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Institutions have significant implications for whether and how energy systems restructure, evolve, and successfully transition. Yet, literature analyzing energy sector reforms often approach transitions from economic or technical perspectives, with much less attention to the underlying roles and influences of institutions. This paper explores the roles and influence of institutions on the speed, direction, timing, and sequence of energy transitions. A conceptual framework integrating the hierarchy of institutions with an historical institutionalist approach is developed and applied to explore transitions in Norway's electricity sector as a case study. Results show that conversion followed by layering emerge as the dominant modes of institutional change in Norway's electricity sector reform, illustrating the importance of alignment between institutions in creating the conditions for large‐scale energy transitions and the importance of boundaries to maintain alignment between levels of institutions. Governments can minimize potential gaps between transition intentions and outcomes through effective conversion and layering of institutional arrangements, but layering challenges emerge when institutional change introduces new actors or energy arenas to existing policy paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive Energy Districts can be defined as connected urban areas, or energy-efficient and flexible buildings, which emit zero greenhouse gases and manage surpluses of renewable energy production. Energy storage is crucial for providing flexibility and supporting renewable energy integration into the energy system. It can balance centralized and distributed energy generation, while contributing to energy security. Energy storage can respond to supplement demand, provide flexible generation, and complement grid development. Photovoltaics and wind turbines together with solar thermal systems and biomass are widely used to generate electricity and heating, respectively, coupled with energy system storage facilities for electricity (i.e., batteries) or heat storage using latent or sensible heat. Energy storage technologies are crucial in modern grids and able to avoid peak charges by ensuring the reliability and efficiency of energy supply, while supporting a growing transition to nondepletable power sources. This work aims to broaden the scientific and practical understanding of energy storage in urban areas in order to explore the flexibility potential in adopting feasible solutions at district scale where exploiting the space and resource-saving systems. The main objective is to present and critically discuss the available options for energy storage that can be used in urban areas to collect and distribute stored energy. The concerns regarding the installation and use of Energy Storage Systems are analyzed by referring to regulations, and technical and environmental requirements, as part of broader distribution systems, or as separate parts. Electricity, heat energy, and hydrogen are the most favorable types of storage. However, most of them need new regulations, technological improvement, and dissemination of knowledge to all people with the aim of better understanding the benefits provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers and policymakers are seeking alternatives to oil products. Hydrogen and electricity could be the answer. This review compares both carriers and their technologies across the production chain. This study indicates electricity is more mature and advanced on a large scale. It also presents greater Energy Returns on Investment (EROI) over hydrogen, which portends a viable alternative to oil products. Hydrogen is not adaptable to traditional uses and comes with significant transportation losses, so it's recommended as an energy storage option instead of a carrier. It is a competitive option in areas where grid extension is not feasible and is hard to abate industries. The primary resource of carriers is crucial for their energy and environmental sustainability. Therefore, clean energy and carbon capture and storage technologies and their hybridization across the production chain could define the future energy landscape. • Electricity present greater maturity, energy and environmental advantages. • Hydrogen is proposed as an energy storage medium rather than a carrier. • Energy source of alternatives critical determinant of sustainability. • Renewables, nuclear energy, CCS and technology hybrids define the future of energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As energy system research into high shares of renewables has developed, so have the perspectives of the fundamental nature of a highly renewable economy. Early energy system transition research suggested that current fossil fuel energy systems would transition to a 'Hydrogen Economy', whereas more recent insights suggest that a 'Power-to-X Economy' may be a more appropriate term, as renewable electricity will become both the most important primary and final energy carrier through various Power-to-X conversion routes across the energy system. This paper provides a detailed overview on research insights of recent years on the core elements of the Power-to-X Economy and the role of hydrogen based on latest research results. These results suggest that, by 2050, upwards of 61,737 TWh LHV of hydrogen will be required to fully defossilise the global energy-industry system. Hydrogen, therefore, emerges as a central intermediate energy carrier and its relevance is driven by significant cost reductions in renewable electricity, especially of solar photovoltaics and wind power. Efficiency and cost drivers position direct electrification as the primary solution for defossilisation of the global energy-industry system; however, electron-to-molecule routes are essential for the large subset of remaining energy-related demands including chemical production, marine and aviation fuels, and steelmaking. [Display omitted] • The term 'Hydrogen Economy' insufficiently describes future energy systems. • 'Power-to-X Economy' better highlights the essential role of renewable electricity. • The highest reported demand for e-hydrogen is presented at over 60 PWh H2,LHV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We shed light on wicked problems in the German energy transition. Our methods consist of a multiple-case study and multi-criteria analysis, utilising the wicked problems theoretical framework introduced by Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber [1973. "Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning." Policy Sciences 4 (2): 155–169. Accessed August 20, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01405730]. Results from the energy supply, heating/cooling, transport, and industry sectors illustrate where and how the 10-point frame of wicked problems manifests in the German energy transition. The four cases exhibit more wicked tendencies in the governance domain than the technical domain and differ in their degrees of technology maturity, policy regulation, and knowledge states. We do not find that the German energy transition is inherently wicked. However, wickedness unfolds through the social setting into which technical solutions of the energy transition are embedded. We aim to highlight these intricacies and encourage scrutinising these wicked facets early on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of electricity in the transition to renewable energy to mitigate climate change. A systematic literature review with the Scopus database identified 92 papers relevant to the renewable electricity transition. A PESTLE (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) review of the papers provided a multidisciplinary analysis. The Paris Agreement created a global movement for carbon neutrality to address the threats of climate change, calling for a transition to renewable electricity to lead the way and expand into new sectors and regions. Although smaller renewable technologies are ramping up, complexities thwarting the transition include locked-in assets, high upfront costs, variability of solar and wind energy, infrastructure, difficulty in decarbonizing transportation and industry, material resource constraints, and fossil fuel support. This research found that renewables are not replacing fossil fuels to date but adding further energy demands, so that greenhouse gas emissions rose in 2021 despite an increased renewable electricity share. Without a major shift in the trillions of dollars of subsidies and investment away from fossil fuels to renewables, catastrophic climate change is predicted. This paper found that the Paris Agreement's commitment to net-zero carbon and the transition to renewable electricity are undermined by record-high levels of subsidies and financing for fossil fuel industry expansion. Transitioning to a climate-neutral economy requires an investment away from fossil fuels into renewable energy ecosystems. Renewable electricity provides possibilities to realize sustainable development goals, climate stabilization, job creation, a green economy, and energy security with careful planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the wide discretion afforded to planning decision-makers in England. It does so in respect of a key but often overlooked question in the transition to renewables: whether developers/owners of onshore wind projects should be required to provide a 'bond' to ensure decommissioning and site restoration (DSR) occurs. Bonds are financial instruments that