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The climate change policy debate and ensuing discussions about industrial energy use and carbon emissions have highlighted the need to: (a) aggregate engineering information to a level relevant for economic policy analysis while maintaining sufficient detail so that results are meaningful for industry decision makers, (b) properly represent an industry’s capital vintage structure to better understand inertia associated with changes in aggregate industrial emissions profiles, and (c) identify policy instruments that leverage an industry’s potential for technological change such that carbon emissions can be noticeably reduced. This paper presents an econometric analysis of energy use and emissions profiles of the US Pulp and Paper Industry and uses the resulting set of equations to specify a dynamic model for the analysis of select climate change policies. Scenarios of cost of carbon, energy tax, and investment-led policies indicate that a combination of cost of carbon and investment-led policies can achieve the desired result of rapidly improving overall efficiency of the industry and promoting changes in fuel mix, which together can result in drastic reductions of carbon emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

By 1970, European and Japanese dependence on Middle Eastern oil had increased tremendously both in absolute terms and as a percentage of their total energy consumption. In 1950, eighty-five percent of the energy needs of Western Europe and Japan were satisfied by indigenous coal deposits, but by 1970, ninety percent of their demands were met by crude oil imports, most of which came from the Middle East and North Africa. Even the U.S. was becoming increasingly reliant upon foreign imports. While it would remain far more energy self-sufficient then either Europe or Japan, in 1970, U.S. domestic oil production began to decline at a rate of two percent per year. This meant that the U.S. would not only become increasingly dependent upon foreign oil, but also that it would be increasingly difficult for it to supply its allies in an emergency. Finally, it is important to note that in the early 1970's, worldwide consumption of oil was increasing at a rate of seven to eight percent annually. The competitive threat posed by the industry newcomers and the increased importance of Middle Eastern oil combined to make it increasingly difficult for the oil companies to resist demands of the oil producing nations.

This paper examines the pervasive barriers hindering the widespread adoption of energy efficiency measures across various sectors. It categorizes these barriers into economic barriers, high upfront costs, organizational challenges, such as technical expertise and behavioral barriers, namely risk aversion and framing. To address these barriers, a comprehensive review of energy efficiency policies is conducted. These policies include incentives, coercive instruments, award systems, university industry collaboration, and technical support. To review energy efficiency barriers and policies, a methodological approach integrating non-structured snowball sampling with targeted literature review techniques was devised. Finally, the paper underlines that the success of these policies is contingent upon the active involvement, the collaboration, and the feedback of businesses, ensuring the feasibility of these policies. Their proactive engagement is indispensable in tackling energy efficiency barriers and driving the implementation of energy-efficient technologies, thus paving the way for a more sustainable and competitive businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the pervasive barriers hindering the widespread adoption of energy efficiency measures across various sectors. It categorizes these barriers into economic barriers, high upfront costs, organizational challenges, such as technical expertise and behavioral barriers, namely risk aversion and framing. To address these barriers, a comprehensive review of energy efficiency policies is conducted. These policies include incentives, coercive instruments, award systems, university industry collaboration, and technical support. To review energy efficiency barriers and policies, a methodological approach integrating non-structured snowball sampling with targeted literature review techniques was devised. Finally, the paper underlines that the success of these policies is contingent upon the active involvement, the collaboration, and the feedback of businesses, ensuring the feasibility of these policies. Their proactive engagement is indispensable in tackling energy efficiency barriers and driving the implementation of energy-efficient technologies, thus paving the way for a more sustainable and competitive businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Within the framework of EU policies and measures to develop a just and fair green energy transition model. This paper aims to offer valuable insights into a paramount concern not so well debated in the literature, i.e. the spatial variation of energy poverty. Design/methodology/approach: This empirical analysis investigates the regional variation of energy poverty we draw on a sample of more than 300,000 Spanish households, extracted from the Spanish Household Budget Survey (HBS) for the period 2006–2022. To characterize the probability of a household finding itself in a situation of energy poverty the authors use a discrete choice univariate probit model. Findings: The results confirm that energy poverty is a phenomenon that is asymmetrically distributed across Spain, and mainly occurs in un-densely populated regions. In addition, the findings demonstrate that the incidence of energy poverty drivers is highly heterogeneous across regions. Research limitations/implications: The paper ends with some recommendations for policymakers suggesting that countries need to design an energy poverty policy for the households that jointly pursue both a correct identification of vulnerable groups and a match with the type of measure to the characteristics of each region. Originality/value: This study enhances previous research by considering the case of areas at a lower level of aggregation (i.e. on the NUTS two regions in Spain called autonomous communities) and offers the opportunity to tailor policies to those regions most in need. Furthermore, to provide a more realistic picture of the complex phenomenon of energy poverty, the authors use the information for the period 2006–2022 differentiating by economic micro-cycle. This timespan allows the authors to understand the dynamics of energy poverty in periods of economic crisis, including the effects of the 2008 crisis and the present global energy crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The City of Cape Town has recently drafted an energy strategy and an integrated waste management plan. The creative implementation of these strategies requires knowledge of potential sources of energy and flows of waste. Inventories of requisite data are sparse. Wood and paper are interesting cases in point, as they are significant contributors to waste and potential energy carriers. A better knowledge of all related flows is obtained by means of a Material Flow Analysis (MFA). Data have been gathered for the fuel wood sector, the manufacturing, construction and demolition sector, the pulp and paper market, the municipal solid waste sector and the wastewater sector. Analysis shows that ∼70% of the renewable energy target of the City (10% of energy demand to be covered by renewables by 2020) could be met via the redirection of woody material flows within the Cape Metropolitan Area and the utilisation of innovative transformation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the overwhelming importance of energy governance in the transition toward energy sustainable economy in the U.S., empirical studies that aim at understanding the governance mechanism of sustainable energy in the states are needed. This paper will fill the lacuna by examining how state governments manage sustainable energy in the following ways. First, I will first describe and categorize the administrative