricity. In the Netherlands a feed-in subsidy is used that is paid for out of the national budget, without the &amp;lsquo;polluter pays&amp;rsquo; principle being applied. In Germany, moreover, grid operators are obliged to buy renewable energy as a priority. Since introduction in 2000, the share of renewables in the German electricity mix has doubled.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:14:31 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Reduced emissions through investments in infrastructure]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/reduced_emissions_through_investments_in_infrastructure/907</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/reduced_emissions_through_investments_in_infrastructure/907</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Besides technological innovations in the realm of vehicles and fuels, modifications to infrastructure can also provide a route to securing climate targets. To improve understanding of the potential of such measures, CE Delft was asked to carry out an exploratory study by the Royal Dutch Transport Federation (KNV) in collaboration with VolkerWessels and with financial support from the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management.

The study provides insight into infrastructure measures that can help reduce transport CO2 emissions. All in all, almost thirty measures were investigated, in the following categories: 
- measures to improve traffic flow 
- measures to promote modal shift 
- measures to reduce vehicle energy consumption 
- other measures 

Six measures were examined in more detail to asses the degree to which they can help reduce transport CO2 emissions. The potential reductions to be achieved with these measures are limited. The greatest opportunities are in the realm of cycling infrastructure and power generation on transport infrastructure. Infrastructure measures to improve traffic flow prove to be ineffective in reducing CO2 emissions.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:01:03 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Transition strategy for electricity heat]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/transition_strategy_for_electricity_heat/897</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/transition_strategy_for_electricity_heat/897</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[The Regieorgaan Energietransitie, the body responsible for coordinating a move to greener energy systems in the Netherlands, has drawn up a strategy for making the production of electricity and heat/cold more sustainable. The strategy comprises the following elements:

    maximum energy conservation
    priority for renewable capacity and energy-efficient cogeneration
    consequently, less scope for new &amp;lsquo;must-run&amp;rsquo;, baseload capacity&amp;hellip;
    &amp;hellip;along with greater need for flexible, &amp;lsquo;quick-fire&amp;rsquo; gas-fired capacity
    initially &amp;lsquo;gas&amp;rsquo; can be natural gas, but with growing use of coal gas and biogas with time.

For this study, in which CE Delft teamed up with Jan Paul van Soest&amp;rsquo;s Sustainability Consulting this strategy was further underpinned and its robustness assessed in a series of computer simulations at Delft Technological University. These calculations show that in the generating system operated in north-west Europe &amp;lsquo;must-run&amp;rsquo; capacity&amp;nbsp; and renewable capacity are at odds with one another. If the Dutch government&amp;rsquo;s major policy programme &amp;lsquo;Clean and Efficient&amp;rsquo; is implemented as planned, there will be very little scope for (new) baseload capacity. One good way of integrating the fluctuating supply of renewable energy (particularly wind) into the system is to use &amp;lsquo;quick-fire&amp;rsquo; generating capacity burning gas. In the relatively short term (by around 2020-2025) this is the only realistic route for integrating wind power.


]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:43:26 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Emissions trading and fuel efficiency in road transport, An analysis of the benefits of combining instruments]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/emissions_trading_and_fuel_efficiency_in_road_transport%2C_an_analysis_of_the_benefits_of_combining_instruments/854</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/emissions_trading_and_fuel_efficiency_in_road_transport%2C_an_analysis_of_the_benefits_of_combining_instruments/854</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Despite EU and national climate policies, CO2-emissions in the transport sec-tor have grown steadily in the past decades, whereas many other sectors have managed to reduce emissions. Reason for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Naturv&aring;rdsverket, to commission CE Delft to analyse a potential solution to this problem. 
The report starts with a literature overview on emissions trading in the road transport sector. Two systems are assessed: emissions trading as part of the EU ETS or as a separate system. Then, the potential drawbacks and benefits of a combination of emissions trading with CO2 emission regulation for new passenger cars are analysed. It is concluded that the combination of these policy measures has significant advantages. Fuel efficiency improvements in passenger cars are a relatively cost-effective measure to reduce emissions, with significant CO2 reduction potential. However, due to temporal myopia of car buyers, this measure is insufficiently addressed by price incentives created by emissions trading. At the same time, an emissions trading system can be complementary to fuel efficiency regulation, as it can alleviate a number of disadvantages of regulation.

]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Emissions trading and road vehicle emission standards ]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/emissions_trading_and_road_vehicle_emission_standards_/954</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/emissions_trading_and_road_vehicle_emission_standards_/954</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[While other sectors have managed to reduce their CO2 emissions over the past few decades, road transport emissions have consistently risen. This prompted the Swedish environmental protection agency Naturv&amp;aring;rdsverket to ask CE Delft to carry out a study on how this issue can be resolved. 

