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This paper presents the eco-efficiency assessment of the pulp and paper industry in Myanmar by using the key indicators such as raw material consumption, energy consumption, total waste output, water consumption, and CO emissions. The study was carried out by using quantitative methods for data analysis of the production, consumptions and emissions from fiscal year 2001–2005. The results revealed that the level of economic and environmental performance using the eco-efficiency ratio for each fiscal year has decreased since year 2002, and factory tried to increase the level of eco-efficiency again in year 2005. There was the positive aspect that factory could optimize the waste utilization by transferring lime mud to the cement factory in the last two fiscal years. This analysis showed the root causes that led to the losses of material, energy and water consumption and discussed how to conserve those utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative fuels especially those produced in a green way are essential for meeting supplying the world's growing energy needs. Biodiesel is becoming more prominent to meet international maritime organization regulations, minimize reliance on fossil fuels, and lessen the rising harmful emissions in the maritime sector. Four different generations have been investigated in the production stage in which a wide range of fuel types have existed including biodiesel, bioethanol, and renewable diesel. To investigate all facets of biodiesel usage as a marine fuel, the SWOT-AHP method is utilized in this paper in which 16 maritime experts with an average of 10.5 years of experience participated. SWOT factors and sub-factors have been developed in light of the literature review focused on biomass and alternative fuels. The AHP method is utilized for data acquisition from specified factors and sub-factors according to their superiority to each other. The analysis demonstrates the main factors 'PW and sub-factors' IPW values, and CR values to calculate the local and global rank of factors. Results highlighted that "Opportunity" has the highest prominence among the main factors; however, "Threats" remain at the lowest level. Moreover, "Tax privilege on green and alternative fuels supported by the authorities" (O4) is the one with the highest weight compared to the other sub-factors. Noteworthy energy consumption will be fulfilled in the maritime industry in addition to the development of new-generation biodiesel and other alternative fuels. This paper will be a quite valuable resource for experts, academics, and industry stakeholders to lessen the ambiguity around biodiesel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed hybrid energy systems are innovative means of effectively addressing energy and environmental issues in the age of carbon neutrality. This paper proposes the distributed energy hierarchical network planning model for distributed energy systems at the community level, which combines distributed energy planning and renewable energy use. This model incorporates the energy flow between nodes and line length into the optimization objective and analyzes its capability to improve the stability and cost-effectiveness of the network. A community is selected as an example, and the model is compared with single-layer network planning and node distance planning. The stability of the distributed energy hierarchical network planning model is demonstrated by the network efficiency, the node degree distribution in the low-value region and the relatively small number of effective connection edges. The total line length of the model decreases by 22% compared to the single-layer plan and by 43% compared to the node distance plan. By optimizing the topological connection structure of the network, the total length of transmission lines in energy communities can be significantly reduced, which affects line construction costs and transmission losses, and therefore, saving money on the operation and maintenance of power lines as well as management costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy and environmental policies are important methods for the government to restrain carbon emissions growth. Identifying the potential dynamic trends of China's carbon emissions under different scenarios has important reference significance for the government's policy implementation. This paper firstly predicted China's carbon emissions from 2017 to 2040 based on three energy transition scenarios at the industrial level. Then, Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index decomposition model was applied to evaluate the driving forces of emissions changes during 1997–2040. Finally, the Spatial–Temporal Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index model was used to explore the emissions reduction potential and the potential reduction path at provincial level. The results showed that (1) as the reduction in energy intensity cannot offset the growth of industrial scale, the carbon emissions of all industries have shown an increasing trend from 1997 to 2017; (2) In the current policies scenario, China's carbon emissions cannot reach the peak before 2040. And only in the sustainable development scenario, the carbon emissions of the three industries will all reach the peaks before 2030. And the development of non-fossil energy will reduce carbon emissions by more than 30%; (3) Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, and Heilongjiang are key provinces and improving energy efficiency of the secondary industry is a potential way to promote carbon emissions reduction. The framework and main content of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belt and Road initiative is a comprehensive strategic initiative initiated by the Chinese government; it encompasses a significant segment of geo-territory, interaction of economy, investment, environment and ecology worldwide. In recent years, much has been said and written about the Belt and Road initiative's economic and investment prospectus; however, relatively little attention has been paid to the comprehensive quest of its emergent ecological and sustainable environmental spares. This paper aims to investigate the association of forest resources, agricultural expansion, and financial development with energy demand and environment; based on ecological footprints among selected ninety-seven nations of Belt and Road initiative from 1995 to 2018 by employing a Generalized Method of Moments and Driscoll and Kraay approaches. Empirical outcomes of the study have revealed that GDP growth reduces the environmental burden, and agricultural expansion deteriorates the environment. Contrarily, finance, foreign direct investment, and forest resources are providing solutions for environmental improvement in the study area. Similarly, the role of forests, agriculture, and finance remain positive determinants of energy demand in the study area. From the causal test, we found that the indicators of environment, energy, forest, agriculture, and finance all have bidirectional linkages. Based on our research results, we have concluded some policy implications for policymakers within the Belt and Road initiative framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries worldwide have pledged to phase out coal by 2030, giving rise to a fundamental reshuffling of the dynamics of energy demand and supply. Implementation of clean technologies to aid this transition necessitates space, whilst small islands face increasing land degradation issues. Furthermore, they are blessed with pristine remote environments that deserve enhanced protection in the face of the changing climate. In the current study, climatological, economic, legal, geotechnical, and environmental criteria are used to determine the most appropriate locations in Rodrigues for the constructions of utility-scale solar power plants to conserve native vegetation and protect vulnerable island ecosystems. Highly suitable sites identified include the regions of Terre Rouge and Pointe Coton. Both regions witness high levels of insolation (5.6 kWh/m2 day), are located near grid transmission and road networks, and have adequate terrain specifications with low slope angles which conveniently face the geographic North for maximizing solar energy yield. With an estimated annual electric generation power potential of 228.9 kWh/m2, the regions of Terre Rouge and Pointe Coton favour the construction of solar power plants. The methodological approach presented in this paper is expected to be valuable for other small islands in their commitments to optimize on solar technologies whilst protecting native fauna and flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the environmental impact of agricultural systems used to convert sugarcane into non-centrifugal cane sugar (NCS) in the region of the Hoya del Río Suárez (HRS) at an average sugarcane mill in the region through a life cycle analysis (LCA). Based on an operational approach from crop to production, LCA considers the scenarios of different transportation methods (traditional beasts of burden and the newfangled gravity aerial ropeway based as well as self-propelled areal ropeway systems). This paper, to be best of our knowledge, is one of the first that deals to analyze LCA in the transportation systems of process of NCS production. Primarily, the LCA approach identifies the impact of each NCS production process using the Umberto NTX Software, and the environmental footprint 2.0 Midpoint as well as ReCiPe Endpoint Impact Assessment Methods, which help sugarcane producers understand the area being significantly affected. For example, it determines whether the human health, ecosystem, or natural resources are affected by comparing the