structure of the energy office in the states. Second, based on 42 policy instruments that the state governments, a state sustainable energy policy index is developed to evaluate the policy commitment of the state governments in energy sustainability. Last, a typology is developed to evaluate the sustainable energy governance in the states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies internal migration patterns in the U.S. and the relationship between these migration patterns and household level energy use and carbon emissions. The paper uses a two-city model of energy use and migration to analyze emission implications from city level green policies. With recent policy emphasis on energy use and emissions, particularly with gasoline and natural gas, these policies have the potential for a rebound effect due to migration when prices increase in low-emission areas. The effect of total emissions can be increasing under such conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The financial viability of Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) electricity sectors has become a central energy policy issue in recent years. This follows persistent under-recovery of costs which are amongst some of the highest in the world. Discussions, however, focus on tariff and utility reforms and inadequately on costs efficiency and the role of broader sector reforms in persistently high costs. Through a synthesis of reform theories and case studies and using small electricity systems as a surrogate for liberalized electricity sectors without competitive markets, this paper examines the connection between sector reforms and costs. It brings an economic perspective to the discussion on utility financial performance in SSA electricity systems and the need for a holistic policy approach for sustainable cost-recovery. In this, we recommend the promotion of mobile power plants to facilitate contestability in generation and need for non-island small systems to participate in regional power markets to neutralize the scale limitations of their autarkic demand. Utilities and regulatory agencies should form platforms to share information on cost opportunities and possibilities to inform procurement designs and regulatory benchmarks. Regional markets could partner with national governments to develop subsidy schemes such as Contracts for Differences to remove rigidities imposed by national power purchasing contracts to promote deeper participation of small systems in regional power markets. Yardstick competition in the distribution segment remains viable in many small electricity systems and should be pursued at the regional level in the short run to medium term and at the national levels in the long term following deconcentration and the introduction of private sector participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short communication critiques the paper of Primc & Slabe-Erker published in this journal in 2020. The reasons for this critique fall into two categories: engagement with the energy poverty literature and application of QCA according to best practices. The argumentation is supported by discussion of the EP literature and QCA methodology as well as reproduction of the study in question. Based on an evidenced critique, the paper argues that there is cause for caution regarding the claims the authors have made and need for additional research in this vein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency can make energy access more affordable by reducing the electricity cost burden on households and businesses. Improving products' energy efficiency helps reduce monthly energy bills— freeing up funds that can feed back into the economy, thus stimulating economic growth. To demonstrate these benefits, this paper conducts a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and a national impact analysis (NIA) for implementing an energy-efficiency standards and labeling (EESL) program for refrigeration products in Uganda. The CBA compares the costs versus the benefits of investing in energy-efficient products for consumers: It shows that the most cost-effective products have an efficiency level 35 % higher than baseline products sold on the market. By choosing these products, consumers save, on average, US$76 over the lifetime of the product. The NIA assesses the impact of an energy-efficiency standard set at that level and shows potential cumulative savings of US$595 million (2023–2040) for households and small businesses. These savings translate into additional purchasing power for households and investments for small businesses, leading to increased living standards and economic development. This paper describes the importance of implementing energy efficiency policies and programs in emerging economies where affordability of electricity hinders electricity access. This paper provides a rigorous approach of using CBA and NIA assessments to demonstrate the economic savings for the consumers and the nation to implement EESL programs for major electric equipment. • Energy efficiency increases consumer's welfare. • In Uganda, it can save consumers US$76 over the lifetime of the product. • This represents cumulative savings of US$595 million (2023–40) at the national level. • Energy efficiency policies is critical for electricity access affordability • The paper provides a Regulatory Impact Assessment replicable in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern electricity networks may face inertia shortages based on increasing inverter-based renewable energy penetration, along with the (often concurrent) decommissioning of aging synchronous thermal generators. In the South African network, the market share of coal generation is projected to decrease significantly based on the country's energy policy, primarily to be replaced by wind and solar PV. In this paper the inertia adequacy on the future South African network is evaluated, and the viability of converting retired synchronous generators to synchronous condensers is assessed based on sufficiency of inertia support provided and economic viability. It is found that by 2030, the South African network will have insufficient inertia for a significant portion of the year. However, significant improvements in Rate of Change of Frequency and frequency nadir are observed when incorporating inertia from converted synchronous condensers during multiple-contingency trip events. Finally, the conversion of synchronous generators to synchronous condensers is found to be the least-cost solution when compared to the installation of new synchronous condensers or of large-scale battery systems. The contributions made in this paper highlight the importance of considering network inertia in establishing a national energy policy, while also informing solutions to future inertia constraints. • The future South African electricity network will face significant inertial shortages by 2030. • Converting retired synchronous generators to synchronous condensers will significantly reduce inertia shortages. • The conversion of retired synchronous generators to synchronous condensers is cost-effective as an inertia support mechanism [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the urgent need for climate change mitigation through widespread and uniform adoption of a federal wind energy policy regime. In so doing, the paper examines obstacles to the proliferation of much needed wind energy including perceived negative health effects from wind turbines, NIMBYism, and an inadequate existing policy regime. The paper concludes by outlining a policy regime aimed at overcoming those obstacles and moving towards a green, renewable future powered by wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of energy and climate policy is usually seen as an 'expert' domain, relying on technical tools such as economic analysis. However, policy requires the support of politicians and citizens alike, through the democratic process. Many policies, such as reducing carbon emissions from homes and transport, also affect people's lives directly. It is thus necessary to supplement technical analysis with methods that allow an exploration of people's