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Despite sustained interest in spatial planning approaches for steering renewable energy development, the effect of these practices remains poorly understood. This paper addresses this knowledge deficit through comparative analysis of the effects of spatial planning approaches on wind energy deployment in Italy and the UK. Our approach elucidates the different roles that spatial planning approaches can perform using a "modes of governing" framework that, innovatively, recognizes the unavoidable compromises involved in their construction. Several distinctive findings emerge. First, governments deploy spatial planning approaches with different governance purposes, thus explaining why the effects on RE outcomes can be ambiguous. Second, many of the challenges that beset spatial planning approaches arise not from technical-methodological issues but from difficult-to-resolve governance challenges of cross-scalar coordination. Third, we show that the efficacy of spatial planning approaches in shaping RE deployment is contextual in nature, reflecting how far their inherent compromises are accepted by key actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italian policies in the field of sustainable energy transition have supported mainly the deployment of large-sized renewable energy plants. At the same time the transition was fostered also through small or medium plants and in rural and mountain areas. In this paper we present the case study of Sasso di Castalda, a little mountain municipality located in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy), one of the poorest and the most sparsely populated areas of Italy. The main theoretical assumption is that the sustainable energy policies designed by National (or supra-National) institutions are translated in practice at the local level through “performative connections”. The sociology of translation (Callon) is adopted to investigate how ecological modernization is fostered in the energy field at the local level in disadvantaged contexts. This research focuses on the connections which shaped the sustainable transition in the community, considering environmental governance and regulations as well as local social practices. What the research shows is the relevance of the performative relations enacted in a multilevel and heterogeneous network. Indeed, within this pattern diversified skills were activated, along with specific technological and organizational configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the relationship between nanotechnological innovations, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and ecological footprint for G7 countries within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The study employs panel cointegration tests with structural breaks from 1990-2018. Nanotechnology is expected to reduce environmental degradation by increasing renewable energy consumption and energy saving. In this context, nanotechnological innovations are an essential tool for sustainable development. However, the literature also emphasizes that nanoparticle emissions from nanotechnology can negatively impact human and environmental health in the long term, and these need to be analyzed. In this context, this study is the first to empirically examine the relationship between nanotechnological innovations, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and ecological footprint within the framework of the EKC hypothesis. The outcomes affirm that all variables are integrated with the long term. The results show that the EKC hypothesis is valid only in the USA. Nanotechnological innovations have a reducing effect on environmental degradation in the USA, whereas; they have an increasing impact on environmental degradation in Italy and the United Kingdom. Renewable energy consumption enhances environmental quality in Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the USA. Based on these empirical findings, the government should pioneer to development of new the lowest nanoparticle-emitting nanotechnologies. And that way, it will be possible to encourage energy savings and renewable energy consumption more safely, and the effectiveness of sustainable development policies will increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correlation analysis based on Markowitz Portfolio Theory and data from meteorological station are used to develop a decision-making tool for the optimal spatial installation of renewable energy sources from Wind turbines and PV panels. A case study involving power generation plants and weather stations in the region of Tuscany in Italy is developed. The results show that temporal correlations of solar and wind generation profiles are characterized by correlation and anticorrelation. This feature is used for supporting decision-making on investments in renewable energy at the territorial level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity remains the most important form of end-use energy consumption and an important factor for economic growth and development. However, electricity generation also constitutes a great source of concern for global warming and climate change with threats to sustainable development as fossil fuels dominate electricity generation fuel mix for most economies of the world. This is exactly the case for Italy with fossil fuels dominating electricity generation fuel mix over the last couple of decades. Thus, there is a need to reverse this trend by increasing the shares of renewable energy sources in the fuel mix. This study, therefore, investigates the potentials for renewable energy sources of hydropower and solar energy to substitute the fossil fuels of coal and natural gas in electricity generation for Italy. Adopting the ridge regression procedure to obtain the parameter estimates, the results provide evidence that substitution is possible among all fuels. While both hydropower and solar energy are found to be substitutable for the fossil fuels, solar energy is found to provide more substitutability than hydropower. This implies that Italy has the potential to gradually move away from the carbon-intensive fossil fuels of coal and gas to more environmental-friendly solar energy and hydropower in the process of generating electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the potential impact of sustainable energy action plans (SEAPs) on local development through a two-step methodology involving participatory planning and quantitative analysis. The first phase relies on a participatory system mapping (PSM) approach and generates a causal structure at the basis of the urban model. In the second phase, we transform the qualitative map into a system dynamic model which evaluates the effect of the SEAP on social, economic and environmental indicators. This methodology was applied to the case of Cascina Municipality (Italy). Through scenario analysis, we show that some indirect feedback can harm the achievement of the 20% emission reduction target. This process allows the local authority and stakeholders to evaluate the impact of emission reduction policies on CO2 emissions and local development, thereby generating collective learning on the systemic implications of the plan. We show that this method can enhance the ambition of emission mitigation efforts by small towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the impact that the electricity tariff reform is likely to have on investments in renewable energies (i.e., photovoltaics) and the adoption of energy efficiency measures (i.e., installation of heat pumps and efficient home appliances) in the residential market in Italy. The study develops detailed cost comparisons and simulations considering two different investment scenarios (before and after the reform) to conclude that the reform will: (i) have a negative impact on investments in photovoltaic systems; (ii) favor the adoption of energy efficiency measures, such as efficient home appliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]