possible sugarcane transportation systems used for panela production. The LCA conducted on NCS industry in HRS revealed that electric motors significantly affect human health in long term. This is associated with elements, such as selenium, barium, and manganese, which can remain in the environment over time due to the high demand of energy they consume. This study also demonstrates that the transportation system exhibits similar environmental burdens (the traditional beasts of burden: 54.56 points; the self-propelled aerial cableway system: 54.77 points; and the gravity-based aerial cableway system: 54.61 points), which indicates that sugarcane mill' technology and logistics must be improved. The identification of production points where the environmental burdens are more significant accelerated the discussions toward the best practices in the sugarcane and NCS industry, thus providing producers with process guidance toward prospective development lines within the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts such as the Glasgow United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties 26, the Paris Agreement (Paris agreement, United Nations, Paris, 2015) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are supporting the drive to protect the planet from global warming by ensuring sustainable development. The oil and gas industry, as key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, must transition to more sustainable energy solutions and play their part in reducing these emissions. Currently, oil and gas companies are implementing technical solutions to achieve net zero carbon emissions. The energy transition from fossil fuel reliance has also happened by exploiting alternative renewable energy sources to meet global energy demand such as wind, solar, biogas and bioderived feedstocks. This net zero energy transition will require a fair and just transition for all in society, and to implement this, it is crucial for those working in the oil and gas industry to understand the technologies needed, the importance of carbon policies and their roles. This research presents a modified Delphi study of employees in Malaysia's national oil and gas company to understand their perceptions towards a net-zero carbon future. The paper briefly reviews Malaysia's low-carbon policy plans, its current carbon dioxide accounting balance, and identifies potential technologies for decarbonisation to set the scene for the modified Delphi study. The results indicated that the national oil and gas company has both the capabilities and the financial resources to significantly contribute towards Malaysia transitioning to a carbon neutral nation. This can be achieved by implementing advanced technologies complementing with nature-based solutions to realise net zero carbon emissions. This study also portrays the confidence that the portfolio of solutions should be executed through a coordinated effort to maximise the outcome and minimise the financial impact in terms of economical sustainability. Implementation of activities towards this energy transition will require significant social commitment, and hence, gauging their perception towards this journey is key objective of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automotive evaporative emission inventory is continuously increasing with less stringent evaporative emission norms and lack of control measures. Uncontrolled refuelling emissions from huge fleet of two-wheelers with high environmental temperature make this situation worst. Motorcycles are typically equipped with metallic fuel tanks which are exposed to direct sunlight causing very high temperature conditions inside them. In this work, two motorcycle fuel tanks are used to record the temperature of liquid gasoline, vapour in headspace and surface of fuel tank through data logger to closely assess the vapour generation environment. Also, fuel consumption behaviour determines the liquid-to-vapour ratio inside fuel tank and promotes the refuelling losses in the absence of onboard refuelling vapour recovery control technology in two-wheelers. Liquid-to-vapour ratio inside fuel tank depends on prefill gasoline volume and the quantity of gasoline refuelled. Experiments are conducted to develop understanding on the mechanism of vapour generation during refuelling. This paper focuses on studying the impact of refuelling quantity, prefill volume and ambient temperature conditions on the vapour generation during refuelling of two-wheeler fuel tanks. Also, interaction between these control factors with influence of individual factor is studied using regression analysis and Minitab. Analysis of variance study reveals that temperature has strong influence on vapour generation (61.5%) and refuelling quantity (21.18%) also affects it significantly with least influence of prefill volume (14.19%). Combined effect of prefill volume and refuelling quantity on vapour generation is found interesting in interaction plots. Further assessment of interaction between various control factors is suggested to develop optimized control solutions for two-wheeler refuelling emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is distinct from fossil fuels since it does not contribute to global warming or air pollution. Advancements in technology make it essential to investigate various facets of digitalization in the energy sector to innovate renewable energy sources. In addition, a stable financial system is essential for doing all this. Keeping this in mind. In this context, this paper analyzes the impact of inclusive digitalization, financial inclusion and inclusive growth on renewable energy demand for the period 2004 to 2022, in 103 countries. We categorize the sample into low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries to address the issue of heterogeneity. For panel data that can withstand the problem of cross-sectional dependency, the regression with panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE) is used in this study. The results indicate that inclusive digitalization, financial inclusion, and inclusive growth have a positive effect on renewable energy demand across all income groups, while inclusive growth has no effect on renewable energy demand in middle-income countries. Almost all of the variables are shown to have bi-causal links, as shown by the Dumitrescu and Hurlin-Granger causality test. Our findings point to concrete policy implications for countries looking to increase clean energy, sophisticated digital infrastructure, and an enhanced financial system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy (RE), the key to realizing the low-carbon transformation of energy, is significant in reducing social carbon emissions (CEs). However, the regional differences in the impact of RE on CEs and the impact mechanism are still unclear. Clarifying the regional differences and impact mechanisms will encourage the government to formulate a development plan for RE in line with the actual situation. To explore the heterogeneous impacts and conduction paths of RE on CEs, this paper uses province-level data from 2000 to 2019 in China. Based on clarifying regional CE efficiency, panel quantile regression models are introduced to assess the differential impacts of RE at different CE efficiencies. And the conduction mechanism of the effect of RE on CE efficiency is explored through the parallel multiple mediation effect model. The results show that RE development, the accumulation of social affluence, and technological innovation can improve carbon efficiency while increasing population size and energy consumption inhibit carbon efficiency. Urbanization rate, industrial structure, and opening to the outside world affect travel alienation in regions with different levels of CE efficiency. RE development improves regional CE efficiency, which is more evident in regions with low and high efficiency. In addition, RE can increase CE efficiency indirectly through effects on population size, urbanization rate, scientific and technological innovation, and intensity of fossil energy consumption. However, it decreases CE efficiency indirectly through social enrichment. These findings will provide broader insights for improving the development of regional RE and formulating differentiated policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recovery and reuse of waste heat offers a significant opportunity for any country to reduce its overall primary energy usage. Reuse of waste heat improves the ambient air quality by reducing both industrial pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from industries. This paper presents an estimation of thermal waste heat potential in five energy-intensive industrial sectors (i.e., iron and steel, chemical and petrochemical, paper and pulp, cement, and glass), based on data available in the extant literature and government reports. The findings show that both the chemical and petrochemical industries have the highest theoretical waste heat to power generation capacity for the selected industries. In addition, six individual plant data were collected for case study to determine their waste heat potentials. These estimates were further used to identify the power generation potential using the organic Rankine cycle based on economic advantages, whereby the iron and steel industries were found to have the maximum power generation potential of 66.5 TWh using its waste heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to utilize human, financial, and material resources reasonably in the technological innovation of new energy vehicles to obtain the maximum benefit with the least investment is an important issue that needs to be solved urgently. This paper employs the stochastic frontier model to analyze the innovation efficiency