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Sustainability, Technology & Business > Energy Efficiency & EE Goods > Flashcards

Energy Efficiency & EE Goods Flashcards

1
Q

Name three business drivers in driving energy efficiency improvements.

A
  • Legislation
  • Voluntary Standards
  • Mandatory consumer energy efficiency labelling
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2
Q

What is the ‘Total Cost of Ownership’? Why are consumers likely to buy energy efficient products?

A
  • Manufacturers invest in energy efficiency technology.
  • Costs are offset in their product price to consumers.
  • Increasing electricity costs.
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3
Q

What is market failure in relation to energy efficiency?

A
  • Reality doesn’t match the economic ideal.
  • People don’t know the Total Cost of Ownership, so buy cheap.
  • In companies, the department purchasing the equipment may not be paying the energy bills.
  • Features prioritised over efficiency.
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4
Q

What is ‘first mover disadvantage’?

A
  • The concept that companies that invest more into developing new, more efficient technologies lose out on profit when compared to competitors.
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5
Q

Name three ‘economically rational’ interventions to combat market failure.

A
  • Ecolabelling: make it simpler for customers.
  • EuP Directive: legislate requirements.
  • Climate Savers Computing Initiative: collective action.
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6
Q

Name the two factors contributing to calculation of the Reference Power. How is the rating calculated?

A
  • Basic Power
  • Area Factor
  • Ratio of actual power to reference power is calculated to give the rating from A+++ to G.
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7
Q

Detail some features of the Sony Bravia to improve energy efficiency.

A
  • Dimming in response to ambient light.
  • Micro-tubular hot cathode fluorescent backlight.
  • Auto-switch off.
  • Physical off switch.
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8
Q

How does the use of coloured labels also impact customer preference?

A
  • Green = good, red = bad.

- Psychological.

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9
Q

What is ‘EnergyStar’? How does it impact businesses? What is a drawback?

A
  • A US-originated, non-compulsory labelling system.
  • Products must pass an absolute threshold to receive the label.
  • Corporate/institutional/governmental buyers want an energy efficient purchasing policy.
  • Not getting it can thus have a negative impact on sales.
  • The drawback is that it is self-certified, meaning it can be associated with bogus products.
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10
Q

What is the ‘EU EcoDesign of Energy-Related Products’?

A
  • Built on ‘Energy using Products’ initiative (EuP).
  • Aims to harmonise energy requirements across the EU.
  • Framework Directive (easy to add new requirements).
  • Applies to any energy related product.
  • Places legal requirements on product performance.
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11
Q

What was the ‘Energy using Products’ initiative?

A
  • Introduced in 2008 to improve the standby power of electronic devices.
  • Requires <1W standby within 12 months, <0.5W standby within 24 months.
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12
Q

What is the ‘rebound effect’ in relation to energy efficiency? Relate this to computing.

A
  • Energy efficiency saves money, thus consumers are likely to buy more.
  • Gains of efficiency are lost to increased use.
  • Clear in the IT industry (1000x performance improvement but 14% yearly use increase).
  • Computational power is a highly elastic good.
  • More people can afford it.
  • Existing customers use it more.
  • Innovation is stimulated and more services come into being.
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13
Q

Define eWaste. Why is it more toxic than regular waste streams.

A
  • Any product with an electrical power supply.

- Contains mercury, lead and cadium.

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14
Q

Where does value lie in the correct disposal of eWaste?

A
  • Compliance: ensures laws are met.
  • Risk mitigation: avoid data loss and bad publicity.
  • Contains valuable materials: possible to recover 90% of base materials and 97% of precious metals.
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15
Q

Name and briefly describe the four key processes involved in eWaste recycling.

A
  1. Collection
    - Takeback at point of sale.
    - Refuse separation.
  2. Dismantling
    - Key materials removed manually and sorted.
    - Coarse-crushing can be used.
  3. Pre-Processing
    - Shredding of circuit boards etc and further material separation.
  4. End-Processing
    - Final metal recovery.
    - Ferrous fractions to steel plants.
    - Aluminium fractions to smelters.
    - PCBs to integrated metal smelters.
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16
Q

What is a disadvantage of smelting reclaimed material fractions? Name a different technique.

A
  • Burns impurities and releases toxic VOCs and dioxins.

- Hydromettalurgy.

17
Q

Why do many companies not bother with material recovery from end-of-life products?

A
  • Cost of recovery is higher than cost of recovered materials. Thus more of a liability than an asset.
18
Q

What are the goals of the ‘extended consumer responsibility’?

A
  1. Source reduction.
  2. Waste prevention and improved management of hazardous waste.
  3. Design of more environmentally compatible products.
  4. Closure of material loops to promote sustainable development.
19
Q

Name the advantages and a disadvantage of individual consumer responsibility.

A
  • Provides direct economic incentive to companies to design with end-of-life, re-use, and recyclability.
  • How does one deal with eWaste of companies that no longer exist.
20
Q

What is the ‘sectoral producer responsibility’ scheme?

A
  • At the start of the scheme, producers pay into a pot based on current market share.
  • As the scheme progresses, producers pay a tariff to the pot for goods they manufacture.
  • Goods collected at end-of-life.
  • End-of-life processors claim from the pot as the relevant goods come to them.
21
Q

What is the purpose of the WEEE directive?

A

Aims to impose:

  • sectoral responsibility on existing goods.
  • producer responsibility on sale of new goods.
22
Q

What is the purpose of the ‘Reduction of Hazardous Substances’ directive?

A

Takes the ‘system’ into account and makes end-of-life processes easier to manage:

  • Easier and cheaper to recycle.
  • Reduces the impact of improperly disposed eWaste.
  • Places limits of the concentrations of controlled substances that could be separated manually.
23
Q

What is the ‘Basel Convention’?

A
  • Controls the movement of hazardous waste between countries, particularly to less-developed for disposal.
  • Includes eWaste.
  • Requires ‘prior informed consent’ by receiving nation.
24
Q

What is the BAN Amendment? How can it be subverted? How can this be mitigated?

A
  • Prohibits movement of waste shipment to a number of countries.
  • Equipment often non-functional, or of no use to receiving nation.
  • Labelled as second-hand.
  • Enforced using a ‘chain of custody tracker’/

Sustainability, Technology & Business (4 decks)

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