To this end, CE Delft examined the strengths and weaknesses of emissions trading for road transport, and the pros and cons of combining such a policy with CO2 emission standards for cars. From the results it emerges that combining the two strategies has considerable advantages, as they cancel out each others drawbacks. Thus, while CO2 emission standards for cars lead to no reduction in overall emissions, they do provide a strong incentive for buying fuel-efficient vehicles. What emissions trading does is put a cap on aggregate emissions. However, if this were adopted as an isolated policy, there would no longer be any incentive to buy fuel-efficient vehicles, even though this would then lead to major environmental gains. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:37:40 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Adaptation and mitigation: their relationship in the built environment]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/adaptation_and_mitigation%3A_their_relationship_in_the_built_environment/899</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/adaptation_and_mitigation%3A_their_relationship_in_the_built_environment/899</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[As the climate changes the Netherlands will be confronted with more frequent heat waves, extreme rainfall and drought. There will also be an increased risk of flooding. The country will have to adapt to the new conditions brought about by climate change (adaptation) while at the same time making efforts to prevent such change (mitigation). But what is the precise relationship between adaptation and mitigation? This report looks into the situation with respect to the built environment. 

The analysis presented in this study shows there are numerous adaptation measures at the level of individual buildings that have a positive impact on mitigation and vice versa. In other words, there is often synergy. There are also plenty of mitigation measures with a neutral effect on adaptation and vice versa. There are only a few adaptation measures with a negative impact on mitigation, the use of fans and air conditioning systems being the most important. Active cooling of dwelling interiors requires energy, leading to CO2 emissions, unless sustainably generated cold (or energy) is used for the purpose. Stakeholders (housing co-ops, architects, developers, councils, etc.) are still very much unaware of the coming shift in domestic energy demand from the winter to summer as average temperatures in the Netherlands rise. Information campaigns could be used to raise the awareness of the groups in question. By applying &amp;lsquo;passive cooling&amp;rsquo; principles (suitable use of shade, south-facing buildings and efficient options for night-time ventilation) homes can be kept comfortable for many years to come. Another key issue is to give due prominence in the Energy Performance Standards for Buildings (EPG) to the amount of energy used in homes for active cooling.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:20:06 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Vision on achieving a major share of renewables]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/vision_on_achieving_a_major_share_of_renewables/892</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/vision_on_achieving_a_major_share_of_renewables/892</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This report contains the joint recommendations of environmental NGOs, trades unions and energy companies for a future stimulus package for renewable electricity. What all these parties would like to see is a major role for renewable power by the year 2020. The recommendations have been underwritten by the Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment (Stichting Natuur and Milieu), Energy Ned, Nuon, Esent, Eneco, Greenchoice, Greenpeace, the Dutch umbrella organisation on renewable energy and the trades union ABVAKABO FNV, and were facilitated by CE Delft. The resultant document represents a bridge between Green4sure &amp;ndash; the energy plan put forward by the environmental NGOs and trades unions &amp;ndash; and the Energy Agenda 2030 proposed by the energy sector.

The parties argue for a stable set of market instruments to structurally bridge the gap in cost price between renewable and conventional electricity. In 2020 renewable technologies will still be more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Although the current &amp;lsquo;SDE&amp;rsquo; scheme forms a good policy tool for bridging this cost-price differential (the so-called &amp;lsquo;inefficient top&amp;rsquo;) in the coming years, it needs to be improved in two important ways. In the first place it is essential that long-term political commitment be formally laid down for the investments associated with securing the targets. The second area requiring improvement according to the parties is that the funding mechanism for the SDE should be via the electricity price rather than coming from the national budget. 