and its influencing factors of new energy vehicles in China. The investment of innovation is divided into four dimensions: human resource input, R&D input, technology acquirement input and environment support input. The results demonstrate that the mean of innovation efficiency of the new energy vehicle industry is low in general. The Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions have the highest innovation efficiency comparable to that of other regions. There is a significant positive impact of asset turnover ratio, per capita compensation of management, and education level on innovation efficiency. The effects of asset-liability ratio and government support on innovation efficiency are not significant. But the government support has a significant positive moderation effect on innovation efficiency through financial factors. Based on the conclusions, this paper proposes insights to promote the development of the new energy vehicle industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid advancement of the deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and traditional industries, industrial intelligence has a greater influence on the economy and the environment, which is of great significance in promoting green development. However, the impact of industrial intelligence on green development and the mechanism of its impact are not yet clear. In light of this, this paper uses 284 Chinese cities as samples to examine the influence of industrial intelligence on green development, explores the impact path of industrial intelligence on green development through intra- and inter-industry linkage effects, and addresses the moderating role of environmental regulation intensity on the relationship between them. It is discovered that there is a U-shaped feature between industrial intelligence and green development, and environmental regulation intensity can smooth the curve relationship between them. Heterogeneity analysis found that regional characteristics, industry type, and city size will make the U-shaped impact different. Further mechanism testing reveals that the low level of industrial intelligence inhibits energy utilization efficiency and causes a low-end service industry structure, which is not conducive to green development. When the level of industrial intelligence is high, it promotes energy utilization efficiency and a high-end service industry structure, which is conducive to green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental protection tax is of great significance to the realization of an environment-friendly society. Using data from 280 Chinese cities from 2010 to 2020, this paper measures total factor energy efficiency in China by the super slack-based measure model. The impact of China's environmental protection tax reform on total factor energy efficiency is tested through differences-in-differences method, and its transmission mechanism is explored. Environmental protection tax reform policies have a significant positive impact on total factor energy efficiency. Environmental protection tax reform policies have greater impact on resource-intensive cities in central region and cities with lower initial energy efficiency. Cities with increased tax have positive spillover effects on the neighboring cities. This study provides empirical evidence for further optimization of environmental protection taxes and energy efficiency. The structure of the environmental tax system should be optimized, and the environmental tax policy should be implemented according to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the government of Saudi Arabia has adopted the regulations of the small-scale solar PV systems. These regulations allow consumers in the residential, commercial, industrial, and agriculture sectors to install grid-connected PV systems in their properties and allow them to inject the extra generated energy into the utility grid or receive their needs of energy. The scheme regulates and governs the relationship between the consumer and the authority of electricity. The adopted tariff of energy exchange is not encouraging to push consumers in Saudi Arabia to install PV systems in their properties. So, the need for investigating the economic feasibility of installing PV systems from the consumer side arises. In this paper, the RETscreen package has been used to simulate different cases of PV installations in five cities across Saudi Arabia (Tabuk, Buraydah, Jeddah, Najran, and Dammam), considering the meteorological properties of each city, the energy demand of houses, and the current prices of PV system components in the local market. The investigation was done based on the new regulations and new energy exchange tariff to determine the feasibility of installing grid-connected PV systems in houses. The results showed the feasibility of installing the grid-connected PV systems in houses if the PV system designed to generate the annual energy demand of house or less with payback time around 10 years and the LCOE was 0.095 SAR/kWh. The study also showed that the increasing in the capacity of the PV system more than the annual demand will be infeasible economically as the size of the PV system increased more than the actual energy demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper draws attention to the importance of localizing the value chain of photovoltaic solar energy in Saudi Arabia based on the country's vision for 2030 to meet the expected increase in energy demand. This paper describes various obstacles and enablers and shows the critical factors that restrain the development of the value chain of photovoltaic solar energy. In this paper, different phases of upstream and downstream activities of the photovoltaic industry value chain related to the current situation in Saudi Arabia were examined and analyzed. This paper further examines the capabilities of the local content of photovoltaic solar energy to determine the scenarios that can be adopted to enhance the photovoltaic solar energy industry. This paper analyzes the expected significant positive impact of localizing the value chain of the photovoltaic solar energy industry on the socioeconomic development, job creation, and technology transfer in Saudi Arabia. The paper concludes with recommendations to facilitate the expansion of the photovoltaic solar industry in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to more accurately predict the global solar energy consumption, a new grey prediction model FDGM(1,1, t α ) is proposed in this paper. The grey wolf optimizer (GWO) is used to optimize the fractional-order r and the time power α in the model. The proposed FDGM(1,1, t α ) model, two statistical models and other five existing grey models are used to simulate and predict the solar energy consumption in the four economies (France, South Korea, OECD and Asia Pacific region) from 2010 to 2029. The simulation results show that our proposed FDGM(1,1, t α ) has higher accuracy than the other seven models. The prediction results based on FDGM(1,1, t α ) show that in 2029, the solar energy consumption in South Korea, the OECD and the Asia Pacific region will reach 33,935.32 Ten-trillion J, 1,222,123.45 Ten-trillion J and 2,297,274.45 Ten-trillion J, respectively, but that in France will slowly increase in the next few years and will gradually decrease after reaching a peak of 14,727.34 Ten-trillion J in 2026. The better forecasting solar energy consumption by using the proposed model can provide useful information for the policy-makers to formulate and improve energy policies and measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to answer the question, 'can analytics software measure end user computing electricity consumption?' The rationale being that the success of traditional methodologies, such as watt metres, is limited by newly evolved barriers such as mobility and scale (Greenblatt et al., in Field data collection of miscellaneous electrical loads in Northern California: initial results. Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory research paper, pp 4–5, 2013). Such limitations significantly reduce the availability of end user computing use phase energy consumption field data (Karpagam and Yung, in J Clean Prod 156:828, 2017). This causes computer manufacturers to instead rely upon no-user present energy efficiency benchmarks (Energy Star, in Product finder, product, certified computers, results. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Energy. https://www.energystar.gov/productfinder/product/certified-computers/results, 2021) to act as baseline data for product carbon footprint reports. As the benchmark approach is previously tested to cause scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions quantification to be inaccurate by − 48% to + 107% (Sutton-Parker, in Determining end user computing device Scope 2 GHG emissions with accurate use phase energy consumption measurement, 1877-0509. Amsterdam: Science Direct, Elsevier B.V., 2020), testing a new methodology that includes the impact of human–computer interaction is arguably of value. As such, the proposed method is tested using a distributed node based analytics software to capture both computer asset and human use profile data sets from one hundred and eleven computer users operating in a subject organisation for 30-days. The simple rationale is that the node, unlike a watt metre, is not restricted by location, can be deployed and monitored globally from a centralised location and can move with the computer to ensure constant measurement. The resulting data sets are used to populate a current use phase electricity consumption calculation data flow (Kawamoto et al., in Energy 27:255, 2001; Roth et al., in Energy consumption by office and telecommunications equipment in commercial buildings: energy consumption baseline, 2002) in order to examine for omissions. Additionally, to test for data accuracy, one computer user acts as a control subject, measuring electricity consumption with both a watt-metre and the analytics software. The rationale being that the watt-metre data is extensively proven to be accurate (Energy Star, in Energy star computers final version 8.0 Specification, Washington D.C., United States Department of Energy. https://www.energystar.gov/products/spec/computers%5fversion%5f8%5f0%5fpd, 2020) and will therefore expose errors produced by the software in relation to power draw, on-time and resulting kilo-watt hours (kWh) values. Further to the data capture period, the findings are mixed. Positively, the new method overcomes the barriers of numerous, assorted devices (scale) operating in ever changing locations (mobility). This is achieved by the node reporting in real-time make and model asset data together with device specific electricity consumption and location data via internet technologies. Negatively, the control subject identifies that the electricity consumption values produced by the software are inaccurate by a relatively constant 48%. Furthermore, data omissions are experienced including the exclusion of computer displays caused by the node requiring an operating system to collect data. This latter point would exclude the energy consumption measurement and therefore concomitant greenhouse gas emissions of any displays connected to desktop or mobile computers. Consequently, whilst the research question is answered, the identification of the software exaggerating use phase energy consumption by 48% and excluding peripheral devices, determines the analytics methodology to be in need of further development. The rationale being that use phase consumption quantification is key to lifecycle assessment and greenhouse gas accounting protocol and both require high levels of accuracy (WBCSD and WRI, in The greenhouse gas protocol. A corporate accounting and reporting standard, Geneva, Switzerland and New York, USA. https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard, 2004). It is therefore recommended that further research be undertaken to specifically address omissions and to reduce the over reporting aspect identified as caused by algorithms in the software used to calculate hardware power draw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some methods of generating power such as power generation through coal, natural gas, oil result in inevitable emissions of greenhouse gases. While power generation is necessary due to its increasing demand, it is important for power companies to generate their power in an efficient manner to reduce its effect on the environment. One of the most effective ways of tackling inefficiency issues is through the implementation of efficiency standard. While there exist a lot of studies addressing the topic of energy efficiency standards, there are very few papers that deal specifically with efficiency standard for power generation plant. This paper presents methodology for the implementation of power plant efficiency standard; as mandatory or voluntary regulatory instrument, that may be implemented by the government to control greenhouse emissions from power plants. It is hoped that through its implementation, power companies shall become more conscious of their efficiency and emission quality, hereby encouraging the adoption of more efficient energy sources and latest available technologies. In this paper, methods of calculating greenhouse intensity value and its corresponding allowable ranges have been demonstrated. Case study on a 10-year-old base-load multi-fuel-fired power plant in Malaysia has shown that the power plant is in conformance to the power plant efficiency standard, with an actual greenhouse intensity of 859.4461 kgCO2/MWh sent-out, well within the allowable range of greenhouse intensities for that power plant which is between 760 and 890 kgCO2/MWh sent-out. It has also been demonstrated that older power plants are allowed to have higher values of greenhouse intensity. Benefits of utilising natural gas and operating the power plant at full load have also been shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global energy demand is continuously increasing where the pollution and harmful greenhouse gases that originated from the burning of fossil fuels are alarming. Various policies, targets, and strategies are being set to the carbon footprint. Renewable energy penetration into the utility grid, as well as bidirectional power flow between generation and end-users, are also potentials. A microgrid energy system can help distribute energy from intermittent renewable generation centres to load centres more effectively. The microgrid system efficiently utilises electricity from renewable sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass. The potential renewable transition opens up a lot of possibilities for microgrids that are both grid-connected and islanded. Digital technology, specialised energy measurement devices, a fast and efficient communication system, energy storage systems, and dynamic control techniques are all used. The renewable-based microgrid system faces numerous techno-economical vulnerabilities due to the volatile and environmental dependencies of renewable energy. The complex power converter stages, lack of strict regulatory rules, grid operations and management, communications between the centralised and decentralised controllers come into play while investigating the microgrid system. This paper focuses on the prospects of renewable-based microgrid system implementation in Bangladesh. The major challenges and solutions to those challenges are described with all the current breakthroughs across the world to solve some core issues regarding microgrid planning, controlling, maintenance, resilience, and economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkey is a developing country with rising energy demands. Energy access is one of the key parameters to sustain the development, since the country meets a considerable part of energy demands by imported fossil fuels. Distributed photovoltaic power generation (DPPG) is one of the sustainable solutions to increase renewable energy sources (RES) shares in primary energy demand. This paper investigates Turkey's current policy system with its excellences and shortcomings in different stages of distributed photovoltaic power generation development in the country. By the assessment of the current situation, a strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) and external opportunities (O) and threats (T) analysis is also conducted to propose urgent strategies to contribute the development of DPPG sector in Turkey. In conclusion, future roles of the government and energy market are discussed to increase integration of DPPG in Turkish renewable energy market comprehensively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In hot desert climates, the office buildings with high-performance glazing systems (HPGSs) provide better indoor thermal and visual comfort to the occupants due to the advanced coatings which prevent the undesired heat gain and daylight. However, these systems save energy in the use phase; it could consume more energy in the pre-use and post-use phases. Furthermore, the use of advanced materials may have negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, this paper selected the comparative life cycle assessment method as an environmental measuring tool to compare the energy consumption and the environmental impacts of three HPGSs with that of the conventional clear double-glazing system. The results show that the photovoltaic glazing system (PVGS) has the lowest energy consumption and the lowest environmental impacts, followed by the electrochromic glazing system (ECGS) and the low-E glazing system. In the use phase, both PVGS and ECGS achieved the highest energy savings, 87% and 25%, respectively. The use phase has a major contribution to the energy consumption and environmental impacts, while the pre-use and post-use phases have insignificant contributions in this study. The results could support decision-makers in choosing the most environmentally friendly HPGS for their projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the rapid development of the automotive industry has brought about several environmental and energy issues worldwide. Many countries have established fuel consumption regulations. Among them, fuel consumption regulations based on the curb weight or footprint have been put forward in China and the US. This paper mainly compares the effect of the application of footprint-based and curb weight-based regulations in China. To compare the effect of these two different benchmarks, a Chinese footprint-based fuel consumption regulation is designed based on the principles of the American footprint regulations and the actual conditions of the Chinese passenger car market, and fuel consumption data from 14 enterprises are also used. It is found that regulations help maintain market neutrality if the target value is separated into two curves according to the type of vehicle. Additionally, footprint regulations are more conducive to vehicle lightweighting than curb weight regulations. Finally, policy recommendations are drawn: to maintain market neutrality, there should be two target value curves in the fifth stage of the weight regulation: one for sedans and one for SUVs. Meanwhile, footprint regulation adaptation should be considered in the future to promote vehicle lightweighting in the Chinese market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency in manufacturing is important for overall sustainability of society. This paper combines three