Waste Management and Its Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals at Dhurakij Pundit University, Thailand

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide the guidance for the society moving to the sustainability pathways. University is a second home for staffs, students and future leaders and play a key role in achieving the SDGs. This study aims to assess the contribution of waste management in the achievement of the SDGs and their relevant targets. The assessment was performed using the contribution scoring matric that consists of five points and five scoring magnitudes. Using a case study of Dhurakij Pundit University (DPU) in Thailand, the results found that waste management is directly contributed to the SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production) and SDG 14 (Life below water). The analysis revealed that waste management has direct positive contributions on reducing the environment impact of cities (Target 11.6), enhancing resource use efficiency (Target 12.2), reducing food waste and losses (Target 12.3), reducing waste generation and promoting recycling and reuse (Target 12.5), and preventing and reducing marine pollution from land-based activities (Target 14.1). Waste management is not only having the positive impact of the SDGs but it also contributes to a healthy university during the COVID-19 pandemic and afterward.Keyword: Living Lab, Waste management, Sustainable Development Goals, UI GreenMetri

Projections of Energy Use and Carbon Emissions for Bangkok, Thailand

Cities around the world have developed innovative plans and strategies to reduce rampant and uncontrolled energy use and CO2 emissions. It is not surprising that many cities have adopted long-term emission reduction goals. However, a detailed analysis of energy use and the resulting carbon emissions are rare in developing countries. This paper presents historical trends of energy demand and energy-related CO2 emissions for Bangkok, Thailand. The CO2 emissions account for the use of fossil fuels only. It also presents the projections of energy use and CO2 emissions from 2010 to 2050. Using a bottom-up energy model and scenario analysis, the paper employs a Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) system to simulate four sectors in Bangkok. The results identified by the BAU (business-as-usual) scenario indicate that total energy is expected to reach 54,560 kilotonne of oil equivalent (ktoe) with 191 million tonne CO2 (Mt-CO2) by 2050. Under the alternative scenario, if all policy interventions are implemented simultaneously, the potential for energy-savings and reduced CO2 emissions in 2050 are estimated to be 32,120 ktoe and 106.19 Mt-CO2. Other international cities may wish to apply the strategies and analytical approaches presented in this paper for developing appropriate policies and measures in their own jurisdictions

Urban energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Beijing: current and future

This paper calculates the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of Beijing over 2005–2011 in light of the Beijing’s energy balance table and the carbon emission coefficients of IPCC. Furthermore, based on a series of energy conservation planning program issued in Beijing, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP)-BJ model is developed to study the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of Beijing’s six end-use sectors and the energy conversion sector over 2012–2030 under the BAU scenario and POL scenario. Some results are found in this research: (1) During 2005–2011, the energy consumption kept increasing, while the total CO2 emissions fluctuated obviously in 2008 and 2011. The energy structure and the industrial structure have been optimized to a certain extent. (2) If the policies are completely implemented, the POL scenario is projected to save 21.36 and 35.37 % of the total energy consumption and CO2 emissions than the BAU scenario during 2012 and 2030. (3) The POL scenario presents a more optimized energy structure compared with the BAU scenario, with the decrease of coal consumption and the increase of natural gas consumption. (4) The commerce and service sector and the energy conversion sector will become the largest contributor to energy consumption and CO2 emissions, respectively. The transport sector and the industrial sector are the two most potential sectors in energy savings and carbon reduction. In terms of subscenarios, the energy conservation in transport (TEC) is the most effective one. (5) The macroparameters, such as the GDP growth rate and the industrial structure, have great influence on the urban energy consumption and carbon emissions

Modeling urban energy flows at macro and district levels : towards a sustainable urban metabolism

The urban sustainability is a growing importance in the built environment research. Urban areas play a key role in planning for sustainable city development. Urbanization has implications for future energy systems and energy-related emissions. The new built environment requires systems that are cost-efficient and have more efficient utilization of energy with a low environmental impact. This can be analyzed and designed with efficient tools for current and future energy systems. The objectives of this dissertation are to examine and analyze the metabolic flows of urban areas, and to develop a methodology for optimization of energy systems and services for the urban district. The dissertation is comprised of two phases and eight appended publications. In the first phase of this dissertation, the research is emphasized on an in-depth understanding of the complex dynamics of energy utilization in large urban areas. An integrated approach applied in this phase includes the energetic urban metabolism, the long-term energy systems modeling using the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) system, and the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach. The urban metabolism approach has been employed to analyze the urban energy flows at macro level. The LEAP model and MCDM approach have been used to develop and evaluate energy scenarios in both demand and supply sides. In the second phase, the research recognizes the lack of tools that applicable for district energy systems analysis. This phase concentrates on the important role of the district level in urban energy systems. Research methods include the Multi-Objective Optimization using Genetic Algorithms, the carbon budget approach, and the case study method. Research in the second phase is mainly focused on the development of tool for energy systems and services at the district level.QC 20151110</p