To stimulate renewable energy production from 2015 onwards, the organisations argue for introduction of an EU-wide commitment by a &amp;lsquo;frontrunner group&amp;rsquo;, possibly including the UK, Poland, Sweden and Belgium. The aim of such a move would be to introduce an &amp;lsquo;escalator&amp;rsquo; under which member states are obliged to annually increase the share of renewables used in meeting national electricity demand. Such a scheme would be tied to a number of solid conditions, including a well-functioning system of &amp;lsquo;green certificates&amp;rsquo; for use among participating countries.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:22:10 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Impacts on Competitiveness from EU ETS]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/impacts_on_competitiveness_from_eu_ets/835</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/impacts_on_competitiveness_from_eu_ets/835</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[The EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) was launched in 2005 to cap CO2 emissions from large industrial facilities and electricity producers. The European Commission is currently designing the post 2012 EU ETS, as outlined in COM(2008)16. Novel to this system is that a greater part of the rights will be auctioned. Auctioning in general assures a greater deal of efficiency compared to (certain types of) free allocation, lowers the administrative costs and prevents eventual windfall profits.   However, auctioning also implies a potential loss of competitiveness for industry. If no international agreement on future climate policies is reached, firms may not be able to pass on the higher costs to their customers and may be faced with a loss in profitability and the threat of import substitution. In any emission trading scheme with an absolute cap, a relocation of production that is not covered by CO2 targets implies an increase in global CO2 emissions. This phenomenon has been labelled as &amp;lsquo;carbon leakage&amp;rsquo;. To prevent carbon leakage, the Commission has proposed to exempt exposed sectors from auctioning and allocating them rights freely on the basis of a benchmark. A severe loss of competitiveness is here the main criterion against which it is decided whether sectors will be subject to auctioning or free allocation.  This study has investigated which industrial sectors of the Dutch economy possibly face a loss of competitiveness from auctioning. The competitive position is determined by the combination of significant potential cost price increases and substantial imports and export flows to countries that have no comparable climate change policy. It appears that especially in the aluminium, fertilizer, iron and steel , inorganic and other base chemicals sectors relatively high cost price increases can be expected which may not be fully passed on to their customers. Profitability in these sectors may be reduced and the risk of carbon leakage increased.   However, in terms of impacts on the national economy (i.e. GDP) the effects are probably small. The direct costs of EU ETS are 0,2% of GDP (for an emission price of &amp;euro;20/ton CO2) of which about half can be passed on to the customers. Impacts on the competitive position may occur in the vulnerable sectors but these sectors are in general the smaller sectors of the Dutch economy - with the exception of the iron and steel industry (in total 1,1% of GDP). In addition, if international climate policy until the year 2020 will result in more countries agreeing on binding reduction targets, impacts on competitiveness will be smaller than analyzed here.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:04:50 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Analysis of progressive road vehicle tax indexed to absolute CO2]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/analysis_of_progressive_road_vehicle_tax_indexed_to_absolute_co2/906</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/analysis_of_progressive_road_vehicle_tax_indexed_to_absolute_co2/906</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[At the request of the Dutch Finance Ministry, CE Delft has investigated the CO2 impact of redesigning the vehicle tax for passenger cars (BPM) from being based on catalogue value, as at present, the CO2 based system whereby the CO2 charge is progressively indexed to the CO2 emissions of the new vehicle. This variant was compared with the effectiveness of the two BPM variants from the study on &amp;lsquo;greening the Dutch tax system&amp;rsquo; (differentiation of BPM according to absolute CO2 emission and BPM based on CO2) and the current BPM based on energy labels (rates for 2008).]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:13:26 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Greening the tax system]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/greening_the_tax_system/909</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/greening_the_tax_system/909</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[At the request of the Dutch Environment ministry (VROM) CE Delft has assessed the environmental effectiveness of 15 fiscal measures included in the government&amp;rsquo;s 2009 Tax Plan. The measures relate to traffic and transport (e.g. differentiation of Vehicle Purchase Tax according to absolute CO2 emissions), household energy consumption and industry (e.g. an increase in energy tax) and the built environment (e.g. an income tax deduction indexed to energy performance of the home). Besides their environmental effectiveness, these &amp;lsquo;tax-greening&amp;rsquo; measures were also assessed with respect to competition effects for Dutch industry, political support, impact on spending power and burden-sharing, coherence within the specific context of environmental policy, fiscal compatibility and enforceability. The results of the study are to be used in preparing the present government&amp;rsquo;s &amp;lsquo;second round&amp;rsquo; of tax-greening measures.

The overall package will lead to cuts in CO2 emissions of around 0.74 Mt in 2010 and 1.5 Mt in 2020. These figures should be seen as the lower bound of actual effects, as some of these proved unquantifiable. The overall impact of the tax-greening package thus represents some 4 to 7% of the government&amp;rsquo;s climate aspirations for 2020 with respect to the built environment and transport sectors. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:18:19 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Air quality impact of measures under the Apeldoorn Energy and Climate programme]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/air_quality_impact_of_measures_under_the_apeldoorn_energy_and_climate_programme/867</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/air_quality_impact_of_measures_under_the_apeldoorn_energy_and_climate_programme/867</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[CE Delft was commissioned by the municipality of Apeldoorn to review whether the latter’s current energy policy has an impact on local air quality and, if so, what that impact is. In addition, Apeldoorn wanted to know whether the restructuring of the North Canal industrial area and construction of biomass-fired generation capacity are of influence on air quality.

Most of the measures assessed relate to energy conservation and the use of renewable energy sources, both of which have a favourable impact on nitrogen oxide emissions and thus on ambient NO2 concentrations. This holds on both a local and national scale. The resultant decrease in NO2 levels will not be particularly great, however, because the main sources of NO2 are traffic and industry. These measures have no effect on airborne particulates. Burning wood (alone or with other fuels), particularly in wood stoves and open fireplaces, will lead to an increase in particulate emissions and related pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Increased use of wood stoves and open fireplaces will therefore have an adverse impact on air quality and public health.

Restructuring of the North Canal industrial estate will likewise impact negatively on air quality because of increased road traffic. Given the large size of the area, though, no major problems are to be anticipated. An analysis of the air quality impact of construction and operation of biomass-fired generation capacity shows that although air quality will be affected by the scheduled power plant, limits will not be exceeded.

