April 2024

Greetings,

On behalf of Berkeley Lab’s International Energy Analysis Researchers, I’m delighted to share our first 2024 edition of the quarterly newsletter.   

In this edition, we feature Berkeley Lab’s study on embodied emissions in China’s building materials. Berkeley Lab researchers quantified the contribution of demand and supply-side strategies to reduce embodied emissions in Buildings in China. In addition, our researchers, along with the Institute for Essential Services Reform,  recently hosted the first ever Industry Decarbonization Training week for Indonesian policymakers, industry leaders, and experts for various industry sectors in Indonesia.

Along with other labs participating in the Net Zero World Initiative, Berkeley Lab launched the Net-zero World Fossil Fuel Transition Framework launched at COP28. The report offers decision support for fossil-fuel communities transitioning to more sustainable and equitable solutions.

Last but not least, keep your eye out for our upcoming report on the Climate Impact of Plastics Production, to support upcoming negotiations of the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) on an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution in Ottawa, Canada. 

Warm regards,

Nihar Shah, PhD, PE

Presidential Director, Global Cooling Efficiency Program

Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

eta.lbl.gov/people/nihar-shah

Fossil Fuel Transitions Framework and Case Studies to Guide Communities in Transition

Berkeley Lab collaborated with other national laboratory colleagues and completed a Net Zero World Report detailing the decision-making processes involved in energy and economic development pathways, offering decision support for fossil-fuel communities transitioning to more sustainable and equitable solutions. The report was successfully launched at the Chile Pavilion during COP28 in Dubai.

Read the case studies at www.anl.gov/esia/reference/fossil-fuel-transitions-framework

ETA Hosts First Industry Decarbonization Training Week for Indonesia

Berkeley Lab and the Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) are partnering to accelerate industrial decarbonization in Indonesia. Berkeley Lab recently hosted a week-long training for Indonesian policymakers, industry leaders, and experts, covering topics such as decarbonization roadmaps for cement, pulp and paper, iron and steel, fertilizer, and textile sectors; energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies; policy tools; and strategies for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The delegation engaged in interactive sessions and roundtable discussions with leading experts from Berkeley Lab, DOE's Net Zero World initiative, Energy Innovation, and more.

international.lbl.gov/publications/industry-decarbonization-roadmaps

Mexico City Efficient Building Challenge Achieves Energy Savings and Emissions Reductions

Berkeley Lab and U.S. Agency for International Development /Mexico delivered technical assistance to the 2022-2023 Mexico City Efficient Building Challenge, an initiative aimed at reducing energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in public and private buildings. The project, led by World Resources Institute (WRI) Mexico and the Mexico City Secretariat of the Environment, achieved the reduction of energy usage and GHG emissions by 6% in five months among participating companies across Mexico. The activity is part of the Energy Efficiency for Development program (EE4D) and consists of the use of Berkeley Lab’s Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) to help building managers assess energy usage and recommend low- or no-cost energy efficiency measures.  

Watch this video to hear testimonials by Challenge participants in Spanish. For further information, please go here and/or contact Alberto Diaz-Gonzalez at adiazg@lbl.gov 

Building Material Embodied Emissions: Opportunities and Challenges to Achieve Carbon Neutrality

Embodied emissions from the production of building materials account for 17% of China’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. There is a lack of systematic, material-specific assessments on pathways for reducing embodied emissions in the buildings sector in China. Berkeley Lab researchers developed an integrated model and quantified the contribution of demand and supply-side decarbonization strategies. Measures to improve material efficiency in the value-chain have the largest CO2 mitigation potential before 2030 in both Low Carbon and Carbon Neutrality Scenarios, and continue to be significant through 2060. Policies to accelerate the adoption of material efficiency, such as incorporating embodied emissions in building codes and incentivizing circular economy practices are crucial.

Read the full article here.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Energy Technologies Area

international.lbl.gov

Mary Ann Piette, Associate Laboratory Director, Energy Technologies Area

Tom Kirchstetter, Division Director, Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts

Jessica Granderson, Division Director, Building Technology & Urban Systems

Robert Kostecki, Division Director, Energy Storage & Distributed Resources