Assessing Energy Security Performance in Thailand under Different Scenarios and Policy Implications

AbstractEnergy security is strongly related to energy and climate policies. Understanding of energy security implications is critically important for shaping policy measures. This study presents the future energy security assessment in Thailand under three energy scenarios. The assessment was based on the use of energy security indicators to track the impact of changes in the energy system under different energy scenarios for the period 2012–2030. These indicators were clustered into four groups, including energy demand, diversification of energy supply resources, environmental dimension, and energy market. The three scenarios were derived from published data. The analysis suggests that Thailand needs to develop specific policy measures to enhance energy security in terms of energy market dimension and to pay more attention in national energy efficiency and total CO2 emissions to maintain the economic growth

Modeling urban energy flows at macro and district levels : towards a sustainable urban metabolism

The urban sustainability is a growing importance in the built environment research. Urban areas play a key role in planning for sustainable city development. Urbanization has implications for future energy systems and energy-related emissions. The new built environment requires systems that are cost-efficient and have more efficient utilization of energy with a low environmental impact. This can be analyzed and designed with efficient tools for current and future energy systems. The objectives of this dissertation are to examine and analyze the metabolic flows of urban areas, and to develop a methodology for optimization of energy systems and services for the urban district. The dissertation is comprised of two phases and eight appended publications. In the first phase of this dissertation, the research is emphasized on an in-depth understanding of the complex dynamics of energy utilization in large urban areas. An integrated approach applied in this phase includes the energetic urban metabolism, the long-term energy systems modeling using the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) system, and the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach. The urban metabolism approach has been employed to analyze the urban energy flows at macro level. The LEAP model and MCDM approach have been used to develop and evaluate energy scenarios in both demand and supply sides. In the second phase, the research recognizes the lack of tools that applicable for district energy systems analysis. This phase concentrates on the important role of the district level in urban energy systems. Research methods include the Multi-Objective Optimization using Genetic Algorithms, the carbon budget approach, and the case study method. Research in the second phase is mainly focused on the development of tool for energy systems and services at the district level.QC 20151110</p

Energy analysis for sustainable mega-cities

ABSTRACT Cities throughout Asia have experienced unprecedented economic development over the past decades. In many cases this has contributed to their rapid and uncontrolled growth, which has resulted in a multiplicity of problems, including rapid population increase, enhanced environmental pollution, collapsing traffic systems, dysfunctional waste management, and rapid increases in the consumption of energy, water and other resources. The significant energy use in cities is not very well perceived in Asian countries. Although a number of studies into energy consumption across various sectors have been conducted, most are from the national point of view. Energy demand analysis is not considered important at the level of the city. The thesis is focused on the dynamics of energy utilization in Asian mega-cities, and ultimately aims at providing strategies for maximizing the use of renewable energy in large urban systems. The study aims at providing an in-depth understanding of the complex dynamics of energy utilization in urban mega-centers. An initial general analysis is complemented by a detailed study of the current situation and future outlook for the city of Bangkok, Thailand. An integrated approach applied to the study includes identification of the parameters that affect the utilization of energy in mega-cities and a detailed analysis of energy flows and their various subsystems, including commercial, industrial, residential and that of transportation. The study investigates and evaluates the energy models most commonly used for analyzing and simulating energy utilization. Its purpose is to provide a user-friendly tool suitable for decision-makers in developing an energy model for large cities. In addition, a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) process has been developed to assess whether or not the energy systems meet the sustainability criteria. A metabolic approach has been employed to analyze the energy flow and utilization in selected Asian mega-cities, including Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo. The approach is applied to measure the majority of indirect energy flows or the energy embodied in the flows of goods and services involving the residents of those cities. Since the function of cities is to serve the lives of the residents, indirect energy consumption could be regarded as being of equal importance as that of direct energy use. The essence of embodied energy is that an indirect reflection upon behavior following direct energy consumption. It can illustrate how a city relies on the outside, for example other cities, countries, etc. and provides some interesting information that cannot be easily drawn from the direct energy demand. The study reveals that the indirect energy demand is more significant than the direct energy demand in Bangkok, Shanghai, and Tokyo, while direct energy demand is greater than the indirect energy demand in Beijing. This can be explained by the fact that Bangkok, Shanghai, and Tokyo have a greater reliance upon the outside in terms of energy demand. The Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) system has been selected to perform Bangkok energy modeling. In a Bangkok case study a range of policy interventions are selected and how these would change the energy development in Bangkok by the year 2025 is examined. Different policies can be grouped by the sectors analyzed. The only supply-side policy considered meets an existing target of having 10% of electricity generated from renewable sources. The study period for the model started in 2005 and ends in 2025, with the year 2000 taken as the base year. The proposed scenarios were evaluated using the MCDM approach to rate their sustainability. Team members found that this method provided a methodology to help decision-makers to systematically identify management objectives and priorities.QC 2010112