Decarbonisation in moderate and cold climates is reliant on the replacement of existing heating technologies with electric heat pumps. Heat pumps work differently from incumbent technologies,... Show moreDecarbonisation in moderate and cold climates is reliant on the replacement of existing heating technologies with electric heat pumps. Heat pumps work differently from incumbent technologies, including in how they are controlled, their distribution of heat around the home and their space requirements. Despite evidence that domestic practices and interests associated with women played an important role in previous heating transitions, policy and research have not yet considered how heat pumps might interact with traditionally gendered needs and concerns. This could have significant implications for the success of the heat pump transition. This synthesis uses a framework of evidenced heating needs, incorporating wellbeing, resources, ease of use and relational dynamics, to structure a narrative literature review on how experiences of heat pumps may be gendered. Indicative evidence suggests that heat pumps have the potential to improve female thermal comfort, but that other possibly gendered heating needs such as minimising perceived waste and easy controllability are not always addressed. Amidst a lack of empirical studies exploring women’s needs, and whether they are met by heat pumps, a series of recommendations is provided for multidisciplinary research on the topic and to enhance consideration of gendered needs and experiences in policy development. Show less
Decarbonizing the building stock is critical for realizing the climate-neutral target for the Netherlands. This thesis uses multi-source data, mainly including GIS data of building footprints and... Show moreDecarbonizing the building stock is critical for realizing the climate-neutral target for the Netherlands. This thesis uses multi-source data, mainly including GIS data of building footprints and the archetypes representative of Dutch residential buildings, to develop a series of bottom-up building stock models to track future material stock and flows, energy demand, electricity generation, and GHG emissions. Results demonstrate the great potential for decarbonizing the Dutch residential building sector, while decarbonization strategies should be effectively and extensively implemented. Saving space heating energy consumption is the most direct way to reduce annual GHG emissions. Considering that most existing residential buildings will still be in use in 2050, renovating them with high energy performance standards is required. Despite the great potential of renovation, it alone is not enough to realize the climate-neutral target in the residential building stock because the upstream fossil fuel-based energy systems still emit large amounts of GHG. Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources is a critical path, mainly involving onsite natural gas combustion for space heating and offsite natural gas and coal combustion for electricity and heat (in heat networks) generation. Urban mining cannot contribute to as much GHG emission reduction as energy transition strategies, though, should still be implemented as it can reduce the primary material consumption and CDW landfill. In addition to the technical aspects considered in this thesis, it is also necessary to develop feasible policies in terms of socioeconomic aspects to guarantee the effective and quick deployment of these technical strategies. Show less
In-use stocks of products can be considered as intermediaries between human needs and the physical world. During use, they fulfil important functions, but they can also be seen as a source of... Show moreIn-use stocks of products can be considered as intermediaries between human needs and the physical world. During use, they fulfil important functions, but they can also be seen as a source of materials for the future: the production of secondary materials. This idea of an urban mine is applied to copper in China in this dissertation. Taking into account that most modern technologies rely on copper, consumption of diverse copper-containing products in China is increasing rapidly. The in-use copper stocks have become a large reservoir for urban mining. It is of crucial importance to secure future supply by closing copper cycles, thereby also reducing environmental pressure. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore how the stocks and flows related to the Chinese copper cycle can be transformed into a sustainable and circular economy. The material flow analysis and life cycle assessment approaches are used to quantify the in-use stocks, demand and waste generation for copper under the Chinese policies related to general economic development, the energy transition and ambitions with regard to circular economy, and assess associated environmental impacts as well as identify potential options to realize the dematerialization and environmental sustainability of the copper cycle in China. Show less
The energy system is at the heart of two of the greatest challenges of the 21st century: decreasing CO2 emissions to meet the ambitions of the Paris agreement while fulfilling the growing energy... Show moreThe energy system is at the heart of two of the greatest challenges of the 21st century: decreasing CO2 emissions to meet the ambitions of the Paris agreement while fulfilling the growing energy demand associated with the economic aspirations of a growing world population. The required energy transition has to emerge from the interaction between social actors, the economy, technology and the eco-system of our planet. That is the subject of this dissertation which explores the question how individual drivers and the interactions between actors influence the path and pace of the developing energy transition.To analyse the dynamics of interactions between actors, a relatively new modeling method, agent-based modeling, has been applied, with which actors, agents, as computer entities can be simulated. By simulating realistic actor behavior, the dynamics between individual motives and emergent collective action could be analysed.This has led to new insights; simulating investors in the electricity market for example has shown that a fully liberalized electricity market, even with strong CO2, will not ensure complete decarbonisation of the electricity system.All this has led to recommendations for public and private actors and more general conclusions about the use of models in general. Show less