observations to improve an overlooked part of the energy efficiency support infrastructure in food and drink manufacturing: innovation capability. First, variations in machine and process design produce significant differences in energy efficiency; second, these differences are not widely known or valued because comparable machine energy data are not gathered for the vast majority of products, so machine and process design is under-used as a route to efficiency improvement; third, peer benchmarking has proved to be an effective tool for stimulating change in other contexts, but has not been used at machine level in manufacturing. This paper describes and makes the case for a self-sustaining system in which machines would be validly compared on energy consumption and peer benchmarking would stimulate innovation in machine and process design for food manufacturing. The system, to be tested in a feasibility study, would benefit both food manufacturers and stakeholders. It would avoid dependence on public funding and enable stakeholders to provide value from the data. The paper contains the academic underpinning for the system and sets out an effective means of using it to achieve practical change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In recent years, numerous countries and organizations have presented a large number of initiatives and policies to promote the net-zero energy building movement. Although several research efforts have been conducted to set up a consistent and holistic framework of net-zero building standards, the differences in policies and codes related to net-zero buildings and their impacts are not yet fully understood. The aim of this study is to investigate how rapidly the building stock can be transformed into net-zero energy buildings (NZEs). The focus is not technical or based on economic constraints but instead on the potential impact of energy efficiency policies. In response, this paper first presents an overview of the current status of codes and policies related to net-zero building development worldwide. Second, this paper compares and explains the major differences in building energy codes among regions; three countries are used as examples to demonstrate the different approaches. The three countries, which are located on three different continents, are the USA, Germany, and China. Lastly, three prototype buildings are modeled—with similar climate zone classifications as the above-mentioned three countries—based on each country's respective building energy codes. The prototypes are analyzed against a baseline, with and without the impact of building codes and policies. The preliminary results indicate that, currently, China has few stringent building code requirements; however, due to the wider acceptable indoor thermal environmental range, China has higher potential than the USA to achieve the net-zero goal. Additionally, policies in the building sector have had a substantial positive impact on the reduction of energy and carbon emissions in China. In comparison, Germany has slightly higher potential to achieve the net-zero goal than the other two countries, whereas the USA, without a positive energy policy, will underperform in the near future, compared to most countries worldwide.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydropower is the most economically developed renewable energy source in China. In the twenty-first century, the era of clean and low-carbon development, hydropower can meet the continuous growth of energy consumption and help China achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. In 2019, China's installed hydropower capacity was 358.04 GW, and hydropower consumption was 1.132 × 1016 kJ, with a growth rate of 5.5%, well above the global average of 0.8%. Although China's hydropower achievements are renowned worldwide, hydropower development in China still faces challenges in relation to environmental, technological, economic and social issues. In this paper, we first review the history, achievements and current situation of China's hydropower development and summarize the specific challenges mentioned above. Then, we take the Dadu River Hydropower Base as a case study. This project ranks fifth among China's 13 largest hydropower bases, and the construction of 14 cascade hydropower stations was completed in December 2020, accounting for 61.3% of the total planned installed capacity of 28 cascades, with 3 more still under construction (accounting for another 16.3%). We comprehensively describe the background, tasks and exploitation of hydropower development in the Dadu River basin and highlight current practices, including exploration of environmental protection and ecological restoration, technical innovation, supporting facility construction, economic promotion and resettlement. Finally, based on the identified practices and lessons, we propose feasible suggestions for China's future hydropower development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper particularly aims to highlight the necessity of optimal geometrical design considerations of a parabolic trough collector (PTC)-mounted receiver tube in view of efficient operation and high-end performance. Many investigations, analysis, and validation have been done in this regard as solar energy-based PTC now a commercially mature technology acknowledges a variety of role in the form of power generation and other thermal applications. This article identifies the optimal rim angle corresponding to its tube size as required for high exergetic gains. Almost six receiver tubes, distinct in terms of dimensions and number of covers, are compared for their best results to be mounted on adequate geometry with different rim angle (40°, 80°, and 120°). A significant variation of flow rate (i.e., 16 to 216 L/h) and inlet fluid temperature (i.e., 323 K, 423 K, 523 K, 623 K, and 723 K) has been extensively detailed about high energy and exergy retrieval from the system. The study reports that all the favorable results are found with the receiver tube having a diameter of 0.027 m and a double envelope, compared to other design considerations. Results show that as the flow rate increases energy efficiency also increases up to some extent along with increasing receiver tube temperature. The highest energy and exergy efficiency are reported to be 79.4% and 45.9%, respectively, with 80° being the optimal rim angle for a 5.7-m-wide parabolic aperture. This article also takes care of levelized cost of energy of the proposed system, and it has been reported as 0.0372 $/KWh along with a payback period of 8.2 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery aging can greatly reduce the energy efficiency of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). This paper presents a novel real-time energy management strategy (EMS) for PHEVs, aiming at integrating the fuel economy and battery life optimization. While most existing EMSs consider constant battery temperature, this paper includes the temperature variation into the problem since its effect on battery aging is significant. The optimal offline solutions are obtained by dynamic programming (DP) and Pontryagin's minimum principle (PMP). The results demonstrate that the battery life is extended by making a trade-off between fuel economy and battery aging. Then, a real-time EMS is suggested based on PMP since it is an instantaneous optimization approach. Contrary to the real-time EMSs with a pre-determined costate, a real-time tuning rule for costate is developed, making the strategy adaptable to the uncertainties in traffic conditions. Finally, the suggested method's effectiveness in lowering the fuel consumption and the battery's degradation rate is shown through simulations over multiple real-time driving cycles. The proposed method's simulation results are compared with those of DP, PMP, and the charge depleting–charge sustaining (CD-CS), which is a widely investigated real-time approach. The results indicate that the proposed real-time EMS outperforms the CD-CS, and it has close matching to globally optimal solutions obtained by DP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concerns about climate change, energy security and price fluctuation of fossil fuels are driving the growing interest in the development and utilization of renewable energy as a transportation fuel. In this aspect, the utilization of organic household waste for the production of biogas avoids the environmental impact of landfills. The further upgrading and utilization of biogas as a vehicle fuel avoids the environmental impact of fossil fuels. This paper presents the life cycle assessment of two utilization pathways of biogas produced from co-digestion of organic household waste, grease trap removal sludge and ley crops grown by local farmers. Specifically, this study assessed and compared the environmental impact of the production and utilization of bio-methane and biogas-based electricity as a vehicle fuel for public transport buses in Västerås, Sweden. The system boundary for biogas production covered seven main steps: cultivation, harvesting and transport of ley crops, collection and transport of waste, pre-treatment and co-digestion of the substrate. The system boundary for bio-methane was further extended to account for the upgrading process and tailpipe emissions from combustion of bio-methane in the buses. In the case of biogas-based electricity, the system boundary was further extended to account for the combustion of biogas in the CHP unit and further utilization of electricity in the electric bus. The evaluation of the production routes showed that the methane losses and high energy consumption for both biogas production and upgrading process dominated the environmental impact of bio-methane production. However, the