views, values and behaviours. One such method is codesign, whereby groups of citizens work with policy analysts to develop strategies informed by the lived experience of citizens, as well as the specialist knowledge of analysts. There is a history of co-design approaches in public services such as healthcare, but there have been few attempts to co-design public policy measures. This paper reports on a Citizens' Panel, a representative group of people working with specialists to create co-designed policy recommendations for reducing carbon emissions from homes. The process revealed that policy co-design can provide detailed, viable proposals. In this case, panellists emphasised the necessity of leadership and support from government; tailored, consistent information; targeted regulation; and financial incentives. Finally, the wider potential role for policy co-design for energy and climate is addressed. • Co-design processes are widely used but rarely applied to the design of energy and climate policy. • Co-design processes can embed citizen perspectives in policy design. • The paper reports on an experimental panel on home energy decarbonisation. • Co-design can ensure that policies are effective and will gain support of politicians and publics. • Changes to cultures of policymaking are needed to embed such approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy microfinance is a promising asset for ensuring access to finance and electricity for the poor and women living in rural areas. Targeting vulnerable categories, renewable energy microfinance tools aim to promote sustainability and resilience policies to foster sustainable energy and ecological transitions. This research note explores the role of energy microfinance policies in facilitating virtuous loops for empowering the vulnerable, enhancing entrepreneurship, fighting poverty, and promoting social inclusion and environmental protection - as prescribed by the sustainable development mandate. Examining the microfinance-renewable energy-vulnerable nexus, the paper proposes a conceptual contribution and fungible development policy recommendations, sketching the main drivers of this linkage. To this end, a critical review of existing publications and successful world experiences is proposed. The analysis finds out a relevant potential for energy microfinance, whereby renewable energy expansion can be a strong player in shaping fresh microfinance strategies and prospects, providing ecological, social, economic and governance benefits and new research, policy, and practical agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The role of social protection programs in low-income countries is increasingly becoming a subject of interest on the development agenda in the public discourse. The literature reveals a diversity of findings about the role of social protection on household development outcomes. There is little documentation regarding how social protection schemes affect household energy burdens in rural areas, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rwanda is one of the African countries that have taken deliberate steps to institutionalize the provision of social protection schemes to its citizenry. Therefore, this paper examined how accessibility to different social protection schemes affected household energy burdens in rural Rwanda using nationally representative household-level microdata (EICV5). Results from the Lewbel Instrumental Variable Estimator, nearest neighbor matching, and Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment showed that Vision 2020 Umurenge and Girinka social protection schemes significantly negatively affected household energy cost burdens. These study findings suggest that social protection schemes may require other efforts or policy instruments that might encourage use of modern energy services to address energy affordability barriers in rural areas. • The study found that Vision 2020 Umurenge and Girinka social protection schemes significantly negatively affected household energy cost burdens in rural Rwanda. • These study findings suggest that social protection schemes may require other efforts or policy instruments to address energy affordability barriers in rural areas. • The study recommends that Rwandan government may consider engaging energy policy entrepreneurs at all levels as focal points in the energy policy process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy demand in Iran is increasing for many reasons including low price, large population, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. Its trend shows that this situation cannot continue for many years and thus, it needs reviewing in energy policy in Iran. The aim of this paper is to review the whole energy system of Iran and it possible future and to offer some policies on solving current and future problems. First of all, this study investigates the growing trend of some parameters like GDP, electricity price, population, CO2 emission, and electricity consumption in eight years. After that, calculating the price of electricity generated in Iran under three different circumstances, this study can investigate the electricity and natural gas trade according to their prices. Studying the effects of renewable energy on CO2 emission reduction, subsidy reduction, and water saving prompted this study to prepare and offer relevant policies. Ultimately, results reveal that energy saving in Iran is not held in high regard and two policies are offered accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transitioning to a low carbon energy future is essential to meet the Paris Agreement targets and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To understand how societies can undertake this transition, energy models have been developed to explore future energy scenarios. These models often focus on the techno-economic aspects of the transition and overlook the long-term implications on both society and the natural environment. Without a holistic approach, it is impossible to evaluate the trade-offs, as well as the co-benefits, between decarbonisation and other policy goals. This paper presents the Energy Scenario Evaluation (ESE) framework which can be used to assess the impact of energy scenarios on society and the natural environment. This conceptual framework utilises interdisciplinary qualitative and quantitative methods to determine whether an energy scenario is likely to lead to a publicly acceptable and sustainable energy transition. Using the SDGs, this paper illustrates how energy transitions are interconnected with human development and the importance of incorporating environmental and socio-economic data into energy models to design energy scenarios which meet other policy priorities. We discuss a variety of research methods which can be used to evaluate spatial, environmental, and social impacts of energy transitions. By showcasing where these impacts will be experienced, the ESE framework can be used to facilitate engagement and decision-making between policymakers and local communities, those who will be directly affected by energy transitions. Outputs of the ESE framework can therefore perform an important role in shaping feasible and energy transitions which meet the Paris Agreement targets and SDGs. • Energy models do not give sufficient attention to social and environmental impacts. • Our ESE framework uses an interdisciplinary approach to energy scenario evaluation. • Using multiple methods, the ESE framework considers how impacts vary spatially. • A social licence to operate will be key to the success of net-zero transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The development of wind energy in France presents an exemplary case of contrast between the policy instrument and its effectiveness in terms of installed wind power capacity. After 7 years of one of the highest feed-in tariffs in the world, the installed capacity in France is still very low. This is notably due to a diffuse pattern of administrative landscape protection which impacts on the construction of wind power potential. In turn, the pace of wind power development can be understood only by looking in more detail at the way in which landscape is dealt with in local planning processes. This paper examines the question using the case of Aveyron in southern France. We follow the shifting ways in which landscape is enrolled in wind power planning, in a context where new planning instruments favor an incipient decentralization in wind power policy. The case points to a change in both the networks and the concepts involved in the design of landscape representations that underlie the construction of wind power potential. We show that this change has been forced by the far-reaching and decentralized visual impacts of wind power technology, suggesting that technology is recomposing the social as part of its development process and questioning the very meaning and perception that is given to landscape. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Data on potential electricity demand for the future is a fundamental necessity for forecasting and setting up the national grid extension. The lack of data in Malawi has resulted in the existence of enormously sparse literature on electricity demand modeling. A handful of studies on total electricity demand modeling exist in the African context and none for Malawi. The study is concerned with modeling possible future paths for Malawi's electricity future. The study aims at linking the current gap in the literature of electricity demand forecasting, at least partially, by projecting the total electricity demand for Malawi for a long-term duration and modeling alternate electricity supply prospects, together with scenarios and providing policy insights on a variety of user-defined assumptions of which can be applied in other African countries with similar challenges. This study employed a projection methodology using demographic, economic, and government policy trends with a pragmatic structure that uses bottom-up analysis. Electricity use scenario analysis focuses on government policy targets by 2030 at 15 %, 30 %, and 50 % electrification rate plus Growth Domestic Product (GDP) growth at 5 %, 6.5 %, and 7.2 % for three scenarios namely: low, base, and high, respectively. The base and high scenario outcomes indicate an overall electricity consumption growth of 165 % and 218 % by 2030 compared to the low scenario in the government of Malawi's (GoM) outlook, about 4776.78 GWh and 6319.05 GWh. The paper provides insights into the status of Malawi's electricity sector, policy influence, and recommendations regarding the "next steps" in electricity security analysis to create an understanding among various planners and stakeholders in the power sector. • Employed a methodology for modeling electricity demand in Malawi. • Presents overall synopsis of electric power consumption including sector-wise electricity demand forecasts. • Established a national-scale electricity plan for the period 2020–2030 for Malawi. • Provides insights on policies and recommendations regarding "next steps" in electricity security analysis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) was proposed to predict the energy consumption of an institutional building. A novel energy usage prediction method was demonstrated for daily day-ahead energy consumption by using forecasted weather data. It used weather forecasting data from a local meteorological organization, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET). The predictive model was trained by considering the dependencies between energy usage and weather data. The performance of the model was compared with Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). The experimental results with a dataset obtained from a building in Multimedia University, Malacca Campus from January 2018 to July 2021 outperformed the SVR and GPR. The proposed model achieved the best RMSE scores (561.692–592.319) when compared to SVR (3135.590–3472.765) and GPR (1243.307–1334.919). Through experimentation and research, the dropout method reduced overfitting significantly. Furthermore, feature analysis was done with SHapley Additive exPlanation to identify the most important weather variables. The results showed that temperature, wind speed, rainfall duration and the amount had a positive effect on the model. Thus, the proposed approach could aid in the implementation of energy policies because accurate predictions of energy consumption could serve as system fault detection and diagnosis for buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Our paper highlights how and why state capitalism impacts energy democracy and renewable energy deployment. • The timing of the paper is critical because state capitalism is attracting more power and attention around the world. • We conclude that the values of state capitalism contradict with the necessary conditions of creating energy democracy. • We expect a deterioration or slowness in energy democracy diffusion and renewal energy deployment. The current paper highlights the interconnection between the state capitalist system and the concept of energy democracy. Both terms have attracted the attention of scholars because of significant economic, environmental, and political events. Our paper reviews the literature to show that state capitalism and energy democracy cannot exist together because the values of state capitalism contradict the necessary conditions to generate energy democracy. Moreover, globally, Western capitalist countries are failing in terms of their economies and political performance and yet, at the same time, economic performance is shifting toward state capitalism with less importance given to democratic actions. Therefore, we expect a deterioration or slowness in energy democracy diffusion and renewable energy deployment. For state capitalism to generate geographical representation, it needs to use regulations and spread renewable energy technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyze advocacy coalitions in the acceleration phase of a transition. • Five coalitions in the EU's electricity policy system are identified. • Results are compared with earlier studies of coalitions in the EU. • We observe increasing divisions and reorientation among certain types of actors. • The paper sheds light on niche-regime interaction in different transition phases. Actors play a key role in promoting or hindering sustainability transitions and their positions and the coalitions they form may adjust during this long-term process. Literature widely recognizes the importance of coalitions to create legitimacy and build support for sustainability transitions. The question of how coalitions change in the third, acceleration phase of a transition has, however, remained insufficiently explored. This paper analyses advocacy coalitions in the acceleration phase of the European energy transition and sheds light on the dynamics between niche and regime level actors when the transition is already well underway. Whereas earlier studies identified one renewable energy coalition, we find three distinct coalitions in the EU's electricity policy system that support the transition but with preferences for different policy instruments. Our study shows that rather than coalition decline and growth, the ongoing development involves the emergence of new coalitions and new alliances between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary research in the policy sciences places effectiveness as the central goal of policy design. This emphasis permeates both micro-level design considerations for specific policy calibrations, as well as more meso-level policy tool and tool mixes. Effective instrument design, therefore, augments the task of looking at individual tools to considering them as tool 'compounds', that comprise of substantive and procedural means interacting through the process of designing tools and subsequent tool calibrations. The academic study of policy tools thus far has proffered several perspectives on how they can individually be distinguished by their different substantive components and categorized based on common governance resources that need to be mobilized to create them. However, it is eventually how well policy tools are able to coordinate the support of common procedural means and how well they are able to align their enactment plans, which determine how effectively they work together as a deliberate toolkit. In line with the growing literature on policy design and multi-component policy means, this paper magnifies policy instrument design as a complex of procedural and substantive means. To illustrate the notion of such design compounds, this paper synopsizes the state of knowledge on the formulation of three classes of energy policies as an illustration of how substantive and procedural components interact during policy instrument design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CCUS development among EU countries with the latest progress in the field. • Realization of EGD targets with CCUS technology in EU. • Applicability of benchmarking method to compare environmental profiles. • UK and the Netherlands are among top countries with rapid CCUS development. • Poland and Germany with a high level of difficulty in achieving the EGD targets. Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is a technology highlighted as one of the tools in climate change mitigation and one of the ways to reach the goal of 1.5℃ set by the Paris Agreement. The European Commission (EC) developed this goal by creating and implementing the European Green Deal (EGD) – the European Union's (EU) environmental policy. This paper provides an analysis of environmental policies and an overview of crucial CCUS projects of selected member states based on a benchmarking analysis of 27+ UK member states. An overall review of a total of 28 countries was undertaken based on economic and environmental factors. Afterward, a benchmarking analysis was performed ranking the countries according to the TOP10 for the selected five categories: total net emissions with international transport, percentage share of the energy sector, percentage share of fossil fuels, percentage share of fossil fuels in the Gross Electricity Production (GEP), and numbers of CCUS projects. Subsequently, a detailed and comprehensive overview of four selected member states was done, with a special focus on the national energy policy towards net-zero emission goals, the role of CCUS in domestic environmental policy, with current projects and facilities development. Finally, this paper outlines how the EGD has reformed the national energy policies of selected member states, and what is the part of CCUS technology in the national efforts towards climate neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdated nuclear technology export policy, specifically designed to prevent the sharing of nuclear technology and limit sovereign applications, have caused reluctance within the region to adopt nuclear energy. Specifically, the currently constructed Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act prevents countries from sovereignly sourcing nuclear fuel and treating nuclear waste, thus infringing on energy sovereignty and self-reliance. Historical reluctance of the West, and particularly the U.S., to share nuclear fuel cycle technology has been largely due to non-proliferation concerns. Critically, without access to domestic fuel production, SEA countries have no incentive to transition from readily available fossil fuels to imported enriched uranium. The development of pyroprocessing technology, a proliferation-resistant method of fabricating fuel from spent nuclear fuel, presents a window of opportunity to convince nuclear exporting countries, particularly the U.S., to re-examine exportation regulation and assist in the creation of nuclear alliances. This paper analyses the future of sovereign nuclear energy in Southeast Asia by juxtaposing current policy and regulation with governance that allows for pyroprocessing. A three-part Transnational Business Governance (TGB) and Policy Vulnerability Tree analysis formulates revised policies which allows for pyroprocessing to overcome hurdles to establishing nuclear energy within SEA. Our results indicate the U.S. should reconsider domestic and international nuclear policy and encourage allies like Japan and South Korea to take initiative and foster a creative and diplomatic environment for SEA countries to develop nuclear energy, which can alleviate energy poverty, de-carbonise energy production, foster friendlier relations with the West, and reduce vulnerability to Russian and Chinese coercion in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the ongoing regulatory, institutional and organisational developments in EU energy sector during the last two decades that change the way electricity markets operate. In particular, it addresses the EU efforts in creating competitive and sustainable electricity markets. Its aim is to explore the effects of the reform on market competition and electricity price evolution. The paper firstly presents the specific aspects of the electricity market, which helps to understand its overall functioning. The current electricity market structure, participants behaviour and market performance are discussed. The analysis presents the contradictions between the EU energy and climate targets and their adverse impact on end-consumers, who are stated as the main beneficiaries of the reform. The study comes to the conclusion that the persistence of shortcomings in the electricity market defined by policy deficiencies at an EU level and diverging energy policies at a Member State level requires further efforts to make national markets work as a single European energy market with common rules and prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy cooperatives (RECs) in Turkey have received considerable attention in recent years and the total number of cooperatives is 46 in 2020. With increased environmental awareness and energy demand, RECs aim the local and renewable resources to be used by the people of the region by creating an example venture model through cooperatives. The growth in the number of cooperatives has resulted largely from Turkish energy policy and arrangement of Renewable Energies Act. This study is aimed to identify energy cooperatives, current situations, advantages, characterizing the implementation barriers RECs face and external factors. For this purpose, an online questionnaire was carried out with REC members and questionnaires were sent to 468 members of 20 cooperatives via e-mail, and approximately 80% return was obtained, 16 management board members were interviewed with categorized questions, and RECs websites were examined, as well. This paper presents an overview of This paper presents an overview of Turkish energy cooperatives in terms of organization, financing, membership, technology, policy, internal and external barriers drawing on collected data. How to create a better understanding of energy cooperatives and contribute to the Turkish energy policy were discussed. RECs could be an example venture model to provide the local and renewable resources to be used by the people of the region. Also, RECs can be an important building block of the energy transition in Turkey where consumed energy mainly imported from abroad and if RECs are to continue to play an important role in the energy transition, policy makers are expected to support their growth. These findings may be a guide for further researches for Turkey. • RECs can be an important building block of the energy transition in Turkey. • Differences in the development of RECs exist mainly regarding the finance. • The main external factor in the development of RECs is policy. • The amount of electricity produced is the most important indicator of success of RECs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the processes of residential solar PV uptake is critical to developing planning and policy energy transition pathways. This paper outlines a novel hybrid Agent-Based-Modelling/statistical adoption prediction framework that addresses several drawbacks in current modelling approaches. Specifically, we extend the capabilities of similar previous models and incorporate empirical data, behavioural theory, social networks and explicitly considers the spatial context. We provide empirical data affecting households’ propensity to adopt, including perceptions of solar PV