evidence ability to fund DSR. They help avoid legacy issues (eg project abandonment) but carry a long-term cost burden for developers/owners. A study of 275 projects elicits three issues. First, a lack of government guidance on bonding, vague 'threshold' terms in law and policy and failure of planning decision-makers to consider how others had decided the question result in a lack of markers to inform discretion, with bonds being rare (present in only 15.6% of projects) and their stringency inconsistent. Secondly, this lack of markers legitimises risky, cost-saving practices prohibited in offshore wind, where government guidance informs bonding decisions. Thirdly, reasons for decisions are weak or absent, inhibiting achievement of the justifications for their provision in an administrative context (eg disciplining decision-making). Whilst discretion enhanced capacity to generate electricity from wind through enabling a reduction of market entry costs, assisting movement towards renewable energy targets, it resulted in abandonment risk being ignored. This mirrors strategies adopted elsewhere in England's energy sector, such as coal and oil and gas, where a 'light touch' approach to bonding has, traditionally, been deployed to avoid hindering project development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing share of renewable sources in the energy mix, there is a need to balance energy production from weather-dependent sources, such as wind turbines and photovoltaics. This is also a current global trend associated with climate policy. In Poland, there has been a significant increase in energy production from renewable sources, leading to a duck curve phenomenon mainly in the case of photovoltaics, which requires balancing this production through various measures. One possible way to achieve this is energy storage installation. This article identifies the need for energy storage to ensure the stability of electricity production from low-flexibility sources like coal-based power plants. For this purpose, a methodology has been developed to determine the daily minimum energy storage capacities which would also allow for the integration of other stable (though less flexible) energy sources, such as nuclear power. In the case of Poland, energy storage has been estimated to require, as a median value, approximately 6 GWh of additional storage capacity, which is equivalent to twice the planned capacity of the Młoty Pumped Storage Power Plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decentralization of the electricity sector has mainly been studied in relation to its infrastructural aspect, particularly location and size of the generation units, and only recently more attention has been paid to the governance aspects. This article examines power sector (de)centralization operationalized along three functional dimensions: political, administrative and economic. We apply this framework to empirically assess the changes in California's electricity market, which saw the emergence of institutional innovation in the form of community choice aggregation (CCA). Unpacking the Californian case illustrates how decision-making has moved from central state government and regulators to the municipal level in uneven ways and without decentralized generation keeping pace. We also explore the impacts this multidimensional and diversified decentralization has on the ultimate goals of energy transition: decarbonization and energy security. Our framework and empirical findings challenge the conventional view on decentralization and problematize the widespread assumptions of its positive influence on climate mitigation and grid stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia's final energy demand is projected to increase by 70% in the next decade, with electricity expected to account for 32%. The increasing electricity demand poses a potential threat to national emissions reduction targets since fossil fuels generated 86% of the electricity in 2018, associated to 50% of the national CO2 emissions. Indonesia plans to reduce its CO2 emissions by 29% by increasing the total electricity generated from renewables, using a set of market-based and regulatory policies. However, economic, social, and environmental issues may arise from the widespread adoption of renewable energy. This study explores the economic, social, and environmental effects of renewable energy policies in the electricity sector. Our work presents an advance over previous studies that attempted to understand the electricity sector energy transition from a system perspective by exploring the structural feedback between it and economic, energy, and environmental systems. This enables the assessment of different energy policies using more macro indicators, which further emphasize the novelty of our work. A combination of system dynamics modelling and a policy analysis framework was applied to explore these issues. Our study proposes a dynamic hypothesis that the price of energy increases over time, in the absence of substitution, becoming a limiting factor in the transition to renewables in the electricity sector. The fiscal budget was found to be a bottleneck for renewable energy adoption in the electricity sector in Indonesia. We found that a fossil fuel depletion premium could be a potential supporting policy to enable the smooth phasing-out of fossil fuels and support a sustainable energy transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different electricity matrix scenarios for Brazil are modelled up to 2050. • Three additional scenarios are considered for the maximization of biomass, wind and photovoltaic sources. • Environmental and economic feasibility of Brazil's electricity matrix scenarios is assessed. • Scenario 3 (Wind source) is the best one: GWP of 0.121 kgCO 2 /kWh and a LCOE of 0.0438 USD/kWh. The energy transition from fossil to renewable sources is of paramount importance to reduce GHG and air pollutants emissions from energy generation processes while promoting socioeconomic development. This study investigates the long-term changes in prospective scenarios' environmental and economic performance in Brazil's electricity matrix. The reference Scenario represents the government's Energy Research Office (EPE) energy expansion plan, and in addition three different scenarios were developed. All of them assumed that fossil fuel use would be constant and equal to the values in 2019. In Scenario 2, we assumed that fossil fuel growth from the EPE plan would be replaced by maximum biomass penetration in the 2030-2050 timeframe. In Scenario 3 this replacement will be made by the maximum penetration of the wind source while in Scenario 4 by maximum solar photovoltaic source penetration. The best performance in terms of lower GWP is to Scenario 3, with 0.121 kgCO2/kWh. The lowest LCOE is reached in case of Scenario 3, at 0.0438 USD/kWh. Based on the obtained results the renewable sources evaluated in this study are advantageous in bringing environmental and economic benefits in Brazil, even in relatively small fractions. The results can be a support for energy policy decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional economic theory indicates that the free market contributes to allocative efficiency. However, specific energy markets present network industry characteristics which distance them from perfect competition. These markets, therefore, need effective regulation. The liberalizing reforms which took place in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and emerging countries from the 1990s onwards have reduced the share of state ownership in the energy sector, but not its functions of regulation, coordination and planning. It is also worth noting the expansion of the government's agenda due to the energy transition that has unequivocally imposed itself in the 21st century. This article uses the Slacks-Based Measure of the Data Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) methodology to investigate the relationship between market liberalization and sustainability in a low-carbon energy transition context. Taking the cases of the natural gas and electricity markets, we verify whether liberalization contributes to the progress of the energy transition, driven by the emergency need to tackle climate change. The results show that the most advanced markets, in their processes of opening up, tend to be positively associated with a more vigorous energy transition. European nations, such as the United Kingdom and Norway, have experienced a relatively more advanced market liberalization leading to an efficient path toward energy transition. Chile, Canada and Colombia also have efficient scores regarding their energy transitions. For low performing countries, such as Brazil, the study suggests some calls for action that should be pursued to improve their energy market indicators, resulting in a stronger energy transition towards renewables, more competitive energy prices and a larger participation of natural gas in the energy mix, which will contribute to decreasing its external dependency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the European energy and electricity regulations, as well as the different strategies approved, and the recent modifications of the marginalist electricity market due to the energy emergency created by the crisis in the supply of Russian gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the European energy and electricity regulations, as well as the different strategies approved, and the recent modifications of the marginalist electricity market due to the energy