Because of the positive impact of energy conservation and use of renewable energy, it is recommended to continue down this road, but with the proviso that using biomass or wood as a renewable energy source may have negative air quality impacts, thereby necessitating additional emission abatement measures.

When it comes to further restructuring of industrial estates, serious efforts will have to made each time to address the resultant increase in traffic volumes. This can be achieved by building sufficient access roads and ensuring good public transport right from the start of the project.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Gas4sure - Natural gas as a transition fuel]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/gas4sure_-_natural_gas_as_a_transition_fuel/860</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/gas4sure_-_natural_gas_as_a_transition_fuel/860</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Gas4sure is a programmatic document setting out the role of natural gas in the transition to a sustainable energy supply. Being the cleanest fossil fuel, natural gas will play a relatively key part in this transition from a mainly fossil-based energy supply to one based on efficient technologies and renewable sources. Gas4sure is a follow-up to Green4sure, the green energy plan elaborated by CE Delft for the Dutch environmental and trades unions movements. Green4sure explains how in the next 25 years we can create an energy supply with half today's79 CO2 emissions and what roles the various parties will need to play to make that future feasible. In Gas4sure the use of natural gas is not in itself the aim, but given the marked changes in conditions for the environmental impacts of the energy supply, rather an outline of the role of gas under those conditions.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:44:05 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Configurations and optimisations of the Amsterdam heat grid]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/configurations_and_optimisations_of_the_amsterdam_heat_grid/893</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/configurations_and_optimisations_of_the_amsterdam_heat_grid/893</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Amsterdam has recently announced ambitious climate targets, with district heating forming a key part of the strategy to secure them. There are regular strategic discussions between the municipal council and market parties on the use of such heat, particularly when large-scale construction and restructuring projects are on the agenda. The council has expressed a need for substantive support in the field of district heat and therefore asked CE Delft to prepare background documentation on the topic. This report, the result of that effort, examines the features of the present district heating system, the issue of CO2 reduction, the advantages of a &amp;lsquo;horseshoe&amp;rsquo; grid and potential innovations for securing even greater environmental gains. The report concludes with a management summary in which CE Delft puts forward its own vision on district heating in Amsterdam.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:26:10 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[CO2 emissions of Amsterdam boroughs]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/co2_emissions_of_amsterdam_boroughs/830</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/co2_emissions_of_amsterdam_boroughs/830</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This brief report presents energy consumption and CO2 emissions data for each of Amsterdams boroughs (stadsdelen), for households and for trade and industry. These research results, from the report Building blocks for Amsterdams CO2 abatement programme (in Dutch), have been brought together separately to give borough environmental policy coordinators a handy refer-ence document. As such, it is more of an extract from the main report rather than an independent research result.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:18:32 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Effective local climate policy]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/effective_local_climate_policy/753</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/effective_local_climate_policy/753</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) is keen for municipalities to play a more active role in effective climate policy and commissioned CE Delft to underpin this ambition from three angles: potential reductions (what is attainable?), cost effective-ness (is it affordable?) and the role of local authorities. Five sectors were examined in this way: the built environment, business, transport, renewable energy and the munici-pal organisation itself. 

The study shows that local authorities have an influence on a substantial fraction of national emissions: around 60 Mt CO2 of a total of 200 Mt. In several sectors they have direct powers to do so (own organisation, business), while in most other cases they can act mainly in a facilitating capacity (ensuring, for example, that agreement is reached with housing corporations on energy savings in the current housing stock). In addition, local authorities have a key role to play in innovative projects (new buildings) and as a ‘front desk’ for business and citizens. 

The project also considered the issue of ‘adaptation’: preparing for the consequences of climate change. This is very much tied up with spatial planning and thus with the statutory responsibilities of local authorities. In this area a great deal still needs to be learned. 

The results have been used in the formal Climate Agreement that VNG President Wim Deetman signed with Environment Minister Jacqueline Cramer on 17 November 2007. The report can be taken by Individual municipalities as a reference point for elaborating their own effective local climate policy.

]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Towards greener business travel]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/towards_greener_business_travel/757</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/towards_greener_business_travel/757</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Increasingly, organisations are setting environmental requirements on the leased and company cars used for business travel. Until now, though, private cars used for this purpose have been ignored in these efforts. At the request of Mobility Mixx, CE Delft has estimated the current environmental impact of business-related kilometres driven in private cars and the emission cuts potentially achievable with two specific measures:

- Indexing of the untaxed business travel allowance to vehicle fuel efficiency.
- Application of the services of Mobility Mixx to all business kilometres.