emissions from the CHP unit were solely responsible for the environmental impact of biogas-based electricity production. The functional unit identified for this study is 1 vehicle km travelled (VKT) of the bio-methane fuelled bus and electric bus. The global warming potential of the electric buses was 0.11 kg CO2-eq/VKT compared to 0.26 kg CO2-eq/VKT for the bio-methane buses. The electric buses could also reduce about half of the acidification and eutrophication impacts associated with the bio-methane fuelled buses. The lower fuel efficiency and high tailpipe emissions decreased the environmental advantages of the bio-methane buses. Eventually, this study ensures the biogas utilization which is environmentally sound and compares favourably with the alternative options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent adoption of building information modelling (BIM), and the quest to decarbonise our built environment, has impacted several segments of the supply chain, including design and engineering practitioners, prompting the need to redefine the construction personnel positions along with associated skills and competencies. The research informs ways in which practitioners can fully embrace the potential of BIM for energy efficiency to promote sustainable interventions by improving existing training practices and identifying new training requirements as BIM evolves and as practitioners' ICT (Information and Communications Technology) maturity levels improve. This is achieved by adopting a novel text-mining approach which analyses social media alongside secondary sources of evidence to establish a level of correlation between BIM roles and skills. The use of ontological dependency analysis has helped to understand the degree of correlation of skills with roles as a method to inform training and educational programmes. A key outcome from the research is a semantic web-based mining environment which determines BIM roles and skills, as well as their correlation factor, with an application for energy efficiency. The paper also evidences that (a) construction skills and roles are dynamic in nature and evolve over time, reflecting the digital transformation of the Construction industry, and (b) the importance of socio-organisational aspects in construction skills and related training provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been established that the carbon emissions of wind power depends on several factors, most importantly, the size, manufacturing location, operating location, and life expectancy of the turbine. However, there is significant variation in carbon emissions of wind power generation reported in the literature. This makes it necessary to study the emissions of a windmill of a given size operating in a given location. In this paper, we study the carbon intensity and energy intensity of wind generation from a Nordex 1.3 megawatts (MW) wind turbine located in the Panhandle of Texas. Our model has three components: (a) lifetime power generation model which uses Typical Meteorological Year 3 data from National Renewable Energy Laboratory, (b) process analysis model for raw materials used in manufacturing of the wind turbine, and (c) environmentally extended input–output analysis model for all other steps involved in the life cycle analysis of the windmill, including manufacturing, transportation, installation, operation, and maintenance of windmills. Our results show that a 1.3 MW windmill operating for 20 years in the Panhandle of Texas, generates 467 terra-Joules (TJ) of electricity while consuming 25.58 TJ of energy and producing 1870.52 million-grams (Mg) of CO2. The resulting carbon emission intensity of this turbine is estimated to be 14.45 gCO2/kWh. In 2019, the U.S. generated about 286.6 billion kWh of its electricity from the wind which amounts to 4.12 million ton (MT) of annual emissions and will increase substantially as deeper levels of wind generation is achieved in the next several decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy has gained great attention and extensive demand as an important element of the development of human society over the globe. As the representative of the traditional energy use, coal and oil have made a significant contribution to the economic take-off. However, their negative effects are becoming increasingly obvious simultaneously. On the one hand, the world is facing severe energy depletion crisis as the energy consumption increases. Eventually, the development and use of energy at large lead to a deteriorating environment. Facing these dual effects, States have begun to attach importance to the exploitation of renewable energy. Marine renewable energy (hereinafter MRE) has become the gateway to energy revolution based on its particular advantages. This paper pays attention to the American institutional framework and legal system for the development of MRE, along with its advantages, prerequisites, opportunities, and barriers, followed by various pertinent recommendations, as the U.S. is the leading country in this field. It is concluded that the U.S. has a comprehensive legal system for the development of MRE. However, it has to timely intersect with the opportunities and barriers in the light of the administrative or legal framework and enhance its institutional structure for the successful implementation as well as to be competitive for the attainment of required goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily human activities generate greenhouse gases. The total emission of greenhouse gases is called the carbon footprint and is expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) units. As a new educational institution, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) began to take part in an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) programme that supports the reduction in carbon emissions. In this study, the total amount of CO2 produced from UTM during 4 years was measured under three categories: (1) the emissions from the fleet of university vehicles for public transportation, (2) the electricity and water emissions, and (3) the emissions produced by staff and student transportation, waste generation, paper, and maintenance by contractors. The special evaluation method is an alternative method to calculate greenhouse gases and measures all elements/sources of greenhouse gases under the same functional unit. This reference helps the assessor to avoid the double measurement of anthropogenic gases. The study results demonstrated that air transportation utilised by university students and employees and electricity usage contributed to 34.74%, 19.37%, and 18.19% of the carbon emissions, respectively. The total CO2 emissions from the three sources over 4 years were 48.442 MT. The data on the carbon footprint of the university can form the basis for monitoring, evaluation, and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in Malaysia. Moreover, the university constructed and operates a smart house, a large solar parking lot with a capacity of 10 MW, uses solar and wind-powered lighting, and encourages the use of bicycles and electric scooters to achieve an annual reduction in the total CO2 emissions intensity. The results of this study suggested that a carbon reduction project could encourage university members and public society to an understanding of the environment and allowing UTM to become a centre of excellence for the operation of a green campus for urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper shows the process of the development of the sustainable energy action plan (SEAP) for the city of Zagreb and analysis of the interaction between measures, which are used for the reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The energy savings and CO2 reduction potential of measures are compared in a scenario and individual approach. Sectors of energy consumption listed in SEAP are buildings, transport and public lighting. The buildings sector is divided into public buildings, residential and commercial buildings. The transport sector is subdivided on public transport, public vehicles and private and commercial transport. Measures for CO2 emission reduction are selected by a discussion with relevant stakeholders and most effective measures from the previous SEAP. Mutual interaction between measures, which influences the total result of energy consumption and CO2 emissions reduction, is done through simulation in LEAP. In this way, it can be shown that measures have either synergetic, negative or neutral interaction between them. The analysis showed the negative interaction is prevailing and scenario approach resulted in 16.23% lower CO2 reduction potential than the individual assessment of each measure. It is recommended to use a scenario approach in the development of SEAP for the assessment of measures CO2 reduction potential. This will provide more efficient planning of measures for the reduction in CO2 emissions on a local level and avoid overestimating of the CO2 reduction potential when developing SEAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current COVID-19 pandemic has brought about sharp changes in society, mainly following from the mitigation measures of compulsory mask-wearing, social distancing and "home office" work. In the resulting list, the most researched and popular with the readers are papers related to policy issues, end-of-pipe treatment, energy supply, and analyses of waste reuse. For example: Demand-side management, minimising user waste Life Cycle impacts of supply chains by stages Analysis of the most significant waste generation and pollution causing factors Minimisation of the waste at the usage stage, the conversion and transportation losses These topics correspond to the waste prevention priority of the waste hierarchy. [Extracted from the article]