emergency created by the crisis in the supply of Russian gas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining and electricity sectors in Colombia have undergone a radical transformation in the last 30 years. This has several explanations, including the new laws regulating it, the creation of new authorities, changes in the market model, new technologies, climate change and energy transition. This article addresses how the mining and electricity sectors have evolved over the years since 1988, both in terms of the legislation and in its institutionality. Finally, the current situation of these sectors in Colombia and the challenges they face are analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme weather events, for example, prolonged droughts, are increasingly stressing electricity systems and threatening the achievement of energy transition goals. At the same time, countries such as Chile and New Zealand are developing strategies to export renewable energy through green hydrogen. This paper economically evaluates the use of future green hydrogen exports as strategic storage under the logic of energy insurance, based on the assumption that Chile and New Zealand will adopt a hydrogen economy. Our first contribution is to compare the marginal costs of re-electrified green hydrogen, for different scenarios, to the value of lost load in New Zealand and Chile. We then determine the marginal cost of energy produced from green hydrogen based on projected production, transportation, and re-electrification costs for the year 2030. Finally, we estimate the eventual penalties that exporters would incur in the case of breaking their contracts and the overall resulting system costs of using hydrogen for system security. We found that re-electrifying hydrogen can be competitive with conventional technologies at 3 USD/kg. At 1.5 USD/kg, hydrogen is more competitive than fossil fuel-based technologies, for both New Zealand and Chile. Thus, in 2030, it could make economic sense for New Zealand and Chile to use hydrogen as a strategic reserve. The system cost of the proposed insurance scheme in 2030 ranges from 0.53 to 1.76 USD/MWh, which is small compared to total electricity costs. These values can be used for power system expansion and operation planning. •Future green hydrogen exports could be configured as strategic energy reserve. •Re-electrified green hydrogen for reserves competitive with fossil fuels at 3 USD/kg. •Green hydrogen cost in Chile and New Zealand ranges between 1.5 and 3 USD/kg by 2030. •Compensating exporters for export contract breaches is cheaper than lost load. •This hydrogen-based insurance costs ranges from 0.53 to 1.76 USD/MWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many promising renewable energy (RE) technologies that could help increase the contribution of RE in energy supply but which are not yet commercially available. The development rate of new RE technologies depends on many factors, such as Research and Development (R&D) efforts and policies. This study focuses on comparing China's efforts regarding the development of new RE technologies (e.g., wave and tidal, binary geothermal power, floating solar, micro hydro, osmotic energy, floating offshore wind and vertical axis wind turbines) with those of the European Union (EU). For this purpose, we collected data from publications and databases and analysed several indicators: e.g., the development of renewable electricity generation and capacity, demonstration projects, investments in R&D and patent applications. The results show that China has become a big player globally for mainstream renewable electricity (hydropower, wind and solar PV). This development is due to China's industrial policy and prioritization of effectiveness over cost efficiency. The main developments in China occurred in the 2010s, while the EU was a frontrunner in the 2000s. For the newer or less mainstream technologies, the application in China is still low, compared to the EU, except for floating solar, where China is a lead player. Regarding patent applications, China has shown a higher application amount compared to the EU since 2006. However, only a small share of China's patents are valid internationally. We conclude that China has emerged as a big player in mainstream renewable energy technologies over the last decade. In regard to new renewable energy technologies, China is predominantly involved in solar energy and, in comparison to the EU, less in other new technologies (e.g., binary geothermal systems and ocean energy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the cost of solar and wind technologies having declined, governments are scaling back the subsidies and guarantees that have historically supported the development of renewable power. The renewables sector is struggling to stand commercially on its own feet, however: without state support, it is often difficult for developers to secure project funding. This article examines both this growing challenge to the energy transition and a key mechanism to which developers are turning to try to resolve it—the corporate power‐purchase agreement (PPA). Under renewables PPAs, corporations such as technology firms contract to buy electricity for periods of up to 15–20 years. Often pivotal in unlocking development finance, PPAs have been hailed as re‐energising a faltering energy transition. But to rely on the purchasing habits of the likes of Amazon and Google to maintain the shift into renewables is to raise important political, economic and ecological questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cameroon possesses a significant endowment of solar energy, granting it exceptional potential for the generation of hydrogen through environmentally friendly means. However, the continued expansion of the nation's petroleum industry presents an obstacle to the domestic utilization of green hydrogen due to its present costliness for energy purposes. Nonetheless, the prospect of exporting green hydrogen to developed nations remains an intriguing proposition. Indeed, a pact concerning hydrogen was established between Australia and Cameroon in the year 2021, thus opening avenues for the export of green hydrogen to facilitate the decarbonization of national energy supplies in Australia and other industrialized nations. Presently, there are no documented large-scale projects within Cameroon dedicated to the electrolytic production of hydrogen. This study projects the potential hydrogen demand in the electricity and transportation sectors up to 2040. Electricity demand is expected to be as high as 8675 GWh in 2040, while gasoline and diesel demand are expected to reach 1.75 and 3.26 million cubic meters, respectively. Therefore, the total amount of hydrogen needed to power both the electricity and transportation sectors is estimated at 0.532 megatonnes. Even a relatively modest allocation, merely 5 %, of Cameroon's land for the production of hydrogen via solar-powered electricity generation could yield a surplus. This resultant quantity of hydrogen, estimated at a substantial 16.68 megatonnes, would likely be more than enough to satisfy the projected domestic needs for both electrical and transportation uses by the year 2040. [Display omitted] • Green hydrogen can meet Cameroon's electricity and transport demands by 2040. • The study projects energy needs and potential for solar-powered hydrogen production. • Results suggest green hydrogen can fulfil domestic needs and generate export surplus. • Hydrogen is proposed as a flexible solution for a cleaner energy future in Cameroon. • Green hydrogen's role in Cameroon's transition to renewable energy is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the electricity production system in Gorj County, the Oltenia Energy Complex, coal-based energy producer, considering the important share it holds in the electricity production market in Romania. In the current context, marked by the emergence of increasingly severe environmental regulations in the energy field, by adopting the Energy Union Strategy, the European Union has assumed an important role in combating climate change, and the CEO wants to consolidate its earned reputation on the competitive Romanian market, by guaranteeing a safe, clean and efficient lignite energy production, carried out in sustainable conditions by protecting and preserving the environment. The modeling of the Romanian energy system is also presented based on the expected evolution of policies and measures, in accordance with various other technical and economic factors and indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1930 and 1980, Iceland's heating sector was decarbonized,as geothermal district heating utilities became the common form of heating. The 'elimination' of fuels in heating, as Icelanders called it,entailed the replacement of imported coal and oil with domestically available geothermal energy. Analyzing which natural, technological, social and economic factors helped – or hindered – the breakthrough of geothermal heating, I examine three phases: (1) the construction of the first urban geothermal utility in Reykjavík in 1930–1944, (2) the following phase of largely unsuccessful attempts to build similar utilities in the rest of the country, and (3) the complete elimination of fuels in heating during the 1970s. The central argument is that the shift to geothermal heating depended on geothermal resources being made available by applying suitable technologies and the societal will to both abandon the predominant forms of heating with fuels and invest in the construction of