Reduced emissions highlighted at Triple F Results Conference
During the summary of the Triple F set-up phase, the focus was on the importance of cooperation between stakeholders in Europe and the competition to become the first fossil-free welfare state.
At the online results conference, the results from some of the Triple F focus areas were presented, together with information about how we can work together within the EU to create an international system for reducing emissions in Europe.
-"The government's objective is for Sweden to become the first fossil-free welfare state. No one is questioning the need for this to happen and it is very encouraging to see that several countries have joined the race", said Elisabeth Nilsson, chair of the board of Triple F, as she introduced the day's events together with Maria Oscott, the programme leader of Triple F.
-"The more countries that become involved in establishing a fossil-free society the better. It's not enough for just a small group to be concerned about the environment. We need the whole of society to take this on board", continued Elisabeth.
Sweden is making good progress
Inge Vierth from VTI and Patrik Klintbom from RISE reported on the ongoing work within the EU to reduce transport emissions and compared Sweden's position with that of other welfare states. In the early 1990s, the EU introduced the regulations on EURO classes with the intention of reducing the air pollution caused by large trucks in Europe. The rules were aimed at the manufacturers that sell heavy goods vehicles in the EU.
-"Since the regulations on EURO classes were introduced in the 1990s, they have encouraged the manufacturers to introduce technological developments in the trucks and the powertrains. In the long term, this has resulted in significant falls in the levels of air pollution produced by diesel trucks in Sweden and in the rest of Europe'', said Inge Vierth.
-"We have already got off to a good start in the competition to become the first fossil-free welfare state", said Patrik. -"If we do well, there is the risk that we will become dependent on imports, unless we expand our national production facilities. We can't do this if it does not fit in with the international system. It is very important for us to work together within Europe", concluded Patrik.
Smart construction logistics systems reduce emissions
The Fossil-free construction logistics doctoral project is taking place as part of Triple F with partners from Linköping University, VTI and the Logistikkluster Östergötland. The project is being managed by Anna Fredriksson from Linköping University. The goal of the project is to use a system analysis to find out about all the construction transport in the country and, on this basis, to produce a requirements platform for fossil-free construction logistics.
-"Construction logistics systems are a natural part of our cities, but the construction projects that are underway or are being planned within cities are not coordinated and there are frequently many different players involved. This means that information about how a construction project can reduce its impact on the environment is often lacking. Between six and eight percent of a construction project's carbon dioxide emissions are related to transport", explained Anna Fredriksson.
For this reason, the project has run a trial which involved installing an HVO tank (containing hydrotreated vegetable oil which is a diesel substitute) on a construction site in Ebbepark in Linköping. This allowed the construction trucks to fill up with fuel on site, rather than making unnecessary journeys just to refuel. After six months, this has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by around 80 tonnes.
-"By using smarter logistics systems, it's possible to cut emissions without significantly changing the way people work", concluded Anna.
Database fills knowledge gaps
Policy is one of Triple F's focus areas and it is managed by Inge Vierth. One of the objectives of the Policy focus area is to identify knowledge gaps concerning instruments that can be used to prioritise projects in Triple F.
To track down these gaps, the Policy focus area has developed a database of 230 instruments from all over the world that have been in use since 2010. Examples include financial instruments such as tax reductions.
-"The database shows us that there are only a few instruments that have not been implemented in Sweden, but are used in other countries. It can also be useful to study the design of the instruments to understand their advantages and disadvantages", said Inge Vierth.
-"The gaps in our knowledge about the instruments may also be due to the fact that many EU countries do not evaluate the instruments they have either on a national or a regional level. As a result, we can see that there is a need for development on a national level in Sweden", explained Inge.
Collaboration between Logistics, Policy and Technology
One of the other focus areas in Triple F is Technology, which is headed by Patrik Klintbom. In this area, the technology that will make fossil-free freight transport possible is being studied. During the results conference, Patrik described the role of technology in the changeover to a fossil-free freight transport system on the basis of his latest report.
-"Technology plays a decisive role in the development of the transport system. There are technologies that can bring us closer to our goal of a fossil-free society, but we also need to do a great deal of work to develop solutions with negative emissions", said Patrik.
The report highlights the potential for using different types of energy for transporting freight on the roads, by sea, on waterways and by rail. The energy supply is a central issue because it produces the emissions. The system for supplying fossil energy sources needs to undergo a comprehensive restructuring and transformation. For this reason, it is important to take a system-wide perspective.
-"The policies and regulations have been decisive and will continue to play a crucial role in technological development both on a national and an EU level. The instruments determine the course of technical development. If there are no instruments that allow new technologies to be used in real-life situations, these technologies cannot be applied to the logistics systems that are needed to allow us to develop a fossil-free freight transport system", explained Patrik.
-"We need to work with other stakeholders to identify the technologies that do not restrict our development work, but instead help us to move towards a genuinely fossil-free freight transport system", concluded Patrik.