As most of the energy in today's scenario is still relied on fossil fuels and it causes a negative impact on the environment, hence energy saving should be considered as an important element of production planning. However, energy-efficient production planning should also be cost-efficient. There are technologies that are expected to become affordable in due time frame. Such affordability and expected technology advancements can be included in production planning using multiple installations of production facilities. In this paper, an insight-based graphical method is proposed for multiple installations aggregate production planning that minimizes energy consumption of production facilities. The methodology is capable of accounting capital cost affordability as well. Application of the proposed methodology on illustrative examples demonstrates that significant energy reduction can be achieved by multiple installations production planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency plays a key role in reducing global energy consumption, especially in the industrial sector, with an indirect positive impact on the competitiveness of industrial firms. Although a cultural shift toward recognizing the strategic importance of energy efficient and environmental friendly solutions is diffusing among industrial companies, also pushed by the evolution of local and international regulatory frameworks, strong barriers hampering the adoption of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) still exist. These barriers, and in particular those linked to behavioral issues, may be overcome by the use of a well-designed energy audit methodology. However, how energy audit can help overcome behavioral barriers to industrial energy efficiency remains an under-researched topic in literature. This paper presents and discusses a novel methodology for energy audit developed and implemented by a large manufacturing company. The methodology is built around four phases, and it pays special emphasis to the initial step of the audit, where the strongest resistance to the implementation of EEMs is typically found due to a lack of awareness and commitment which hampers the identification of needs and opportunities associated with the adoption of EEMs. The proposed methodology has been able to overcome in practice the typical behavioral barriers that affect the implementation of EEMs in the manufacturing sector and has strong applicability in other firms and industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial ovens consume a considerable amount of energy and have a significant impact on product quality; therefore, improving ovens should be an important objective for manufacturers. This paper presents a novel and practical approach to oven improvement that emphasises both energy reduction and enhanced process performance. The three-phased approach incorporates product understanding, process improvement and process parameter optimisation. Cure understanding is developed using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and CIE-Lch colour tests, which together highlight the impact of temperature variation on cure conversion and resulting product quality. Process improvement encompasses thermodynamic modelling of the oven air to evaluate the impact of insulation on temperature uniformity and system responsiveness. Finally, process parameters, such as temperature, pressure negativity and air flow, are optimised to reduce energy consumption. The methodology has been effectively demonstrated for a 1 MW festoon oven, resulting in an 87.5 % reduction in cooling time, saving 202 h of annual downtime and a reduction in gas consumption by 20-30 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrically conductive concrete (ECON) heated pavement system (HPS) is a newly developed clean technology to reduce the use of polluting chemicals for removal of snow and ice. This technology requires further comprehensive studies for achieving an energy-efficient design. To construct an energy-efficient system, ECON HPS design includes determining the most appropriate configuration of electrodes embedded in the ECON layer. The spacing, shape and dimensions of these electrodes are important design factors impacting the thermal and energy performance of the system. While field tests are resource-intensive, the use of numerical modeling can complement such experimental tests to provide a better overall understanding of the technology's behavior. In this paper, the thermal and energy performance of ECON HPS is investigated through considering various system configuration designs, with an experimentally validated finite element model. A performance index is defined for comparing both thermal and energy performance of the configurations to obtain an energy-efficient design. The results indicate that a configuration with six circular electrodes at 100 cm spacing exhibited the best performance index and the highest energy efficiency. Since a test section with higher performance index would be capable of achieving a higher average surface temperature for the same energy input, such a section would have higher efficiency compared to other sections evaluated. This analysis results in narrowing down the ECON HPS's configuration design options before performing experimental tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to determine the environmental impact of rail freight transport in Belgium using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The study includes the assessment of diesel trains, electric trains and rail freight transport considering the Belgian traction mix. Moreover, a comparison of the environmental impacts of electric trains using the electricity supply mix of different European countries has been performed. The rail freight transport system has been divided into three sub-systems: rail transport operation, rail equipment and rail infrastructure. The system approach of the LCA methodology involves studying both the direct processes connected with the transport activity (e.g. energy consumption or direct emissions), as well as other necessary elements for rail transport such as energy production, rolling stock and railway infrastructure. A comprehensive study of the Belgian railway network has been performed, collecting country-specific data on the construction, maintenance and disposal of infrastructure. Electric trains present a better environmental performance than diesel trains in Belgium. For example, the use of electric trains (using the Belgian electricity supply mix of 2012) rather than diesel trains represents a reduction of 26% of environmental impact on climate change. The electricity supply mix contributes significantly to the environmental performance of electric trains. As the use of electric trains increases in future, the energy split for the electricity generation will be more important in the environmental impacts of goods transport. The increased use of electric trains represents an opportunity to attain a more environmentally and energy-efficient rail freight transport system, especially when they are powered by sustainable electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector has grown significantly over the years, causing an increase in carbon emission that has led to serious global warming problems. Consequently, electric vehicles (EVs) have become a favourable solution in the transportation sector due to their green technology attributes. This paper aims to apply the Carbon Emission Pinch Analysis (CEPA) method to the transportation sector in Iskandar Malaysia. The modified CEPA method is applied by constructing a composite curve for transportation modes and the total carbon emission was plotted in order to study the minimum electricity requirement that needs to be generated to implement the use of EVs. Road and rail transportation were considered in the transport composite curve based on the current policies available and to achieve the new carbon emission target by the year 2025. The alternatives available to reduce carbon emission in Iskandar Malaysia include increasing public transport modal share; fuel switching from petrol and diesel to natural gas and biofuels; and increasing transport efficiency via plug-in hybrid and EVs. Four scenarios were established and evaluated based on economic and environmental aspects. As a result, Scenario 4 which considered all policies available (transport management, fuel switching and fuel efficiency) have showed the most promising fuel mix for future transportation demands. An estimated total amount of 0.25 TJ of electricity is needed for EV implementation with a total estimated cost of RM 1.3 billion. The total carbon emission for this scenario is 1101.96 kt-CO2. This research can benefit the Government, town planners, or policy makers, for preliminary energy planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodological approach for intelligent control of fuel cell vehicles based on traffic condition recognition. For this purpose, employing an extensive real driving pattern database, a six-mode representative traffic condition is developed for the city of Tehran by means of fuzzy subtractive clustering approach. Subsequently, an adaptive fuzzy logic controller is designed, with the assistance of particle swarm optimization algorithm. Finally, a traffic condition recognition algorithm is proposed to establish the most probable driving mode. The fuzzy logic controller is employed as a real-time controller and its modes are singled out with respect to the traffic condition recognition algorithm results. Moreover, effectiveness of the proposed controller has been examined during several real driving periods containing various traffic conditions. Simulation results