geothermal infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents 21 critical drivers influencing the transition of the Brazilian electricity sector through 2050. The information is processed using a two-round Delphi method involving experts from government, regulated companies, service providers, and academia. Statistical analysis revealed expert consensus, and stability was achieved between inquiry rounds. The European Union and China emerged as the primary external sources of influence, with policies and regulations identified as the main risks. Additionally, the importance of Brazil's accession to the OECD is on par with other critical drivers. The gathered evidence can provide valuable data and insights for policymaking, regulation, and future studies. • Brazil has a unique path in the energy transition due to its generation matrix. • Multiple drivers compete to shape the Brazilian electricity sector by 2050. • The Delphi Method enabled deriving 21 critical drivers, sources of influence, and risks. • China has a growing influence on the Brazilian energy sector. • The prospective accession of Brazil to the OECD is relevant for its energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A physical Dodge City high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity commodity hub would foster the kind of risk transfer that would invite the full participation of the financial industry in an interstate transmission system essential to the speedy development of renewable electricity and complementary storage technologies. Obstacles lie in the way of such a vision, however. Chief among them, paradoxically, is the administrative system that has evolved since the late 1990 s to promote regional electricity markets. That system abstracts from investment risk and the nation's uneven geography of renewable resources. It lodges a kind of monopoly planning and scheduling power in a small group of bureaucratic centralized system operators that mimics a command economy in their own distinct regions, not the kind of market economy that has traditionally driven investment in US interstate energy infrastructure. And yet, in dealing with the vexing transmission constraints faced by the renewable generating sector (the "queue"), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) continues to pursue ever greater authority for those regional transmission organizations (RTOs). Such FERC action regarding its RTOs in 2022–23 represents a highly evident case of path dependency —a problem—that state or federal policy makers wishing to speed the entry of large-scale renewable generation, and complementary storage technologies, will have find a way either to confront directly or to work around. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key to the necessary decarbonization of energy systems is the large-scale expansion of renewable energy sources and their integration into the electricity system. This integration is challenging because the feed-in from renewable energy sources is highly intermittent and largely dependent on uncontrollable factors such as weather patterns. To maintain grid stability, which refers to the required balance between demand and supply in the electricity system, flexibility is key. Large flexibility potentials can be found on the electricity demand side. However, current electricity market design in Europe, while providing major flexibility incentives, often neglects small-scale electricity consumers and distributed energy resources. We contribute to shape future electricity markets with consumers at the heart by developing six design principles for a consumer-centric electricity market design. We proceed by conducting a systematic literature review and evaluate the findings by expert interviews. Based on the developed design principles, we define a consumer-centric electricity market design as a set of market rules that align with the rules of other relevant energy markets and allow for the efficient matching of electricity demand and supply, with consumers having nondiscriminatory market access, being exposed to fine-grained price signals, being able to express their preferences, and having sufficient possibilities to protect themselves against unexpected price spikes. By actively incorporating consumers into electricity markets, we contribute to the overarching goal of integrating renewable energy sources while promoting energy justice, i.e., supporting a balanced mix of economic, political, environmental, and social interests. • We define six design principles for a consumer-centric electricity market design. • This electricity market design enables consumers to actively engage in market interactions and to react to price signals. • Consumers with small-scale assets can sell their own generated electricity on the market, i.e., the integration of DER. • Consumer-centricity enhances the system's ability to increase flexibility by adapting electricity consumption patterns. • Consumer-centric electricity market design contributes to different forms of energy justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We decompose the decline in coal production from 2008 to 2016 into the contributions of several sources. In particular, we estimate the effects of declining natural gas prices and the introduction of new environmental regulations along with several other factors, using both monthly state-level data and annual information on coal plant closings. We estimate that the declining price of natural gas relative to coal is responsible for 92 percent of the total decline in coal production over this period and that environmental regulations account for an additional six percent, with other factors making small and offsetting contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We test the causal effect of electricity on clean cooking fuel adoption and use. • The quality and reliability of electricity positively affected LPG adoption and use • The effects were significant for both poor and non-poor, and lower-caste households. • Pathways were income, technology adoption and information access. • Investment in reliable electricity is crucial for achieving clean energy target. We present the first evidence of the causal effect of the quality and reliability of residential electricity supply on clean cooking fuel adoption and use in rural areas of six energy poor Indian states using household-level panel data from 2015 and 2018. Quality and reliability of electricity are measured using the number of hours of electricity supply in a day, the number of days of low voltage and the number of complete power outage days experienced in a month. We used the village-level variation in the coverage of a nationwide government program, (i.e., the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)), that aimed to improve the quality and reliability of rural residential electricity supply, as an instrument. Our results show a positive effect of an improvement in the quality and reliability of electricity on liquefied petroleum gas adoption and use; and disadoption of traditional cooking fuel. The effects were significant for both poor and non-poor, and lower-caste households' transition to clean cooking fuel. We find that the improvements in economic wellbeing, adoption of time-saving technologies, information access, and energy-efficient technology adoption played important mediating roles. These findings, for the first time, reveal the complementary role of electricity quality and reliability improvement with the adoption of clean energy sources, and thus supporting the achievement of important developmental outcomes. The findings thus underscore the need to invest in seamless and reliable electricity as a pathway to achieve the target of universal access to clean cooking fuels by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany is under increasing pressure to rapidly decarbonize its electricity system, while ensuring a secure and affordable electricity supply. In this context, energy storage systems (ESSs) can play a crucial role in enabling a high share of variable renewable electricity generation. To investigate the complex interplay of ESSs in the electricity system, bottom-up energy system optimization models have been utilized to create strategies for the decarbonization of electricity systems at minimum cost. Previous studies have used models to investigate the role of storage technologies in decarbonizing electricity systems. However, in most of them, key aspects pertaining to the optimal storage technology mix (what), the daily and seasonal operation of storage technologies (what), the timing of the investment (when), and their optimal placement (where) are omitted. In this work, we present MANGOelec, a model for the long-term optimal design of electricity systems that allows us to study all the what-where-when dimensions for ESSs. We apply the MANGOelec model to the German electricity system considering the horizon until 2050, as well as various scenarios to investigate the effects of several external factors like building rates of renewable generation technologies or grid expansion limitations on the optimal transformation pathways. The study results indicate that a mix of short- and long-term storage is needed, independent of external factors. For instance, battery storage potentials are close to fully exploited across all regions and the technology is solely used for daily operation. Hydrogen storage, on the other hand, is primarily installed in a small set of regions and operated exclusively as a seasonal storage option. Here, the results indicate that the demand