Private cars account for a major share of the business kilometres driven in the Netherlands: around 58%. Their contribution to pollution is consequently substantial: approx. 48% of PM10 emissions, 61% of NOx emissions and 58% of CO2 emissions. This represents around 8% of the aggregate emissions of the Dutch passenger car fleet.   The first measure considered was differentiation of the untaxed business travel allowance, with the allowance for highly efficient vehicles being raised by &amp;euro; 0.11 to &amp;euro; 0.30 per kilometre and that for other vehicles lowered by &amp;euro; 0.04 to &amp;euro; 0.15 per kilometre. This measure will lead to an emissions reduction of approx. 2%. The second measure is to employ the services of Mobility Mixx for all the business kilometres driven in the Netherlands, which in concrete terms means private car use being superseded by use of (clean and fuel-efficient) cars from vehicle pools and/or by rail transport. This will lead to a maximum emissions reduction of 70 to 80%. This calculation does not include any transport before or after rail journeys.   By deploying dedicated measures, the emissions associated with business use of private cars can be substantially reduced. Individual organisations have a key role to play here, for they can exert a very direct influence on employees, via the travel costs they reimburse, for example. They can provide their employees attractive alternatives, moreover, encouraging them to leave their own car at home.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:53:56 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Climate policy costing methodologies]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/climate_policy_costing_methodologies/784</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/climate_policy_costing_methodologies/784</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This study examines why studies to assess the cost effectiveness of policies addressing the climate impact of transport have yielded such widely different results to date. To this end, experts in the Netherlands were consulted and the national and international literature reviewed. Our analysis of the costing methodologies in use shows there are three types of choice having a major influence on results. The first concerns the perspective adopted. Are costs being considered from the perspective of the end user, society or government? Secondly, there are a series of choices to be made in calculating direct expenditures, with respect to depreciation rates and prior estimates of investments, among other things. Finally, there is a basic choice as to whether only direct expenditures are to be included, or a comprehensive welfare-economic analysis carried out. Are the welfare effects of behavioural change or additional externalities to be included, for instance?]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Building blocks for Amsterdamï¿½s CO2 reduction programme]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/building_blocks_for_amsterdam%EF%BF%BDs_co2_reduction_programme/754</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/building_blocks_for_amsterdam%EF%BF%BDs_co2_reduction_programme/754</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[The Amsterdam local authority has set itself the target of reducing the city&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s annual CO2 emissions by 40% in 2025 compared with 1990 and making the municipal organi-sation carbon-neutral by 2015. These are ambitious targets that demand a vigorous and efficient strategy. CE Delft was commissioned by the authority to review the city&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s carbon emissions in 1990 and 2006 and make a projection for 2025, in each case providing a sectoral breakdown. In addition. an extensive list of possible measures was drawn up (the so-called &iuml;&iquest;&frac12;long list&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;), indicating their potential contribution to securing the target, their lead time and their cost-effectiveness. On this basis it was concluded that the envisaged target is feasible, but that it will require a maximum effort from all parties. Securing it will depend in part on how successful national and European climate policies prove to be and will require the active participation of the city&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s businesses and citizens. It is as yet impossible to identify concrete reduction measures for securing the full tar-get, but given the project&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;s horizon this is not yet necessary, for innovation is still taking place. What is important is that concrete steps be taken as soon as possible to reverse the upward trend in carbon emissions over the past 15 years and start making substan-tial cuts. Finally, recommendations are made for a monitoring strategy for the CO2 reduction programme, allowing progress to be followed and assessed from time to time and due corrective action to be taken should this prove necessary.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:07:41 +0200</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Price effects of incorporation of transportation into EU ETS]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/price_effects_of_incorporation_of_transportation_into_eu_ets/712</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/price_effects_of_incorporation_of_transportation_into_eu_ets/712</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[CO2 emissions from transport are steadily increasing, despite implementation of a number of CO2 mitigation policy measures. A potential new policy measure for CO2 mitigation in the transport sector is CO2 emission trading. In this report the consequences of including the European transport sector in the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) were assessed. The report was commissioned by the VROM Council (VROM-Raad), also on behalf of the Dutch Energy Council (AER) and the Council for Transport and Public Works (Raad voor Verkeer en Waterstaat).  First, the effect of integrating transport in the current EU ETS on the price of tradable EU allowances (EUa) was determined, for two different scenarios. Second, an indication was given of the effects of this CO2 price increase on competitiveness of the European industry and electricity sector. The results provide a first insight into the effects on EUa price that this policy option could have, and indicate that this might be a viable option for the future. However, as this was only a rough analysis, we also provide a number of recommendations for further research into this topic.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:24:18 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Emission trade in Dutch greenhouse horticulture]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/emission_trade_in_dutch_greenhouse_horticulture/602</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/emission_trade_in_dutch_greenhouse_horticulture/602</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This report evaluates the effects of an introduction of a CO2 emission trading system in Dutch greenhouse horticulture. The report analysis six variants of such a system, some of them in combination with an energy tariff. The report concludes that systems which correspond with the European Emission Trade System (ETS) are the most efficient.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Green4sure; A Green Energy Plan*]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/green4sure%3B_a_green_energy_plan%2A/550</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/green4sure%3B_a_green_energy_plan%2A/550</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[On June 5th Dutch environment minister Jacqueline Cramer was presented with the final report of Green4sure, a plan to halve the Netherlands’ carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. This comprehensive and ambitious plan has been elaborated by CE Delft at the request of six of the country’s major trades unions and environmental NGOs. At the heart of the plan is introduction of a system of emission allowances for all energy consumers, either individually (industry, electrical power generation and aviation, to be brought under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme) or collectively (the built environment and transport). To promote acceptance of these ‘climate budgets’, the required efforts and thus the costs have been differentiated according to a three-tier system: a 40% reduction for sectors under the EU ETS, -60% for the built environment and -35% for transport. The allowances for all three systems would be auctioned rather than issued. This core policy would be backed up by a variety of flanking policies, including efficiency standards for vehicles, buildings (new and existing) and appliances.

