Showing papers on "Rebound effect (conservation) published in 2022"

Dilemmas of energy efficiency: A systematic review of the rebound effect and attempts to curb energy consumption

Abstract: This systematic review scrutinizes the forty-one-year history of the energy rebound effect studies, specifies the main fields of research, and identifies the emerging trends of study. It categorizes all the reviewed studies into two classes, namely microeconomic and macroeconomic and each of them is partitioned into five subsections based on the approach undertaken to analyse or estimate the energy rebound effect. Although many aspects of the microeconomic rebound effect have been clarified, the domain of studies should be broadened, new durables should be studied, and the economic structure of developing countries should be taken into account. At the macroeconomic level, a few empirical studies have been conducted and no comprehensive theoretical foundation is available yet. Enlightening the macroeconomic aspect of the rebound effect, specifying the sources and the methods to analyse and estimate the exact size of the effect can be considered as a baseline for future studies. Using two bibliometric packages helps us to distinguish the most influential publications and authors over the years and shed light on the new streams of study. The study reveals that the number of annual scientific productions exploded after the Kyoto protocol was implemented and the urgency to act was highlighted.

Energy-efficiency policies targeting consumers may not save energy in the long run: A rebound effect that cannot be ignored

Abstract: Regulating the production and incentivizing the purchase of energy-efficient cars has long been a primary policy recommendation to curb the world's ever-increasing energy usage. However, as cars become increasingly energy efficient, the cost of using them decreases, and cheaper usage costs provide a strong economic motivation to increase the usage of these cars. A rich body of literature examining this ‘rebound effect’ under the fuel efficiency standards regulating manufacturers (e.g., CAFE) has largely concluded that the effect diminishes over time. However, research on policies targeting consumers remains limited, and the magnitude and trend over time of a rebound associated with such policies remain unclear. We empirically estimated a ten-year rebound following ongoing policy measures targeting consumers in Israel, in a research setting highly suitable for disentangling the complex effects affecting distance traveled and the demand for energy efficiency of cars. The empirical results indicated a fairly large rebound effect of 62% emerging shortly after the initial introduction of the policy. Unexpectedly, this rebound effect gradually intensified over time, reaching the point at which all potential energy savings were lost to increased driving.

Policy strategies to tackle rebound effects: A comparative analysis

Abstract: Promoting energy efficiency is generally assumed to be an effective strategy to reduce energy use and tackle climate change. However, an extensive literature has shown that rebound effects reduce its effectiveness and can even be counterproductive. We show how a more complex policy strategy, with coordinated measures, could provide the desired results by offsetting energy and carbon rebound effects. Along with the energy-efficiency improvement, we separately implement five different policies: carbon taxes, energy production taxes, an emissions trading system, and changes in consumption patterns (away from energy and toward services consumption). These policies are assessed using an economy–energy–environment dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model developed for Catalonia, and compared in economic, energy, and environmental terms. The simulations show that all the strategies tested are able to offset rebounds at a low cost, with a proper design. All of them improve GDP in relation to the no-efficiency improvement base case. If tax revenues from the parallel policies are used to encourage investment, the long-term effect on GDP may even be positive.

ICT, carbon emissions, climate change, and energy demand nexus: The potential benefit of digitalization in Taiwan

Abstract: The global rise in energy consumption makes managing energy demands a priority. Here, the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in controlling energy consumption is still debated. Within this context, the main objective of the current study is to measure the impact of ICT, its potential benefit, and environmental factors on household electricity demand in Taiwan. A panel of data from 20 cities in Taiwan was collected during the period 2004–2018. We adopted PMG estimation and applied the DH-causality test for analysis. The estimation results show that ICT, carbon emissions, and climate change will drive household electricity demand in Taiwan in the long term. However, ICT has a higher potential to reduce electricity demand in the short-term period. In addition, the results of the causality test reveal a two-way interrelationship between ICT and electricity demand. Our study also found that climate change indirectly affects the use of electricity through household appliances. We also presented several policy implications at the end of this paper.