for hydrogen storage capacity is substantial, reaching 2.7–5.9 TWh of hydrogen-based storage capacity in 2050 depending on the scenario. The results also suggest that independent of the storage technology chosen, their deployment commences after 2030 and is completed by 2045. In conclusion, the study shows that already existing ESSs provide sufficient flexibility at first but need to be expanded substantially after 2030 to enable a cost-optimal transition of the German electricity system. Moreover, it illustrates the need for ESSs in order to achieve the decarbonization goals of the German electricity system, which can provide valuable insights to energy planners and policy makers. • Role of energy storage systems in the German electricity system is investigated. • Modeling of daily and seasonal storage investments and operation in 2021–2050. • Quantification of regional and temporal patterns in energy storage installations. • High hydrogen-based seasonal storage demand in selected federal states is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Venezuela's electricity sector has been facing a deep crisis. By 2020, the electricity production plummeted to 74.5 TWh, a drastic 43% reduction with respect to the peak of 132.5 TWh registered in 2013. The reasons behind the collapse of Venezuela's electricity sector are multifactorial and widely described in the literature. However, there is a lack of discussion on how to overcome the electricity crisis, considering the new opportunities provided by the ongoing energy transition paradigm. In this paper, a review of existing views to recover Venezuela's electricity system is provided. Two public-available detailed plans: the Venezuelan Electricity Sector Recovery Plan (VESRP) and the National Assembly's Country Plan Electricity (CPE) are described and analyzed in detail. It is concluded that both proposals are pragmatic attempts to restore the reliable hydrothermal model that prevailed until 1998. However, there is a lack of insight about the economic and environmental opportunities of building a decarbonized electricity matrix in account of the existence of huge renewable energy resources. Fulfilling a balance between reconstructing Venezuela's historic electricity system and building a new decarbonized system is of major significance. Urgent humanitarian needs and the demands of Venezuelan citizens call for the restoration of electricity supplies as fast as possible, but also with a modern system that ensures a low long-run marginal cost that enables competition and ensure economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solar PV and wind drive the 100% renewable electricity system in South Africa. • 100% renewable energy system is the least-cost and most job-rich option. • Renewable technology costs decline leads to 96% renewables without carbon costs. • Energy storage, transmission network and gas turbines improve system flexibility. Transition to a cost effective and fossil carbon-free energy system is imminent for South Africa, so is the mitigation of issues associated with the 'water-energy nexus' and their consequent impacts on the climate. The country's key fossil carbon mitigation option lies in the energy sector, especially in shifting away from the coal-dependent power system. Pathways towards a fully decarbonised and least cost electricity system are investigated for South Africa. The energy transition is simulated for five scenarios, assessing the impact of various factors such as sector coupling, with and without greenhouse gas (GHG) emission costs. South Africa's energy transition is simulated using an hourly resolved model until 2050. This modelling approach synthesises and reflects in-depth insights of how the demand from the power sector can be met. The optimisation for each 5-year time period is carried out based on assumed costs and technological status until 2050. The modelling outcomes reveal that solar PV and wind energy, supplying about 71% and 28% of the demand respectively in the Best Policy Scenario for 2050, can overcome coal dependency of the power sector. The levelised cost of electricity increases just slightly from 49.2 €/MWh in 2015 to 50.8 €/MWh in the Best Policy Scenario, whereas it increases significantly to 104.9 €/MWh in the Current Policy Scenario by 2050. Further, without considering GHG emissions costs, the cost of electricity slightly increases from 44.1 €/MWh in 2015 to 47.1 €/MWh in the Best Policy Scenario and increases up to 62.8 €/MWh in the Current Policy Scenario by 2050. The cost of electricity is 25% lower in the Best Policy Scenario than in the Current Policy Scenario without factoring in GHG emissions costs and further declined to 50% with GHG emissions costs. The Best Policy Scenario without GHG emissions costs led to 96% renewables and the remaining 4% is supplied by coal and gas turbines, indicating pure market economics. The results indicate that a 100% renewable energy system is the least-cost, least-water intensive, least-GHG-emitting and most job-rich option for the South African energy system in the mid-term future. No new coal and nuclear power plants are installed in the least-cost pathway, and existing fossil fuel capacities are phased out based on their technical lifetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring household access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all the people is one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). China has achieved 100% electricity access, while the traditional solid fuels such as firewood are still widely used in its rural area. This paper, using a long-term and large micro dataset and multinomial logit model, investigates quantitatively the determinants of cooking fuel choice in rural China. The results show that in addition to the previous knowledge on household income, occupation is crucial to the cooking fuel transition. In average, if the head of household changes its occupation from farm to non-farm, the possibility of using firewood would reduce by around 14–21%. The impact of income is slightly small. A 10% increase in income may result in 0.5% of possibility of firewood use. These conclusions are robust after considering the possible energy ladders using ordered logit regressions (OLR) and generalized OLR. After controlling other factors such as income and occupation, we have not found concrete evidence on the influences of education and gender of the household head and household member numbers. To accelerate the fuel transition, in addition to increase the household income, the government should pay attention to create more non-farm work opportunities for the rural. • We use a large micro dataset covering 2 decades and 9 provinces in rural China. • We use a multinomial logit model to capture the choice on disorder fuels. • In addition to the income, occupation is crucial to the cooking fuel choice. • No evidence shows the influences of education and gender if other factors controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The worldwide electricity mix has become diversified, mainly through the exploitation of endogenous and green resources. However, doubt has been cast on the much-vaunted advantages of renewables due to some of their characteristics, such as availability, security and affordability. In fact, growth in the installed capacity of renewable energy has increased electricity prices, which raises the question of how households have withstood the cost of energy transition. The main aim of this study is to empirically assess and discuss: (i) whether different types of household have suffered dissimilar effects from the promotion of renewables; (ii) the consequences of promoting renewables on household income; and (iii) if the promotion of renewables has reduced the risk of poverty and social exclusion. A panel data of European countries has been analysed using Kao's residual cointegration test, and an Autoregressive Distributed Lag approach, to assess the relationships. This paper proves that both income and risk of household poverty are directly linked with renewable energies, in both the short- and long-run. The energy transition to renewables has had negative consequences for households. Thus, the disadvantaged households should be helped to meet the increased cost arising from the energy transition. Highlights • The impact of deploying renewables on income and the risk of poverty for households. • The Kao test verifies the long-run relation between renewables and risk of poverty. • The ARDL technique takes into consideration both short- and long-run effects. • Solar PV deployment has increased the overall risk of poverty for households. • Policies are required to mitigate the negative effects of RES on society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract While previous research has focused on single industrial sectors or specific technologies, this study aims to explore the impacts of various industrial technology options on the use of biomass and electricity in a future fossil free Swedish industry. By building a small optimisation model, that decomposes each industrial sector into site categories by type and technology to capture critical synergies among industrial processes. The results show important synergies between electrification, biomass and CCS/U (sequestration of CO 2 is required to reach net-zero emissions). Reaching an absolute minimum of biomass use within the industry has a very high cost of electricity due to the extensive use of power-to-gas technologies, and minimising electricity has a high cost of biomass due to extensive use of CHP