Given the evident need for urgent action and the fact that climate budgets will take a number of years to implement, Green4sure includes an array of temporary policies. One of these is an interim Power Generation Act setting a cap of 375 g/kWh on the carbon emissions of new generating plant. How this is to be achieved is up to the generator. 

The effects of the plan have been quantitatively assessed, and the targeted 50% reduction in carbon emissions can indeed be achieved, with an attendant 2.1% improvement in energy efficiency. In 2030 the overall costs will be over 4 billion euro, but these will be offset by major benefits totalling around 3 billion a year. There will be slight growth of employment. For the average household, the increase in costs will  rise to around 600 euro over 25 years, but over the same period national income will have grown by 50%. ‘Frugal’ consumers and users will be better off under Green4sure, while their ‘wasteful’ counterparts will face higher costs.]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Unforeseen profits from a green energy subsidy scheme]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/unforeseen_profits_from_a_green_energy_subsidy_scheme/566</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/unforeseen_profits_from_a_green_energy_subsidy_scheme/566</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Over the past few years the Dutch government has granted more subsidies to increase the profitability of investments in on-shore wind-power projects than were in hindsight needed. In many cases the level of subsidisation was such that returns on investment were higher than what the market generally dictates; in other words, considerable extra profits were made. One of the main reasons is that the government underestimated the price of electricity.

This is the principal conclusion of a study carried out by CE Delft for the Netherlands’ Court of Audit (Algemene Rekenkamer). Last year the so-called MEP subsidy scheme for green power generation was discontinued. Under this scheme producers of electricity from biomass, solar, wind and water were eligible for a fixed subsidy per kWh. However, the sums paid out threatened to get out of hand and it was estimated, moreover, that the Netherlands would  manage to secure its target of generating 9% of domestic power sustainably by 2010 on the basis of the subsidies already issued. 

Meanwhile, though, the cabinet has formulated a higher target and announced its intention to set up a new green power subsidy scheme. The challenge in designing a follow-up to the original MEP will be to ensure equal effectiveness, but at less cost to government coffers. 

]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[Understanding policy instruments for ambitious targets]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/understanding_policy_instruments_for_ambitious_targets/721</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/understanding_policy_instruments_for_ambitious_targets/721</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Under its ‘energy transition’ policy, the Netherlands aims to halve CO2 emissions in the built environment in 2030 compared with1990. This report is concerned with the simulation of policies to achieve that target. Policy simulations provide highly instructive insights into this kind of complex problem and facilitate users in the search for solutions, moreover.

According to research by Dutch planning agencies, the existing array of policies will not be enough to secure the envisaged emission targets: in the best case, no more than 10% reduction will be achieved. More drastic measures are therefore needed. This will mean further intensification of current policies, but above all introduction of tougher new regulations, a system of carbon emission rights and/or a further increase in energy taxes. By thus increasing use of clean energy and promoting more efficiently designed buildings/plant/equipment as well as more efficient use thereof, it will be possible to achieve the targets.

Policy simulations are an innovative addition to existing kinds of policy studies and can yield insight the dynamics and effects of a range of policies. A policy simulation allows the professionals involved to themselves experience the consequences of new policy within a short space of time. In a simulation exercise, different policy options can be straightforwardly compared, with their social and environmental impacts being highlighted in very penetrating fashion. In addition, the participants gain a better understanding of their own role in the policy ultimately proposed. 

]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Aviation and maritime transport in a post-2012 climate policy regime]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/aviation_and_maritime_transport_in_a_post-2012_climate_policy_regime/501</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/aviation_and_maritime_transport_in_a_post-2012_climate_policy_regime/501</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This study reports on possible ways to bypass the current deadlock in negotiations on international climate policies for aviation and maritime emissions. It concludes that a number of viable ways do indeed exist. 

