Carbon emission analysis for renewable energy policies

Countries and government regions are promoting renewable energy to effectively reduce carbon emissions. However, the carbon footprint of a given industry in a specific region is hard to measure and the long-term effect of an untested green policy for carbon reduction is difficult to predict. This chapter introduces an approach that combines economic input-output life cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) and a location quotient (LQ) to measure regional carbon footprints using local environmental and industrial data. The results enable government policy makers to accurately formulate policies that target critical contributors while simulating the economic impact using system dynamics (SD) modeling. In the case study, policy scenarios are simulated to evaluate the time-varying impacts of proposed green transportation strategies for Taiwan’s low carbon island (Penghu Island) pilot project. The methodology provides a generalized tool for green energy policy assessment. This chapter is the extension of the original research reported by the authors in Trappey et al. (Energy Policy 45:510-515 [1], Concurrent engineering approaches for sustainable product development in a multi-disciplinary environment. Springer, London, pp. 367-377 [2]).