technologies. Meanwhile, integrated bio-refinery processes are the preferable option when minimising the net input of energy. There is, thus, no singular best technology, instead the system adapts to the given circumstances showing the importance of a detailed bottom-up modelling approach and that the decarbonisation of the industry should not be treated as a site-specific problem, but rather as a system-wide problem to allow for optimal utilisation of process synergies. Highlights • Industrial decarbonisation should be treated as a system-wide problem. • There are important synergies between electrification, biomass use and CCS/U. • Efficient deployment of CCS/U technologies requires comprehensive system analysis. • Heat pumps and bio-refineries show valuable synergies in the pulp & paper industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Energy scenarios provide guidance to energy policy, not least by presenting decarbonisation pathways for climate change mitigation. We review such scenarios for the example of Germany 2050, with a focus on the decarbonisation of heat generation and road transport. In this context, we characterize the role of renewable electricity and contrast two rivalling narratives: direct and indirect electrification. On the one hand, electricity directly provides heat and transport, using electric heat pumps, electric heaters, and battery electric vehicles. On the other hand, electricity, heat, and transport are indirectly linked, using gas heat pumps, gas heaters, fuel cell electric vehicles, and internal combustion engine vehicles, in combination with power-to-gas and power-to-liquid processes. To reach climate policy targets, our findings imply that energy stakeholders must (1) plan for the significant additional demand for renewable electricity for heat and road transport, (2) pave the way for system-friendly direct heat electrification, (3) be aware of technological uncertainties in the transport sector, (4) clarify the vision for decarbonisation, particularly for road transport, and (5) use holistic and more comparable scenario frameworks. Highlights • In the scenarios reviewed, GHG emission reduction targets drive electrification. • If targets are met by 2050, 40–100% of heat and car transport will be electrified. • The electricity consumption of heat and transport will increase to 400–800 TWh. • Heat generation, at least in the building sector, favours direct electrification. • Preferable electrification paths and technologies for road transport are unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To face climate changes and energy dependency, governments encourage their industries and communities to increase the share of renewable energy (RE). However, the RE production is mostly inflexible. The risk of unmatching electricity market grows. Tools such as power plant flexibility, import/export, demand side management, storage and RE curtailment are developed to handle this problem. This study focuses on the energy storage mix required for the energy of the electricity system to high RE shares. An hour based model is developed in order to optimise the renewable energy and storage assets by maximising the energy return on investment (EROI) while respecting power fluxes constraints. The model is used to quantify the storage needs for the energy transition of Belgium. An in-depth analysis is performed for four scenarios. Depending on the RE deployment and nuclear share, EROI between 5 and 10.5 are obtained. Large scale storage is required as soon as the energy mix has more than 30% of RE. With more than 75% of RE, power to gas becomes unavoidable. This study highlights that curtailment can be limited to less than 5% of RE production. These values are the result of the optimum between increasing storage, RE capacity and curtailment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the economic impact of a shift towards renewable electricity mix in the Netherlands using the neo-Keynesian CGEM ThreeME (Multi-sector Macroeconomic Model for the Evaluation of Environmental and Energy policy). This scenario has been inspired by the Urgenda's report ‘Energy 100% Sustainable in the Netherlands by 2030’, which have been quantified using the Energy Transition Model (ETM) developed by Quintel. Using the output of the ETM regarding the change in the electricity generation shares as input in ThreeME, we derive the impact in terms of key economic variables (GDP, employment, investment, value-added, prices, trade, tax revenue, etc.). We find that transition to renewable energy may have a positive impact on the Dutch economy, creating almost 50 000 new jobs by 2030 and adding almost 1% of gross domestic product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy conversion and distribution of heat and electricity is characterized by long planning horizons, investment periods and depreciation times, and it is thus difficult to plan and tell the technology that optimally fits for decades. Uncertainties include future energy prices, applicable subsidies, regulation, and even the evolution of market designs. To achieve higher adaptability to arbitrary transition paths, a technical concept based on integrated energy systems is envisioned and described. The problem of intermediate steps of evolution is tackled by introducing a novel paradigm in urban infrastructure design. It builds on standardization, modularization and economies of scale for underlying conversion units. Building on conceptual arguments for such a platform, it is then argued how actors like (among others) municipalities and district heating system operators can use this as a practical starting point for a manageable and smooth transition towards more environmental friendly supply technologies, and to commit to their own pace of transition (bearable investment/risk). Merits are not only supported by technical arguments but also by strategical and societal prospects like technology neutrality and availability of real options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of a transition towards a low-carbon economy on the structure of labor demand are gaining widespread attention among sustainability practitioners and policymakers around the world. This is particularly relevant for megacities with large energy demands and populations, such as Beijing, the capital of China. In this study, we assess the employment impacts of Beijing's energy transition trajectory through a soft-linking approach combining MESSAGEix-Beijing, an energy system model, with Input-Output analysis. We estimate that by 2050, the total employment effect of the electricity sector in Beijing is higher under the baseline (154 thousand people) and indigenous (IND) scenarios (375 thousand people) in comparison to the imported electricity-dependent (EIMP) scenario (28 thousand people). If the input-output interaction between industries is considered, more indirect employment will be created, which will be 1.7–1.9 times more than direct employment. The most significant gains would materialize in the electricity sectors together with the Leasing and Business Service ; Finance ; and Transport and Telecommunications Services sectors. The indirect and induced employment benefits from the sectoral interrelation and household consumption point to the need for complementary policies in balancing trade-offs between low-carbon transitions and employment levels in the economy. • A soft-linking model is used to examine Beijing's energy transitions and employment. • Three energy transition scenarios are examined for their effects on employment. • The IND scenario will be more conducive to increasing indirect output and employment. • The natural gas-based electricity dominates long in Beijing's electricity sources. • Complementary policies are necessary to balance the conflict between energy transition and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoption of residential rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems is increasingly widespread. However, empirical evidence shows that households who adopt rooftop PV increase total electricity consumption, a response known as the 'solar rebound effect' (SRE). The SRE implies that rooftop PV generation displaces conventional, grid-supplied electricity—still overwhelmingly generated by fossil fuel combustion—on a less than one-for-one basis. This article argues that utility-scale solar avoids a SRE because the SRE emerges as a household's response to the self-generation of electricity by its rooftop PV system, which changes its electricity consumption incentives in ways that utility-scale solar does not. By avoiding a SRE, utility-scale solar allows the carbon reduction potential of increased PV generation capacity to be more fully realized, which has important implications for U.S. solar policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the political economy of coal in the second half of the twentieth century, with particular attention to the resurgence of coal production beginning in the 1960s after a decline in the immediate post-war period. After 1962, the coal industry in Alberta was transformed compared to its early twentieth century counterpart as it shifted from producing a transport fuel to producing a fuel for electric power generation and came to occupy a different place in Alberta’s and Canada’s energy networks. The shift to strip-mining in the post-war period, which was part of a global transition, enabled intensified exploitation of the resource at greatly reduced costs. A new coal industry in Alberta was born after 1962 that depended less on the labour of skilled coal miners