systems, the role of tenure and urban location. We demonstrate the approach in the context of Melbourne metropolitan region, Australia; and draw on housing approval data to demonstrate the role of housing construction in accelerating adoption. Finally, we explore the approach’s validity against real-world data with promising results that also indicate key areas for further research and improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the heating of private households represents 16.5% of all EU final energy consumption, household energy retrofitting is a central part of the solution for the ongoing climate crisis. However, ABM models have not sufficiently been explored as a tool for designing policies for reducing household heating energy consumption through energy retrofitting. This paper presents the Household Energy Retrofit Behavior (HERB) model, which simulated energy retrofitting in a neighbourhood. The HERB model feeds a decision-making process based on existing behavioural household retrofit research with survey data and assesses the impact of different policies on cumulative energy need over 100 years. The model finds that the current Norwegian main retrofit subsidies have a positive effect on energy use. Furthermore, although motivating households to retrofit to a specific standard has no positive impact, motivating households close to retrofitting has a positive effect. Finally, lowering the threshold for receiving subsidies has a positive impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS PAPER WILL TRY TO EXPLAIN THE WAY RUSSIA MANAGED TO INFLUENCE THE COURSE OF THE EUROPEAN ENERGY POLICY (FROM 2014 UNTIL NOW). MAINLY, IT WILL REFLECT ON THE ROLE OR THE INFLUENCE OF THE TWO STATE OWNED COMPANIES GAZPROM AND ROSNEFT ON THE EUROPEAN MARKET. TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THEIR RESERVES OF GAS AND OIL, THEIR DELIVERY CAPACITIES AND PRICE PER UNIT, WE WILL TRY TO SEE IF IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BE REPLACED BY ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL ACTOR ON EUROPEAN MARKET. ANOTHER AIM OF THIS PAPER IS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE TENSIONS BETWEEN OPEC (MAINLY SAUDI ARABIA) AND RUSSIA WILL LEAD, WHAT ARE THE GOALS IN THIS ECONOMICAL WAR AND HOW WILL THIS AFFECT EUROPEAN UNION. THE FINAL PURPOSE OF THIS PAPER IS TO FIND POSSIBLE FUTURE SCENARIOS REGARDING THE ENERGY MARKET IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, SUCH AS A NEW HISTORICAL ACCORD BETWEEN OPEC AND RUSSIAN FEDERATION, OR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE RUSSIA OIL WITH ARABIAN OIL ON THE EUROPEAN MARKET, ANALYZING AND COMPARING OFFICIAL REPORTS AND DATA, SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES AND PAPERS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within debates on rural development, Neo-Endogenous Development has emerged as the consensus 'best-practice' approach. Central to this approach is the role of the Expert Knowledge Broker – the conduit that brings local and 'extra-local' together. This paper contests that, despite a wealth of research on this paradigm and the knowledge flows that operate within, little research has been conducted regarding the decision-making process of the Expert Knowledge Broker. However, this is arguably decisive in which type of rural development is enacted. Using the allocation of funding for Renewable Energy projects in Greece as a critical context, this paper explores the decision-making approach of experts using Analytic Hierarchical Process analysis. We find that the type of rural development enacted is contingent upon the funding decision and the balance between local and extra-local funding decisions vary depending upon heterogeneous criteria. The paper contributes to knowledge through a nuanced explanation of the role of the Expert Knowledge Broker and suggests how EU Renewable Energy policy funding decisions can become more effective. • Renewable energy plays an important role in rural development. • The type of rural development enacted is contingent upon the funding decision balance. • Rural funding decisions vary depending upon heterogeneous criteria. • Social acceptance defines decisions in renewable energy expansion in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of the sustainability of countries for afordable and clean Energy requires a framework with relevant criteria, simultaneous inclusion of multiple criteria in the evaluation, and consideration of the dynamics of changes in performance over time. A wide variety of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approaches using different algorithms for multi-criteria aggregation are currently available. These methods are suitable for sustainability assessment because they allow the consideration of multiple criteria, the construction of a hierarchical structure of criteria, and the assignment of significance to criteria weights. However, MCDA methods have the limitation of being able to evaluate a data set for a single moment in time, which is insufficient for the sustainability paradigm. The mentioned limitation of MCDA motivates researchers to develop approaches that adapt MCDA methods to temporal assessment. The purpose of this paper is to present the application of a method called Data vARIability Assessment Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (the DARIA-TOPSIS method) for multi-criteria temporal assessment of European countries for affordable and clean energy. This aspect of sustainability is included in Sustainable Development Goal 7 proposed by United Nations in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The DARIA-TOPSIS method combines the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method for multi-criteria evaluation with a Gini coefficient-based measure of result variability. The method has identified the best-scored countries in terms of implementing sustainable energy policies focused on affordable and clean energy, including Norway, Iceland, and Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, renewable energy (RE) policies are evaluated to draw up recommendations for the energy sector stakeholders. The good potential of RE exists in Palestine, especially solar and biomass resources. Structural frameworks and targets are established for RE penetration in Palestine. Some strategies for the enhancement of RE systems are already in place; however, sustainable policies are still needed. To accomplish this task, a comprehensive integrated approach, involving all consumed energy forms (e.g., electricity, heating and cooling, and transport sectors) is anticipated. Energy security in Palestine over the upcoming 20 years is investigated using a Monte-Carlo simulation model that applies different RE adoption scenarios. In order to meet the Palestinian population's electrical energy needs in the near future, RE sources should be growing at an annual rate of about 5–10%. Few incentives exist for photovoltaic systems, yet sufficient funds must be allocated to the other forms of RE. Licensing and permitting procedures must be simplified and made more attractive for investors in the RE sector. Specifications and codes relevant to the utilization of RE need to be developed and enforced, including RE system identification and grid connection. It is crucial to designate a certain institution that can monitor and evaluate RE policies and collect relevant data to promote RE implementation in Palestine. A policy framework is proposed to achieve future energy sustainability for Palestine. • Adequacy between energy needs and renewable energy supply is studied. • Good renewable energy potential in Palestine is well recognized. • Current energy and renewable energy policies are proved to be insufficient when compared with international practices. • Policy gaps are identified, while recommendations and a framework for renewable energy policies in Palestine are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the process of policy framing and narrative construction in the context of energy exclusion. Through qualitative analysis of case studies of collective, systematic, and recurrent electricity disconnections at the