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The escalating demand for water, energy, and food, coupled with the imperative for sustainable development, necessitates innovative solutions to address the complex interdependencies within the water–energy–food nexus. In this context, agriculture and photovoltaics (Agri-PV or Agri–voltaics) systems have emerged as a promising approach to promoting sustainable agricultural practices while enhancing energy efficiency and food production. However, limited research, especially on the technical aspects of Agri-PV, has resulted in a knowledge gap regarding how to model and determine the suitability of Agri-PV for different crops based on local conditions. This study presents a novel approach to modeling and simulating Agri-PV systems for various major crops in developing countries, using Uzbekistan as a case study. It provides a blueprint for selecting suitable Agri-PV systems. The research investigates the technical feasibility of Agri-PV technology tailored to Uzbekistan’s agricultural landscape, with broader implications for Central Asia. Employing a systematic methodology, the study begins by selecting appropriate sites and crops for Agri-PV system testing, ensuring the relevance and applicability of the research findings to the local context. Using advanced software tools such as PVSyst, the study accurately calculates photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) values specific to selected crops, bridging a significant knowledge gap and providing empirical data essential for informed decision making. The methodology further incorporates an in-depth analysis of economic and technical considerations in selecting PV modules and inverters, enhancing the scientific accuracy of the study. By strategically modeling Agri-PV systems based on parameters like row density, module distance, and tilt angle, this research aims to optimize the integration of photovoltaic technology with agricultural practices in Uzbekistan. Moreover, this study helps to understand the impact of Agri-PV systems on the water–energy–food nexus, providing valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges specific to the region. The study identifies the positive impact of Agri-PV on major crops and provides a suitable design and modeling approach for sustainable farming practices.

This paper introduces a comprehensive approach for sizing grid-connected hybrid renewable energy systems tailored for electric bus fleet operations. The study involves two main steps. First, a mathematical model that optimizes the configuration of such systems by considering daily electric bus consumption, solar irradiance, wind speed, and biomass potential is formulated. The model utilizes Pareto frontier multi-objective optimization to minimize the net present cost, the cost of energy, and greenhouse gas emissions. Second, the model is rigorously applied and tested in a real-world case study in Fez, Morocco, using HOMER Pro; the case study centers on the daily energy requirements of the buses, estimated at 2.5 megawatt hours per day, with a peak demand of 345 kilowatts. Two scenarios are explored, revealing a discernible trade-off dilemma between the full hybrid renewable energy scenario (Scenario 1) and the grid-connected hybrid renewable energy scenario (Scenario 2). In Scenario 2, the grid-connected hybrid renewable energy system demonstrates a notable 42.8% reduction in the net present cost, totaling USD 984,624. Similarly, the levelized cost of energy experiences a significant decrease, reaching approximately 0.08 USD/kWh, marking a 38.1% reduction. However, this apparent economic advantage is juxtaposed with a critical consideration—an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from null to 330,418 kg/year.

More than half of the urban population of Sub-Saharan Africa lives in informal housing conditions. While urban areas are, in general, characterized by a high electrification rate, residents of informal settlements are still affected by energy poverty, the use of traditional energy sources and unreliable electricity supply. The aim of the study is to give an overview of different renewable-energy-based solutions which are able to improve local energy provision. These are Solar Home Systems, Mini-Grids, and Energy-Hubs. The technologies are compared to another option for improving energy supply, namely Grid Expansion. The analysis is based on 24 Key Performance Indicators, which can be classified into technical, economic, environmental, social, and political dimensions. The selection of indicators is based on the challenges prevalent in informal settlements that impede a comprehensive, sustainable energy supply. The literature-based indices are used to determine which of the four technologies is a suitable solution for minimizing the challenges prevailing in informal settlements. The resulting matrix provides a holistic comparison and serves as a decision aid in selecting the appropriate technology for future projects in informal settlements, depending on local conditions and the needs of the population. The results show that the Energy-Hub is a valid alternative for energy supply improvement in Informal Settlements.

This paper proposes a home energy management system able to achieve optimized load scheduling for the operation of appliances within a given household. The system, based on the genetic algorithm, provides recommendations for the user to improve the way the energy needs of the home are handled. These recommendations not only take into account the dynamic pricing of electricity, but also the optimization for solar energy usage as well as user comfort. Historical data regarding the times at which the appliances have been used is leveraged through a statistical method to integrate the user’s preference into the algorithm. Based on real life appliance consumption data collected from a household in Morocco, three scenarios are established to assess the performance of the proposed system with each scenario having different parameters. Running the scenarios on the developed MATLAB script shows a cost saving of up to 63.48% as compared to a base scenario for a specific day. These results demonstrate that significant cost saving can be achieved while maintaining user comfort. The addition of supplementary shiftable loads (i.e., an electric vehicle) to the household as well as the limitations of such home energy management systems are discussed. The main contribution of this paper is the real data and including the user comfort as a metric in in the home energy management scheme.

Building construction in rural Kyrgyzstan is heavily dominated by earthen buildings. Old and inappropriate residential building structures contribute significantly to high domestic space heating energy consumption. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the relevant building construction techniques. However, the scant information on Kyrgyz building techniques, especially for high-altitude rural settlements, was the prime motivation to perform the presented study. The key objective of the study is to investigate residential building construction techniques in high-altitude rural Kyrgyzstan, and this was to be achieved by house visits during field trips, literature review, and pilot interviews with local people. The analysis enabled the detailed identification of individual building envelopes as well as predominant building materials to be recorded. Based on the assessment, a housing profile was created that represents the typical characteristics of traditional rural Kyrgyz houses. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the potential for energy savings in rural Kyrgyz houses of 50–70%. However, local conditions prevent people from making improvements to all domestic energy efficiency parameters simultaneously. Therefore, the study developed a ‘sequential roadmap’ to reduce domestic space heating demand in different phases based on simulation studies. Existing low-income rural Kyrgyz habitations can use the presented roadmap to reduce domestic space heating demand sequentially to overcome financial barriers and, therefore, contribute to establishing sustainable buildings in Kyrgyzstan. These results may be partially replicated in other Central Asian rural communities depending on their location and building characteristics.

The northern part of the globe is dominated by industrialisation and is well-developed. For many years, the southern part of the world (South Asia, Africa etc.) has been a target of research concentrating on access to energy (mainly electricity) in rural regions. However, the Central Asian region has not been a focus of energy research compared to South East Asia and Africa. Despite plentiful domestically available energy resources, the energy supply in Central Asia is very unevenly distributed between urban and rural areas. Almost half of the total population of Central Asia lives in rural areas and there is a lack of access to modern energy services to meet primary needs. To analyse the energy situation (i.e., electricity, heating, hot water consumption, cooking, etc.) in rural Central Asia, this paper reviews residential energy consumption trends in rural Central Asian regions as compared to urban areas. Furthermore, the paper illustrates the potential of renewable energies in Central Asia. To perform the study, a qualitative comparative analysis was conducted based on a literature review, data, and statistical information. In summary, the presented article discusses the rural energy situation analytically and provides in-depth insights of Central Asian energy infrastructure.