The main line of reasoning that this report takes is that:In order to be acceptable to a large number of countries, commitments in any climate policy regime need to be differentiated with regard to economic development: rich countries should do more than poor countries.The Multi-Stage Approach is a good way to achieve intercountry differentiation: countries gradually take on more stringent commitments as their economies become more developed.The main economic benefit that countries derive from transport is their access to other economies. It is therefore logical to differentiate commitments on a route basis. All other types of differentiation would suffer from serious distortions of competitive markets, which would reduce the environmental effectiveness.This differentiation can be achieved either by allocating emissions to countries or by means of sectoral, open emissions trading with differentiated treatment of routes.Stacked policies and measures are a good way to balance the demands for global policy regimes for these global industries with the need for differentiation of commitments.
Ever since the emergence of a global climate policy regime,  incorporation of the greenhouse gas emissions of international transport has posed a problem. As a result, emissions from aviation and maritime transport have not been included in the targets under the Kyoto protocol. Instead, the protocol urges developed countries to reduce these emissions through the UN bodies ICAO and IMO. However, in the decade that has elapsed since the protocol was drafted, hardly any progress has been made.

Following the above line of reasoning, three viable routes for international climate policy regimes for international transport have been derived. First, a regime could be based on the current Kyoto architecture with allocation of responsibility to countries. Second, a sectoral approach could be applied. Third, regional policies could be designed such as to effectively reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of international transport without gravely distorting the competitive market. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[A strategy on climat-neutral fuels]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/a_strategy_on_climat-neutral_fuels/419</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/a_strategy_on_climat-neutral_fuels/419</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This report contains recommendations on a robust medium-term strategy for climate-neutral fuels for the Dutch Environment Ministry, VROM. We conclude that it is entirely feasible for the government to implement a policy package providing effective incentives for using climate-neutral fuels. If the government takes steps to create a market for these fuels, this will give industry the scope it requires to invest in the most promising climate-neutral options, thus ensuring continued development of the technology or technologies in question. It is then absolutely essential, however, that there is a perception that policies are stable and can be built on, providing long-term assurance to investors and others. 
The report first sets out the background and basic premises of the biofuels strategy. Subsequently, the key elements of the government strategy are provided. Finally, a number of policy options are examined with which the government can implement this basic strategy.
This study was commissioned by the GAVE programme of SenterNovem (an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs), and the Ministry of Environment.
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Dutch inventory for CSD 14]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/dutch_inventory_for_csd_14/429</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/dutch_inventory_for_csd_14/429</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Background
Dutch policy efforts on sustainable development are geared broadly to ensuring that the opportunities for growth and development available to future generations are at least equal to those enjoyed by ourselves. As a tangible objective of Dutch sustainability policy this has been translated into the goal of achieving absolute delinkage between economic growth and emissions.

In preparation for the 14th Meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD, responsible for the implementation of Agenda 21), the CSD secretariat has asked each country to prepare a national inventory on the themes of industrial development, energy and air pollution/atmosphere. The Dutch input is being furnished by CE Delft.

Current status
Compared with other European countries, the Netherlands is highly urbanised and densely populated and has an energy-intensive industrial base. Dutch emissions per square kilometre are consequently higher than the EU average. There are also substantial pollution imports from across the borders. Lying low in a river delta, the country is moreover vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change: as the world’s climate warms, there will be a greater risk of extreme weather events. All in all, the Netherlands therefore has much to gain from additional international efforts to control emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

In the last few decades Dutch environmental policy has been successful in several respects, with the human environment becoming healthier and safer on a variety of yardsticks. The eco-efficiency of Dutch production – the ratio between a sector’s earnings and the emissions that entails – has improved and there has consequently been a marked decline in emissions of NOx, NH3, SO2 and particulates over the past few decades. National as well as European legislation has proven quite successful in this respect. This has led to an improvement in Dutch air quality, though still not sufficient to comply with international standards. Overall, there has been absolute delinkage of economic growth and environmental impact. This achievement has been due largely to technical measures and to historical shifts in the structure of the Dutch economy, in particular the growth of the services sector. 

The Netherlands has been pursuing an policy on energy conservation for thirty years now, using a wide range of instruments to achieve steady and continued improvement in energy efficiency, targets for which were recently tightened once more. Renewable energy does not have a long tradition in the Netherlands, particularly as the country lacks any real hydro-power resources. Wind power and bio-energy both have considerable potential, however. Although there has been some decline in CO2 emissions growth, there has been no absolute delinkage. This represents a fundamental challenge to Dutch envi-ronmental policy-makers. 

The report reviews progress and problems in the fields of industrial development, energy and air pollution/atmosphere as well as their interrelationships. 
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Cost effectiveness of CO2 mitigation in transport]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/cost_effectiveness_of_co2_mitigation_in_transport/396</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/cost_effectiveness_of_co2_mitigation_in_transport/396</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[The ECMT is currently writing a report on carbon emission reductions in the transport sector. To support this study, CE Delft was asked to write a background report on cost effectiveness of measures to reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector. In this report, various technical mitigation options in the transport sector are analyzed: im-proved fuel economy of cars, biofuels and hydrogen. 