neighbourhood level in Spain, the study identifies two policy framings, the 'criminalisation' and the 'degradation' framing, in the process of building the phenomenon of energy exclusion as a policy problem. Highlighting the central role of problem construction in policy development, the research shows how this stage shapes the whole policy trajectory, not only determining the character of the problem but also how to solve it. The research uses textual material collected through in-depth qualitative interviews, news and press, and policy documents to critically analyse the framing process and narrative construction. The results show how conflicting interpretations of a policy situation can lead to different policy messages and the influence of structural elements, such as the dominant electricity model, in reinforcing these interpretations. • Unpacks energy exclusion through policy framing and narrative analysis. • Identifies key factors and policy frames in energy exclusion cases. • Demonstrates how problem construction shapes policy trajectories. • Analyses diverse relevant actors' perspectives on systematic disconnections. • Links conflicting scenario interpretations to varied policy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Utilizes 111 expert interviews and 50 site visits to examine UK industrial decarbonization. • Explores sociotechnical pathways, capabilities, and learning processes. • Harnesses a challenge-oriented regional innovation systems (CoRIS) framework. • Reflects on deeper issues of incumbency, innovation, and incremental vs. transformative change. Few sectors in the global economy need deep decarbonization as much as heavy industry, which is currently the largest and fastest growing source of global carbon emissions. Based on an original dataset of 111 expert interviews and 52 site visits, this paper asks: what sociotechnical pathways, capabilities, and regional innovation systems are emerging to support industrial decarbonization? It combines and applies insights from evolutionary economic geography and transitions studies, such as sociotechnical capabilities and learning, as well as spatial frameworks such as challenge-oriented regional innovation systems (CoRIS) and green industrial restructuring. It utilizes these collective concepts of pathways, capabilities and CoRIS to explore the organizational and technological, individual, and systems level dimensions of industrial decarbonization efforts ongoing across Great Britain. We find that within industrial net-zero clusters, spatial and technological proximities are being effectively leveraged, especially through new forms of networking, collaboration, and partnerships. CoRIS provides the basis for greater reflection on perennial transitions issues, both within and across clusters, related to incumbency and innovation, in addition to spotlighting emergent issues such as light versus deep green restructuring and incremental versus transformative change. In simpler terms, industrial decarbonization unfolds as a multi-scalar process. Industrial decarbonization exhibits both incremental and transformative patterns of change. Industrial decarbonization lastly involves dynamic processes that coevolve across a spectrum of sociotechnical attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pipeline transportation is a low-cost option for delivering large volumes of hydrogen (H 2), however, the high initial capital cost remains a major impediment to expanding pipeline delivery infrastructure. To quantitatively evaluate the impact of the H 2 pipeline on the hydrogen supply chain (HSC), this paper develops an evaluation system for the development potential of the H 2 pipeline and simulation models for H 2 resource allocation. Furthermore, the HSC system in the southwest of China is used to validate the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the levelized cost range of a given 150–550 km H 2 pipeline is 2.76–10.12 CNY/kg, which has price advantages over other transportation modes. Compared with the hydrogen supply chain resource allocation (HSCR) model, putting the H 2 pipeline into use can optimize the layout and utilization of different transportation modes. It shows that the proportion of H 2 transportation volume distribution in H 2 pipelines has increased from 0 % to 73.44 %, while the proportion of HLT has first increased from 18.86 % to 54.27 %, and then decreased to 17.95 %. And then under different policy scenarios, the consideration of pipeline reduces the sensitivity of the H 2 blending ratio of natural gas (NG) and NG demand to HSC. The impacts of policies on regional H 2 development and regional policy implications are revealed. This approach provides a tool for policymakers to quantify the impacts of policy. • Propose an evaluation system to quantify the H 2 pipeline economy. • Optimize H2 resource allocation in various policy scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of renewable energy as a pivotal green industry in decarbonizing the global economy and addressing the climate change is profound. The rise of China's regional renewable energy serves as a testament to its transition from an industrial powerhouse to a leader of sustainable growth, offering valuable insights for a sustainable future worldwide. This study analyzes renewable energy efficiency, alongside the factors that influence it, in Qinghai Province over 2000–2021. It uses a combination of the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index factor decomposition, Data Envelopment Analysis of Super-SBM models, and field research with a rounded approach. The study finds a robust increase in renewable energy capacity, particularly after 2016. Efficiency in renewable energy generally has risen, although periods of inefficiency were noted from 2014 to 2019. Despite fluctuations, the overall impact of factors such as renewable energy structure, electricity intensity, energy security, energy intensity, carbon productivity, and carbon emissions, all contribute positively to the development of renewable energy, notably in recent years. The paper concludes with a discussion of green industrial policies with wider implications for the renewable energy sector. • The rise of China's regional renewable energy offers valuable insights for sustainability. • Renewable energy capacity in Qinghai increased robustly over 2000-2021. • Renewable energy efficiency has risen but with inefficiency from 2014 to 2019. • Despite fluctuations, the overall impact of influencing factors promoted renewable energy, notably in recent years. • There is a need for stable green industrial policy, diverse energy mix, strengthening grid infrastructure, and promoting sustainable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this study is the intricate landscape of regional and provincial variances within China's carbon emissions reduction policies. It examines the interplay between economic growth, resource allocation, industrial structures, and environmental demands, and policy initiatives in shaping emission reduction trajectories. Highlighting the nuanced role of energy policies in supporting these efforts, the study focuses on evaluating how such policies either facilitate or impede the primary goal of emission reduction. The paper reveals that provinces with ample renewable resources focus on energy development, industrial provinces prioritize efficiency improvements. Nonetheless, challenges such as integrating renewable energy into existing grids and retrofitting industries for efficiency are prevalent. It proposes innovative measures for enhanced policy impact, including advanced renewable energy integration, dynamic policy coordination, deeper stakeholder engagement through digital platforms, and innovative monitoring and evaluation mechanisms with artificial intelligent analytics. These recommendations are aimed at overcoming provincial challenges, leveraging technological advancements, and ensuring effective policy execution. The conclusions offer a strategic direction for China to overcome these challenges and achieve carbon peak and neutrality. This comprehensive review underscores the critical need for nuanced policy approaches, continuous