The direct CO2 rebound effect in households: Evidence from China's provinces

Abstract: Investing in energy efficiency is considered to be an effective way to reduce the carbon emissions. However, the resulting CO 2 savings may be partially or totally offset by the rebound effect (RE). This paper goes beyond the traditional energy RE to investigate the rebound effect as related to CO 2 emissions, aims to explore the direct CO 2 rebound effect (CRE) in urban households at the provincial level. To achieve the objective, this study uses IPCC carbon emissions accounting method, then proposes an elasticity approach and constructs an individual fixed-effect variable coefficient panel data model. The results show that the total CO 2 emissions from household energy consumption were rising in most provinces during 2002–2017. The purchased electricity and heat CO 2 emissions are growing faster than combustion CO 2 emissions. Regarding the magnitude of the CRE, there are three types of direct CRE among urban households in China: the backfire effect, partial rebound effect and super conservation effect. Overall, the average direct CRE in urban households is 59.90%; specifically, the western region has the highest direct CRE (90.92%), compared with the eastern region (52.84%) and central region (24.88%). The government should take into account the CRE of households, in order to avoid overestimating the carbon reduction. Attention should also be paid to the differences between provinces when formulating energy policies. The analysis above helps local governments to formulate effective energy policies to promote households’ carbon emission reduction. • This paper proposes an elasticity method for estimating CO 2 rebound effect. • The carbon emissions from household energy consumption are calculated. • There are three types of direct CO 2 rebound effect among urban households in China. • The average direct CO 2 rebound effect in urban households is 59.9%.

The rebound effect in transportation

Abstract: Sometimes measurements taken to increase resource efficiency do not reach the estimated magnitude, as part of the reduction vanishes due to the reaction of entities to the changed environment. This so-called rebound effect is intensively discussed in the energy sector literature. Surprisingly, little is found for transportation, and the question arises whether rebound effects occur in logistics as well. In this paper, we fill this gap by examining a Traveling Purchaser Problem (TPP) transport network. The implementation, which is a generalization of the TSP, will serve as a decision space in which the procurement of various quantities of products inside a logistics network will be optimized in regard to total costs while the consumption of fuel is monitored. Different parameterizations of the environment will be analyzed and tested to determine factors for the occurrence and magnitude of rebound effects. We present an upper bound on the number of rebound effects and we prove that smaller steps in fuel efficiency increase let each rebound effect become a backfire.

CO2 Emissions in China: Does the Energy Rebound Matter?

Abstract: Enhancing energy efficiency is globally regarded as an effective way to reduce carbon emissions. In recent years, the energy efficiency of China has gradually improved; however, energy consumption and CO2 emissions are still increasing. To better understand the reasons for this, we evaluated the energy rebound effect (RE) of 30 provinces in China over the period 2001–2017 by employing stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and the system generalized method of moments (system-GMM) approach, and explored the extent to which the RE affects CO2 emissions. Asymmetric and regional heterogeneity analyses were also conducted. The results indicate that the national average RE was 90.47% in the short run, and 78.17% in the long run, during the sample period. Most of the provinces experienced a partial RE, with a backfire effect occurring in some provinces such as Guangxi and Henan. The RE was associated with significant increases in CO2 emissions; specifically, a 1% increase in the short-run RE led to an increase in CO2 emissions of approximately 0.818%, and a 1% increase in the long-run RE resulted in an increase in CO2 emissions of approximately 0.695%. Moreover, significant regional differences existed in the impact of the RE on CO2 emissions; in regions with high emissions and a high RE, the CO2 reduction effect from the marginal decline in the RE was much more pronounced than that in other regions.

Investigating the cost-effective energy efficiency practices with mitigated rebound: the case of energy intensive industries

Abstract: The present study aims at finding a practical policy for reducing energy consumption in through simultaneous energy subsidy reduction and energy efficiency improvement. To be a practical solution, the efficiency practices should be chosen from feasible energy efficiency potentials. To mitigate the economy-wide rebound effect, energy price should be increased in accordance with efficiency enhancement. The combination of a top-down dynamic general equilibrium model with a bottom-up efficiency improvement module is used to find the set of efficiency practices that should be realized in each period along with the required increase in energy prices. Choosing efficiency practices depends on their costs and on the available funds. The model is applied for the energy-intensive industries in Iran. The model results show that over less than ten years, the energy efficiency of electrical and natural gas equipment in energy intensive industries of Iran can be increased by 12.7% and 18.1% respectively. The rebound effect starts with values above 80% and then falls below zero percent which indicates the success of the proposed policy in preventing the rebound effect. Results also demonstrate that the implementation of the policy realizes the 4% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 which is Iran's unconditional pledge.