than on the transferable skills of heavy equipment operators. A shift in markets for coal produced in Alberta fundamentally changed the place of coal in the provincial political economy. This article also contributes to the national and international energy literatures by presenting a case study of the mid-century energy transition in Alberta, complicating our understanding of which energy sources prevailed in this transition and why. While Alberta exported oil and gas, coal provided for the intensifying energy demands within the province itself. Coal was thus wholly integrated into the fossil fuel economy of the late twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inefficiencies in the transmission and distribution (T&D) of electricity between suppliers and customers can lead to higher compensatory electricity generation and unanticipated air pollution. Using both life cycle assessments and uncertainty analyses, we estimate the compensatory air pollutants – CO 2 eq , SO x , NO x , and PM 2.5 – associated with aggregate and non-technical T&D losses at national and subnational scales. Our global analysis estimates that 1 Gigatonne of CO 2eq and 1.3 Megatonnes (Mt) NO x , 1.6 Mt SO x , and 2 Mt PM 2.5 are associated with annual aggregate T&D losses. We also find that approximately 274 Mt CO 2eq , 367 kilotonnes (kt) NO x , 486 kt SO x , and 535 kt PM 2.5 are emitted due to non-technical T&D losses. Our subnational analysis in the United States demonstrates the variation of emissions savings across regulatory jurisdictions. We present an initial deployment cost analysis for CO 2 eq reduction which compares deploying smart meters (i.e., reducing non-technical T&D losses) to renewable energy generation expansion. Investments in T&D infrastructure are beneficial in a completely decarbonized system because improvements in the T&D grid can make investments in renewable energy more cost-effective. • We investigate air pollution emissions from inefficiencies in electric transmission and distribution systems. • Approximately 274 Mt CO 2eq , 367 kt NO x , 486 kt SO x , and 535 kt PM 2.5 result from non-technical transmissions losses. • Subnational analysis in the United States demonstrates the variation of emissions savings across regulatory jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing energy transition, including the rapid electrification of energy services, reinforces the importance of secure and reliable electricity infrastructure. Electricity as a critical energy carrier cuts across sectoral boundaries, including but not limited to public health, national security, education, and transportation. Electricity markets treat electricity as a commodity bought and sold in the different restructured markets of the United States and are a critical feature of power systems shaping the energy transition. However, current electricity market developments primarily rely on techno-economic indicators and fall short of incorporating ethical considerations to spur energy transition towards 100% renewable electricity as end-use energy. Even though electricity markets are designed based on the assumption that they are socially valuable, they essentially go unmeasured based on social and ethical parameters and are largely measured using technical and economic tools and criteria. These inadequacies in the development of electricity markets fail to provide energy and other allied services, particularly during and in the aftermath of a disaster, to the people who need them the most. This paper aims to provide an analytical framework using the foundational approach of energy justice for looking at the electricity market development. The paper utilizes the case of the Texas electricity market and its role in dealing with the electricity crisis in Texas during the winter storm of 2021 from the critical lens of energy justice. The paper shows that using the foundational approach of energy justice, the electricity market can be designed more ethically by considering electricity as means rather than only a market commodity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Electricity Supply Chain is a system of enabling procedures to optimize processes ranging from production to transportation and consumption of electricity. The proportion of distributed energy sources within the electricity system increases steadily, which necessitates an improved monitoring capability to ensure the overall reliability and quality of the Electricity Supply Chain. Automation is strongly required to process the growing amount of data. Thus, it is inevitable to handle large amounts of heterogeneous data and process the information using forecasting and optimization techniques. Artificial Intelligence techniques are crucial for extending human cognitive abilities in these tasks. In our work, we synthesize the main impacts of the Artificial Intelligence paradigm on the automation of the Electricity Supply Chain. We describe the emerging automation through Artificial Intelligence in every layer of the Smart Grid Architecture Model and highlight state-of-the-art approaches. In the review, we focus on the following Electricity Supply Chain functionalities: generation, maintenance, pre-processing, analysis, forecasting, optimization, and trading within energy systems. After investigating the individual perspectives, we examine the potential implementation of a fully automated Electricity Supply Chain. Lastly, we discuss perspectives and limitations for the transformation from conventional to automated Electricity Supply Chains, specifically in terms of human interaction, Artificial Intelligence adaptation, energy transition, and sustainability. • Assessment of AI impact on key functions for Electricity Supply Chain automation. • Electrical automation sectors are arranged by Smart Grid interoperability layers. • Identification of a clear need for AI standardization in electrical applications. • Challenges and opportunities of AI for the electricity sector are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transforming and expanding the electricity sector are key for climate change mitigation and alleviation of energy poverty. Future energy systems based on renewable energy sources may reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but could require more materials during construction. We assess this trade-off by quantifying the requirements of the main bulk materials used in electricity infrastructures for 281 global electricity sector pathways until 2050. We identify main determinants for material requirements and gauge the relevance of socio-economic framework conditions and climate change mitigation regimes. Five selected, highly diverse scenarios are analysed in detail by quantifying their respective annual material stocks and flows, and cumulative GHG emissions to 2050. We find robust evidence that scenarios in line with the 1.5 °C target are associated with significantly higher material requirements than scenarios exceeding a global temperature rise of 2 °C. Material stocks in 2050 differ by up to 30% for copper, 100% for concrete, 150% for iron/steel and 260% for aluminium (3rd quartiles of Monte Carlo simulations), even when the particularly material-intensive "Below 1.5 °C″ scenarios are excluded. Although power plants account for the largest part of the material requirements, grid expansion and reinforcement, necessary to accommodate large shares of volatile power generation and provide universal access to electricity, also cause substantial material demand. In the absence of future GHG mitigation in the processing industries, GHG emissions related to bulk materials (primarily iron/steel and aluminium) could amount to one tenth of the remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. However, if preference is given to material-efficient technologies, low-carbon processes are applied in the industries and increased material recycling is achieved, GHG emissions related to bulk materials in decarbonisation pathways will not significantly exceed those in largely fossil fuel-based scenarios. • Global electricity sector pathways to 2050 require large amounts of bulk materials. • High-renewable scenarios that meet climate targets are most material-intensive. • Future iron/steel and aluminium requirements imply large greenhouse gas emissions. • Without mitigation, cumulative GHG emissions could be 10% of the 1.5° carbon budget. • Mitigation options include material efficiency, technology development & circularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers currently face the challenge of supporting a suitable technology mix to decarbonize electricity systems. Due to multiple and interdependent technologies and sectors, as well as opposing objectives such as minimizing cost and reducing emissions, energy system models are used to develop optimal transition pathways towards decarbonized electricity systems. Research in this domain has increased in recent years and multiple studies have used energy system modeling (ESM) to shed light on possible transition pathways for national electricity systems. However, in many cases, the large number of model-based studies makes it difficult for policymakers to navigate study results and condense diverging pathways into a coherent picture. We conduct an in-depth review of ESM publications covering Switzerland, Germany, France, and Italy, and analyze the main trends regarding electricity generation mixes, key supply and storage technology trends, and the role of demand developments. Our findings show that diverging solutions are proposed regarding technology mixes in 