The report concludes that studies on this topic are not always in agreement. Several studies find that efficiency measures in the transport sector can be more cost effective than measures in other sectors, whereas other studies, for example a recent EEA report, disagree. Regarding biofuels, the report concludes that biomass use in power stations is more favourable from a cost effectiveness point of view. New biofuels are being developed that are expected to perform better. 

It is furthermore concluded that there are only very few studies available that address the issue of cost effectiveness of measures across sectors. Even data on the cost effectiveness of measures within the transport sector is scarce.
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Dealing with Transport Emissions]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/dealing_with_transport_emissions/400</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/dealing_with_transport_emissions/400</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[European traffic volumes have grown substantially in recent years, leading to greater emissions of an array of pollutants, including the greenhouse gas CO2. At the request of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), CE Delft has carried out an exploratory study to assess the potential, and the pros and cons, of a system of tradable CO2 emission rights for the transport sector. Europe already has an emission trading system (ETS) for energy-intensive industry.

Alternative forms of an emission trading system were analysed (cap &amp; trade versus baseline &amp; credit, upstream versus downstream), as well as systems for the entire transport sector versus individual systems for road, rail, aviation, shipping and so on. It was also examined whether it would make more sense to have a separate emission trading system for transport, or one linked to the current European ETS. The variant schemes were then evaluated on a number of yardsticks, including environmental impact, cost effectiveness and effect on the competitive position of the respective sectors.
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Energy conservation in the Dutch natural gas chain]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/energy_conservation_in_the_dutch_natural_gas_chain/386</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/energy_conservation_in_the_dutch_natural_gas_chain/386</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[In the Netherlands the natural gas production and distribution chain consumes about 37 PJ of energy a year, some five per cent of total industrial energy consumption. This study inventories the potential for energy saving down the entire chain: from subsurface gas extraction and treatment, drying and blending, through compressor station and distribution grid operation to the end user’s gas meter. A clear precondition for any energy savings is that the companies operating the various links in the chain cooperate on this issue. This was indeed the case in the present exploratory study, which brought together Dutch gas producers, through their trade association NOGEPA (Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association), Gasunie and Essent Energie. The study was facilitated by SenterNovem.

The conservation options pivot around the four factors of greatest influence on energy consumption: the desired gas quality, gas pressure, fluctuations in gas flow and the distance the gas has to be transported. Three promising measures were selected: greater spread in gas quality, local electrical power generation and reducing pressure in the main transport pipeline grid in the summer.
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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			<title><![CDATA[CO2 sequestration: an interesting climate policy option, but should it be subsidised?]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/co2_sequestration%3A_an_interesting_climate_policy_option%2C_but_should_it_be_subsidised/379</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/co2_sequestration%3A_an_interesting_climate_policy_option%2C_but_should_it_be_subsidised/379</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Many Dutch subsidy schemes, such as those for renewable energy and energy conservation, were introduced with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Today, though, sequestration of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion appears to be in potential competition with renewable energy and energy saving with respect to subsidisation. The Dutch chapter of Friends of the Earth (Milieudefensie) therefore asked CE to examine whether it is desirable, from a societal perspective, that CO2 sequestration be subsidised.

The report concludes that CO2 sequestration is an effective means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there are no good reasons for additional subsidisation of CO2 sequestration at power stations (i.e. over and above emissions trading) via operating subsidies like the MEP ‘green power’ subsidy, for example, because there are no major secondary objectives, as in the case of renewable en-ergy, that justify operating subsidies on top of the emissions trading price.
]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Renewable energy in the new EU member states]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/renewable_energy_in_the_new_eu_member_states/326</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/renewable_energy_in_the_new_eu_member_states/326</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[At the request of the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, CE has carried out a study to assess the status of renewable energy in the ten (East European) countries that joined the EU in 2004. In each new member state current capacity, future potential and the policy setting were reviewed and an individual case study elaborated. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:21 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Organic agriculture and carbon fixation]]></title>
			<link>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/organic_agriculture_and_carbon_fixation/377</link>
			<guid>http://www.ce.nl/publicatie/organic_agriculture_and_carbon_fixation/377</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[This report examines the claims made in a long-term field study on organic farming carried out by the Rodale Institute in the United States, which concludes that organic farming can remove \&quot;up to 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre-foot\&quot; from the atmosphere. In metric terms this means fixation of about 1100 kg of carbon per hectare. Although these figures could not be precisely verified, a literature study and independent experts confirm that organic farming can fix 2 to 4 times more carbon in soils than conventional agriculture. This means that up to 1% of the Netherlands’ climate control commitment could be covered if the Dutch government’s target of 10% organic farming acreage is attained in 2010. ]]></description>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:17:35 +0100</pubDate>
			<category>Algemeen</category>
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