innovation, and robust stakeholder collaboration in navigating China's path to a low-carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Lakes contain most of the United States' surface freshwater and provide deep personal and economic connections for the residents of the region. These connections create an opportunity for bipartisanship in environmental policies with the potential to permeate energy policies. To explore that possibility, this paper examines how party affiliation affects support for water policy and energy policy in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Data from the Great Lakes Region Public Opinion Survey asked 696 Republicans, Independents, and Democrats from the Great Lakes region to respond to a range of environmental policy prompts. Responses to the policy prompts are grouped into four components: Water Quality, Water Diversions, Traditional Fuels, and Renewables. The results find that there is bipartisan support for the Water Quality and Water Diversions components. Energy policies do not receive the same bipartisan support, with Democrats and Independents having more support for the Renewables component while Republicans have more support for the Traditional Fuels component. However, when the fuel source is tied to its pollutants of the Great Lakes, then reactions to that fuel source receive a bipartisan response. The results of this research suggest that embedding water policy in energy policy may allow those policies to receive more bipartisan support. Combining water policy and energy policy can depolarize some of the politics surrounding environmental policy broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two energy harvesting policies deploying in cooperative non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) systems are considered. After period of wireless power transfer, the NOMA users including cell-edge and cell-center users simultaneously transmit the superposition coded symbols to the base station (BS). In the last time slot, the BS decodes to achieve its signal based on superposition coded symbol with corresponding power allocation factors. This paper provides exact expressions of outage probability in two schemes. Performance gap of two NOMA users can be raised by providing different power allocation factors. It is confirmed by numerical result. Distance and data rate are main factors affecting outage performance. Scheme I exhibit scenario where power beacon transmits energy signal to NOMA user while the BS feeds energy to NOMA user in Scheme II. It is shown that outage performance of Scheme I is better than that of Scheme II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the paper is to analyze the Nord Stream 2 project from the perspective of Russia's foreign energy policy and strategic goals and interests of all stakeholders (the state, Gazprom and other Russian entities). While it is unclear whether the investment will bring economic benefits to Russia or to Gazprom alone, it is known that Moscow will derive a specific political dividend from it. By building a controversial gas pipeline, it has contributed to deepening divisions in the European Union and weakening the coherence of actions for a common energy policy. The Nord Stream 2 project is also presented as a case study describing different European approaches towards energy cooperation with Russia. Neoclassical realism has been adopted as the theoretical framework for the analysis. The paper includes basic facts regarding the history of the project and the key data concerning the pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union develops a new energy policy as an answer to the challenges of climate change which is a global issue affecting all of us. The package "Clean Energy for All Europeans" adopted by the European Commission in 2016, contains instruments for a new energy policy at the level of the European Union, based on an Energy Union, on promoting energy efficiency and the use of Clean Energy. These are the first steps in creating an institutional and legal framework for a common energy market of the European Union. This way the Internal Market of the European Union would be completed by a common energy market and the result would be a consolidated European Union. This is the research hypothesis the present paper is dealing with. It analyzes as well the impact of the new energy policies on the business environment in terms of new innovative business models at European Union level. The research is based on an interdisciplinary approach considering aspects of European policy, European law, business and economics. Qualitative research methods, such as the analysis of European regulations and provisions representing the basis for a harmonized framework in the energy sector at European Union level and case studies from European Union Member States will be applied. Relevant indicators provided by the European Commission and by Eurostat statistics analyzed in the present paper will complete this assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Renewable energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing renewable electricity, heating, cooling and transportation. The main disadvantage of renewable energy supply is that once it reached a high share in electricity generation, the intermittency caused by renewable energy sources makes balancing of the energy system challenging. This study answers the question "What is the impact of renewable energy on public investment in R&D of energy storage technologies?" Empirical literature studying investments in renewable energy technologies is abundant, however empirical literature studying investments in energy storage technologies is highly limited. Using annual panel data from 28 OECD countries over the period 1990-2014 this paper provides an empirical evidence on the role of renewable energy deployment on public investments in energy storage technologies. The results of fixed effects estimation provide an empirical evidence that governments from countries with greater share of renewable energy invest more in energy storage technologies. Drawing from the empirical results, this paper provides policy recommendations on the need in investments in energy storage technologies due to a growing supply of renewable energy. Although this paper provides lessons from countries which experienced problems with high share of renewable energy and started to promote energy storage alongside with renewable energy, the results will be useful for policy-makers from developing countries with a growing share of renewable energy in total electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy integration is considered to play a key role in the successful development of the European Union. It is assumed that purely market-based mechanisms in this sector, according to the neo-liberal model, can secure a constant supply at low prices. This is the basis of the Union's energy policy, launched by the European Commission (EC). The main goal of this paper is to examine the adequacy of this model and the extent to which the energy policy succeeds in achieving its objectives. There is a difficult combination of technological, economic and political factors expressed in the Union's energy mix. In particular, the document examines the gap between neo-liberal freemarket postulates and the practices of modern protectionism, assessing the sustainability of the EU's energy strategy and policy, which often avoid taking efficiency into account. Significant attention is paid to the link between energy and national security, as well as the politically justified intervention of the European Commission in energy projects related to energy supplies for the whole Union. Our research is based on statistics for a long period of time, allowing a comparison between stated intentions and achieved results. Our results stress on the direct link between energy, foreign policy and national security. This link, the cause of the unsatisfactory results, casts doubt on the full integration of the industry and contradicts the views of the Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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