2030 and 2050, not all of which meet current climate targets. Additionally, our analysis suggests that natural gas, solar, and wind will continue to be key actors in the electricity system transition, whereas the role of storage remains opaque and calls for clearer policy support. We conclude that due to diverging targets and the current energy landscape in each country considered, different options appear as prominent transition pathways, meaning that individual sets of policies are necessary for each case. Nonetheless, international collaborations will be essential to ensure a swift electricity system transition by 2050. • Model-based electricity system scenarios of four European countries are collected. • Electricity generation mixes and key technologies in 2030 and 2050 are analyzed. • Scenarios highlight a range of possible futures for each country's electricity system. • Wind and solar are dominant technologies in scenarios that meet environmental targets. • Current policy regulation is often not considered in the scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2011, the major German electricity-producing utilities faced an existential crisis: a sudden and unexpected volte-face on nuclear power regulation together with greatly increased competition from renewables and severe economic downturn in their core markets. The situation approximates, on a small scale, fears around what has been called "transition risk": the danger to economies and financial systems posed by an abrupt transition away from fossil fuel energy production. This article takes a business history approach to consider what one case of a "sudden stop" looked like on the ground. How did the four major German electrical utilities react to a situation in which their operations, strategies, and balance sheets were suddenly thrown into disrepair? In the end, the utilities adopted widely varying strategies in attempts to adapt to changing circumstances. The reasons for and ways in which companies chose differing paths in response to similar external shocks can be instructive for thinking about cases where deep and rapid transformation is necessary and how scenarios with potential for transition risk might unfold at the firm level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In parts of the United States where competitive wholesale electricity markets support prior state decisions to embrace retail choice, market-based reliability planning ensures the lights stay on. The assumption that a spot price alone would incentivize both efficient short-term market operations and drive long-term investment decisions was key to economic arguments for restructuring. However, separate capacity markets are needed to ensure that generation resources are available to meet a peak load plus a defined reserve margin, since a spot price alone is insufficient to enable long-term investment decisions. The debates over the future of markets for resource adequacy in wholesale power markets continue to rely on the idea that a market price alone can enable the energy transition. This is especially true in arguments that focus only on adding a price on carbon. At the heart of these assumptions, but largely unrecognized, is the idea that generation resource adequacy is a private good. Transitioning the electricity sector is critical to meeting economy-wide decarbonization targets. Recognizing the limits of prices alone to ensure the public good aspects of electric system reliability is key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Earlier phase-out of coal is not the best answer to achieve energy transition. • The 2050 plan and historical RES investments maxima are not enough to reach climate neutrality. • What is the effect of regional RES limits over Nationwide RES limits. • Where will be the states in Germany having major RES deployment. • Myopic optimization reveals new challenges for energy policy. This paper will introduce the open-source model MyPyPSA-Ger, a myopic optimization model developed to represent the German energy system with a detailed mapping of the electricity sector, on a highly disaggregated level, spatially and temporally, with regional differences and investment limitations. Furthermore, this paper will give new outlooks on the German federal government 2050 emissions goals of the electricity sector to become greenhouse gas neutral by proposing new CO 2 allowance strategies. Moreover, the regional differences in Germany will be discussed, their role and impact on the energy transition, and which regions and states will drive the renewable energy utilization forward. Following a scenario-based analysis, the results point out the major keystones of the energy transition path from 2020 to 2050. Solar, onshore wind, and gas-fired power plants will play a fundamental role in the future electricity systems. Biomass, run of river, and offshore wind technologies will be utilized in the system as base-load generation technologies. Solar and onshore wind will be installed almost everywhere in Germany. However, due to the nature of Germany's weather and geographical features, the southern and northern regions will play a more important role in the energy transition. Higher CO 2 allowance costs will help achieve the 1.5-degree-target of the electricity system and will allow for a rapid transition. Moreover, the more expensive, and the earlier the CO 2 tax is applied to the system, the less it will cost for the energy transition, and the more emissions will be saved throughout the transition period. An earlier phase-out of coal power plants is not necessary with high CO 2 taxes, due to the change in power plant's unit commitment, as they prioritize gas before coal power plants. Having moderate to low CO 2 allowance cost or no clear transition policy will be more expensive and the CO 2 budget will be exceeded. Nonetheless, even with no policy, renewables still dominate the energy mix of the future. However, maintaining the maximum historical installation rates of both national and regional levels, with the current emissions reduction strategy, will not be enough to reach the level of climate-neutral electricity system. Therefore, national and regional installation requirements to achieve the federal government emission reduction goals are determined. Energy strategies and decision makers will have to resolve great challenges in order to stay in line with the 1.5-degree-target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of smart meters enables the emergence of innovations in the electricity sector, such as smart grids, prosumers and Peer-to-Peer trading, which can play an important role in realizing the energy transition. These developments rely on the processing of personal data, triggering the application of data protection legislation in addition to the legislation organizing the electricity markets. This article examines the interaction between the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Directive (EU) 2019/944 on common rules for the internal market for electricity in the European Union, following the method of doctrinal legal research. Concretely, this article investigates what kinds of tensions may arise from the coexistence of these two legal regimes and whether there are mechanisms in place to prevent or mitigate such tensions. Three main tensions are identified. The first tension lies in the fact that some of the innovations facilitated by smart metering in the energy sector rely on technologies that might not be entirely compatible with the GDPR. A second tension follows from the existence of separate but interrelated regimes for access to data of the consumer/data subject in the two legal instruments here analysed. The third tension relates to a possible overlap of competences between the supervisory authorities of both regimes. This article is a contribution to the still scarce legal scholarship on the interplay between the GDPR the Recast Electricity Directive. The findings of this research are of interest not only for academics but also for practitioners, policymakers and supervisory authorities that have to deal with the issues here identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the acceleration phase transitions often increase in depth and scope, and thereby create knock-on effects for wider system structures. In the renewable energy transition, for example, higher shares of intermittent renewable energy sources call for new grid technologies to increase flexible grid operation. At the same time, there are different ways of achieving renewable energy transitions and providing flexibility. In Europe, important tensions exist over how centralised or decentralised a renewable energy electricity system should be. This paper explores to what extent and how European framework programmes for research and development have addressed and supported innovation in transmission grid (centralised system) and distribution grid (decentralised) technologies. We analyse European R&D projects that studied electricity grid planning, development and innovation over 2002–2020. We apply social network analysis of the collaboration partners in these projects, and analyse the calls for proposals issued by three European Framework Programmes: FP6, FP7 and Horizon 2020. The framework programmes have addressed energy-related issues, but the priorities have changed over time, reflecting the ongoing energy transition. We ask if the importance of transmission grid vs. distribution grid has changed over time, and if and how the collaboration patterns have changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]