Climate and
Environment Protection
It is a
fact that electromobility will make significant contributions to reduce the
levels of CO2 emissions and anthropogenic
emissions such as traffic generated emissions. Besides, reducing air pollution,
electromobility will also reduce traffic generated noise pollution.
Anthropogenic emissions such as traffic generated emissions including sulphur
oxides (Sox), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter
(PM) all have a negative effect on the urban environment and human health.
For
example, the oxidation of sulphur dioxide in the presence of nitrogen dioxide
will produce acidic rain (H2SO4)
which also leaves a negative effect on architecture including historical
buildings while a continuous exposure to high PM levels may lead to heart and
lung disease including asthma and cancer.
Therefore,
putting aside what electromobility can do to help mitigate climate change, the
fact that BEVs do not emit any other tail-pipe generated emissions offers a
significant solution to the improvement of air quality, especially in urban centers
and canyon effects.
Climate
Change
According
to the latest National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for Malta 2013, road transport
currently accounts for 16.9% of the total greenhouse gas emissions generated in
Malta.
As things
stand, the current European Climate Change and Energy Targets which were
approved by the European Council in 2008 in the form of the Climate Change and
Energy Package are the following:
- Cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% when compared to 2005 levels
- Having 20% of energy consumption through increased energy efficiency
- 20% of EU energy needs must come from renewable energy sources
- 10% of all transport fuel must come from renewable energy sources
As an EU
Member State, Malta has transposed all the relevant climate change regulations
and policies in order to contribute towards the overall European target to
limit the increase of the mean surface temperature to 2°C
less when compared to pre-industrial levels.
According
to NSO statistics, over the last fifty years the mean temperature of the
Maltese Islands has increased by 0.23°C
every ten years. On the other hand, between 1990 and 2007[1],
greenhouse gas emissions increased by 49% in Malta. Although this may be seen
as a high increase, when taking into account GDP growth per capita, Malta is
one of the lowest from all EU Member States where greenhouse gas emissions are
concerned. In fact, when emissions are decoupled from economic development, it
transpires that in terms of unit GDP (in billion Euros at 2000 prices) there
was a decrease of 18% between 1990 and 2007. However Malta still needs to
improve on its carbon emission levels.
Reducing local
emissions through Electromobility
Battery Electric Vehicles are one of the
main solutions that can free our towns and villages of pollutants, fine dust
and noise and hence raise the quality of life. Microclimates in urban cores and
conurbations are heavily exposed to traffic exhaust, fine-dust and noise
emissions from traffic. The need and urgency to reduce these emissions from
Maltese roads is a priority for the Maltese Government
Energy Efficiency
EVs
integration into the main system
It is a fact that BEVs will help improve
grid efficiency, especially during EV night charging and promote the idea of
carbon neutral transport through the promotion for the uptake of photovoltaic
infrastructure.
In addition, the more Electric Vehicles
the more energy can be stored in their battery, meaning that the use of
electric vehicle batteries for storage will increase the overall efficiency of
power supply. This is done by the smoothing of production peaks, by aligning
production and load curves more closely and supplying balancing energy in the
future.
Energy storage in batteries of vehicles
reduces adverse fluctuation effects and will facilitate the continued expansion
of solar energy in the whole system. Having a large national BEV fleet in the
future and their integration in the national grid will also raise the
efficiency of conventional power stations, when the demand for energy is low,
for example during the night, which in turn will contribute towards the
reduction in demand for fossil fuels.
MEPA 2010; State of the Environment Report, 2008 p.20