prove successful performance of the proposed intelligent controller under different traffic conditions according which a nine-to-seventeen percent fuel consumption improvement has been achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's transport industry has made rapid progress, which has led to a great amount of carbon emissions. However, it is still unclear how carbon emissions from the transport sector are punctuated by shifts in underlying factors. This paper aims to examine the process of China's carbon emissions from the transport sector as well as its major driving forces at the provincial level during the period of 2000 to 2015. We first estimate the carbon emissions from the transport sector at the provincial level based on the fuel and electricity consumption using a top-down method. We find that the carbon emission per capita is steadily increasing across the country, especially in the provinces of Chongqing and Inner Mongolia. However, the carbon emission intensity is decreasing in most provinces, except in Yunnan, Qinghai, Chongqing, Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Henan and Anhui. We then quantify the effect of socioeconomic factors and their regional variations on carbon emissions using a panel model. The results show that the development of secondary industry is the most significant variable for carbon intensity at both the national and regional levels, while the effects of the other variables vary across regions. Among these factors, population density is the main factor of the increasing carbon emissions per capita from the transport sector for both the whole country and the western region, whereas the consumption level per capita of residents and the development of tertiary industry are the primary drivers of per capita carbon emissions for the eastern and central regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of renewable energy consumption, economic growth, foreign direct investment inflows and trade on carbon dioxide emissions for a panel of 12 Middle East and North Africa countries over the period 1980–2012 using the recent Panel Vector Autoregressive model with multi-domain analysis framework. The results from Granger causality test reveal a bidirectional causality relationship between the candidate variables supporting the feedback hypothesis. The findings show that economic growth leads to environmental degradation while renewable energy, international trade and foreign direct investment inflows lead to decreases carbon dioxide emissions. A serious shift toward using more renewable energy resources, international trade and foreign direct investment inward is recommended to improve the environmental quality and attain the sustainable growth in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A growing population and the impact of climate change represent clear challenges for the agricultural sector. Adapting agricultural machinery, e.g., raising the use of electric vehicles (EVs), is one way of meeting such challenges. Although interest in EVs and sustainable farming is becoming ever stronger, in practice the usage of EVs still remains at a relatively low level. As EV experience is key in deciding for or against e-mobility, the present paper focuses on the differences in perceptions between experienced and non-experienced electric vehicle users. The present study was conducted in the course of a pilot project on e-mobility in rural Austrian regions. Three hundred and thirty-four farmers were asked to assess the performance of 13 attributes regarding e-cars and agricultural EVs. While none of the selected attributes were deemed unimportant, there were clear differences in perceptions between those with and without EV experience. For example, farmers with experience were more satisfied with the performance of current EVs than those without experience. Availability of a private charging station for agricultural EVs is seen as important by both groups, but experienced farmers rate the respective importance, and also satisfaction with private charging stations significantly higher than farmers without experience. The results show that specific policy adaptations have to be made in order to increase the acceptance of EVs in the agriculture sector.Graphical abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions into the atmosphere are among the primary environmental problems caused by flexible packaging printing plants. Since 1999, VOC emissions from the use of solvents in various technological processes have been limited by the volatile organic compounds solvents emissions directive, and by directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions since 2010. Thus, flexible packaging plants require processing technologies or other solutions to ensure compliance with these requirements. In this paper, combined VOC pollution prevention and treatment alternatives were suggested and were evaluated for their technical, environmental, and economic feasibility. A flexible plastic packaging company that produces over 1920 t/year of plastic packaging for the food industry was selected for detailed analysis. The material and energy flow analysis shows that VOC emissions from the main technological processes reached 112.2 kg/t of production, and a considerable amount of energy (up to 771.6 kWh/t of production) was used. Three integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) alternatives of the five analysed in this study were selected and implemented within the company to reduce its VOC emissions and energy consumption. The results indicate that after the implementation of the three suggested economically reasonable IPPC alternatives (replacement of solvent-based with water-based inks; modernisation of the ventilation and lighting system), the VOC emissions decreased to 8.4 kg/t (92.5%) and the total energy consumption for the production of 1 t of flexible packaging decreased to 605.6 kWh/t (21.5%). This study shows that IPPC methods not only significantly reduces VOC emissions from flexible packaging printing processes, but also saves energy and raw materials, and reduces costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a survey was conducted on a residential condominium to estimate energy use by different household appliances along the lighting energy estimation in public areas. It has been found that about 2.17 GWh of energy is used in the condominium annually by different types of household appliances and lightings in public areas. As there is significant potential to reduce the energy used, different energy savings measures have been applied and energy savings, bill savings, life cycle cost analysis have been estimated and presented in this paper. It has been found that a cumulative amount of 2.4 GWh of energy can be saved for about 10 years with the implementation of different energy savings strategies proposed for appliances and lighting in public areas. However, good maintenance practices and good energy management practices should be employed continuously to maintain high energy efficiency and high performance of the equipment used and the entire building. It has been found that some of the measures like reducing air conditioning load and reducing heat gain through window tinting are economically very viable as payback period is very short. More advantageously, some of the measures can be implemented without investing significant cost. Ultimately, a key driver in the success of energy efficiency is the education and attitude of the stakeholders in the building industry, and end users who are committed to practice energy saving measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source in Mexico with an estimated 4-9% of total current energy demand. There are large uncertainties and contrasting estimates regarding its current extent and end-uses, particularly with traditional uses. However, a large potential exists to improve the efficiency of existing uses and, at the same time, to diversify the use of SBF in the industrial and power sectors. This paper aims at: providing the first updated and comprehensive estimate of current SBF demand in Mexico including traditional and modern uses; providing a consistent estimate of actual SBF supply potential; estimating the total potential substitution of fossil fuels that could be achieved by SBF considering an integrated “modernization scenario”; and finally describing the main barriers limiting SBF to fully triggering its potential. Results show that current SBF consumption reached 481 PJ/yr in 2015; SBF supply potential reaches 3622 PJ/yr, out of which 883 PJ/yr could be used to substitute up to 29% of current demand of FF, mitigating 66 MtCO2e/yr of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, or near 88 MtCO2e/yr if mitigation from traditional uses is added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present results about the energy requirements in the reboilers of an extractive dividing wall distillation column and a thermally coupled distillation sequence with a side rectifier for bioethanol dehydration using glycerol as entrainer, and the study generates the appearance of multiple steady states. During the energy optimization of the dividing wall distillation column, using glycerol as entrainer, the recycle streams were varied until the energy consumption in the reboiler was obtained and the multiple steady states can present a difference of up to 400%. This finding is important since we are interested in detecting the optimal energy consumption in order to reduce the environmental impact caused by the usage and production of energy from petroleum. This information is being used in a current pilot plant in order to detect the optimal operation conditions to dehydrate bioethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]